BobL

There was a thread "Am I Out of Touch?". I have no doubt. One of the reasons I signed up for the forums is to learn what's new and cool in cycling.

I've returned to riding after a 7 or 8 year break and I see I'm really out of touch. My "new" bike is a 2005 (mid year, so not quite 14, yet) and my older bike is 20. The sum total of electronics I have is a Cateye computer with cadence. No HRM or anything else. Well, I stick my old iPhone in my saddle bag in case I need to call home (or for help) so I have a GPS with me, but I don't look at it on the road.

I'm not really interested in a new bike, although if my wife starts riding with me again, that might come up. It seems disk brakes have taken over everywhere and I see curved top tubes seem to be a thing. I see the new gravel bikes, which seem to be the older cyclocross bikes, or maybe even hybrids. Recumbents get me curious, but that goes back at least 10 years.

I've learned about Strava and Endomondo but I'm not really interested in that, at the moment. I very much prefer riding outdoors. A bike logging program might be a good thing. I haven't been tracking my rides, but I'm not really training for specific goals, like preparing for a century or the Cross Florida ride, or anything in particular. Just riding for fun.

So what am I missing? What should I look into?

jppe

tcs

One of the new things in cycling is L'Eroica rides, held in various locations around the world.

There are some kickin' recumbent bicycles available these days, but recumbent riders (and ergo the market) are going more and more tricycle.

BobL

Thanks, tcs. I went to the recumbent forum to see if there was a "recumbents for beginners" thread (or "for dummies") and didn't see a sticky like that. That's a very cool looking bike.

I had a bad fall about a month ago - kept me off the bike for a while. I was stopped at a stop sign coming out of a neighborhood I go through to warm up and ended up on my left hip and shoulder on the ground. I really don't know why to this day. I unclipped my left foot and put it down to stand and then went to unclip my right when I saw traffic would be a while. Next thing I know I'm on the ground with my right foot still stuck in the pedal.

Got pretty bruised up. The idea that a trike can't fall over has more appeal than it used to. OTOH, I looked up "carbontrike 2.0" and a $6000 trike just ain't happening.
(Edit - the last part of the last sentence got lost? I replaced it)

tcs

That's the new Bacchetta CarbonTrike 2.0 with, as you can guess, a carbon fiber mainframe. If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Relatively modest cost recumbent trikes include the Performer JC70 and the (not quite in production yet) Catrike Eola.

tcs

A few points, just off the top of my head here in the USA:

Gravel bikes theoretically have more relaxed geometry and lower bottom brackets than cyclocross bikes, but some models are just remarketed cyclocross or touring machines.
Triple cranks moved to wide step double cranks moved to 'compact' double cranks moved to 1X (single chainring) cranks paired with huge range rear cassettes with 10, 11, 12 and 13 cogs.
You can't swing a cat without hitting a disc brake. Hydraulic actuation is common on the top parts groups, both for disc and caliper brakes.
Go fast machines are incomplete without high profile, aero rims.
Running out of meaningful improvements in the off road world, the powers that be decided to sell everyone a bike with a different tire size. 26" (ISO559) is being supplanted with 29" (ISO622) tires. In reaction, another cult promoted an obscure French tire size, 650B (ISO584) under the marketing name 27.5".
Tubeless tires, both on- and off-road, are gaining traction, if you'll pardon the pun.
'Fat' bikes with 3"~ 4" wide tires are available for mud, sand and snow riding and looking phat.
Carbon fiber is everywhere and less expensive.
Campagnolo has all but disappeared.
Like a lot of brick&mortar retail in the USA, bike shops are on hard times.
Multi-path (direct to consumer) sales is the new retail model.
It can be cheaper to order & ship something from Europe or Asia than buy it Stateside.
Professional, franchised mobile repair shops in the back of vans (like food trucks) aren't uncommon.
As I mentioned, the recumbent world is going trike.
Electric mopeds (a.k.a. 'e-bikes') have been the 'next big thing' in cycling for years. Federalist-system USA has a hodgepodge of state laws preventing a unified market.

You don't need any of that to ride and have fun on your bike.

Oh! Due to on-going improvements in optics, batteries and LEDs, bicycle lights aren't just different, they've actually gotten a lot better. W00T!

tcs

A bicycle will fall over unless the rider does something to keep it upright.

