StanSeven

These kind of generalizations aren't valid. Most of the people I ride with spend much of their time in the outer ring. I know my ideal cadence is around 90 rpm. I've tried higher cadences several times over the year (in fact, tried a full season using higher cadences) and I'm most efficient at 90. A 53 outer ring along with a rear of 12-23 gives me a good range for flats. A small ring of 42 is what I need for hills and climbing. When descending on big hills, I almost wish for an 11 at times.

DnvrFox

Thanks for the input. I am doing fine with just the Armadillos, which protect not only the road surface, but the sidewalls also. I even have a set of unused Armadillos which I bought from someone on this forum last year.

If things get out of hand, I will check into the airlock.

Thanks!

HiYoSilver

[QUOTE=PaulH]Interesting. Unfortunately the site is only in German. Strange that none of they have road bars. For comfort the three wheeled Phoenix looks interesting. The SilberMoewe would be more interesting if it had silver fenders instead of black.

Hope they do well, who knows in a few years I may be ready for another bike.

Trogon

Yep - one of the guys who works for me swears by Armadillos. He actually did a ride from Astoria, OR to Manchester, NH without a single flat.

I on the other hand don't like the way they ride, so I have to take other steps. As you've said, check them out if the need arises. (they also sell the sealant in bottles as an alternative, I've started using that with Conti tubes.)

DnvrFox

This year's models ride much better. Have you tried them?

Ken Cox

I started out on a $600 hybrid with 35mm tires, 24 gears, fenders, rear rack and a semi-erect riding position.
It got me going and did everything well enough to keep me going.

I had three flats early on and didn't like that.
I got some Panaracer Tserv's and put thorn resistant tubes and Mr. Tuffy liners in them and had no more flats.

On my latest bike, a fixed gear Bianchi Pista, I have 23mm Armadillos.
I had read reviews that describe the Armadillos as harsh or rough riding, but I find them very pleasant, fast and agile.

I have one cheap Shimano Sora brake on the front wheel, and it stops me quickly and reliably.
I don't use it very often.

I doubt if one style of bike fits everybody and all locations.
A good friend returning to biking plans on getting a very high tech and expensive road bike, and I think it will serve him well.
Another friend has his sights set on a modest hard tail cross country bike with front suspension, and I think it will suit him just fine.
My hybrid commuter got me going and served its purpose.

A smart bike shop will listen and give appropriate advice.
They make their real money on return business, so they should want the customer to succeed in biking, in whatever form that takes.

oldspark

I used to think I had to have that 53 on the big ring also until I realized I could run about 22 mph on the small ring with the second smallest gear in the back at 100 rpm. I now think some day I might own a compact crank. My small ring up front is a 39.

jimshapiro

I was going to chime in on the relative unimportance of having the world's best brakes (disk or rim) for fixed gear riders, but I was sure everyone would jump all over me for being irresponsible and a host of other ethical shortcomings. At the shop I use, Salvagetti, in Denver, there are a number of very serious riders who run with no brakes at all! In fact, many if not most of the messengers in Denver use brakeless fixed gear bikes, and that's in the city with plenty of traffic. This type of bicycling isn't for everyone, but at least on my fixed gear bicycle (with Shimano 105 brakes front and back) I can use my legs to stop, something you can't do on a freewheel bike (unless you count dragging your feet!). And there's nothing quite like a fixie for exercise.

Enjoy your Binachi, Ken.

Jim

rusht8205

I'm not sure about the disk brakes and definitely against the two chain rings.

I totally agree that over 50's are not "racers" - also pretty sure over 40's also.

Tom

oldspark

I am not a racer but I like to ride fast and might enter some senior races some day. I know a couple of guys in their 40's that like to ride hard also. Not all people like to slow down when they get older.

BlazingPedals

To each his own on gearing, I guess. I usually run in the big ring and it would really hurt my speed if it were smaller. On flat ground, I will cruise in my 7th cassette gear, give or take one depending on the wind. In that range, I have one-tooth jumps, which makes it nice to maintain my preferred 85 rpm at the higher speeds. I only have a 26x1 drive wheel, but I use a 58T big ring. And yes I can get my 58/12 high gear up to 100 rpm on just about any flat sprint, which is about as fast as I want to make my feet go.

I've been called a Damn Curve Wrecker before, so you may be right that most riders don't use the big ring, but I think most *performance* riders do.

Trsnrtr

I also would hate to give up my big chainring (55T). I use 650C wheels so my 55 is roughly the same as a 52 or 53. My cadence runs 95-105 and I spend a considerable amount of time in the big ring with my weekend group. Several of the people I ride with have USCF licenses and I assure you that many of them are over 40 if not 50.

-Dennis

oldspark

Just how fast can you run on the flats with that type of gearing for any length of time. No way can I push that big of gear for any period of time, besides that it is not that flat around here so I can run in the small ring a lot.

Bigfoot

I am 54 years old and moved away from the two-wheel design to a three-wheel recumbent trike, the Catrike Road.

