Training & Nutrition - Getting started

Hey guys,

I have got my brothers old bike (a 1996 gemini mountain bike, which I fitted with thin knobless tires), this afternoon I rode 7 k's (sorry about the nomenclature I know most of you work with miles, but I live in Sydney, Australia).

Anyway, I was thinking of ways to get into training and being able to perform the ride easily. The ride took me 26 minutes with an average speed of 16K's. It is a pretty flat ride but theres a killer hill at the end (short but real steep).

I'm thinking that the water in my bottle won't do and am thinking of ways to make my own... The electrolytes in the sports drinks?? are they just normal table salt?? This might be a stupid question but is it?? Could I add a bit of apple juice (for flavour) to some water and add some salt and there I go ??????

I am going to be getting a Trek FX 7.0 (or 7.3) for my 21st off my partner so i will be moving up from this old bike that makes bad noises (I think its the chain, it clicks rapidly when I pedal??)

So how would a training regime look to get into riding? like frequency and intensity??? I pushed myself the whole way with only 2 sets of stop lights to have breaks at.

Cheers,
Chris

Hi Chris, Water is all you need for rides under 2 hours. Over 2 hour rides you could usea sports drink of your choice and pack some easily digestable food. Training is all about hard work and recovery. The training site that I use has programs for all skill levels and for people doing a variety of different types of events. Do not ride hard every day. Make sure you have a warm up and cool down period of your rides. Watch out for Kangaroos.

Thanks Michael,

Yea water should do for now i'll worry about the sports drinks if I start doing longer rides.

I also today went for a 9.2 K ride which took 34 minutes, so my average speed for the two trips is about 16.5 km/hr (or ~10 miles/hr). The thing with the recovery, I get home and sit down with a glass of ice water for about 15 minutes, then I have a nice sandwich (one of those super wholegrain breads), so there is lots of protein and fibre in there, I usually have lettuce, chicken, tomato and carrot on the sandwich. Then I have a drink of apple juice.

I don't really do a warm up and cool down, I should take the first few minutes at a lower speed, then after just drop into a lower gear and do the block around my house.

I'll check out your website aswell. I've heard that with training you need rest, generally every second day you exercise, so I broke that rule by training twice in a 24 hour period. My muscles will need to heal :)

If I see any kangaroos I will be bloody shocked, they are never seen here, If I went out to the kangaroos it would be too hot to ride.

I am having to ride before 9AM and after 7PM because its just so hot this time of year, we seem to be pushing 40 degrees every day (Celcius, I don't know the conversion). So the water is nearly all gone on even a half hour ride, I might need another water bottle holder.

Thanks again.

Chris

just keep riding for now at a steady pace and do not worry about the speed. once you've been at it a few weeks you notice a massive increase in performance. maybe then start looking at your speed and ways to improve it.

Heres an update.

So I've been riding for a few weeks. I did my initial 7.1Km ride, then a 9.2 Km ride. I have no gone and done another 3 9.2 km rides. In total 4 of them with times of 34 mins, 31 mins, 31 mins and 30.5 mins. The last one I didn't feel as I put in as much effort as the others and I got better results.

I am really wanting to get 10km under 30 minutes thats my first goal and then getting an hour ride with a descent avg (hmm, 17km/hr). They are my short term goals.

Note this riding is being done on a 13 year of mountain bike with 700c * 35mm tyres and the bike is never been maintained. I can't wait till August to get my new bike. I'm looking at a Giant CRX4 or a Giant DEFY3. I'm pretty sure I can beat the 10km in under 30 minutes in that easy peasy :)

My longer term goals, (after my b'day in august) is to take part in the weekly Sunday group rides at my LBS, the ride is 55km, nice.

I would like some advice regarding where to now, I am feeling comfortable with this 9.2 km ride. Should I keep at it and try to scrap some time off or gradually build up like 1km more each week??