A recumbent trike will stay upright unless the rider does something (extreme!) to make it flip over.

BobL

Hah! Thanks for that and your other post. The trikes I've seen (not many) seem to all have a low CG like that JC-70 you mentioned. It just looks like you'd have to work at getting it to roll, but I think I got the idea that you can't fall off one from someone posting around here about riding a trike on ice. It slides sideways but doesn't fall over, unlike a regular bike.

Here in central Florida, icy roads are purely a mental exercise. My wife though, has two replacement hips and is having some pains with one - I think it's getting close to needing replacement at 16 years since she had it done. She hasn't started riding with me since I got back to riding last August, but I haven't ruled it out. She has to get on her road bike with an extremely awkward move, leaning it over and stepping over the frame. Not having to do that coupled with a lower chance of falling argue for an easy to get into trike.

Since I'm retired, I have the privilege of riding in the daytime and haven't given a serious thought to upgrading my taillight or headlight. I saw someone riding the other day with a flashing tail light in the middle of the day. It makes sense, probably more so on cloudy days. Likewise, I haven't given any thought to electric assist and I know that's gotten cheaper and more effective.

I have an early version of Cygolight's Dual Cross LED headlights. I just had to rebuild the battery pack because the original NiMH batteries died of old age. I switched over to Li-Ion batteries.

tcs

Right, because of the improvements in LED brightness and battery life, bicycle daylight running lights are now a thing. Ya know, probably not a bad idea.

Seems like everything is getting independently tested these days. Tires, lights, helmets (1, 2).

tcs

Hey, Catrike is headquartered and manufactured in Orlando!

zacster

My road bike also dates from 2005, but I would still put it up against any bike out there. Does it have electronic shifting? No. Does it have disc brakes? No. Does it have 11 or 12 speeds in the rear? No. Does it need 11 or 12 speeds in the rear? I haven't ever figured out why they did.

.
Really? I don't think so.

tcs

I based that on a recent visit to a huge bike shop with a couple hundred road bikes in floor inventory. Two (2) were Campy equipped. Of the many hundreds of other gravel, touring, off road, hybrid, recumbent, tandem, BMX, cruiser and folding bikes on display, zero (0) had Campagnolo components.

Of the 22 Tour of France team bikes last year, only 3 were outfitted with Campy parts groups.

YMMV.

DaveSSS 

Campy sells all the parts that can build and that's been the true for a very long time. Campy was the first to offer 10 and 11 speed, with Shimano catching up 4 years later. They just became the first to offer 12 speed. I switched from Shimano brake/shift levers back in the early 90's and never used Shimano again. Even in the 90's most bike shops only had Shimano equipped bikes, because that's what most prebuilt bikes come with. It's usually the higher level custom built bikes that get Campy parts. I also haven't bought an off the shelf bike since my 90's Cannondale with Shimano Ultegra. I haven't bought more than a few dollars worth of cycling equipment from local shop in 20+ years. For a long time, I bought most things from some euro website. Today, there are fewer good deals from europe, so I buy from US online sellers.

I took almost 8 years off the bike too and just started back up last July, after I got two knee replacements. I sold off two LOOK 585 bikes back in 2010, but kept a 2004 LOOK KG461, planning to use it for knee rehab. It had some of the earliest Campy 11 speed parts that I put on in 2009, so it was still current for 2018. It only took a few weeks of cycling for me to order a new Colnago frame and build it up with Campy 11. Campy 12 would only add an 11 speed cog that I would rarely use, and it's in short supply with inflated prices right now. Chorus is still the best deal.

TimothyH

Not just daybright lights.

Modern LED lighting has revolutionized my riding in the past three years.

Riding 4 hours or more in complete darkness is now common for me.

balut bandit

SRAM introduced 12 speed years ago. Campy introduced 12 speed in April.

DaveSSS 

I was talking road bikes (with no change to the cassette body). Campy doesn't make mtb parts anymore. I don't ride mtb and being off for 8 years I am behind. I'll pay attention when they get a 12 speed cassette on their current 11 speed road bike hub.

zacster

While I think Shimano MTB XT and XTR gear is great, I never liked the road components. I've been riding Campy on my road bikes since 1981.

