road/mountain/hybrid?

I am looking for a similar bike and have settled on two somewhat fifferent ones:

1st but more expensive is the Specialized Sirrus Elite at £699 - suspension seat post, carbon forks
and road tyres

2nd is the Marin Sausalito - suspension seat post Insync 50mm travel susp forks and cheaper at £645

I think the first has the edge on speed but the second has the edge on strength (36 spoke wheels)
and comfort.

Any view from the group is welcomed. I weigh 210lbs and plan to part ex a 1999 Scott Atacama
base model.

Alan "Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi:

I've been doing some seaching for the right road/mountain bike. I have '89 Giant Iguana that is
probably long overdue for retirement, but I am just now increasing the frequency of my rides. Now
I am really noticing just how sluggish this old bike is.

Originally I thought that I should get another mountain bike and just throw some road slicks on
the wheels, but I realized that 75% of my riding was on the the road (I might bike 10-15 mi to a
trail, ride 5-6 miles of single track then bike back home). Eventhough I know this old bike isn't
for the road, I still can appreciate its ruggedness when pounding over all the potholes and crappy
roads that I encounter here in Long Island, NY.

In fact, I would really like to start increasing my mileage (maybe 50+ miles) and my speed (right
now I'm around 13mph avs), but I really don't want a true "road bike" with drop bars and little
skinny wheels.

So maybe a hybid is right for me... I like the ability to go off rad a little when the opportunity
arises. I love my old Brahma bars which allow me to stretch out with different grips.

I wouldn't mind a little front fork suspension to take out some of the pounding, but I'm concerned
that it will steal a lot of my energy when I'm on the road. I have seen some front forks from
Cannondale that allow you to lock out the suspension, but they are expensive and I hear the if
they get messed up they are expensive to fix.

Another post talked about the Specialized Sirrus which is in the $500, it has not front suspension
though. Are there any other bikes in this general price range that I should consider?

Thanks for your guidance,

Warren

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

Quoted message said:

I am looking for a similar bike and have settled on two somewhat fifferent ones:

1st but more expensive is the Specialized Sirrus Elite at £699 -

suspension

Quoted message said:

seat post, carbon forks and road tyres

2nd is the Marin Sausalito - suspension seat post Insync 50mm travel susp forks and
cheaper at £645

I think the first has the edge on speed but the second has the edge on strength (36 spoke wheels)
and comfort.

Any view from the group is welcomed. I weigh 210lbs and plan to part ex a 1999 Scott Atacama
base model.

I tried the Marin and hated everything about it. The upright riding position is not very good for
putting in the miles at a decent speed and the brakes were pretty ineffectual. The suspension
components gave a very squishy feel so that I felt somewhat disconnected from the road, which
doeasn't inspire confidence during manouvers.

As always, of course, YMMV.

Tim.

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (grisoft.comgrisoft.comOpen ↗).
Version: 6.0.489 / Virus Database: 288 - Release Date: 10/06/03

If most of your riding is on the road (rough roads) then why not get a road touring frame, with 700
x 38mm (27 x 1 3/8) tires?

You'll get the greater efficiency of a road bike, but still have some of the comfort. If the 38mm
tires don't absorb the growl of the road enough, you might want to see if you can find a Soft Ride
stem. This is a nice, relatively lightweight answer to suspension fork. Less expensive, too.

I have this on my MTB, which I use mainly for commuting (I do very litlle off road). It works great,
even when I do ride off road (My MTB has no frame suspension whatsoever).

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

In fact, I would really like to start increasing my mileage (maybe 50+ miles) and my speed (right
now I'm around 13mph avs), but I really don't want a true "road bike" with drop bars and little
skinny wheels.

Warren, I use to ride road bikes, but after starting to ride to work and trashing a couple of rims
on sewer grates and potholes, and then innumerable flats I gave a hybrid a try. I bought a
Cannondale Adventure 400 that has been perfect for commuting (4.5 miles each way) and 1.5 hour lunch
rides. It now has 700cx35 Kevlar tires and thorn-resistant tubes that I change every 1500 miles. For
commuting it is great.