Chris

Here's a simple recipe for home-made sports drink that I stole from someplace on the internet. It's much cheaper, if less exotic, than commercial mixes:

1.5 c sugar
1 T. salt
1 T. Kool Aide or similar powdered mix for flavor

Blend well in a food processor for ~10-15 secs. and store in a dry place.

I usually put 1.5 T (25 cc) of this mixture into a 20 oz. water bottle and drink about 1 bottle/hr. in all but the hottest weather (in which case I drink a bit more).

If your long-term goal is the 55km weekly ride, then I'd recommend you start adding ~10%/week to your current distance. At the same time, you can go out once a week and hammer along your current route to get your time down. If you can get in at least 3-4 rides per week, then your goals sound easily attainable.

Hi Chris,

Mountain bikes are awful for road riding. My guess is when you get your Giant, you'll do an average of 20k's a hour. Believe me... and along with your training up to August you're gonna be hard to catch.

I've been looking at more bikes and mainly at the components and I'm going for the Specialized Sirrus Sport.

The only thing I'm worried about with the bike is that I might miss out on using drop bars (I have never used em and don't know if I like em or not). Any other drop bikes are too expensive (I know the DEFY3 is but I don't like the componentry as its bottom range shimano whereas the sirrus is sora not 2200). How would I go about converting the sport If I tried a drop and liked it (at the store before purchase??)

I could try a drop at the shop before I buy the sirrus sport and see what they can do If I like em...

I'll be training all up to August but not purely bike as I might take 2 months off to train for the local 14K city to surf Sydney fun run (like 70,000 compete every year, its massive). So i'll be running alot then.

Hey palookabutt do you reckon you could convert all those T. and cc's to mls and grams I don't know the conversion (or what T is? tablespoon/teaspoon).

Well i'm off for a ride now.

Chris

It doesn't make economic sense to convert a flat bar bike to drop bar or vice versa, mainly because you have to get different shifters which are usually the most expensive parts of the gruppo.

Have you looked at this place? http://www.cellbikes.com.au/c_2_ROAD_Bikes

Appears to be generic frames but with pretty decent components for the money.

Got back from the ride about an hour ago. I broke the 30 minute mark in my 9.2Km route, I did it in 29.5 minutes :) With an average speed of 18.7Km/hr (~11.5mi/hr).

I'm getting faster :)

I have always been very underweight. I am a 20 year old male who weighs only 55Kg(121lb), but since I've started riding I have put on 2.5Kg (5.5lbs) and am now 57.5Kg (126.5lbs). Excellent I'm putting on some muscle. I'm going to do some weight lifting tomorrow, i'm focusing on quads, hamstrings, biceps, triceps and I'll also do some bench press (as my upper body is kinda pathetic).

Now the leg workouts I do will be done at home with a normal bench with a leg swinger thing at the end, I do leg extensions for the quads and then lie on my stomach and to leg flexion for the hamstrings. Does anyone have any tips on more workouts for my legs.

I'm also doing daily situps to try and build a strong core.

My new years resolution was to put on 10Kg so I would be 65Kg and would just fit into my healthy weight range (65-81Kg), I am 185cm (6' 2").

Chris

I'll check out that website Pendergast and get back to you how I go...

Chris

I checkout out website, I found a full sora for $850 (usually for $1200) on sale. And a full 105 for $1100 (usually $1600). The location is good as I drive past there regularly (though never noticed the bike shop on the side of the road, hmm).

These cheap prices are something to think about, i'll have to add it to my list to try out before I buy, thanks mate.

Chris

As far as the weight lifting goes, as thin as you are I wouldn't spend time doing isolation exercises. I think I'd stick with deadlifts(and squats if you're working out in a gym and have people to spot you), push-ups (or bench press if you have someone to spot you or are using a machine that won't trap you under the bar), and pull-ups or lat pull-downs. Those are the exercises that will pack on muscle.

I'm a big fan of the swiss ball(stability ball) for core exercises. Planks of various types using the swiss ball are excellent. And I think using a swiss ball to support your lower back for crunches/sit-ups makes the exercise much more effective.

