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01-26-19, 08:39 AM

#12

BassManNate

Senior Member

Join Date: Jul 2008

Location: O'Fallon, MO

Posts: 167

Bikes: Motobecane Strada Ltd. 1.0

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Thanks for the comments! First, the comments including links to Craigslist, I should probably update my profile. I'm no longer in the Chicago area and just moved to St. Louis 3 weeks ago. As such, I'm probably not going to purchase anything until I get into someplace bigger. I'm working on selling a house in Chicago and finding a new house here. As a result, I'm living in a tiny room in a fairly small house with 6-7 other people. Not really any room for a bike at the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

This is indeed a thorny issue.

I don’t see any reason to spend $1000 to get an “entry-level” bike … “entry-level” is an undefined term anyway.

The best way to figure out your needs is to describe what you plan to do with the bike. If you plan to ride fairly gently on smooth roads with not load heavier than a few tools and a jacket, you can get plenty of bike for $400.

Basically, Some casual riding. Probably not more than 10-20 miles at a time when I can find the time. Kids can be a pretty big time sink as you can imagine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

As for carbon forks, a cheap carbon fork is not going to snap or anything … it just won’t be a slight as an equally strong more expensive CF fork. What it will do is deaden some of the high-frequency vibration that Al forks are famous for transmitting into a rider’s hands.

Yeah, I kinda figured it would deaden the vibration from the road. How does carbon compare to steel? Does it behave the same just much lighter?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

When you buy a $400 bike at Bikes Direct, you are basically getting a heavier bike with a few marginally weaker parts.

Any bike with a multiple of seven in the back Could be (not necessarily anymore) a frewwhel, not a freehb bike, which means the rear axle is very marginally weaker, and your gear-ratio selection is pretty limited/ most riders simply won’t care, at that price point. The idea of swapping out cassettes for different terrain simply won’t occur to them (any more than most car owners with manual transmissions think about changing ratios, or drives in general think about changing the differential ring gear to suit different performance needs,) and those riders aren’t likely to subject the axles to sustained, high-energy impacts which might bend it. (I have toured fully loaded on a freewheel bike.)

All the component s will be a little heavy, some of them a little plasticky, and some of them will feel a little clunky in operation … but most of them should work just fine. Most riders at that level aren’t gouing to be worrying about lightning fast, effortless shifts because they won’t be pushing for maximum performance..

I checked the components. Looks like all but their cheapest bikes come with a freehub/cassette instead of a freewheel. Trying to stay away from freewheel as I've bent the rear axle on a cheap mtb in the past due to the longer unsupported axle. Probably won't be an issue with a road bike since it's not as hard on the bike. Although, I think I remember reading somewhere that a 7 speed cassette requires a different sized freehub body from 8/9/10? Might be worth looking into something with at least 8 in the rear in case I want to increase the number of cogs in the back someday with fewer parts needed to be purchased?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

This looks like a decent deal—the Motobecane Mirage SL for $450, with new Claris 2400.. Save Up to 60% Off Carbon Fork Shimano Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage S

The Motobecane Super Mirage SL Disc (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e-roadbike.htm) has last-generation Claris—which is good enough, I have it on one bike—but it has an Al fork. That might be more than offset by fatter, softer tires. The wide tires help with comfort but slow you down some … but you aren’t looking to race.

The Mira disc brakes are not great, but should be easy to set up … which you might have to do frequently. I have not heard great things about them. I use Spyre SLC mechanical discs on one bike---top of that particular line which includes Mira—and I can say they don’t stop any better than rim brakes but of course stop Immediately in the wet, instead of fractions of a second later … which is not a huge deal for most riders.

Still not a bad bike for a casual rider. You could have a lot of fun. However …. It might feel sort of sluggish compared to your old Miyata.

The Windsor Wellington 4.0 ($400) (Save Up to 60% Off Carbon Fork Road Bikes - Windsor Wellington 4.0 Web Sale Prices) has that 21-speed drive train I mentioned above. I am not sure but it May be a freewheel design. I don’t think so … but …. It really shouldn’t matter anyway. I wish I could find out for sure, but there is a limit to how much research I am willing to do.

I have a very similar CF fork on a Dawes I bought from BD—rock-solid fork. Have no fear.

The steel fork of the 3.0 will be a little heavier. It will deliver as good a ride as the CF fork. Is a CF fork worth $50? Honestly, on a bike of that quality … Not to me. The whole thing will weigh so much anyway, the CF fok with Al steerer won’t make much of a difference, IMO..

