Road Cycling - new bike

I'm just getting into road cycling; I've decided I like it more than mountain biking. Anyway, to the question. I found a Masi Vincere for 1050; brand new at a mall in Charlotte. Is this a good deal? If so, is this a good bike to start w/ b/c I may get into racing....Also, I'm thinking about putting the speedplay pedals on by the semi-sucessful push of my LBS.. has anyone heard good/bad about these? I'm using the SPDs' on the mtn. bike however; I'm looking for easier entry.... thanks.

Originally posted by thomspins
I found a Masi Vincere for 1050; brand new at a mall in Charlotte. Is this a good deal?
It's a good deal only if the bike fits you!!
Have you had a proper fit at the bike shop?

Speedplays are easy to get into and out of. Like any clipless pedal you just have to get used to them.

not yet; however the guy says he'll do one if I come back and am seriously interested....

Do a search for Speedplay pedals, their is quite a bit written about them. (I for one love'em). ;)

Actually here's a link...



http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14637&highlight=speedplay

Originally posted by thomspins
Also, I'm thinking about putting the speedplay pedals on by the semi-sucessful push of my LBS.. has anyone heard good/bad about these? I'm using the SPDs' on the mtn. bike however; I'm looking for easier entry.... thanks.

Which Speedplays? Frogs, X-series, Zeros?

I've used Frogs on my roadbike and have switched to Zeros. I have tried the X pedals but not for any extended period of time.

Frogs require toe-in entry (not a big issue for most roadies or people used to road pedals) and heel-out exit but they are double-sided. They have a lot of float (18 deg) which can be unsettling at first especially if you're coming from SPDs. Some people describe the feeling as like pedalling on blocks of ice. It took me about a week's worth of riding to get used to them. Release can be slightly ambiguous at times. and the release angle can feel a bit extreme because of all the float. You also sometimes don't really know if you're clipped in or out. Frog cleats are big but they allow you to walk on them without damaging them much. However, you may have to trim the cleat box on your shoe. And if you have road shoes that don't have SPD (Frog cleats use two-bolt SPD style mounts) style mountpoints then you'll need to buy SPD adapters. This unfortunately added quite a bit of stack/shim height to my setup and was the primary reason I switched pedals. The mechanism is simple. They require very little maintenance... nothing to adjust... nothing to clog up... only one moving part and it just a locking plate compressed with a piece of elastomer. Also, Frogs are one of the lightest pedals on the market but that's compared to other offroad pedals since Frogs are really considered offroad pedals even though I would consider them poor for MTBing since you have to clip in toe-first. They'd make great commuter pedals though.

X-series pedals are very light but the cleat is a big box that attaches via a 4-bolts and protrude pretty far out. Most road shoes will accept them fine. Like the Frogs, they have a good amount of float too but I'm unsure of how much. Clicking in is pretty much straight down. Like many road cleats, they're hard to walk on and if you don't use cleat covers, you can mar or damage them.

Zeros look like the X-series but are incompatible (don't ever try clicking into X-series pedals with Zero cleats and vice versa). The major difference between the Zeros and the X pedals is that you can adjust the Zero's float... and you can adjust inboard and outboard float independently. This of course will also adjust your release angle. I run 4 deg inboard and 6 deg outboard. The cleats are much like the X pedals. There is really one moving part which is a circular ring that acts like a spring. There are also two adjustment screws which adjust your inboard/outboard float. Keeping the cleat well lubed makes for smoother action. They do take some time to break in though. I found it extremely difficult to click in at first and even more difficult to click out. It took me working the action several dozen times before things felt comfortable.

Downside with the Frog pedals... especially the Zeros... is price. I think the Zeros run anywhere between $250 to $275 for the high-end Ti ones. The steel spindle version is a bit cheaper but still rather pricey. My Frogs ran around $120.

Good luck with whatever you choose and have fun with your new roadbike. I started riding road more and more starting last year as a switch from 20 years of mountain biking and have becomed hooked. Two weeks after getting my roadbike, I completed my first century. I now have a little over 6000 miles on it in a year and a half. Next year my goal is to put in at least 5000 miles a in the year and double that the following year. I'd like to one day put in more miles on my bike than the average person puts on their car in a year which I believe is 12,000 miles or something like that.

the masi is the entry level racing. Meaning it comes with 105 groupo. It has a carbon fork which is great... its a good deal for a grand, but remember make sure it fits ya... the height of the frame is the most important no less than two inches I say.. but thats our shop rule. Anyways, you can always change out the stem length and move your seat up.. but make sure the frame is the right size.

Ya....standover may actually be the least important part, and the most misused. It makes a difference whether it is traditional or compact geometry too. More important is TT length and the ability to get the bars high enough if you need to without having to resort to goofy looking riser stems. 2" of standover could certailnly leave you with that problem.