I won't be working out in a gym, only at home with dumb-bells, a bar-bell and a bench press.

You mention lat pull-downs??? I usually would think of the bar-bell holding back of hands facing out and pulling it up into your chin with elbows bent out. Is that a lat pull-up?

Pull-ups, yes, they are good thanks for reminding me, i'll have to have a look around for a good place at home to do some.

I have been trying crunches alot lately and also pushups, but when doing pushups I notice that my abdominals are getting a workout...

Is resting the bar-bell on the back of my shoulder and doing squats with it good, Is that what you meant with deadlift squats??

I should try to do this 2-3 times a week and see how I go.

Chris

You mention lat pull-downs???

They're a gym machine exercise that are roughly the equivalent of pull-ups.


I usually would think of the bar-bell holding back of hands facing out and pulling it up into your chin with elbows bent out. Is that a lat pull-up?

No, if you're standing up straight that's called an upright row. I'm not crazy about that exercise because it can be hard on your rotator cuff.

If you're bent over and pulling the bar-bell up toward your chest, that's called a bent row, and I do think that's a fine exercise.


Pull-ups, yes, they are good thanks for reminding me, i'll have to have a look around for a good place at home to do some.


They're an excellent exercise. If you don't have a good place to do them, there's a nifty little piece of equipment called the "Door Gym" http://www.doorgym.net/ that's not too expensive. I got mine from karatedepot.com but there's probably somewhere in Sydney that sells something similar.


I have been trying crunches alot lately and also pushups, but when doing pushups I notice that my abdominals are getting a workout...


Yep, push-ups are great. They're basically a combination of the bench press and plank.


Is resting the bar-bell on the back of my shoulder and doing squats with it good, Is that what you meant with deadlift squats??


No. Resting the bar-bell on your back and doing squats without someone to spot you is a dangerous exercise. Don't do it. Stick with deadlifts--that's resting the bar-bell on the floor, squatting down and grabbing it then just lifting it off the floor and standing up straight so the barbell hangs in front of your hips.

Doing bar-bell bench presses are also dangerous without a spotter. People have been killed by getting the bar trapped across the throat. I'd do push-ups instead or use the dumb-bells(which present the lesser hazard of possibly bashing you in the face if your arms give out.) Actually, I'd just do push-ups for the chest/triceps part of your workout.

When you are just starting, ride for time, and keep your intensity down so that you can talk fairly easily the whole time. Most people ride far to hard initially.

I probably should have said something about proper deadlift form earlier. If you don't do it correctly, you can injure your lower back.

Some things to keep in mind:

Keep your back straight.

Keep your head up. Lowering your head causes you to round your back which is a no-no when you're deadlifting.

Keep the bar close to your shins.

Don't extend your back excessively at the top of the movement because it puts strain on your lower back.

Don't start out trying to deadlift heavy. Best to ease into it over many weeks.

Here's an example of good form: http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/ErectorSpinae/BBDeadlift.gif

You can shift the load more to your quads by taking a wider "sumo" stance or taking a wide "snatch" grip on the barbell which will allow you to squat deeper.

You can also deadlift with dumb-bells starting with them positioned at the sides of your feet which makes it easier to maintain correct form. Less tendency to lean forward.

Thanks heaps guys. I will try to take that all in and use it, I'll get back to you how I went.

Chris

Here's some youtube video of people deadlifting. Ignore the negative comments attached to the video. The form of the people doing the lifting is just fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBI9qxibTc

Thanks heaps pendergast, I just tried out the deadlifts and looked at the video to help my form. Its great I can feel it working out my legs and not straining my back at all and is safe. I only did light weights so far (7.5kgs on the bar + bar)

(how heavy is a normal bar anyway??) Just weighed it = 7kgs

Also my bike is 15.5kgs which is 34lbs (woah)...

I did 10 reps and 3 sets, how does this sound? should I adjust?