BobL

Do you have any recommendations on bright LEDs for bright running lights? A friend who lives well out of state recommended these lights - at a thousand miles away I can't go look at his bike to see how bright they really are.

tcs

Name-brand stuff is evaluated here and here.

There's sooooo much never-heard-of-that-brand-before stuff coming out of China these days, and not just on Alibaba and ebay but on Amazon. A fair amount of it is shockingly good; a minority is junk. Some cats on the Electronics, Lighting and Gadgets forum recommended the chip-on-board Blitzu to-be-seen lights and I bought one a couple months back. Rechargeable, bright, well sealed, easy to mount, seems robust. Good light.

For a daytime flasher that can also serve as a to-see headlamp, I'm impressed with the American designed and assembled Cygolite Dash 460.

jlaw

Re: lights - another vote for Cygolite products here. I've had a rechargeable front and rear light of theirs for a couple years and they're still going strong - have gotten them damp without a problem. Running the headlight as well as tail light on flash mode during the day is helpful - oncoming traffic should be able to see you better.

jlaw

If you want to get your wife back on a bike you might consider a step-through-frame e-bike. Put some fenders and bags on it and maybe she would like the practicality of riding it to appointments, grocery store, etc. (and leaving you in the dust!) You definitely need to do maximum research and demo-ride before purchase, but there are many reputable bike companies using quality Bosch and Yamaha mid-drive motors that come with a decent warranty ($2300 and up). If you're area is flat a cheaper alternative is a Chinese hub motor - but reliability and warranty just aren't there for the most part.

A properly programmed e-bike used on the lower assist settings makes you simply feel like a younger. stronger you!

Also, I have 'gone backwards' in my bike interests. I bought a mid-80's steel-framed sport/tour bike last year and totally modernized it with new components (except for the frame, fork, headset, and seatpost). It's my favorite bike! I am now working on my second 'vintage' project bike.There are many good candidates for this to be found on Craigslist and ebay for less than $200.

I have spent many enjoyable hours on these projects. They can be as simple as cleaning and lube-ing - or as involved as a full tear-down/re-build - so the cost $$ can be adjusted depending upon your situation. The 'Classic and Vintage' section of Bike Forums is very active and devoted to just this type of project - check it out.

JanMM

The recumbent bikes that I ride are easier and more comfortable to deal with while stopped compared to upright bikes. No more balancing on the saddle with one foot tip-toeing the pavement. Can't do a track stand on my bents but can sit comfortably with one or both feet on the ground while stopped. Moving away from a standing stop does take some getting used to but old dogs can learn new tricks.
Agree that you can't just fall over at a stop on a trike, but I've been lucky to never have done that on a recumbent bike. (Knock on wood) Can't remember my ever falling over on an upright bike, either, but of course I'm dealing with an older man's memory!
And, I have read accounts on this forum and on Bentrideronline of trikes flipping over on downhill tight turns. It's a dangerous world!

BobL

I have Cygolite headlight that's so old it doesn't flash. It's a DualCross. So I know they make good stuff.

I had to junk the (10 year old?) battery which had died, and they don't make it any more. I built a new battery pack for it, just a pair of Li-Ion (18650) batteries but they run it for almost three hours on high.

BobL

The oddity is that I think I've fallen more since getting back to riding in August than I did in the previous 15 years of riding - I can recall falling three times since then. That day I was talking about, I actually fell twice. About a half hour or 45 minutes after the first, I stopped at a 7-11 for a drink refill (and used drink disposal). Getting off the bike, standing in the parking lot, I got the nose of the saddle caught on my right leg while pulling it over the bike. Boom. Back on my left side.

My wife might benefit from a recumbent, a trike, or a step through frame. All options are open. She's been going to physical therapy for a tendonitis in her left shin and still hurts too much to get on the bike as it is. She was just saying the therapist says she might be able to consider riding by the end of February. Her current bike is an '04 Litespeed Bella in the smallest frame size they made, 43 cm, and it's still all she can do to clear the top tube.

CliffordK

Whip out that checkbook.

If you're not spending at least $10,000 on upgrades, you will be lost in the stone ages.