Originally Posted by
gtownviking
I am a newbie still. Only been in the road bike "scene"(sort of) for about three years.
I have come to realize that I like "bumming" around my neighborhood in the evenings and using my bike to go get groceries. I also like charity rides and touring. You will not find me participating in a crit anytime soon.
so now that you know me a little....
Somebody explain to me the difference between a Randonnuer and a Fully Loaded touring bike? And don't say one is loaded at all four corners., I'm talking geometry, components, etc...and is there really a need for the two different bikes?
Also...
What is a Brevet?
What constitutes a bike as being a "Sport" bike?
Same for a "Sport Tourer"?
Are drop bars the only requisite for a bike being called a "road" bike?
If I could only have three "road" bikes in my stable, what would you tell me to get and why?
Conditions are. I like to tour, bum around the neighborhood in the evenings and get groceries at the corner store, and charity/event rides.
I guess what I am getting at is this. Is there an "etiquette" to what bike to ride for certain event? Other than the obvious. You don't show up with an LHT to your Tuesday Night Crit.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
In general,
Longer wheel base = more comfort and weight = more touring oriented
Racing bikes are really short and compact, and have components designed for speed rather than longevity. They come equipped with very narrow tires.
Touring bikes have eyelets for racks and fenders, tough equipment, and lots of gearing to cover a range of terrains. They have wider tires, and some even opt for 26" which is a common size for mountain and "urban" bikes.
Randonnuer require the rider to go long distances with the goal of finishing, not finishing the fastest.
AFAIK, there's no off-the-shelf "randonnuer" bike, but people tend to build bikes that are lighter than touring bikes but more comfortable than race bikes. "Sport touring" bikes could fall in this category.
Do you need two bikes? Why stop at two?
Basically, you're going to either want to go as fast as possible or as comfortably as possible. Right now road bikes can be split into race bikes for road racing, race bikes for triathlons (looser rules than road racing), and more relaxed, cheaper road bikes. The first two are "sport" bikes because they're built for a specific sport. The last category isn't built to a specific spec, so they're built for riding instead of all-out speed. This is probably more like what you want.
A brevet is the bicycle equivalent of a time trial in a car. You try to hit checkpoints in a specific time frame, going neither to slow nor too fast.
Road bikes have narrow tubes and tires. Some touring bikes use mountain bike bars for more leverage, but they're still road bikes.
So, what three bikes should you have?
IMHO,
An upright townie/urban/whatever bike for getting groceries. These are easier to get on and off of at stops, comfortable to ride, and easy to put a basket on. If you've been reading these forums you know about English 3-speeds by now: They're cheap, fun, and practical.
A regular road or touring bike, depending on how long your rides are. These should be fine for charity rides.
If you decide you like a specific type of racing, build a bike for it.