I'll keep it at that weight for a few weeks and move up.

Thanks heaps pendergast, I just tried out the deadlifts and looked at the video to help my form. Its great I can feel it working out my legs and not straining my back at all and is safe. I only did light weights so far (7.5kgs on the bar + bar)

(how heavy is a normal bar anyway??) Just weighed it = 7kgs

Also my bike is 15.5kgs which is 34lbs (woah)...

I did 10 reps and 3 sets, how does this sound? should I adjust?

I'll keep it at that weight for a few weeks and move up.

Three sets of 10 reps or four sets of 8 reps sounds about right. If you're making it through the last set easily and are confident of your form, you could probably add some more weight. No problem keeping it at the weight you've been doing for a little while though--you're probably going to have some soreness just from doing an exercise that's new to you, no sense in making yourself so sore starting out that you negatively affect the other things you want to do.

Here's another youtube clip that I ran across. Thought it was a pretty good instructional on the deadlift. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u899wRnwqs&feature=related

Thanks, that last video was very long and listed alot of mistakes that people make and lots of tips to make sure I have to correct form.

I cycled again today, I completed my circuit in my fastest time but I had this massive head wind for like 2K's of the ride, I was riding down hill only going about 10k's an hour and pushing real hard in a low gear (dam, wind tunnel of a bike path next to the motorway). To combat the wind I try to get down into an aerodynamic position which involves the bending of my arms, to prevent my arms bending too much (and hurting) I slide back on the saddle, really far back. What can I/should I adjust??

Chris

There's only so much you can do when you're riding a mountain bike. Sounds like you adjusted your position about as well as you could to get more aero. That's one of the big reasons you should think seriously about getting a drop bar road bike instead of going with a flat bar road bike/hybrid. It's just so much easier to get low and narrow with a drop bar. Much easier to beat the wind.

There's only so much you can do when you're riding a mountain bike. Sounds like you adjusted your position about as well as you could to get more aero. That's one of the big reasons you should think seriously about getting a drop bar road bike instead of going with a flat bar road bike/hybrid. It's just so much easier to get low and narrow with a drop bar. Much easier to beat the wind.

Hmm, The Giant Defy3 ($1200) has drop bars and costs about 20% more than the Sirrus sport ($1000). The Sirrus sport has mainly Sora parts but the DEFY3 has mainly 2200 (I have been told to avoid the lowest parts where possible).

What do you think?

I can get the cell bike, road drop bars with sora parts :) and costs $850, though this bike is online and I would have to put it together myself, I have watched a building online bike tutorial from bicycletutor.com but I don't know. Is it hard? Do I need technical tools or would my dads normal DIY tools do it???

With the fit, I might be fine as I can measure my height and inseem and figure out which size I should get, but then I get no test ride, hmmm ????

Chris

Did Cell Bikes not have a retail store? Judging from the website, it looked like they do. I'd check there and see if they have bikes that are already assembled. That full Tiagra bike at Cell looks like a good buy to me. That 105 bike(http://www.cellbikes.com.au/p_58_CELL__2009_TEAM_ROAD_BIKE_Full_Shimano_105) looks like a great buy but it sounds like it may be outside your budget.

Here's another place that I ran across:
http://northernbeachescycles.com.au/shop/index.php?cPath=22_47&osCsid=dc3181902956c2b032175e0d56f75bd5

They sell bikes online but it also looks like they have two retail stores in Sydney. $699+shipping for full Sora(8-speed, as is the Sora bike from Cell). http://northernbeachescycles.com.au/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_47&products_id=620&osCsid=dc3181902956c2b032175e0d56f75bd5 It only shows them to have 46cm in stock but if you're not buying immediately that could change. $953+shipping for full 9-speed Sora.http://northernbeachescycles.com.au/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_47&products_id=553&osCsid=dc3181902956c2b032175e0d56f75bd5 Note that these have carbon forks while the comparable Sora bike from Cell has a chromoly fork(not that there's anything wrong with steel forks other than they're a bit heavier). There are some other nice bikes for the money there, too. And who knows what they have in their retail stores. I'd sure check them out.


