Comfy performance bikes

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

Joseph

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

Quoted message said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty
good but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

As Joseph has korrectly opined...think tires, not frame. I B 53 years since
birth, an' I B ridin' ~ 20 miles daily in nise weather. Ich weiss nicht,
what a ride around D LBS parking lot will tell U a/b comfort. I guess U
would want 2 run lower tire pressure, N also think saddle. Ich denke, D mos'
comfortable saddle B Brooks, but sUm riders kan't get used 2 a premium
leather saddle.

I'll keep thinkin' bekaus dat B watt I like 2 du!

....oder auf Deutsch:

Ich werde behalten, daran zu denken. Weil das ist, was ich machen mag!

Jay D Kraut (Bike Friday serious Bike Commuter in da beg citi witch B
Chicago, TRU!)

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/brooks.jpg

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/bike1.jpg

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

RANS Zenetic:
http://www.ransbikes.com/07ZPRO.htm#

-no padded shorts required,
-hand pressure is much lower,
-neck strain is much lower.

Comfort? Yea, we've heard of it.....
~

Quoted message said:

Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

Joseph

Perhaps true, but frame geometry and design do matter. I test-rode
the Synapse and the Roubaix, and they both felt great compared to more
race-oriented bikes with similar tires. Bought the Roubaix, and my 68-
yr old bones have been happy ever since.

Quoted message said:

Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

The frame will also determine the tires. Very narrow-clearance frames
will not permit tires wider than 25 or even 23 mm. 700C x 28mm tires are
nice if you have a frame that will fit 'em.

-Luigi

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

DougC said:

http://www.ransbikes.com/07ZPRO.htm#

-no padded shorts required,

I don't wear padded shorts on my bike; I took it out for a fifty-odd mile
jaunt a bit ago and my lungs and legs hurt more than my perineum.

The main benefit of cycling shorts, I find, is the decreased chafing (from
repeated pedal strokes). The padding is an added bonus, but not strictly
*necessary* if your bike is nicely set-up: good saddle, good position,
and so forth.

For what it's worth, I ride an upright touring bike with drop bars; my
hands are mostly just behind the brake hoods.

Quoted message said:

-hand pressure is much lower,
-neck strain is much lower.

Comfort? Yea, we've heard of it.....
~

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Consider a touring bike; a bit longer wheelbase (stability rather than
twitchiness on long rides), slacker frame angles (ditto), wider-range
gearing, clearance for wider tires. You still get drops for the fun of
all the nice hand positions, and they're sportier than sit-up-and-beg
bikes.

Fuji Touring, Trek 520, Jamis Aurora and the like will fit the bill. I
ride a 2001 Jamis Aurora and love it to bits.

Cyclocross bikes will be a bit more aggressive in their frame angles, but
make fairly good all-rounders.

I can't stress the tires enough: nothing has a bigger effect on how the
bike feels rolling down the road than the tires; narrow tires a
super-high pressures will really beat you up on broken pavement. too-wide
tires with too-low pressures (& floppy sidewalls/tread) will be a drag.
Test ride a few and see what you can live with.

-Luigi

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Seriously, ditto the comments about tires. I'm an arthritic 55-year
old who still rides thousands of road miles a year (mostly urban
commuting) on touring bikes with 700x32c or 700x35c touring tires. The
combination of fatter tires and relatively compliant frames (one ti,
one steel) give these bikes all the shock-resistance they need, as
long as I don't ride purposefully over severe obstacles without
unloading the saddle by distributing my weight between hands and feet
and letting my knees fles over the bumps. Springs would just make the
bike heavier and harder to maintain with no benefit.

The arthritis in my hands has made it especially important to remember
my padded gloves, but they're secondary to the benefit of riding with
a light grip, something I trained myself to do long ago.

I would hate to give up the versatility of drop bars; their variety of
available hand positions is a real benefit to me.

r

Luigi de Guzman said:

I don't wear padded shorts on my bike; I took it out for a fifty-odd mile
jaunt a bit ago and my lungs and legs hurt more than my perineum.

There's always people that say this....

Quoted message said:

The main benefit of cycling shorts, I find, is the decreased chafing (from
repeated pedal strokes). The padding is an added bonus, but not strictly
*necessary* if your bike is nicely set-up: good saddle, good position,
and so forth.

....in spite of the fact that most "cycling specific" shorts have the
padding. ....And most well-stocked bike shops (in the US anyway) will
sell them (as well as 20 or 30 different saddles).

-------

Saddle comfort is a major issue that a lot of riders have, and most bike
shops can't seem to solve it. If they could they'd only need to sell ONE
saddle, and they wouldn't bother sticking any padded shorts, because
nobody would ever want to buy them.

