Looking for bike recommendations

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

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm about ready to buy a new bike and I'm looking for recommendations.
I feel like I'm in kind of a hurry because the shop out here is having
a sale until the 12th so I'd like to make a decision by then and take
advantage of the savings.

I'm looking for a bike with a triple chainring that can have fat
tires, racks, fenders, etc for commuting, road use and maybe some
light off-roading. Mostly I've been looking at cyclocross bikes but I
should also consider other types like touring bikes.

I like the LeMond Poprad but the cost of putting the third chainring
on brings it out of my price range. I looked at the Jamis Aurora but
it seems kind of heavy. Light weight and performance is nice but I'm
more concerced about how sore I am after a few hours in the saddle.

Check out Rivendell Romulus, Rambo, and Atlantis. One of them should fit
your needs:

Romulus:
http://rivbike.com/html/bikes_romulusframes.html

Rambo (which comes as both a frame and complete bike):
http://rivbike.com/html/bikes_rambouilletframes.html

Atlantis:
http://rivbike.com/html/bikes_atlantisframes.html

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm about ready to buy a new bike and I'm looking for recommendations.
I feel like I'm in kind of a hurry because the shop out here is having
a sale until the 12th so I'd like to make a decision by then and take
advantage of the savings.

I'm looking for a bike with a triple chainring that can have fat
tires, racks, fenders, etc for commuting, road use and maybe some
light off-roading. Mostly I've been looking at cyclocross bikes but I
should also consider other types like touring bikes.

That would be the ones to look at. You don't mention your price range,
but a Fuji Touring comes with a rack, 27 speeds with wide range gearing
(30x32 granny and 52x11 top), and 32mm tires, and has room for even
bigger tires and room for fenders if you want to add them later (as I do
for winter riding). The list price is about $840, but you can easily
find them for $800, or even less if you dig around a bit.

I didn't care for the factory saddle (a little too narrow for my sit
bones), but some people do, and a saddle's easy to change.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm about ready to buy a new bike and I'm looking for recommendations.
I feel like I'm in kind of a hurry because the shop out here is having
a sale until the 12th so I'd like to make a decision by then and take
advantage of the savings.

I'm looking for a bike with a triple chainring that can have fat
tires, racks, fenders, etc for commuting, road use and maybe some
light off-roading. Mostly I've been looking at cyclocross bikes but I
should also consider other types like touring bikes.

That would be the ones to look at. You don't mention your price range,
but a Fuji Touring comes with a rack, 27 speeds with wide range gearing
(30x32 granny and 52x11 top), and 32mm tires, and has room for even
bigger tires and room for fenders if you want to add them later (as I do
for winter riding). The list price is about $840, but you can easily
find them for $800, or even less if you dig around a bit.

I didn't care for the factory saddle (a little too narrow for my sit
bones), but some people do, and a saddle's easy to change.

Yep, I was going to suggest the Fuji Touring, also. Let's not forget the
venerable Trek 520, or the REI Novara Randonee. Of course, if he wants to
spend some bucks, Co-Motion makes excellent touring bikes, with equally
excellent prices!

Quoted message said:

Check out Rivendell Romulus, Rambo, and Atlantis. One of them should fit
your needs:

They look nice, especially the Atlantis but they're a little out of my price range.

I should have mentioned that I'm trying to keep it around $1000.00

Chris Hansen said:

I should have mentioned that I'm trying to keep it around $1000.00

Maybe the Trek 520 would work for you. Lots of tire clearance, it
comes with a triple, and it's in your price range:

http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/road/520.jsp
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

I second the motion on the Trek 520, but the list price this year went up to
$1,099. Although I like the Bontrager CRZ road saddle that comes with the 520,
a seat is something you generally have to break in and get used to -- which
takes awhile. And seating is very much a matter of personal preference.

I found a bike.

I went to the first place and they offered a much better deal on a
poprad with a triple chainring. I guess it helps to act doubtful but
like you might buy something. I was sorely tempted by the trek 520 but
the poprad felt sportier and I like the shifters better. It will take
about 10 days for them to get the parts in and get it ready, I can't
wait!

Thanks for all the advice.

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

Quoted message said:

I found a bike.

I went to the first place and they offered a much better deal on a
poprad with a triple chainring. I guess it helps to act doubtful but
like you might buy something. I was sorely tempted by the trek 520 but
the poprad felt sportier and I like the shifters better. It will take
about 10 days for them to get the parts in and get it ready, I can't
wait!