I've bought two mail-order bikes and neither was difficult to assemble(a set of hex wrenches and a pedal wrench were the only tools I needed, I think). I'd check and see how much assembly there is for bikes from those two places. They're probably already mostly assembled--it's not like you'd be building up a bike from a bare frame. Fit wasn't a problem for me because I was able to test ride my first mail-order bike, and they just shipped one like it to me. That was about 10 years ago. I wasn't very worried about fit of the second mail-order bike because I could compare the sizing to the bike I'd been riding for the past 10 years. You have a bit more difficulty. You can do the measurements and plug the numbers into this fit calculator(it's pretty reliable--it produces a slightly shorter top tube measurement for me than I prefer but most people seem to find it to be accurate) http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

I don't know what sort of shops Cell Bike and Northern Beaches Cycles/Belrose Bicycles are. Maybe they have showrooms where you can test ride bikes even if they don't sell assembled bikes. Maybe you'll be lucky and they do sell assembled bikes or maybe they'll at least have people to assist you with fit. Ultimately the decision is up to you, but I'm the kind of person who would take some risks if it meant getting a better bike than I otherwise could. If it were me I'd do everything I could to scrape together the money to get that 105 bike from Cell. If that wasn't possible I'd go for the Tiagra bike from Cell.

Another option is to buy a used road bike. You can often get quite a bit more for your money going that route. There's not really a whole lot of risk doing that since you could probably sell the bike for close to what you paid for it if you ended up not liking it.

Edited to add this: Yep, it looks like the bikes from Cell are shipped in the same state of assembly as the mail-order bikes I've bought. http://www.cellbikes.com.au/help_article.php?id=10

Thanks Pendergast for your continued support to me,

I checked out the fit calculator link that you sent me, I entered the following data and got this:

Measurements
-------------------------------------------
Inseam: 83
Trunk: 69
Forearm: 35
Arm: 69
Thigh: 60
Lower Leg: 57
Sternal Notch: 153
Total Body Height: 183


The Competitive Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 53.8 - 54.3
Seat tube range c-t: 55.4 - 55.9
Top tube length: 57.2 - 57.6
Stem Length: 11.7 - 12.3
BB-Saddle Position: 77.1 - 79.1
Saddle-Handlebar: 55.6 - 56.2
Saddle Setback: 3.9 - 4.3


The Eddy Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 55.0 - 55.5
Seat tube range c-t: 56.6 - 57.1
Top tube length: 57.2 - 57.6
Stem Length: 10.6 - 11.2
BB-Saddle Position: 76.3 - 78.3
Saddle-Handlebar: 56.4 - 57.0
Saddle Setback: 5.1 - 5.5


The French Fit (cm)
-------------------------------------------
Seat tube range c-c: 56.7 - 57.2
Seat tube range c-t: 58.3 - 58.8
Top tube length: 58.4 - 58.8
Stem Length: 10.8 - 11.4
BB-Saddle Position: 74.6 - 76.6
Saddle-Handlebar: 58.1 - 58.7
Saddle Setback: 4.6 - 5.0

So it is going from an aggressive fit, gradually to a more upright position. I would be looking at around the middle one.

I'm still really confused with all these numbers flying around and different measurements of parts of the bike.

I looked at the cell website again, the 105 is too expensive (which sucks), the tiagra would fit into my budget but it only comes in yellow and I just don't want a yellow bike.

The sora one (850ish), my preferred colour would be black and this is it.

I checked out the of the putting the bike together on the cell website, it seems simple, would I need any lubrication/grease to put this together/get it ready for its maiden ride.

I put the bike in the shopping cart and calculated the freight charges based on my postcode and they came out to be zero :)

The cell bike sizing said I should be around a 56cm road bike fit, I don’t know what the other fitting calculator tells me from all there numbers ????

