New Member - North Georgia
 

Just joined after frequenting this board quite a bit lately. I live in the Cherokee/Forsyth County area of Georgia. I have been a recreational bike rider off and on all of my life. I'm just looking into purchasing my first road style bike. If anyone lives near my area, I'd be interested in hearing some riding routes where I won't be eaten by a rotwiler. Thank God for chains!!

Considering the Lemond Alpe D' Huez. Compact geometry bikes don't seem to be long enough in the reach department. I was athletic in my former life as a youth and played baseball at a small college for three years before hanging it up. I now find myself somewhat overweight and not active enough. I enjoy riding bikes and need to shed a few pounds. I am considering the Alpe D' Hues since it is steel and the rims have a nice high spoke count giving me good support over the entire rim. Woops. I guess that I have overstated any intro here. Any advice before I drop $1200+ on a bike would be appreciated. I'd also like advice on a double vs a triple. I probably can't go wrong with a triple. :)

First of all, many welcomes! You'll find some great stuff here.

Anywho, regarding your question on bike make and the old double vs. triple issue - you'll get a lot of opinions, and here is mine.

The Lemond looks like a great scoot. IMHO, you should test ride several bikes to get a feel for which brands/models fit you, and just feel the best. Then, pull the trigger and don't look back!

In terms of the triple vs. double issue, I opted for the triple so that I can maintain a higher cadence while climbing. I did this as I'm working on elevating my cadence, and as a byproduct, I think that I'm saving my knees.

I now know that I made the right choice for me. Consider the pros and cons, and make your choice. Remember that it's easier (and less expensive) to convert a triple to a double than the other way around.

Good luck! :)

mkwdrs: Welcome from a fellow Georgian. I'm down in the middle of the state in Warner Robins. There's several folks here on the board from Georgia.

I used to own a Lemond Buenos Aires and sold it (like an idiot!!). I would not hesitate to own another Lemond. I bought my from Michel at the FreeFlite store in Marietta.

My current bike K2 Mach 2 has a triple on it. It's the first bike I've owned with a triple chain ring and I don't think I'll over own another one with just a double.

Good luck on your purchase!

Zack