The only problem is on rides over 1-2 hours. The hybrid position is no fun after the first hour and
I start to dream of a new road bike. If you like your current bike for commuting then I would keep
it as the primary commuter, and buy a road bike for really enjoying the over one-hour rides.

Jeff

Jeff:

Are you saying that anything over about two hours will be a problem in a "mountain bike" riding
position? Like I mentioned in my original post, I have a Brahma bar on my bike now that allows me to
stretch forward and change my grips periodically during the ride. What were your complaints after
riding your hybrid over 2 hours?

I have done a few longer distance rides (45-60 mi)and I didn't have any complaints other than the
soreness that I was expecting. Do the drop bars make a huge difference? I wouldn't be able to go
into my LBS and take a demo out for a 50-mike test ride, would I? How would I know if the drop bars
suit me better that the bars I currently use? My inpression of drop bars is that you are always
leaning over and can never "sit up" unless you ride without holding on (look ma, no hands!).

Warren

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

In fact, I would really like to start increasing my mileage (maybe 50+ miles) and my speed
(right now I'm around 13mph avs), but I really don't want a true "road bike" with drop bars and
little skinny wheels.

Warren, I use to ride road bikes, but after starting to ride to work and trashing a couple of rims
on sewer grates and potholes, and then innumerable flats I gave a hybrid a try. I bought a
Cannondale Adventure 400 that has been perfect for commuting (4.5 miles each way) and 1.5 hour
lunch rides. It now has 700cx35 Kevlar tires and thorn-resistant tubes that I change every 1500
miles. For commuting it is great.

The only problem is on rides over 1-2 hours. The hybrid position is no fun after the first hour
and I start to dream of a new road bike. If you like your current bike for commuting then I would
keep it as the primary commuter, and buy a road bike for really enjoying the over one-hour rides.

Jeff

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Are you saying that anything over about two hours will be a problem in a "mountain bike" riding
position? Like I mentioned in my original post, I have a Brahma bar on my bike now that allows me
to stretch forward and change my grips periodically during the ride. What were your complaints
after riding your hybrid over 2 hours?

In general, the more upright position on a mountain bike is not as efficient on the road. Sitting
upright, you have much greater frontal area, affecting your aerodynamics. You are also placing much
of your weight on your [censored] instead of distributing the weight between your [censored] and your hands.
Your Brahma bar affords you a lower body position as well as a variety of hand positions to relieve
stress from being in one place all the time. The more upright position on a mountain bike isn't as
bad off-road because you are contantly moving and adjusting to adapt to the terrain. On the road, it
is easy to just sit and spin without changing position very often. This can lead to sore parts.

Quoted message said:

I have done a few longer distance rides (45-60 mi)and I didn't have any complaints other than the
soreness that I was expecting. Do the drop bars make a huge difference? I wouldn't be able to go
into my LBS and take a demo out for a 50-mike test ride, would I? How would I know if the drop
bars suit me better that the bars I currently use? My inpression of drop bars is that you are
always leaning over and can never "sit up" unless you ride without holding on (look ma, no
hands!).

The big question is where was the soreness located? If it was in your bum, then the upright position
was getting to you. If it was in your hands, then you may not have moved them around enough. If it
was in your legs, then you need to ride more often! 🙂 The first two are indicators that a drop-bar
bike might have made a difference in your long-distance comfort.

Your impression of drop bars is from looking at racing bikes. If you look at racing mountain bikes,
you will see that they are set up with the handlebars below the seat, much like a racing road bike.
You can raise a drop bar just like you can raise a flat bar. A raised drop bar gives you an upright
position when gripping the top, a semi-aero position when you are on the hoods, and an aero position
when you are in the drops. Drop bars will be more versatile than your Brahma bars and are much more
versatile than a flat bar.

If you want to try out a road bike for a long ride, find a shop that will rent one to you. Even
better - see if they will apply the rental to the purchase price if you buy it.

Good luck, Buck

RE/

Quoted message said:

On the road, it is easy to just sit and spin without changing position very often. This can lead to
sore parts.

I don't have a road bike, so when I do "road rides" I just put HP slicks on my hardtail.