The sora cell bike has sizes of 50, 53, 59 and 62, hmm, I don’t know ?????

So thats all the cell info....

Ok northern beaches...

The $953 9 speed has sizes in only 46, 49 and 60, that doesn’t sound too good… and the $699 only has 46, hmm.

None of these websites have detailed geometry, hmm… I haven’t checked the postage on the northern beaches, but they say free postage (excluded bicycles), so there would be some expense.

I’m thinking that the cell bike sora is looking to be alright here, I don’t know about the sizes though, how far can you move away from your calculated size and still be safe to know that you will be comfortable.

Chris

Looking at those numbers, it appears to me the best size bike for you would be one that falls between the sizes Cell offers. I definitely would not get a Cell 53cm or a 62cm. Their 56cm looks borderline small for you and their 59cm looks borderline large. Which means either one would probably work okay for you if you swap whatever stem comes with it to whatever stem length you need. Most likely you'd need a longer stem than what is supplied with the 56cm and a shorter stem than what comes with the 59cm. Changing stems is an easy thing to do. I'd phone Cell and see if they'll accommodate you on stem length. This thread (http://www.sydneycyclist.com/forum/topics/1321712:Topic:26805) sounds like Cell is open to that.

The 56cm would give you a fit like the Competitive Fit. More saddle to bar drop which since you're young and probably flexible likely wouldn't be something to worry about. The 59cm would be more like the French Fit which is better suited to a relaxed style of riding; if you start doing really long rides you might appreciate that type of fit. Those sorts of things are really a matter of taste and not something about which you can say "you're this size so you ride exactly this size bike". Even your taste regarding fit can change after you've been riding a while.

The sizes at Cell probably go in and out of stock regularly so if you don't see the bike you like in a size you want, it's probably worth contacting Cell to see when they'd be getting it in.

And yeah, yellow wouldn't be my first choice for a bike color either, but I think that bike is enough of a step up from the Sora bike that I'd try hard to learn to like yellow or at least tolerate it.

So a 57/58 sounds about right and 56/59 would be pushing it.

The specialized website doesn't have that kind of sizing nomenclature. They have XS, S, M, L and XL. Hmm, which one of those do you reckon would be good for me?

The prices went up on the cell bikes, the tiagra is now $1200 (instead of $1100). and the sora is $899 (instead of $849). hmm, the tiagra is getting a bit outta my price range seeing as I need to buy other components (pump, etc). The sora is alright. Down the bottom of the specs in it it has sizes but they are different, it has a 57cm one there (things are looking up).

I've been looking up the tiagra and sora comparisons and with riding I will be doing I don't think I will need the tiagra (though how hard/$ is it to move up from the 8spd sora to the 9spd tiagra over time as parts start to die (do I have to do a major shift over or can I gradually move over with sora parts slowly dying separately???).

Cell sora ($900) (57cm) Drop Bars, no live fitting or test riding the drops
Specialized Sirrus Sport ($1000) (unknown sizing) flat bars, $100 free accessories (I would probably spend this anyway as I need a saddle bag, pump, multi tool, tubes....) and a fit.

The Sirrus seems safe at the moment as I'm used to the flat handle bars but as I have told you I like to get low when going down those big hills, so I don't know if I like the drops of not.... (?)

How are the shifters and brakes on the drop bars (the cell sora), I see there is like a silver lever hanging infront of the drops (i'm guessing both brakes), wheres the shifters??? How do you brake when you on the hoods if the brakes are in the drops ?????

On another note... The specialised Sirrus Sport has a Shimano nexave front derallieur where as the Cell sora (Blade) has a Shimano Sora, what the hell is this nexave I can't find it anywhere? Is it road? Is it mountain? ????

Chris

So a 57/58 sounds about right and 56/59 would be pushing it.That's how it looks to me. That's just for the Cell bike sizes. Other companies may size their bikes differently. A 56cm from one company isn't necessarily the same as a 56cm from another company.