That Motobecane looks solid to me. Only thing I see is those rims though. Are those eye-searing colors just decals that can be removed?

I've worked with cheap discs before. They can be fidly to get set up right for sure but can be nice if they get wet. Having said that, I'm not planning on riding in the rain unless I get caught out on a ride. I think the biggest advantage for me would be the added clearance for bigger tires.

The Miyata felt quick compared to a MTB but it was HEAVY. High tensile steel (not cromo) and the rims were steel as well.

with the Wellington bikes, they list a cassette part number under freewheel/cassette which would lead me to believe that it is in fact a freehub.

With regard to the carbon forks again, if I planned on doing any gravel trails, would something with steel forks be better? I know you said that the cheap carbon wouldn't snap on me, but the steel forks look like they tend to give more clearance for larger tires for comfort as well as getting off a paved but still relatively smooth surface.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

My most serious and least wanted advice … comeon, you knew this was coming …

Save up a little more.

If all you really want to do is follow the kids around the neighborhood, you can get a perfectly serviceable bike for $100 at any Walmart-type store.

If you want a bike you can go out and ride with some real pleasure for a lot of years, you probably want to spend $700 or so.

I suggest this because once you buy a bike, (kids and stuff) you won’t likely be able to buy another bike for several years … which means you might be really wishing you had spent a few bucks more for several years.

$300 is a lot of money … but at the same time it is a penny a day. I guarantee you, if you really enjoy riding, you will likely enjoy riding more on a bike with At Least 2400 Claris, and hopefully new Sora. Maybe something a couple pounds lighter. And maybe a little sturdier … cheap wheels with cheap hubs can be a pain, derailleurs which don’t stay adjusted can be a pain ….

From what BD offers now, the Motobecane Grand Record looks like a good deal ($700) (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...record_yvi.htm)

Here’s why: Shimano RS100 Wheelset right off the top. Shimano doesn’t make bad stuff. Even their cheap stuff is decent. These are not lightweight, racy wheels … but you won’t likely need to get them serviced more than once. One time being put true and tensioned, and you will probably be able to ride them for a decade or more.

Second, it has a threaded bottom bracket, but not a super-cheap one.

Very important, it has Tiagra 4700 running gear. This is good stuff (though I wish it were a double, not a triple—I think that is overkill.) This is a very pleasant drive train, I hear. I have 4500 and 4600 on a pair of bikes, with some 4700 parts … and 4700 is supposed to be better.

Also important—the bike has a tall head tube, and by just flipping the stem you could have a very comfortable, relaxed, upright riding position,. Flip the stem down and you can be more racy. Swap a different stem (a good one is $15-$30) and you can have even more extreme upright or racy posture on the bike. A bike with “Race” geometry, which usually included the shortest possible had tube, might not suit a more casual rider.

Also, it has some pretty nice tires, my personal favorite Conti UltraSport II. Tires wear out, so no big deal, but …
Drawback: you would need to spend $10 or $15 to buy some cheap pedals … or take them off another bike. Thios bike comes with clip-in pedals, which might not suit you. You would have to buy shoes and cleats … not sure if you’d like to or not.

Whatever. Only you really know your finances and your desires, and the bikes you are looking at will work just fine for casual riding.

I was on a charity tour that went from LA to DC on $500 Dawes bikes form BD and other than adjusting brakes and derailleurs and getting some wheels trued, they were maintenance-free. I still have one (though I upgraded it) and still ride it now and then.

You don’t Have to spend a lot of money to get a good, ridable bike. You just need to decide how much you want to ride and how hard, and how hard you want to work. If you just want to go out a few evenings and occasional weekends, any of the bikes you are looking at should be fine.

Yeah, I knew that advice was coming eventually. I'll have to take a look at what you've linked to and see what I'm looking at. Might even come back with more questions.

As far as going the cheap, Wal-Mart bike route, I've been down that road with some of my early MTB experience and I'm not going back. Also, I don't think I've ever seen a bike with drops in Wal-Mart. I know it's not normal for casual riding but I just really like drop bars due to having more hand positions available. Really don't wan something with flat bars.

Although, now that I'm reading your final sentence, you may be right. The ~$400 bikes might be what I'm looking for. May even spend a little bit more and get something a bit nicer that should last a bit longer.