You've confirmed my own suspicion as to why my butt always gets sorer faster under those
conditions...

-----------------------
PeteCresswell

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

Quoted message said:

Jeff:

Are you saying that anything over about two hours will be a problem in a "mountain bike" riding
position? Like I mentioned in my original post, I have a Brahma bar on my bike now that allows me
to stretch forward and change my grips periodically during the ride. What were your complaints
after riding your hybrid over 2 hours?

My main issue with the longer rides is that with the straight bars there is only one ride position
(upright, and one grip), and it is not very aero for winds, or well suited for long uphill pulls.
Your Brahma bar may alleviate that problem. On a road bike with drop bars I could use several
positions to adjust for wind, hills, sprinting, easy cruising, etc. Shifting positions like that
makes a long ride much more comfortable for me.

If your setup is comfortable for your longest ride then no need for something more expensive.

Also, I wanted to ask about gears:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I have
28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in the top two
gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference between the giggest
and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road bike? What gearing do you
need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average around 13 mph.)

Thanks again, this has really been interesting...

Warren

[email hidden] (Warren Ginn) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi:

I've been doing some seaching for the right road/mountain bike. I have '89 Giant Iguana that is
probably long overdue for retirement, but I am just now increasing the frequency of my rides. Now
I am really noticing just how sluggish this old bike is.

Originally I thought that I should get another mountain bike and just throw some road slicks on
the wheels, but I realized that 75% of my riding was on the the road (I might bike 10-15 mi to a
trail, ride 5-6 miles of single track then bike back home). Eventhough I know this old bike isn't
for the road, I still can appreciate its ruggedness when pounding over all the potholes and crappy
roads that I encounter here in Long Island, NY.

In fact, I would really like to start increasing my mileage (maybe 50+ miles) and my speed (right
now I'm around 13mph avs), but I really don't want a true "road bike" with drop bars and little
skinny wheels.

So maybe a hybid is right for me... I like the ability to go off rad a little when the opportunity
arises. I love my old Brahma bars which allow me to stretch out with different grips.

I wouldn't mind a little front fork suspension to take out some of the pounding, but I'm concerned
that it will steal a lot of my energy when I'm on the road. I have seen some front forks from
Cannondale that allow you to lock out the suspension, but they are expensive and I hear the if
they get messed up they are expensive to fix.

Another post talked about the Specialized Sirrus which is in the $500, it has not front suspension
though. Are there any other bikes in this general price range that I should consider?

Thanks for your guidance,

Warren

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

Quoted message said:

Also, I wanted to ask about gears:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I have
28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in the top
two gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference between the
giggest and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road bike? What gearing
do you need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average around 13 mph.)

Probably the most common triple on road bikes is 52/42/30. The common double is 52/39 or 53/39. The
cassette varies a lot depending on where you ride. My new touring bike has a SRAM 11/32, which is
about as wide of a range as you can get (there may be an 11/34 somewhere), and it's listed in their
catalog as a MTB cassette. Other ones I've seen a lot on road bikes include 11/28, 12/23 and 12/21.

....

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

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

Quoted message said:

Also, I wanted to ask about gears:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I have
28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in the top
two gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference between the
giggest and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road bike? What gearing
do you need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average around 13 mph.)

Thanks again, this has really been interesting...

Warren

Your chainrings are a nice compromise between road and mtb. It doesn't sound, based on your average
speed, that you really need anything bigger than a 48 up front and the 28 is nice to have if you're
going to be going off road on occasion. If you want a little extra oomph for faster road speeds you
could swap your cassette out for an 11-32. That would give you a couple of "faster" cogs in the
rear but it would also give you some nice low gears for climbing and off road stuff. Keep in mind,
however, that you'll probably have some fairly wide gaps between gears with a cassette that has
such a large range. As for getting faster road speeds, you're biggest enemy isn't your gearing but
rather wind resistance. If you're committed to sitting up and using mountain or hybrid bars then
you'll just have to accept that you're in a less aerodynamic position than drop bars can put you
in. It makes a big difference. If it makes you feel better, I use drop bars but my average speed in
the city/commuting is about 13 mph as well. The drop bars are nice when I encounter a stiff head
wind though.