Thanks for all the advice.

The Poprad is a good choice for a road bike, but is it really suitable for
commuting?

As you noted, one issue with it is the lack of a triple, but if the shop is
willing to upgrade to a triple for a good price, then this solves this
problem. You may want to add a headset extender or a SpeedLifter, for a more
upright position for commuting.

The Poprad is one of the recommended road bike models at the Bicycle
Recommendation Short List web site at: http://www.nordicgroup.us/bikerec/,
with the caveats on the triple crankset and the headset extender.

IMVAIO, the Romulus would have been a better choice, but as you stated, it
was out of your price range.

Steve
Bicycle Recommendation Short List
http://www.nordicgroup.us/bikerec/

Steven M. Scharf said:

The Poprad is a good choice for a road bike, but is it really suitable for
commuting?

eh? there are no special requirements for commuting. i've commuted for
years on a fixed gear track bike. the guy next to me a mountain bike,
another guy a tri bike, my old boss a trek 5200. i've seen every kind of
bike used. & i'm not sure there is an ideal kind of bike for commuting
but i'd have to believe if there were a cyclocross bike would come pretty
damn close.

Quoted message said:

IMVAIO, the Romulus would have been a better choice, but as you stated, it
was out of your price range.

if you can't park it inside most people would say one of the single largest
factors is *PRICE*. that is, *CHEAP*. that ain't cheap.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

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

Quoted message said:

Steven M. Scharf <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Poprad is a good choice for a road bike, but is it really suitable

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

commuting?

eh? there are no special requirements for commuting. i've commuted for
years on a fixed gear track bike. the guy next to me a mountain bike,
another guy a tri bike, my old boss a trek 5200. i've seen every kind of
bike used. & i'm not sure there is an ideal kind of bike for commuting
but i'd have to believe if there were a cyclocross bike would come pretty
damn close.

I wonder if you can easily add fenders and racks to the Poprad. Many road
bikes lack the necessary clearance. Can you fit tires that are more suitable
for commuting? AFAIK, the Romulus is the closest thing to a combination
touring/road/commute bike.

The ultimate commute bike is something like the Fuji Hokkaido (not sold in
the U.S. of course).
<http://www.www.fujibikes.com/comfort/bike.asp?category_short_name=lifestyle
&myArray=139,140,141,142,143,144,145,146,147,148,149,150,151,152,153,154,155
,156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,169,168,170,172,171,174,173
&myArrayID=14&yr=2004>

If the goal is to get more people bike-commuting, then the solution is bikes
that you can hop onto, in your work clothes, without special shoes,
trouser-bands, etc, and that have built in dynamo lights just in case you
have to ride at night (while dynamo lights aren't as good as high power
lights, in a pinch they're better than nothing). These bikes are common in
Europe and Japan, but not in the U.S. see http://commutebike.com

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

IMVAIO, the Romulus would have been a better choice, but as you stated,

it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

was out of your price range.

if you can't park it inside most people would say one of the single

largest

Quoted message said:

factors is *PRICE*. that is, *CHEAP*. that ain't cheap.

$900 for a Poprad or $1450 for a Romulus, it's not that big of a difference
to make it okay to leave one outside versus the other.

Steve
http://commutebike.com
http://nordicgroup.us/bikerec

Steven M. Scharf said:

If the goal is to get more people bike-commuting, then the solution is bikes
that you can hop onto, in your work clothes, without special shoes,
trouser-bands, etc, and that have built in dynamo lights just in case you
have to ride at night (while dynamo lights aren't as good as high power
lights, in a pinch they're better than nothing).

I disagree. There have been bikes like this at times on the U.S.
market off and on since the 1960s and they eventually die for lack of
sales. Few people look at a particular bike and have a light go off in
their head and they start commuting. Most start with A bike, any bike,
and eventually decide to make the effort to commute.

If they started putting in the city codes that modern style bike racks
are required for all new shopping malls and office parks and if cities
started retrofitting newer racks into current building areas, so that
a bike commuter had a reasonable expectation of secure short and
mid-term parking, then there might be more commuters.

As it is, there are some groceries (Food Lion and Safeway come to mind
around here) that I will not shop at, due to their apparent conscious
decision to deter cyclists from usig their stores. They could not
build unless they guaranteed X number of parking spaces for
automobiles - the same should be true for bicycles.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As it is, there are some groceries (Food Lion and Safeway come to mind
around here) that I will not shop at, due to their apparent conscious
decision to deter cyclists from usig their stores. They could not
build unless they guaranteed X number of parking spaces for
automobiles - the same should be true for bicycles.

