HiYoSilver

Say there is BikeA, BikeB and BikeC. What traits do you look at to decide:

BikeA is just average
BikeC will be a dog
BikeB will be a screamer?

There has to be more to the answer that just GVW or price.

SKYZ

I would say that if it has good components and of course..... a good price. These would be the attributs I look for in a bike. Carbon frame bike is a bit different. You want to have a good quality carbon as weel as top of the line components and of course..... a good price.

johnny99

I don't know what "GVW" means, but a good fit should be your first criteria. That includes issues like wheelbase, top tube length, handlebar height, etc. Issues like cornering, stability, stiffness, acceleration, compliance, etc. are personal preferences. Aerodynamics and weight matter to some people.

sydney

Bling and poseur' points...... priceless!

HiYoSilver

Gross Vehicle Weight

HiYoSilver

I don't understand road bike jargon. For example 7cycles has 3 scales:

1_Handling from too sluggish to too squirelly
[responsiveness, cornering, descending]

Sluggish I think I understand. I don't understand squirelly.
What is a responsive bike and what is unresponsive- how easy/hard it is to oversteer?

2_Drivetrain rigidity [ acceleration and climbing] from too soft to too stiff
What is a soft drivetrain- chains falling off?
What is a too stiff drivetrain - shifting is too hard?

3_Ride comfort, vertical compliance from too soft to too stiff
Is too soft too much of a spagetti noodle movement?
Is too stiff no ride dampening?

I can look up compenents construction, details and prices; but don't have a clue to some of the key handling criteria people are using to decide this is a great road bike and this will never be a good road bike.

KirkeIsWaiting

Is "titanium doesn't rust" a good enough excuse?
the salt air oxides eveything here.

linus

Hahahaha.....that's really bad for a newbie but it's so true....

markwebb

1) Comfort on a long ride. If you pick up a lot of road buzz and it feels awkward on a 1 mile ride or a ride around the block when testing it, it will feel horrible after 25 miles/50 miles/75 miles/100 miles. hat's why my first choice is always steel because I have a better chance of getting a smooth comfy ride on steeel that aluminum. Of course if I could afford carbon and was OK with potential for unrepairable damage I'd look at that first. But I am hard on bikes and can't afford carbon, so I first look to steel for comfort.
2) Components. A good starting poing is Shimano 105 groups. reasonably priced and good reliability.
3) Compare prices.

johnny99

A lot of these factors depend on the design of the bike. For example, a bike with a longer wheelbase will generally be more stable (tends to go straight). A bike with a shorter wheelbase will generally be more responsive (turns with little effort). Fatter tubing tends to be stiffer, etc. The way your body fits the bike also makes a big difference in how the bike rides.

ggg300

good components:
1 Wheels....stiff long lasting...light wheels...and the rubber on them are important.
2 shifters/drivetrain 105 or better or campy eqiv.
3. crank and brakes are price point picks that can vary

Frame:
1. It has to be right for the job in terms of geom. / for long slow rides? for a race? for a tri?
2. It has to fit.

Seat:
1. it has to fit you a$$ and be right for the ride.

Name on the bike:
1. who cares.

Phantoj

I like a quiet bike. If it grinds, clicks, pops, etc. it's a dog in my book.

If it's quiet, I'll like it.


I like precise mechanical bits, but I won't trade my kinda sloppy 105 brifters for super-precise indexed downtube units.


If the wheels are true and the brakes are adjusted close, that's nice, too.

Some bikes just seem to go where you think them. Effortless control. I like that, but it's hard to define. All bicycles are pretty good handlers when compared to, say, a motorcycle.

garysol1 

Can't say in words but I know it when I feel it. The bike will say "let's ride"

MichaelW

After correct fit, steering geometry is pretty important. A bike should track accurately and decend on rails.
If the handling is to squirrely, it will respond to every shift in weight and make descending a frightening experience. You can get bikes that ride this way.
Frame alignment and the accuracy of facing is also important. You can build a cheap frame out of fancy tubing if you skimp on these.
Great bikes are far more than the sum of their parts. Every thing just works together. It doesnt have to be top of the line stuff, just well integrated.

Patriot

First, initial bling is required before my superior eyes (ego) can withstand its presence.

Then, I always make sure a proper high end matching kit is available, as it would be tragic to abhoredly mix improper colors.

Then, once I know I can look good with it, the details come. Things like...

-Campy group (shifters & ders at a minimum).
-Carbon crank.
etc, etc, etc....

If I am absolutely forced at gun point to "ride" the machine of beauty, then I look for certain qualities in a frame which can be hard to find in combination. Smooth ride and very comfortable, yet very stiff and compliant. No wet noodles here please. Such attributes can usually only be found in things like.....

Carbon!!!

(and possibly Ti)


If the entire situation makes my OCP aura glow with adequate happiness, and my ego seems as if it may withstand the machine within the presence of deity, then I MAY consider a purchase. Using my Ultra-holographic-Plutonium credit card, of course.

It's the American way.

HiYoSilver

Thank you for a clear and concise explanation of handling.