neilfein
07-02-08, 07:54 AM
heckler (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=114435) met me in Princeton for a ride yesterday. Princeton has moderate hills, low traffic, and it's a pretty area. I took my Curve D3 so I could get there on the train earlier se we'd have time to ride before sunset (and also because my regular bike was in the shop for a tuneyup). We rode around the area for about 27 miles.
This was my first ride on this bike that was longer than a few miles, and I noticed a few things I hadn't on short rides.
Hills: I had to walk a few, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was pleased with the gearing.
Traction: The only time I had problems was cornering on a gravel patch at mayve 10 MPH. I had to stay away from shoulders that slope down towards the side of the road - I could feel that the bike would have been a little unsteady on those.
Saddle: The stock saddle isn't the best for a ride of this length, I was feeling some unpleasantness, even with padded shorts. I'll start looking for something a little narrower.
Stability: The bike is stable up to 20mph. My new rule of thumb is that when I start losing bite in the highest gear, it's time to back off on speed a little.
Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm not taking it on a tour or club ride any time soon, but I had a great time. heckler obviously could have gone faster than me (he was on a Fuji road bike), but we kept up a rolling average of ~11mph. Not bad.
This was my first ride on this bike that was longer than a few miles, and I noticed a few things I hadn't on short rides.
Hills: I had to walk a few, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was pleased with the gearing.
Traction: The only time I had problems was cornering on a gravel patch at mayve 10 MPH. I had to stay away from shoulders that slope down towards the side of the road - I could feel that the bike would have been a little unsteady on those.
Saddle: The stock saddle isn't the best for a ride of this length, I was feeling some unpleasantness, even with padded shorts. I'll start looking for something a little narrower.
Stability: The bike is stable up to 20mph. My new rule of thumb is that when I start losing bite in the highest gear, it's time to back off on speed a little.
Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm not taking it on a tour or club ride any time soon, but I had a great time. heckler obviously could have gone faster than me (he was on a Fuji road bike), but we kept up a rolling average of ~11mph. Not bad.