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Do You Road Bike?

so im buying a new road bike. my old 76 schwinn continental is just about dead so i am upgrading.

my buddy has been trying to sell this bike for 850. i told him id give him 700 and he has to ship it to me from arizona. he said deal. barely any miles on the bike and all stock.

only problem is its a 56cm and i am 6'1. ive been told i can set this bike up for my height, and ive also been told that i need at least a 58 because i have a long inseam.

what do you guys think? 700 a good price and is 56cm a ridable size for me?

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...rand=Jamis&Model=Quest&Type=bike#.UBirqERzC9O

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I think you should stay away from the guy who is comparing your inseam to the 56 size. You should be concerned about the effective top tube length, not the seat tube length.... the head length a bit later. The seat post can go up and down a lot so +/- 2cm doesn't matter for ya right now.
That bike looks to have a wierdo sloping top tube. Go on line and find the effective top tube length. Imma GUESS you should be at 56-57 to sit good n proper. 58+ if you wanna sit like super beginner uncomfortable noob.
$700 is on the high end of fair for that model. Your friends not giving you any deals. According to bikepedia it comes with a junk crank which takes away lotsa "value" (companies do this now. Put on a junk crank and still say 105 or ultegra or DA bike cuz its the most expensive part.)
Shimano makes the best cranks by far (yea I said it!!) Some are heavy and awesome. Some are light and awesome. I'd take a 105 crank over the fanciest most expensive crank from any other company.
$550 would be a good price. $400 would be a buddy price.
 
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Get a brand name that fits as your first bike. Correct size is more important than a good crank. Popular name will be easy to sell.
Odds are you won't get the perfect no matter how much research you do so you wanna be able to sell it easily once you start figuring out what's wrong and right on whatever you get.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/quest/12_quest_geo.html

If the frames the same this year then I'd GUESS this particular "56" would be small for you. According to the geometry chart it's an old ladies bike anyway.

Every company now makes wierdo sloping bikes for old ladies and proper bikes. The wierdo bikes will always have a shorter top tube and feel better in the parking lot test ride. They invented a frame type to rip off noobs. It's hard to fit them correctly for most folks. They do sell more of these types of bikes than correct bikes.....but it's mostly noobs who buy more new bikes to begin with.
That's probably more random info than you were looking for. IMO the bikes overpriced and probably too small.
 
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theAmazingKickstand said:
No one cares?!?!?!?
He still has to pass the drug tests which traditionally has been a very difficult event for him.
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:rofl

aram said:
Man I took Mt Charlie today (since it's a few miles away from me) up for the first time today and that climb was tough!

Looks not so bad on the computer map (less elevation than frontside of 9) but I guess it gets over 15% in spots and kinda goes up and down to trick you to think you're done.

I was thinking of doing a 100 mile ride this week just to say I've done it (gone 85ish miles before). Anyone know of a good route? I was thinking of starting at bottom of 9 in saratoga and tooling around in the SC mountains but any suggestions are welcome. I can get picked up if my final destination isn't the same as my start point.
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Over Mt. Hamilton to Pleasanton, then Calaveras back. It's a tough climb, but I really like doing it for some reason.
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
Olympic men!
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Are they particularly sexy this year? I haven't been paying attention.

I'm thinking about selling my Newest 1.0. Great bike, I just got the black one and haven't, er, gone back. Any short dudes or girls want to ride, or anyone want to get their wives/girlfriends riding... 46cm, I put in a shorter stem and still have the stocker, SPD pedals, Aksium rear wheel, WTB Deva firm gel seat. I have a Cateye speed/cadence computer and a pair of 38 Pearl Izumi shoes lying around I can probably work a deal with.

20uwhub.jpg
 
Hey there BARFers, sorry to thread jack if you guys are in the middle of something but I didn't want to start a new thread for a few questions I have.

SOOOO I just a new job in Livermore (which is only 7 miles away from my home) and want to get a road bike to commute. Between a road bike and my GSXR, I'll be set.

I'm brand spanking new so I don't really know anything. I've been googling some things and it looks like a 52cm bike is the best size for me. I'm really short with even shorter legs (5'6" and jeans with inseam 30 are about 4 inches too long still so I'm about a 26ish inseam).

I'm looking to pick up a used bike since I'm new and don't need anything fancy. Any special tips/tricks or should I just search for any 52cm bike? Obviously brand name would be better since they tend to be more reliable but I really don't want to break the bank on my first "beater". Maybe $200-$300 range? Should I just save up and get a $1k pro bike? I really like the fixie's but have read that they are for hipsters and really have no value to them since they only have one gear.

So basically after wading through all my BS above, do you agree 52cm is the best size, what kind of bike, what price range, and what style should I be looking for.
 
kelsodeez said:
i ended up telling my buddy with the jamis to kick rocks and i bought this today instead

558139_10150968438196497_1011199987_n.jpg
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Those older fuji team issues come with awesome components. Usually complete dura ace. Nice choice. I bought a similar one at a great price and use it as a second bike. :)
 
Phenom said:
So basically after wading through all my BS above, do you agree 52cm is the best size, what kind of bike, what price range, and what style should I be looking for.
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depends how it is measured... 52 center to center... no. 52cm, center to top, probably. if you're looking to drop some cash, i have a derosa dual with record 10spd i'm looking to unload. just went through a major purge and sold a seven, pegoretti, leopard, santa cruz, lemond, and another de rosa and a lot of components.... i have a lot more too.
 
Phenom said:
Hey there BARFers, sorry to thread jack if you guys are in the middle of something but I didn't want to start a new thread for a few questions I have.

SOOOO I just a new job in Livermore (which is only 7 miles away from my home) and want to get a road bike to commute. Between a road bike and my GSXR, I'll be set.

