Originally Posted by
Ghost Ryder
105 is a great groupset, its known as the best bang for the buck.
Relatively lightweight, & durable.
I run 105 on my Cyclocross rigs, talk about taking a beating...
Try not to cross chain, it will happen, you'll lewrn not to. Also try to train yourself to change gear while you pedals are @ 12, & 6 o'clock. You don't need to be coasting to change gears, just be aware when you do it. It all becomes 2nd nature once you ride more often.
Keep this bike, & enjoy it. It not hard to learn how to do maintenance.
If you still feel the need for a SS/fixie, the market is always flooded with them.
Scan CL for one, convert an older road bike.
Its nice to have the gears when you need them.
I wanted to be a cool kid & tried fixed gear, my knees couldn't take the hills, & I wasn't about to take the walk of shame.
I love to climb so I need my gears.
My knees thank me daily. They love spinning @ higher cadences.
Originally Posted by
fasthair
Sounds like you're getting sound advice and starting to have fun.
As far as the falling over goes clipped in I'll offer my advice. While you should be good and able to clip out with both feet in case of an emergency I clip out with same side (left leaving my stronger right leg to get me going better) most times. Also plan ahead when you know you going to have stop and clip out early and then slide your foot forward a bit on the pedal so you don't clip back in by accident.
fasthair
Yeah, I'm starting to clip out well in advance now. It usually happens now when I have one foot unclipped and lose my balance to the clipped side (which is just stupidity
)
Homebrew, I was trying to say that I don't think I'd ever shift under full load even though I know I could. I haven't had to shift while out of the saddle though yet.
One of the appeals of SS over MS was coming from my unicycling background. I can climb just fine in my 50/19 combo, but haven't decided if I'd want to push that all the time even on the flats. But I think I'd take Ghost Ryder's advice and convert an older bike on the cheap to do that. May be a good summer project.
I have 5 unicycles, why not 2 bikes?
Anyways, I'm headed out tomorrow to do a bit longer ride (60 miles unless I get tired and turn around). Got to decide if I want to put my new tire on (the back has a very small section between the tread and sidewall [doesn't touch the road and isn't bulging] where the outermost layer of rubber has come off exposing the protective layer). LBS mechanic said it's not a safety concern, but maybe it's just time for a new one.
This'll be a good ride with some up and down and a lot of flat riding to experiment with shifting/trimming/cadence/etc. I'll probably try a few sections in a single gear as well to see if I like that at all.