Best Road Cycle

LazenbyADT said:

I have also seen the Saracen Nzyme Disc for approx£350
http://www.saracen.co.uk/mtb/nzymedisc.html It has both front suspension and
front and rear disc brakes. It also has chunkier tyres for off road use.

I suspect those cheap mechanical discs will be more disappointing than
your v-brakes.

Tony

"LazenbyADT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Help

Quoted message said:

My reasons for these are the roads in London especially through Kilburn
are very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior for stopping
in wet conditions. Very handy for when a taxi or bus suddenly brakes in
front of you.

On my bikes it is the tyres that are the problem in the wet, I don't see how
disk brakes would make a difference?

Frank X said:

On my bikes it is the tyres that are the problem in the wet, I don't see how
disk brakes would make a difference?

Well if you are lucky they would pull out the front wheel, giving you an
extremely rapid halt as the dropouts hit the road.

The bike would stop quickly, anyway.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

LazenbyADT said:

Help

I am looking for a new bike for road use only.

I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the Edgware road
and in and around central London.

Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike with
front and rear disc brakes.

My reasons for these are the roads in London especially through
Kilburn are very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior
for stopping in wet conditions. Very handy for when a taxi or bus
suddenly brakes in front of you.

So far I have found 2 contenders.

The Saracen Venturer 3 for approx £300
http://www.saracen.co.uk/sports-hybrid/venturer%203.html It is
classed as a sports hybrid with slimmer tyres for road use but has v
type brakes only but does have front suspension.

I have also seen the Saracen Nzyme Disc for approx£350
http://www.saracen.co.uk/mtb/nzymedisc.html It has both front
suspension and front and rear disc brakes. It also has chunkier tyres
for off road use.

My budget is around £350 so both bikes fit the bill.

You don't really need suspension in London and that kind of money won't
buy decent suspension anyway. It will be heavy and absorb some of your
energy, therefore make cycling harder work. I suggest getting a rigid
bike and fitting wide slick tyres and avoiding the worst potholes
altogether.

I appreciate that north west London's roads are relatively bad but still
I've enjoyed cycling on them on 23 mm tyres at 120 psi. 1.5" at 60 psi
should be no problem.

~PB

James Annan composed the following;:

Quoted message said:

Frank X said:

On my bikes it is the tyres that are the problem in the wet, I don't
see how disk brakes would make a difference?

Well if you are lucky they would pull out the front wheel, giving you
an extremely rapid halt as the dropouts hit the road.

Why would that be lucky?

--
Paul ...
http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
(8(!) Homer Rules ... 😉
"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

in message <[email hidden]>,

LazenbyADT (') said:

Help

I am looking for a new bike for road use only.

I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the Edgware road and
in and around central London.

Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike with
front and rear disc brakes.

No. Completely unsuitable for use on roads. Suspension bobs and saps
your energy. That's why good mountain bikes have suspension lockout -
so you can lock the suspension when you're on hard smooth surfaces,
like roads. Cable operated disk brakes are generally no better than V
brakes, except in very muddy conditions - and are heavier.

Quoted message said:

My reasons for these are the roads in London especially through
Kilburn are very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior
for stopping in wet conditions. Very handy for when a taxi or bus
suddenly brakes in front of you.

So far I have found 2 contenders.

The Saracen Venturer 3 for approx £300
http://www.saracen.co.uk/sports-hybrid/venturer%203.html It is classed
as a sports hybrid with slimmer tyres for road use but has v type
brakes only but does have front suspension.

Reasonable. Carbon fibre forks would be cheaper, lighter and more
comfortable, though.

Quoted message said:

I have also seen the Saracen Nzyme Disc for approx£350
http://www.saracen.co.uk/mtb/nzymedisc.html It has both front
suspension and front and rear disc brakes. It also has chunkier tyres
for off road use.

Just so. It's designed for off-road use and isn't really suitable for
roads.

Quoted message said:

My budget is around £350 so both bikes fit the bill.

Try the Specialized Sirrus or Giant CRS SE.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Want to know what SCO stands for?
;; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030605

Paul - censored said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On my bikes it is the tyres that are the problem in the wet, I don't
see how disk brakes would make a difference?