I furthermore customized it by installing/modifying it with Marathon Plus tires and thorn proof tubes, 24" rims all way round, SRAM - 81 gear set up, Rotor cranks, Fenders and rear rack, four Cateye lights upfront, faring, and RT-60 panniers.

Catrike Road #116
"Cats just don't feel safe on a moving bicycle, no matter how much duct tape you use"--Author unknown

BlazingPedals

My 58/16 has to suffice for speeds of 23-27 mph, because it's a 2-tooth jump to my 58/14, which I use for 27 mph. The 58/13 starts coming into its own at 29 mph, and I only use the 58/12 if I'm going over 30 for more than a mile or two, or for fanning on a downhill. 26-27mph is a good representative speed for me in flat/no wind; I'll ride two-up with my riding partner at that speed for 5-10 miles at a time, or until I run out of flat road. I ran the calculator, and I guess those numbers put me closer to 90 rpm than 85. Must be I'm getting a little better at spinning!

dcrocker

These postings are fascinating. I don't understand how someone willing to spend $2000 can say that his ideal bike isn't available, unless he's insistent on some sort of super material. In this case, Far is only specing stuff he could buy in practically any good bike shop. But where Far is really way off the mark, in my opinion, is his fundamental understanding of marketing.

I'm surprised to find that nobody's mentioned this before, but here goes: Far makes some reasonable assertions about what type of bicycle, IF BOUGHT, would be enjoyed by many baby boomers. But since when did US consumer taste become dictated by logic? If that were true, I'm sure that Far would be the first to tell us that car companies were crazy to offer SUVs with 200+ hp engines, or that the market cap of a sugar water marketer like Coca-Cola could be more than $1 billion. Let me guess - if we drive at all, we should be driving hybrids, right? But to say that logic should rule our choice of cars ignores the rush, for many, of revving a Mustang 5 liter (or flooring a BMW 750il on the interstate, one of my fondest memories!).

People like the rugged off-road looks of SUVs and mountain bikes. And at the lower price points I think that many mountain bikes are more than sufficient for most consumers' needs. I'm not sure that I would say that about complications introduced by disc brakes and rear suspension, but everything short of that, yes. The bikes that I remember selling people when I worked as a mechanic in the early 80's were, for the most part, not as well-suited for most people - they presented a racing image. So now the image is rugged off-road. So be it. But swap out tires on a mountain bike and you have a really good, dependable road bike with an upright comfortable ride for most people. Today's Shimano/Sun Race 27-speed triples at the $500 price point function better than the 12-speed Simplex systems I remember trying to adjust on bikes made in France...

Please note that I'm talking about the price point range ($300-900) at which US bicycle companies live or die - if you doubt me, look at volume and margin statistics for US sales. Again, if you're operating at the $2,000 mark, you can get anything you want!

On a personal note: of all the bikes I've ever owned, my Bianchi Milano has received the most positive feedback. The internal gearing lends it an air of simplicity but still gives it a nice range. The chain guard means that I can ride it wearing khakis. People love to see it. But I've never seen anyone buy one as a result. It's available, and it's a nice, practical ride for many. But when push comes to shove, and the average US consumer is shelling out $500 for a bit of an emotional recreational rush, he's going to tend towards the mountain bike. And I don't blame him. We only live once, and indulging our Walter Mitty side is pretty important.

dcrocker

Two other additions to my long post:

- if you doubt the emotional point, ask yourself what bike you wanted to buy as a result of watching Breaking Away for the first time.

- I think that compact cranks, although I haven't yet tried them, appear to be a far more practical spec for casual road bikes than disc brakes. I'm still a bit fast - haven't stopped racing in 20 years - but I've never had a problem with good brakes. I've often wished for lower gearing, without having to make the dramatic move of adding a triple! False dichotomy, right? Could have disc brakes and a compact crank. But just for me, I would benefit from the latter and not the former.

DnvrFox

Dramatic?

I bet that over 50% of road bikes in Colorado are sold with triples.

OldShacker

Boomer Bike: anything comfortable to ride for a particular condition in my opinion.
My motor may not be as it was 25 years ago. For me I still have children at home and I do not have the money to spend for my sport and hobby. I do commute because I can and enjoy the adventures that commuting in this part of the world can bring. However, I have a road bike that is still upside down in the garage taken a back seat to a road tandem and the cross bike. I am not trying to purchase the lightest bike in the world. I will always be looking for something that can take my motor to A and B efficiently at a price that is realistic to my lifestyle and the area I live in.

volvoman

I am a little younger than 50 (44) but thought I ought to weigh in on this since comfort is an issue due to past injuries. I just bought a Specialized Allez and am very, very happy with its performance, quality and comfort. It's really superb for the $600 price. I want to put in an unsolicited plug if that is OK for my local shop Hill Country Bicycle Works in Fredericksburg, TX. Adam the owner was excellent to deal with and the setup was flawless. No offense but why spend $3500 if you can get something really good for $600. The owner of HCBW said that this bike was the most bang for the buck you can get and after test riding many others including some much higher priced and spending a month of research I believe it. It's like getting a Porsche for a third off MSRP.