Maelochs

Easy for you to say after you have already gotten in a few good strikes .....

squirtdad 

off topic, but in line with this "information"

BITD my brother worked at a service station (like a gas station but with mechanics) in my hometown of Chinook, MT
A little old lady (OG LOL) would come in in the spring to get the winter air in her tire removed and replaced with summer are and vice versa in the fall.
She was a sharp cookie, she insisted on watching the valve being removed to ensure all the old air came out

john m flores 

How about treating the new member and their question with some respect instead of unhelpful inside jokes?

Ditto1958

I’m new here at this forum. Although I’ve been riding bicycles for over 60 years, this is an honest question I didn’t know the answer to. I’m anything but thin skinned, so my feelings aren’t hurt, but unless this is an attempt at humor it sure isn’t a very nice way to talk to someone.

As for everyone else who has provided thoughtful answers, thank you. I appreciate it.

squirtdad 

all of this has pretty much been covered, but many things can make a bike "feel" great

in my experience it involves a just right fit, with characteristics like flex etc that suit the rider and rider weight. Beyond that all things be good is is good tire/wheel combo. And finally just bit of magic/intangible/hard to measure

example of tire/wheel difference. I have an 84 miyata team, perfect size and fit. when I got it it had super heavy bontrager 25 mm tires and super thick inner tubes on Ma40 rims/dura race hubs, in that config ride was meh, at best.
Put 28mm gravel kings and and conti race lite tubes on, bike change to lively and great ride
Put a tubular wheelset, light on Mavic 330 gel rims, nice sanshin cartridge hubs, wheelsmith build and Challenge 25mm tubular. Bike was transformed, it just wants to go fast and be pushed

Maelochs

Just for a clarification for those of you looking for a fight ....

I am sure well know @Trakhack ….. he is the one saying this was a new topic, one which hasn’t been beaten to death.

Fundamental reading comprehension and all ….

I said essentially---full quote below for nit-pickers) that like every other topic, in time this too would be an oft-repeated post topic and be beaten to death. In fact, saying this could be seen as an endorsement of the original topic---it is so good it will surely be revisited countless times.

In fact, I was just making a joke, but seriously ... where is the insult?

For those who like to fight more than they like to think … just for kicks, think it through.

Did I insult the OP? Nope, never even mentioned the OP.

Did I demean the topic? Nope, never even specifically addressed the topic (though I did in subsequent posts, which no one bothered to read, I guess ,,, too hard to start a fight if you have information which undermines your imaginary “offense” … )

What I said was that BF posters would eventually repeat and rehash this topic a million times, just as they have with almost every other topic.

Anyone care to explain exactly how I disrespected the OP? Be Very specific.

Anyone care to explain how I demeaned the OP’s post? Again, specific examples.

Then .. of course, people have ignored this … I Did specifically address the OP’s topic in Post #24.

Care to explain if anything there was offensive, in the one post I made actually addressing directly the premise of the original post?

People who like to fight cvan always find a reason to fight. People who like to feel offended can always find a reason to feel offended.

I don’t live my life to fight or to offend, but I also don’t live my life to avoid the negative reactions of those who want to fight or be offended.

So … waiting to see exactly what people think I said which they think was offensive.

Then we can continue the discussion (or side discussion) from there.

Ditto1958

Thank you for your thoughts. The old one was aluminum, too. Both the old one and the current one came with cheap hard saddles, but neither one was bad. Both bikes same size. Again other than brand and color and type of brakes, similarly specced, similarly priced.

genejockey 

I thought this thread was about what makes a (bike ride) (nice), but instead it's about what makes a (bike) (ride nice).

The answer is that the geometry of the bike is a good match to how you're using it, and that the bike fits you properly. Good tires at an optimal pressure also helps.

Ditto1958

Lol, I do remember being on a bike ride years ago, a nice summer day in Wisconsin, and I rode out to a country road in dairyland. The bike I was on was good, and everything was peachy… and then a large farm dog decided to chase me and nip at my foot. I hightailed it as
fast as I could, and outran him, but it was a close call.

Eric F 

Was the dog named Eddie?

Troul 

not having a bunch of hang-ons & if the accessories on it look like they belong, that makes it nicer.

Wildwood 

Magic!

Italian magic

Austrian magic

Swiss magic

Belgium magic

American magic
One just needs to ride a whole bunch of bikes to find one's special magic(s).
Put another way: It can be a long and pleasurable ride to finding one's sweet spot.


.edit: Seriously = best tires, best feel at the 3 touch points, good weather & roads and a smile at every turn.

TheBlackPumpkin

Tire choice has made by far the biggest impact (heh) for me. On the flip side of that, crashing makes a bigger impact (heh).

I'll see myself out.

indyfabz

Don’t let the door hit you in the….

Maelochs

... flip side.

70sSanO

While there are a number of great legitimate responses, there is a honeymoon placebo period where a new more expensive item seems vastly superior even if it is similar.

Bikes can have this effect, but nothing comes close to golf clubs. There is no better feeling than that first drive down the middle of the fairway. Six months later it is sitting in the corner waiting to be replaced.

John

SpeedyBlueBiker

Leavenworth??

SpeedyBlueBiker

From the title of the thread I thought it was about what makes a good ride. To me this is warm temperatures, no flats, little to no wind, can be either a solo ride or ride with friends.

As I read the body of the post the OP brought in other factors. I'll add proper tire pressure, the right tires and bike for the terrain you will be riding. Throw in a great bike fit and you should be ready to have a great ride!

skidder

Fit would be primary. Not only saddle height & position, or handlebar reach & width, but I've also come to appreciate crank length. I experienced this a number of years ago when I hopped on someone's bicycle who had 170mm cranks versus the 175mm cranks that were on my bicycle. I changed over to 170mm, my knees thank me for it and I've never thought of going back to 175mm.

Ditto1958

I don’t know anything about the geometry or dimensions of my old bike. I wasn’t uncomfortable on it that I recall. But it’s certainly possible it wasn’t a good fit.

tFUnK

Tires (including pressure), componentry (some shifters feel so crisp and instant, brake pads with good bite, etc), and weight (not important for overall speed but lighter bikes accelerate easier and humans tend to feel acceleration moreso vs velocity).

CrimsonEclipse

Endorphins....

Pratt

Out of curiosity, do you wax your air?

PeteHski

It’s just a shame that your slightly lighter bike is still carrying something that weighs approx 10x more.

mpetry912 

Personally I prefer Italian air, imported from the Tuscany or Puglia regions. It has a certain "Non so cosa" or "je ne se quois"

and it's cross culturally integrated for maximum market penetration, laterally stiff while vertically compliant, and a bright cocoa finish with overtones of blackberry

/markp