Well if you are lucky they would pull out the front wheel, giving you
an extremely rapid halt as the dropouts hit the road.

Why would that be lucky?

Luckier than the brakes not grabbing and the bike not stopping.
Perhaps.

"LazenbyADT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Help

I am looking for a new bike for road use only.

I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the Edgware road and in
and around central London.

Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike with front
and rear disc brakes.

Given that normal bike brakes are effectively disc brakes anyway, with the
braking force applied at the most mechanically efficient place anyway i.e.
as close as possible to the outside of the wheel, and that cheap disc brakes
are unlikely to be very good, why?

"LazenbyADT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the

Edgware road and in

Quoted message said:

and around central London.

Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike

with front and

Quoted message said:

rear disc brakes.

I'm unfamiliar with Edgware road specifically, or London in
general, but here in Chicago we are entering pothole season.
Personaly, none my motley collection of 7 bikes has front
suspension, and I haven't missed it. My daughter, though, has
a Giant Sedona with front suspension and does like the
smoother ride. Front suspension is certainly very common now.

Quoted message said:

My reasons for these are the roads in London especially

through Kilburn are

Quoted message said:

very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior

for stopping in

Quoted message said:

wet conditions. Very handy for when a taxi or bus suddenly

brakes in front

Quoted message said:

of you.

Is this true -- and, if so, is it true for the type of disk
brakes you would get on this price of bike? Aluminum rims and
v-brakes have pretty good stopping power in wet conditions. I
think disk brakes are popular for off-road bikes because
off-road use can result in mud-cakes rims or for downhill
conditions in which heat dissipation is a problem.

But, when in doubt, I like to check Sheldon Brown
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_d.html
"A hub brake, similar to an automotive disk brake, consiting
of a disk which screws on to the hub and a caliper attached to
the frame or fork which squeezes on the disk. Disk brakes are
better able to dissipate heat, which makes them popular for
downhill events and for tandems....

Disk brakes are becoming increasingly common, partly because
they work in wet conditions wheen rim brakes don't, partly
because they don't cause wear to rims, and partly because of
fashion.

Recently there have been concerns about the safety of front
disk brakes, in conjunction with lightweight quick-release
skewers. See James Annan's article on this topic. "

Annan's article certainly doesn't make me want to run out and
get disk brakes:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/disk_and_quick_release/
but it's Annan's article and I personally have no disk brake
experience.

--
Mike Kruger
Too many people spend money they haven't earned
to buy things they don't want
to impress people they don't like. -Will Rogers
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford
with money you don't have
to impress people you wish were dead. -Johnny Carson

"LazenbyADT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Help
I am looking for a new bike for road use only.
I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the Edgware road and in
and around central London.
Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike with front
and rear disc brakes.
My reasons for these are the roads in London especially through Kilburn
are very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior for stopping
in wet conditions. Very handy for when a taxi or bus suddenly brakes in
front of you.
So far I have found 2 contenders.
The Saracen Venturer 3 for approx £300
http://www.saracen.co.uk/sports-hybrid/venturer%203.html It is classed as
a sports hybrid with slimmer tyres for road use but has v type brakes only
but does have front suspension.
I have also seen the Saracen Nzyme Disc for approx£350
http://www.saracen.co.uk/mtb/nzymedisc.html It has both front suspension
and front and rear disc brakes. It also has chunkier tyres for off road
use.
My budget is around £350 so both bikes fit the bill.
Does anyone have any other recommendations or advice.
Cheers
Lazenby