Perhaps they figure that if everyone went to their store by bike, they'd
sell less stuff.

Steven M. Scharf <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As it is, there are some groceries (Food Lion and Safeway come to
mind around here) that I will not shop at, due to their apparent
conscious decision to deter cyclists from usig their stores. They
could not build unless they guaranteed X number of parking spaces for
automobiles - the same should be true for bicycles.

Perhaps they figure that if everyone went to their store by bike,
they'd sell less stuff.

It could be that. But I was thinking that since I don't have a rack I
always go shopping with a backpack, and every so often the checkout person
remembers that it's store policy to check bags, so I'm wondering if stores
don't see cyclists as potential thieves.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 02:26:33 +1000, "DRS" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

It could be that. But I was thinking that since I don't have a rack I
always go shopping with a backpack, and every so often the checkout person
remembers that it's store policy to check bags, so I'm wondering if stores
don't see cyclists as potential thieves.

Well, I did walk into my local branch bank in winter with a ski mask
on and managed to freeze everyone for a second. Think if I said loud
enough that I was there to make a withdrawal, the guard might have had
the weapon out of the holster.

I make a point of having the panniers wide open when I carry them
around and at the register in groceries. When I self-check, I leave
them open at the end of the belt, if anyone wants to inspect. OTOH,
there are more than a few people with their own shopping bags walking
around.

In any event, if they make it plain that they don't want cyclists,
I'll let them know that this person and his $ 5,000 of grocery
shopping each year will be glad to accomodate them.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Quoted message said:

In any event, if they make it plain that they don't want cyclists,
I'll let them know that this person and his $ 5,000 of grocery
shopping each year will be glad to accomodate them.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Where do you live and what do you eat that you spend $100 a week.
I live in NY and don't spend more than $250 a month, for 2 of us.
I thought we had a high cost of living!

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, I did walk into my local branch bank in winter with a ski mask
on and managed to freeze everyone for a second. Think if I said loud
enough that I was there to make a withdrawal, the guard might have had
the weapon out of the holster.

I was in Taiwan, and the banks have signs on the doors to remove your face
masks prior to entering (the masks for SARS). The shortage of masks was so
severe that people were improvising, see:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-sarsmask.htm

tk said:

Where do you live and what do you eat that you spend $100 a week.
I live in NY and don't spend more than $250 a month, for 2 of us.
I thought we had a high cost of living!

Whatever. My wife and I average $ 5,000 per year on groceries. This
includes everything from day-to-day to parties to tailgate parties. We
don't economy shop; we'll pay extra at the health food store or for
items that are measured as better, even when appearing similar. There
are choices that my wife makes as an oncology nurse working from a
dietitians list that I would probably not bother with myself, but we
can afford it, so why not (other than I have to admit to being a touch
tired of some soy products)?

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Where do you live and what do you eat that you spend $100 a week.
I thought we had a high cost of living!

Whatever. My wife and I average $ 5,000 per year on groceries. This
includes everything from day-to-day to parties to tailgate parties. We
don't economy shop; we'll pay extra at the health food store or for
items that are measured as better, even when appearing similar. There
are choices that my wife makes as an oncology nurse working from a
dietitians list that I would probably not bother with myself, but we
can afford it, so why not (other than I have to admit to being a touch
tired of some soy products)?

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

God bless ya,
I dont usually consider the weekend pizzas as part of the food budget, that
comes under 'entertainment'. I will be rather happy when I am not paying
NYC pricces.
I like the soy milk...that is about it, for soy. I will admit...I would
rather eat what I enjoy and die 10 years sooner, than live a long, bland
life.

tk said:

I like the soy milk...that is about it, for soy. I will admit...I would
rather eat what I enjoy and die 10 years sooner, than live a long, bland
life.

Well, I don't find it all that boring. Our health food store includes
baked range whole chickens that will match anything for taste. Its the
soy bars for lunch - the first time they taste a bit like Rice Krispie
bars, but after a while, you can't remember why you thought that.

Still, its the once a day sacrifice. And I don't include the bourbon
or rye in that grocery bill either. Guinness and Bass OTOH should
probably be included: black and tans are their own food group.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...