I'm brand spanking new so I don't really know anything. I've been googling some things and it looks like a 52cm bike is the best size for me. I'm really short with even shorter legs (5'6" and jeans with inseam 30 are about 4 inches too long still so I'm about a 26ish inseam).

I'm looking to pick up a used bike since I'm new and don't need anything fancy. Any special tips/tricks or should I just search for any 52cm bike? Obviously brand name would be better since they tend to be more reliable but I really don't want to break the bank on my first "beater". Maybe $200-$300 range? Should I just save up and get a $1k pro bike? I really like the fixie's but have read that they are for hipsters and really have no value to them since they only have one gear.

So basically after wading through all my BS above, do you agree 52cm is the best size, what kind of bike, what price range, and what style should I be looking for.
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For commuting I would go with something that you can attach rack and panniers to. Fenders to. Preferably single speed. No messing with gears and adjusting derailleurs and crap. Bonus points the chain is thicker and lasts longer. Less things that can go wrong, and less time spent on maintenance. Don't confuse single speed/fixed gear with idiotic crap hipsters are doing with no front brakes, super narrow bars, bling bling wheels. With bomb proof wheels, rack, front brakes, regular road bikes no one can confuse my commuter for a hipster bike. :laughing

As for size, it's a crap shoot without seating on a few and riding. I rode 52, 54, medium they all worked fine and were more or less comfortable after getting fitted.
 
wheels + slicks for 29er or buy used road bike?

I'm in the same situation as Phenom. I recently started a job that's 9 miles from my house. I've got a 29er mtb, and I was thinking of either getting an extra set of wheels and putting slicks on them or getting a road bike.

I figured wheels + tires = same cost as a used road bike. What would you guys do?
 
TomQ said:
I'm in the same situation as Phenom. I recently started a job that's 9 miles from my house. I've got a 29er mtb, and I was thinking of either getting an extra set of wheels and putting slicks on them or getting a road bike.

I figured wheels + tires = same cost as a used road bike. What would you guys do?
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I'd just get a used roadbike if you can find it. I've found some good deals around 600-700 for really nice bikes but every time I look for a cheap bike to go to the store and stuff all I find is bikes that are $400 new being sold for $350 or $400.

Everyone seems to be looking for a decent road bike under $400 so they seem hard to find. Kind of like trying to buy a ninja 250.

If you can store the bike at work you could even buy something decent for a little more and really enjoy the ride.
 
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TomQ said:
I'm in the same situation as Phenom. I recently started a job that's 9 miles from my house. I've got a 29er mtb, and I was thinking of either getting an extra set of wheels and putting slicks on them or getting a road bike.

I figured wheels + tires = same cost as a used road bike. What would you guys do?
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Road bike for sure. No question. Type in your price max on Craigs List and press refresh every 30 mns. Lotsa good stuff pops up but the good and cheap stuff goes super quick. You'll be disappointed after putting slick tires on your mountain bike.
You can get a really nice used bike that'll be pleasant/quick/efficient to ride for 50+ miles for $500-$700. That's kinda the general min pricing I've noticed for bikes that are worth getting. I'm not wealthy enough to buy stuff twice. Personally I'd want a good bike for an 18 mile roundtrip commute. 1.3 miles to Caltrain? I take my POS hybrid thing.
Chains n derailleurs n shit don't go bad for a long while if you put em on right the first time.:x
 
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theAmazingKickstand said:
Road bike for sure. No question. Type in your price max on Craigs List and press refresh every 30 mns. Lotsa good stuff pops up but the good and cheap stuff goes super quick. You'll be disappointed after putting slick tires on your mountain bike.
You can get a really nice used bike that'll be pleasant/quick/efficient to ride for 50+ miles for $500-$700. That's kinda the general min pricing I've noticed for bikes that are worth getting. I'm not wealthy enough to buy stuff twice. Personally I'd want a good bike for an 18 mile roundtrip commute. 1.3 miles to Caltrain? I take my POS hybrid thing.
Chains n derailleurs n shit don't go bad for a long while if you put em on right the first time.:x
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Ok, you've sold me on the road bike... but I know nothing about road bikes. So what do you think, thumbs up or down: 2012 Caad 8 5 for $999. It's at a LBS in RWC.
 
I think the CAAD8 is one of the better frames out there no matter the price....'specially if you're heavy or super strong....or ride with a big backpack. It's a very old frame though. I don't think it's changed any since it came out a while back. Go-Ride has a great business of getting tons of closeout Cannondale's and selling them for pretty cheap. I love the CAAD8/9/10 (10's a little different) and I've ridden a buncha fancy ass bikes. You should get some opinions other than mine on it before you spend $1k on a whim...... but if you want to get a brand new bike I think that's a good choice.
(Is the 5 a 105 bike or Tiagra bike? Don't get the Tiagra bike!!!)

Edit:
Oh Wow!!! Cannondale site says it's "all new" for 2012.....I dunno anyone who's ridden this "all new" one. That's a real shocker. My Caad10 is amazing for the $$ though. None of the Cannondale site pictures will load for me. Hopefully it's not some all new slopey gramma shit. Cannondale's aluminum road bikes have all been super excellent to ride for many years now. Hopefully that won't change with all new models.
$1,000 is a big deal for lotsa folks so doing some research on components n stuff wouldn't be a bad idea. It's on the very low end in the road bike world.
 
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It's probabably all new because they moved production to china... Not that there is anything wrong with it. The used bike market is really soft right now, but you can't go wrong with a caad8 for 1k....

And go ride has awesome deals. Got my gf a ruby and we got our road 2 tandem from them...
 
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