The specialized website doesn't have that kind of sizing nomenclature. They have XS, S, M, L and XL. Hmm, which one of those do you reckon would be good for me?
If you're talking about the Sirrus, probably the L. But since you'd probably not be buying that mail-order, you'd have the bike shop's help to you get the correct size.


I've been looking up the tiagra and sora comparisons and with riding I will be doing I don't think I will need the tiagra (though how hard/$ is it to move up from the 8spd sora to the 9spd tiagra over time as parts start to die (do I have to do a major shift over or can I gradually move over with sora parts slowly dying separately???).There are several things you'd have to change at the same time which probably wouldn't be worth it unless they were all wearing out about the same time.


How are the shifters and brakes on the drop bars (the cell sora), I see there is like a silver lever hanging infront of the drops (i'm guessing both brakes), wheres the shifters??? The silver levers are the brakes and the shifters(which is why someone coined the term "brifters" for them). To work the brakes you just pull the levers straight back. The levers swing inward toward the midline of the bike to shift the gears up the cassette and from the small to large chainring. Sora has thumb levers on the hoods to shift the gears in the other direction. Tiagra and higher use a different type of lever instead of the thumb levers which makes it easier to shift when you're in the drops(not really much of a concern unless you're racing.)


How do you brake when you on the hoods if the brakes are in the drops ?????Your fingers wrap around the sides of the brifters and you work the brake lever by sort of pressing downward on it. Don't be concerned about that--the brakes are easy to work from both the hoods and drops. That's another nice thing about drop bars--you have more usable hand positions than you do with a flat bar, everything from the uprights near the stem all the way down to the drops. Varying your hand location helps relieve hand fatigue and because the different hand locations alter your position on the bike can even provide some relief to the rest of your body. I have a flat-bar bike and drop bar bikes and riding on the hoods of the drop bar is really not so different in feel from using a flat bar once you get used to it--yeah, your hands are turned a different way but I'm talking about the general feeling of being on the bike. I know you're a bit concerned about drop bars, but I'd wager you'll like them once you get used to them.


On another note... The specialised Sirrus Sport has a Shimano nexave front derallieur where as the Cell sora (Blade) has a Shimano Sora, what the hell is this nexave I can't find it anywhere? Is it road? Is it mountain? ????
I've heard of Nexave but don't really know what it is. My guess is it's probably neither traditional road nor mountain. No idea why Specialized would use that part. As long as it's stiff enough, the front deraillieur isn't usually something that's a problem. Probably works fine.

Thanks heaps mate,

I'm not to intimidated by drops anymore.

I don't know about the cell sora or cell tiagra, hmm, can't decide just yet. That tiagra also has a carbon fork (hmm nice).

The specialized is a flat bar and now I'm beginning to think that I want to avoid a flat bar as drops is sounding pretty good.

What are some well known brands that have a drop bar bike around the same prices with same components???

Hmm, there a giant DEFY3 which is $1200, but it has shimano 2200 components (ahhh!!).
Theres a Trek 1.2 for $1400, its Sora, carbon fork, they have a range of sizes from 50-62cm in 2cm increments... but sora.. ?? too expensive, the tiagra one is better and cheaper...

These cell bikes are looking good. The tiagra one in a good size 57/58 might be the way to go.

Chris

Check this out. Here are a couple more possibilities. 2006 bikes that this place is clearing out. http://www.cyclelink.com.au/category766_1.htm
$799+shipping for 8-speed Sora with carbon fork.
$999+shipping for Tiagra.

Raceline appears to be the name that Apollo formerly used. 57cm looks to be an okay fit for you with those bikes.

I like the look of those bikes, both have carbon forks as well (even the $800 sora).

Both are available in 57cm... I'm not in the market of buying now.

I'm thinking, could I buy now, but not ride it until my b'day, hmmm.
Do you reckon they could hold one for me?? I'll send them an email

Cheers,
Chris