Cheap but comfortable bike for long rides
08-31-21, 04:00 PM
#1
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Cheap but comfortable bike for long rides
Hi,
I have had plenty of aggressive bikes to ride fast but they can be painful to ride every day for hours.
Getting a bit older now I want a more upright (and of course slower) bike. I don't want it to cost a fortune, hopefully around $500-1000. I don't mind ALU but prefer steel. If needed I can build up a frameset (done many times) but nothing too out of the normal! I have lots of clincher (non-disc) wheel sets so discs not wanted.
Thanks,
I have had plenty of aggressive bikes to ride fast but they can be painful to ride every day for hours.
Getting a bit older now I want a more upright (and of course slower) bike. I don't want it to cost a fortune, hopefully around $500-1000. I don't mind ALU but prefer steel. If needed I can build up a frameset (done many times) but nothing too out of the normal! I have lots of clincher (non-disc) wheel sets so discs not wanted.
Thanks,
08-31-21, 04:09 PM
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Where do I start?
A more upright bike may be just a matter of steering tube length and stem angle/reach. Even an "aggressive" bike can be comfortable if fit properly. And, the "slower" bike may be more a factor of the engine driving it, than the bike itself. Personally, I describe my bike as a Ferrari with a Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine. (But I look really fast at the rest stops!)
With your budget, you may want to take a look at the used classifieds (Craigslist?) as many shops are still awaiting shipments of new bikes to sell.
A more upright bike may be just a matter of steering tube length and stem angle/reach. Even an "aggressive" bike can be comfortable if fit properly. And, the "slower" bike may be more a factor of the engine driving it, than the bike itself. Personally, I describe my bike as a Ferrari with a Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine. (But I look really fast at the rest stops!)
With your budget, you may want to take a look at the used classifieds (Craigslist?) as many shops are still awaiting shipments of new bikes to sell.
08-31-21, 04:44 PM
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Gunnar Sport. Look on ebay. All specs are standard, so easy to build up if you can find frame and fork. I doubt you will be noticeably slower.
08-31-21, 07:52 PM
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Get a good used steel road bike, with quill stem. Easy to adjust as needed during a rest stop on a ride, no spacers or torque wrench needed.
The older bikes that were original equipped with freewheels will limit wheel choices somewhat -- they were a bit narrower. Later wheels with freehubs/cassettes can fit, by carefully spreading the dropouts. With my bikes the slightly wider hubs fit fine, no problems with aligning and centering. Some folks will cold set the frames to easily accommodate wheels with freehubs/cassettes, but so far I haven't needed to do that.
Anyway, I often switch back to my '89 Ironman steelie when neck and back pain from old injuries pester me on my newer carbon fiber bikes with more aggressive setup. That Ironman is very accommodating on the coarse chipseal pavement that's become the new normal in my area. I can't remember the last time any roads in my area were resurfaced with smooth asphalt, unless it's in the newly gentrified neighborhoods favored by the developers who bought our politicians. To get similar comfort with my stiffer carbon fiber bikes I use latex tubes and more supple tires.
Even with the recently inflated prices for good used bikes it should still be possible to get a good buy on a decent steel frame. Look for a bike with a good frame, but with obvious problems that affect the components -- road rash on the rear derailleur, etc -- to nitpick the asking price. As long as the frame and fork are good, you can always rebuild the bike with better components.
The older bikes that were original equipped with freewheels will limit wheel choices somewhat -- they were a bit narrower. Later wheels with freehubs/cassettes can fit, by carefully spreading the dropouts. With my bikes the slightly wider hubs fit fine, no problems with aligning and centering. Some folks will cold set the frames to easily accommodate wheels with freehubs/cassettes, but so far I haven't needed to do that.
Anyway, I often switch back to my '89 Ironman steelie when neck and back pain from old injuries pester me on my newer carbon fiber bikes with more aggressive setup. That Ironman is very accommodating on the coarse chipseal pavement that's become the new normal in my area. I can't remember the last time any roads in my area were resurfaced with smooth asphalt, unless it's in the newly gentrified neighborhoods favored by the developers who bought our politicians. To get similar comfort with my stiffer carbon fiber bikes I use latex tubes and more supple tires.
Even with the recently inflated prices for good used bikes it should still be possible to get a good buy on a decent steel frame. Look for a bike with a good frame, but with obvious problems that affect the components -- road rash on the rear derailleur, etc -- to nitpick the asking price. As long as the frame and fork are good, you can always rebuild the bike with better components.