Using a mountain off road type bike on the road is not a big problem.
Hybrids are mountan bikes modified for on road usage.
You might want to change the knobby off road tires for on road tires though
or tires that are more dual purpose.
You might want to change the seat to a more comfortable one, but that
depends on the seat on the bike.
Some of the comfort bikes look most promising, all one has to do is put on a
straight bar instead of the riser bar. Plus they are pretty inexpensive too.
Some MTB seats aren't really intended for the rider to actually sit on them
much, as the rider is usually standing a lot.
But then I am a hard core Brooks saddle guy myself, nothing seems to feel as
good as a Brooks saddle.
Disadvantages would be the increased weight of a MTB over a pure road bike,
and that the suspension may cause a little less power to be applied to the
rolling forward effect. Better bikes have better suspension components. But
suspension does help make the ride more comfortable. Disc brakes are pretty
neat, I haven't tried them yet myself. I opted for regular caliper brakes so
that I could get a extra set of wheels, so that I could quickly change from
road tires to off road tires by simply swapping out the entire wheel set.
Granted you could do it with disc brake wheels as well, but at the time they
were a lot more expensive.
Then usually a MTB has off road gearing as compared to a on road bike, but
then in a city that would not be a disadvantage, plus it lets you carry
heavier loads more easily, and it is great for when you are tired after a
long day, and you just don't want to power climb on up that last hill.
Another thing to consider is how popular are certain bikes to theft. Some
kinds tend to be more popular than others. Maybe a ugly bike that isn't
popular to theives might be a better way to go. Disc brakes might make a
bike more theft prone, I don't know for sure, it depends on the area.

LazenbyADT said:

Help

I am looking for a new bike for road use only.

I will mainly be using it for cycling up and down the Edgware road

and in

Quoted message said:

and around central London.

Proper urban warrior requirements, eh? :-)

Quoted message said:

Therefore I thinking about going for a front suspension bike with

front and

Quoted message said:

rear disc brakes.

Don't go for discs unless you can go to hydraulic discs (not until 700
pounds at least). V-brakes are equally good stoppers compared to cable
discs and much better value for money.

Suspension is okay, but there are better ways to improve your comfort.
Grips, saddle and most importantly riding position will help more than
a cheap RST suspension fork. Go to a shop which sells a decent range
of stuff and take a few test rides, see how you get on with suspension.

Quoted message said:

My reasons for these are the roads in London especially through

Kilburn are

Quoted message said:

very bumpy plus I understand disc brakes are far superior for

stopping in

Quoted message said:

wet conditions.

Not really, at least until you go to super-expensive hydraulics. The
advantage of discs is more that they don't use the rim for braking,
which means no worn out rims, no rubbing brake if the wheel goes out of
true, and less road grime wearing out the pads quicker. Actual wet and
dry weather braking is pretty damn similar (oh, and discs take ages to
bed in properly).

Quoted message said:

Very handy for when a taxi or bus suddenly brakes in front
of you.

So far I have found 2 contenders.

The Saracen Venturer 3 for approx £300
http://www.saracen.co.uk/sports-hybrid/venturer%203.html It is

classed as a

Quoted message said:

sports hybrid with slimmer tyres for road use but has v type brakes

only but

Quoted message said:

does have front suspension.

I have also seen the Saracen Nzyme Disc for approx£350
http://www.saracen.co.uk/mtb/nzymedisc.html It has both front

suspension and

Quoted message said:

front and rear disc brakes. It also has chunkier tyres for off road

use.

Ewww. The Nzyme is an out and out mountain bike, it will be horribly
heavy and slow. Go for something that calls itself a sports hybrid,
that's the section of the market you want to be looking at.

If you insist on getting a MTB, consider swapping the tyres for slicks,
the difference will be quite startling. You'll still be stuck with the
MTB riding position and overengineered frame though.

Quoted message said:

My budget is around £350 so both bikes fit the bill.

Does anyone have any other recommendations or advice.

Look around at things other than Saracen. Just about every
manufacturer does a sports hybrid of some description, and Saracen are
by no means the best out there. Claud Butler, low-end Marin, high-end
Raleigh, Dawes, Ridgeback, Giant are all pretty good brands.

Since I know the Raleigh, Ridgeback and Dawes ranges best, have a
gander at the Raleigh P8000, or the Dawes Kalahari with the
Dawes-recommended suspension fork upgrade would get you a pretty good
all-round commuter for 300 pounds. Add a bit extra for some
well-padded gloves and possibly a gel saddle and/or padded shorts,
that'll be a worthwhile investment in terms of comfort.