Rob

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I have
28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in the top
two gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference between the
giggest and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road bike? What
gearing do you need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average around 13 mph.)

Quoted message said:

Your chainrings are a nice compromise between road and mtb. It doesn't sound, based on your
average speed, that you really need anything bigger than a 48 up front and the 28 is nice to have
if you're going to be going off road on occasion. If you want a little extra oomph for faster road
speeds you could swap your cassette out for an 11-32. That would give you a couple of "faster"
cogs in the rear but it would also give you some nice low gears for climbing and off road stuff.
Keep in mind, however, that you'll probably have some fairly wide gaps between gears with a
cassette that has such a large range.

That depends on how many gears in the cassette. A 6 or 7 speed 11-32 would be pretty gappy, but a 9
speed 11-32 is lovely. A 48/11 is a pretty big gear, of little use to most people. A 48/12 is a more
reasonable top end, and gives you more flexibility in the middle and bottom. It's still a much
taller gear than a
48/14.

You can check out your options with Sheldon Brown's gear calculator:

www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/gears

Matt O.

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I have
28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in the top
two gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference between the
giggest and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road bike? What
gearing do you need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average around 13 mph.)

Quoted message said:

Your chainrings are a nice compromise between road and mtb. It doesn't sound, based on your
average speed, that you really need anything bigger than a 48 up front and the 28 is nice to have
if you're going to be going off road on occasion. If you want a little extra oomph for faster road
speeds you could swap your cassette out for an 11-32. That would give you a couple of "faster"
cogs in the rear but it would also give you some nice low gears for climbing and off road stuff.
Keep in mind, however, that you'll probably have some fairly wide gaps between gears with a
cassette that has such a large range.

That depends on how many gears in the cassette. A 6 or 7 speed 11-32 would be pretty gappy, but a 9
speed 11-32 is lovely. A 48/11 is a pretty big gear, of little use to most people. A 48/12 is a more
reasonable top end, and gives you more flexibility in the middle and bottom. It's still a much
taller gear than a
48/14.

You can check out your options with Sheldon Brown's gear calculator:

www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/gears

Matt O.

I'm thinking about a Trek 1000 C. It looks like a good entry level road bike that has adjustable
handlebar positions and a second set of brake handles (like a mountain bike). It comes with 700 x 28
wheels, but I would like to have wider ones like 700 x 35 for better stability and fewer flats on
the road. Here are the specs:

trekbikes.com1000c.jspOpen ↗

Has anyone got any comments on this bike? It's so cheap ($620) that it seems to be a no brainer,
unless I'm missing something.

Do the gear ratios look okay? It has a 8-spd 12-25 with 52/42/30 up front. How's this for
climbing hills?

Thanks.

Warren

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are there standard setups for the two different environments (road vs mtn)? On my Iguana I
have 28-38-48 in the front and 31-14 in the back. On the road I spend the majority of time in
the top two gears and I was wondering if there are rear cassettes with a greater difference
between the giggest and the smallest? Are the front chain rings really different for a road
bike? What gearing do you need to get to thos faster road speeds like 18 or 20+? (I average
around 13 mph.)

Quoted message said:

Your chainrings are a nice compromise between road and mtb. It doesn't sound, based on your
average speed, that you really need anything bigger than a 48 up front and the 28 is nice to
have if you're going to be going off road on occasion. If you want a little extra oomph for
faster road speeds you could swap your cassette out for an 11-32. That would give you a couple
of "faster" cogs in the rear but it would also give you some nice low gears for climbing and off
road stuff. Keep in mind, however, that you'll probably have some fairly wide gaps between gears
with a cassette that has such a large range.

That depends on how many gears in the cassette. A 6 or 7 speed 11-32 would be pretty gappy, but a
9 speed 11-32 is lovely. A 48/11 is a pretty big gear, of little use to most people. A 48/12 is a
more reasonable top end, and gives you more flexibility in the middle and bottom. It's still a
much taller gear than a
48/14.

You can check out your options with Sheldon Brown's gear calculator:

www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/gears

Matt O.