Road Cycling - Getting New Road Bike Today

OK, thanks to everyone for their input and advice yesterday. But I have made my decision and I am getting a new road bike. :)

I can't help it I tells ya!! I took the thing for a spin last night and it is absolutely addicting. The bike is a Specialized Allez Sport. It is light and fast, and the cornering is insane. Climbing is WAY easier than on my MTB and I still feel like I'm getting a workout.

It'll take me a few miles to get used to the shifters. But I am a fast learner. I bought my first MTB last week and it only took me a few minutes to get comfortable with my clipless pedals and shifters.

I'm keeping the MTB for all-weather rides, short rides, and working out during the week. But for those long weekend rides, it's the Allez all the way. :)

Bike lust is a harsh mistress.

Andrew-

Congrats on the new bike. I have that exact bike ('03, black) and it has treated me very well.

I have about 3500 miles on it since September, and the only thing I have had to get done to it was a wheel rebuild (under warranty) due to the machine built wheels.

Enjoy your new bike!

Originally posted by pcsanity1
Andrew-

Congrats on the new bike. I have that exact bike ('03, black) and it has treated me very well.

I have about 3500 miles on it since September, and the only thing I have had to get done to it was a wheel rebuild (under warranty) due to the machine built wheels.

Enjoy your new bike!

How long after you bought the bike did you need the rebuild?

The wheels appear to be a problem on that bike, and I am going to make the LBS aware that I know it. That way they won't be surprised to see me when I come back for a rebuild.

Actually, I was considering putting better wheels on there after I get comfy with the bike.

The way to avoid wheel problems is to make sure the shop prepares the wheels properly before you take delivery. Machine built wheels should be tensioned, trued, and stress-relieved (that's the critical part) before they're ridden. If the wrench doesn't know how to use an tensionometer and says "huh?" or claims "these particular wheels don't need that" when you bring up stress relieving, find another shop (or at least a more senior mechanic at that one).

This may not be sufficient if the wheels are simply too lightly built with too few spokes for the way they're used. But it's still necessary, and will prevent problems later. At least it may give you some time to save up for better wheels.

Have fun with your new bike!

RichC

I sure here to few spokes a lot.I havent had a problem with to few spokes.If its a good wheelset,to few will be fine.Crap wheelsets can have a million spokes and your going to have problems.

Originally posted by shokhead
I havent had a problem with to few spokes.If its a good wheelset,to few will be fine.Crap wheelsets can have a million spokes and your going to have problems.

There are a number of reasons a heavier rider might want to avoid very lightweight wheels. Many of them have rims too narrow to take larger than a 700x23 (and some frames also limit tire size, of course), and a big rider can go through a lot of tubes running 23's, especially on bad pavement.

Low spoke-count wheels become immediately unrideable if you break one spoke, something that's more likely to happen to a bigger rider on lighter wheels.

I have Ritchey OCR's on my Fuji, not a very expensive wheelset with 24f/28r spokes. I weigh 210 on a good day. I tensioned, trued, and stress-relieved the wheels before I rode them, and so far they've been fine. But I only ride that bike on weekends, for training and fun, when getting to the end of the ride is optional and has no deadline.

I wouldn't rely on them for the daily grind of commuting; give me hand-built 36-spoke touring wheels every time. I don't want to have to call a cab to finish getting to work just because I broke one spoke.

RichC

I'm 190 on 16 and 20 spoke wheelsets,1500 miles on them and i ride 5 days a week.Trued rear once and never broken a spoke so i dont know.

I've got an '02 Allez Sport and had a couple of spokes break on the rear wheel. Both times it was when I was Just Riding Along (tm) and on both sides of the hub, which kinda suggests the spokes weren't tensioned right. I took it to a shop that has a good wheelbuilder (Ken Thurlow at The Bike Lane) and I haven't had a problem since. The wheels aren't bad - the hubs and rims are pretty decent - it just looks like they weren't put together very well and the shop I bought the bike from evidently didn't prep the wheels.

There's a guy around here that I hear is a great wheel builder. Maybe I'll have him rebuild these wheels. That will cost WAY less than a new set of wheels.

My wheels kept going out of true for the first 500 miles. Then I started popping spokes.

I let my LBS know I was a bit irritated and they rebuilt both wheels from scratch, let me ride them for a while, retrued and put lok tite on them.

I have put 2500 miles on them since and have not had to have them trued. (I weigh in at about 217)

All in all its a great bike, My wife is looking at bikes and will likely get the Allez Sport- I will tell the LBS though that I want the wheels rebuilt before we even take delivery. (Not that she weighs as much as me, she comes in at 105.)

Grendel - Ken is really good - I dont get to go in there too often because I dont live near there, but I do work in the Greenspoint area. Sometimes I will run over there at lunch. I have not had the occasion to have him work on my road bike yet, but he has done great work on my MTB.

Have a great ride this weekend.