(synthetic shorts are still a good idea for the moisture-wicking benefit)
~

DougC said:

Saddle comfort is a major issue that a lot of riders have, and most bike
shops can't seem to solve it. If they could they'd only need to sell ONE
saddle, and they wouldn't bother sticking any padded shorts, because
nobody would ever want to buy them.

My ass isn't exactly the same as yours; why should my saddle be?

Or, less churlishly:

Human beings come in a number of shapes and sizes, from the tiny (my
babybro on his new bike) to the immense (the redoubtable Chalo Collina,
rec.bicycles.* regular). Surely you're not suggesting that the same
saddle fits *all* of these people?

Why, if what you're saying is true, I've been wasting my time all these
years buying shoes that fit my feet, gloves that fit my hands, hats that
fit my head...I should just be using all your stuff instead!

Saddle comfort is a major issue and can be solved with patience. Sadly,
patience is the one thing that is in increasingly short supply in this day
and age.

-Luigi

Quoted message said:

(synthetic shorts are still a good idea for the moisture-wicking benefit)
~

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
:: Saddle comfort is a major issue and can be solved with patience.

You seem to have left out the part about $$$.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Roger Zoul said:

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
:: Saddle comfort is a major issue and can be solved with patience.

You seem to have left out the part about $$$.

We don't like to think about that ;-)

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Great comments in your responses. You would do well to take from that
and use what will serve you best.. Maybe your bike shop will let you
try a longer ride on your favorite..
My comments: A well fitted bike, saddle and wheel/tire combination.
I ride a carbon fiber Calfee Luna pro, with Krysrium wheels, Vrenstein
tires at suggested air pressure. You're just a kid in your forties.
I'm almost 60, had back surgery, both knees scoped and have a t-
shaped plate holding my wrist together..I manage to get in 150-200
miles a week. I also have a profile bar on the bike for riding the
flats, sprinting and it also lets me stretch out my back on longer
rides.
Don't forget good padded gloves for hands and of course a great
helmet!! Be safe out there and keep on pedaling! Lyn

Roger Zoul said:

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
:: Saddle comfort is a major issue and can be solved with patience.

You seem to have left out the part about $$$.

Don't know. Maybe I have a standard-issue posterior, but I've had good
luck with simply adjusting my saddle to a point where it works on my bike.

I'll have to spend some dosh to get a new saddle for the old bike,
though--that never did work for me, and now that I know what *does*, I'll
be sure to get it.

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Roger Zoul said:

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
:: Saddle comfort is a major issue and can be solved with patience.

You seem to have left out the part about $$$.

We don't like to think about that ;-)

Think of the weight savings when you remove all that cash from your wallet!

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Luigi de Guzman said:

My ass isn't exactly the same as yours; why should my saddle be?

Believe it or not--there are bicycles that basically only come available
with ONE seat, and that seat is comfortable enough for the vast majority
of humanity.

The RANS Zenetic is one such bicycle (although I think there are plastic
and carbon-fiber versions, so I suppose that's two seats).
~

DougC said:

Luigi de Guzman said:

My ass isn't exactly the same as yours; why should my saddle be?

Believe it or not--there are bicycles that basically only come available
with ONE seat, and that seat is comfortable enough for the vast majority
of humanity.

The RANS Zenetic is one such bicycle (although I think there are plastic
and carbon-fiber versions, so I suppose that's two seats).
~

RANS recumbents are not universally available. I can't justify the
additional cost and hassle (won't fit on bike racks on buses/cars/trains,
etc.)

They're perfectly sensible bicycles, I'm sure, but the fact is that saddle
pain is not a problem if you learn to set up your (diamond-frame) bicycle
correctly.

In my case, it's a cheap fix: study, some time with an allen wrench, and
off I go.

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

DougC said:

Luigi de Guzman said:

My ass isn't exactly the same as yours; why should my saddle be?

Believe it or not--there are bicycles that basically only come available
with ONE seat, and that seat is comfortable enough for the vast majority
of humanity.

The RANS Zenetic is one such bicycle (although I think there are plastic
and carbon-fiber versions, so I suppose that's two seats).
~

RANS recumbents are not universally available. I can't justify the
additional cost and hassle (won't fit on bike racks on buses/cars/trains,
etc.)

They're perfectly sensible bicycles, I'm sure, but the fact is that saddle
pain is not a problem if you learn to set up your (diamond-frame) bicycle
correctly.

In my case, it's a cheap fix: study, some time with an allen wrench, and
off I go.

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

Zen Cohen said:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

The Roubaix on 25 tires seems smoother on chip seal roads than my
regular bike, an Allez Elite on 23 tires. Wheelbase is a little longer
on the Roubaix, so it also feels more stable. Other than that, I am not
sure that I can tell a huge difference for the extra cost, but the ride
is somewhat more comfortable, in my opinion. If you could try it out on
rougher roads, you might be able to draw your own, better conclusions.
Also, when I was looking around, there was one base model Roubaix that
was aluminum. All the others were CF.