General Cycling Discussion - Bought my first bike today!

Wow,

I got my bike today. A Jamis Coda Sport for $450 + 6% Michigan sales tax for a total of about $477, bone stock. I took it out for its madden voyage of about 6 miles of relatively flat bike trail. I’m planning on replacing the granny gear in the front with an aluminum gear and the suspension seat post with a standard straight pipe.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/03_2coda_sport.html

Tell me how I did with the price! Be honest!

First impressions:

1. This thing is FAST, much faster than I ever remember going on my mountain bike as a kid
2. I’m going to need a cheapo cycle computer to tell me speed, time, and distance.
3. Wind sucks!! Peddling against the wind is rough, it definitely helps to lean over a bit.
4. My butt hurts! Need to get use to the seat that is for sure!
5. My legs feel like rubber, I guess that’s what happens when you haven’t ridden a bike in 8 years or so! I’m using muscles I didn’t know I had!
6. Seems to be a fairly decent bike. I do like it so far.
7. I need a helmet
8. I need a water bottle

Well there you have it, I suppose I need to learn more and get use to riding before I can make any real critiques. I guess I’m a cyclist now!

CranialCrusader

Congrats...nice bike! Good luck.

Cranial,

Seems like you got a nice bike at a nice price. But you need to adjust your "to do" list:

1. get a helmet

Or else your nickname might get changed to CranialCrusher.

Originally posted by CranialCrusader
Tell me how I did with the price! Be honest!

You did fine. But what's important is that you chose one of the better buys in a flat-bar road bike, and if it fits you well you should be very happy with it.

Why do you want to replace the 30t chainring?

As for the rest,

1. Yes, you'll think that until you get back in shape. Then you'll want a faster bike. That's OK, it's natural.

2. Comps are fun. Use the Forum Search function; there was a long thread about computers not long ago.

3. That's why God made drop handlebars. Oh, well, too late now. Down the line you could consider bar ends or even clip-on aerobars.

4. Getting a road bike's saddle perfectly positioned is an art. There have been several recent and current saddle threads.

5. But it "hurts so good," doesn't it?

6. Jamis makes good bikes at very competetive prices. Yours is no exception. The Coda is also nearly ideal for commuting and even touring; it has braze-ons and tire clearance for fenders and both rear and front low-rider racks.

7. If you feel you need it, you need it.

8. Get two nice lightweight cages and some good bottles. The Specialized wide-mouth bottles are well-made. Don't neglect hydration, and while the need for it is obvious in summer it doesn't go away in cooler weather.

Congratulations on your new bike!

RichC

Originally posted by Rich Clark


Why do you want to replace the 30t chainring?



Thank you for the advice! I didn’t want drop bars yet, I don’t think I’m ready for a full on road bike.

I read that the 30t chain ring is made of steel while the other chain rings are aluminum. I wanted to replace it with an aluminum ring because steel and aluminum make a "battery" of sorts when it's wet and can cause very quick corrosion Yes I know the frame is made of steel, but the chrome molly should be resistant enough that I don’t have to worry about it.

CranialCrusader

congrats cc....


i saw your post on gt .....i was going to recommend this site to you.


enjoy.


-lee-

Originally posted by CranialCrusader
I read that the 30t chain ring is made of steel while the other chain rings are aluminum. I wanted to replace it with an aluminum ring because steel and aluminum make a "battery" of sorts when it's wet and can cause very quick corrosion Yes I know the frame is made of steel, but the chrome molly should be resistant enough that I don’t have to worry about it.

If that's true (I don't think it is, I think those are all steel chainrings) a little grease on the threads of the bolts will prevent any problems. That's something that should be done anyway, on any bike, where ever metal parts contact other metal parts.

On any modern bike, whether steel or aluminum framed, there will be a number of points where steel and aluminum make contact. The problem you allude to is simply not an issue. There are a number of cranksets that mix steel and aluminum chainrings. I have one myself - the Shimano Tiagra triple - and even though it's on my rain bike and has thousands of all-weather miles on it, it's as good as new with no special maintenance.

RichC

Hi,
good news....there are better seats out there, much better
bad news.....your butt will be sore for a while on any seat, because it needs to toughen up. If this still bothers you in a couple weeks time, try a different seat.

Originally posted by Rich Clark
The problem you allude to is simply not an issue.
RichC

I'm hoping it's not. It's just something I know from schooling as an engineer that dissimilar metals in contact will often corrode very quickly through an electrochemical reaction. Although I'm not concerned about the chrome molly frame as it should be very corrosion resistant. If I recall correctly

I don’t even remember where I read the crank had only a steel 30T ring. It’s only $12 for the new one, installed, so I’m not going to sweat it!

CranialCrusader

The reason small chainrings are made of steel lilke this is that a lot of riders spend a lot of time in that ring. Because it has such a small diameter, compared with the other two, each tooth is actually doing more work -- the ring is turning more times for the same amount of chain passing over it.

Therefore the ring tends to wear out faster. So if you replace it with a (more expensive) aluminium one, you are actually adding to the wear factor (alloy is softer than steel) and you will end up spending more money than you need because you will need to replace it sooner. The weight difference is so small as to be a non-issue.

The corrosion factor is a non-issue if you are scrupulous with cleanliness of your bike (as you should be for the first 12 months at least with such as nice purchase). Even if you aren't, the oil from the chain (you do intend to lubricate the chain regularly, don't you?) will probably seep all over the place and protect the other two alloy chainrings. If you intend to ride on salted roads in winter, get a beater bike where corrosion also remains a non-issue.

Only my opinions, though.

R

PS

I looked at the front crankset, it's obvious that the 30T is made of steel while the others are Al.


CranialCrusader

Here is a picture of it!

CranialCrusader