New Bike Build Help

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

Quoted message said:

I am in my second year of cycling and love it. I want to upgrade from my
Giant Cypress DX. My requirements are as follows:
· Something between a road and comfort (hybrid?) bike.

· Riding mostly on asphalt (streets [city & rural], Greenway, etc.)
and some paths (hard packed).

· Bike that should last at least 2 seasons (not physically but my
riding ability).

· Don't care for the drop handlebars of road bikes. Prefer comfort
bike style.

· Like the trigger style shifters.

· Want good braking ability. Consider a bike hauling touring gear
and me.

· Need some gearing that would enable Grandma to climb the Alps.

· Want the potential to cruise in the 15+ mph range.

· Like the Giant brand, but my loyalties are fleeting.

· Open to having a bike built if over-the-counter would require
extensive mods.

· Want to keep the expense in the $1,500 at this time. (lower is
good).

Any suggestions, recommendations, etc.? I am leaning toward the build,
perhaps starting with a Surly Cross-Check frame. At 200+ pounds, I'm more
concerned for my weight than a few grams of the bike frame.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
*Jason. in Indy

I'm reluctant to reply to this, looks like a troll to me, but anyway. It
looks like you have already specified what you want, a high end Hybrid. It
will meet all your requirements with the exception of the 15+ mph cruising
speed, that will be entirely up to you, cannot be built into the bike.

Hiya Jason:
Idea 1: Take a road bike and put a straight handlebar or moustache
bar (better, probably, for those hand positions once you're down to 170
lb and doing Century rides!) in place of the road bar. Suggestions for
a bike to do this to are the Fuji touring bike, the Trek 520, and the
Jamis Aurora. All of these have their proponents and opponents, but on
the gearing side, I think they all have triple cranks. And I think
steel frames.
Idea two: Joe Breeze has some interesting alu framed trekking bikes
at www.breezer.com, as well as some city commuters that don't bother
with a suspension fork.
Idea three: Flat bar road bikes are out there. Trek has a flatbar or
two in their "pilot" line, Raleigh and Giant ditto. The Bianchi
"Strada" is a steel frame -- apparently the same one used on the Volpe
(which is why the Bianchi Volpe didn't make my list of bikes to convert
in Idea 1 -- B has already thought of that). One TINY problem with the
Strada is the skinny (23mm! they must have bought a boatload of the
suckers!) tires, but you can switch those out for the rubber product of
your choice.
Idea four: Yours. The fresh build. Surly is one source for steel
frames. A somewhat more obscure one is Soma (www.somafab.com).
Idea Five: A REALLY good (and, alas, expensive) cruiser/hybrid.
Kelly (I think they're www.kellybikes.com but am not sure), the Sycip
brothers and I THINK both Rick Hunter and Co-Motion make them to
measure. Kelly and Co-Motion also have stock items that may fit the
bill. If you want to go extreme conversation piece, Rivendell's
Atlantis frame often gets made with moustache or English Club Racer
bike type handlebars (www.rivbike.com), and they'll soon have out
(perhaps by May...) a somewhat less expensive frame (in cooperation
with Surly/Quality BIcycle Parts, and in lugged steel) that is build
for the unusual, back=from-the-dead and somewhat controversial
Franco-Swedish 650B/584mm tire size.

Good luck and tell us what you pick AND how it rides and fits your
needs.

Robert Leone [email hidden]

There are dozens upon dozens of bikes that fit your requirements,
they're called high-end hybrids (as already mentioned) or "flat bar
road bikes".

Flat bar road bikes sometimes only come with a double up front, and
wouldn't "get granny up the alps".

Your needs aren't exotic, and you should be able to easily find
something off the shelf for under a grand.

There's not a braking system sold today that can't work for you as long
as it's adjusted properly and the shoes replaced with something decent.

You say you don't like drop bars, but don't rule them out:test ride a
touring bike with them at a sane level, and you'll be surprised at the
comfort of riding on the hoods. That's what it sounds like you really
need: a regular old touring bike, capable of anything.

Since you mentioned the Cross-Check, you might want to check out the
Jamis Coda Comp. Should run under $800, and has a Reynolds steel frame
and those trigger shifters you like. Also has provisions for mounting
racks, yet can be set up to be a speedster:

http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/06_codacomp.html

Only thing I'd be hesitant about with that bike is the wheelset, but
you get the idea.

Shop around.

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

Quoted message said:

I am in my second year of cycling and love it. I want to upgrade from my
Giant Cypress DX. My requirements are as follows:
· Something between a road and comfort (hybrid?) bike.

· Riding mostly on asphalt (streets [city & rural], Greenway, etc.)
and some paths (hard packed).

You don't need a hybrid or cross bike for this. I've taken my road bikes on
hard packed trails with sufficiently wide tires. My brief experience with
the Surly Cross Check off road, though, was that it really shined on the
dirt. How often are you going off-road?

Quoted message said:

· Don't care for the drop handlebars of road bikes. Prefer comfort
bike style.

Why do you like having fewer hand positions?

Quoted message said:

· Like the trigger style shifters.

Do you have experience with other shifters? In other words, is this
preference, "I like what I know, and I don't want to learn something else?"
or is it, "I've tried all kinds of shifters, and the trigger style is the
kind I like the best"?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

You don't need a hybrid or cross bike for this. I've taken my road bikes on
hard packed trails with sufficiently wide tires.

I go on hardpack with my 28mm tires as well, but it's not confidence
inspiring. Cool thing about sporty hybrids is being able to run up
towards 40mm tires and mudguards if need be.

You can do that on a touring bike as well, but the hybrids tend to be
more competitively priced.

Quoted message said:

Why do you like having fewer hand positions?

I'm a proponent of drop bars as well, a lot of folks haven't ridden
them at a "touring" height that's about even with the saddle. That
said, I like flat bars for city riding as they give me a bit more
confidence--I do shorten them as most are extraordinarily wide. I've
also ridden "North Road" style flipped over and covered in cork--very
comfy. The Jones H-bar looks to be a winner as well:
http://www.jonesbikes.com/update/hbar/default.asp

Thre are plus and negative sides to brifter equipped bikes, I like
them, but I like the fact that mtb levers and shifters are cheaper.
Levers and barends are nice, but not stock on any reasonable bike I
know of.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

· Like the trigger style shifters.

Do you have experience with other shifters? In other words, is this
preference, "I like what I know, and I don't want to learn something else?"
or is it, "I've tried all kinds of shifters, and the trigger style is the
kind I like the best"?

"trigger" or "rapidfire" walk all over the "grip" style shifters for
mtb and flat bar bikes.