Advice on a new bike
 

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on purchasing a road bike here within the next few months. After researching components and asking the opinions of others, I think I finally know what I want.

I want a bike with shimano 105 front and rear derailers, carbon (or carbon mix; whatever they call it) front fork, with drop down handlebars and brake shifters. All this in the $1000 range. My local bike shops offer great generic bikes (i.e., Novara and Scantante). Both seem like great bikes!

HOWEVER ...

... all of the decent road bikes that I've found are not able to accomodate a rear rack and/or fenders, which both are a must have.

Does anybody have any advice on specific bikes (that are relatively, not extremely light in weight) that are able to accomodate those accessories?

Does anybody have any opinions on seat-tube mounted rear racks? Let me know! Thanks!

I purchased a used giant ocr1 off of CL awhile ago, and the previous owner had a rack on the back. It is not extremely light in weight, around 21 lbs I believe. He said he used it for miles and he never had any problems. As for the seat tube mounted rear racks, I don't have an opinion because I haven't ever used them.

Sounds like you want a cyclocross bike. However, you won't be able to get Carbon in this category, but I wouldn't want to put a rack and fenders on carbon anyway. If you're willing to go aluminum or steel, check out the Kona Jake, Soma Smoothie, Surly Long Haul Trucker, and Specialized Tri-Cross among others. They're all popular with this crowd. (same advice, I know)

Would you be willing to consider Alu or Steel? That will help you get replies.

Here's a pic of my Kona Jake to get you thinking:
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...s/CIMG1041.jpg

I had similar needs and my bike shop suggested a cyclocross as well. I ended up getting a Rocky Mountain Solo CXD on the recommendation of the bike shop owner. It has an aluminum frame and mounts for racks. I really like it though I've only had it a couple weeks.

Tim

In the $1000 range, I'd consider skipping the 105 and carbon and look at some of the tourers. They'll give you the drop bars and smooth ride and more durable parts you're looking for as well as have room for (or include) the rack and fenders you want.

Jamis Aurora and KHS FLite TR-101 are a good place to start.

Jamis Quest fits the bill here. 105, carbon fork, eyelets/braze-ons. Here's mine:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/...6f824f212d.jpg

It will fit a real rack (although I haven't tried), and has eyelets for fenders in the back. The front may take some doing though... I keep meaning to pick up some Race Blades.

Hey, I'd recommend you look at a Surly Cross-Check complete bike.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...heck+Bike.aspx

$1050 and a more perfect commuter bike you could not find. Room for fat tires, rack and fender mounts, and it's off-roadable if you want. Sure, it's not exactly light, but it will make you a fine ride for a LONG time. The derailleurs are Tiagra but you can always upgrade them when you start wearing stuff out.

Seatpost racks are a poor solution. They're limited in the weight they can carry, and they make the bike handle WEIRD when loaded.

road bike
 

Thanks for all of the replies!! I really appreciate it..

What do you think about this bike... http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=3040 ?

I could mount a tube-rack on the back and call it good. It seems like a relatively good bike with good components for the money...

Any input?

A full-on road bike like you're talking about is kind of overkill just for commuting, but ride what you like. You may ask about that bike in the road forum too.

I hate seatpost racks, too. You could always mount a real rack with p-clips; heel strike may be an issue with a road bike though.

road bike
 

Thanks for the reply lambo.

I know what you mean. When I tested the bike, it was very lightweight and definitely seemed overkill. But I loved the price tag and components.

I think I'll just have to wait until a bike shop gets something in stock that is worth my while.

Oh and thanks for the info about seat racks. It's good to know!

"A race-ready ride that’ll have you conquering vertical feats like a pro and crushing your competition along the way!"

man, that first sentence tells me to run the other way. if you're looking for a commuter, go with the cross check. that's my opinion and others are free to disagree...

road bike
 

How about this bike:

http://www.rei.com/product/779985

I'm not too familiar with the components, so your opinions are greatly appreciated. It will accomodate a rack and fenders and it has disk brakes for wet weather.

Does it look reliable? Thanks!

IMO, no. Just take a look at those wheels. If you're commuting, get yourself 32/36 spokes. And it's aluminum. That generally means a harsh ride. Others will disagree...

I have the regular Buzz (no drops, 26" wheels):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/...62e03fae41.jpg

I got it on close-out at REI and I love it. Tough as nails and a great price. It's quite a bit heavier than a road bike, but that's fine by me. It will definitely do what you want, although it won't be as race-y as a "real" road bike.

As others have said, the Cross Check is worth checking out too in that price range; many people can't find them to test ride though.

And they should. Frame stiffness and harshness has much more to do with construction and tubing sizes than material. To each his own, but steel is not automatically a better ride - and I say this as an owner of a steel road bike. Plus, with 700x28's just about any bike should be pretty cushy.

the buzz looks nice lambo, and i'd say a good candidate for a commuter. if it were me, i'd get rid of the straight bars, but you're not me. and i agree about the frame, the geometry will make a bigger difference, but since all my bikes are steel, i have to buoy my own stock... ;)

rack mounts and tyre clearance are really important as well... be sure you can get fenders in there, and decent-sized tyres. i'll show my hand here and say to read what grant peterson has to say about bikes. you can disagree, but hell, it's free... that's rivendell bikes. and really, check out the cross check. great tyre clearance, really good commuter. you can put drops on it if you want.

I've had it two weeks now and am trying to decide between trying a trekking bar and getting something like a TiTec H bar. :thumb: Straight bars only work for me up to around 10 miles or so. It's been okay for tooling around town.

And hey, I'm as big a steel fan as anybody. My original goal in going to REI was to pick up a Buzz V, a cheaper version of the Buzz with a cromoly frame, fenders, cantis, etc. But, they had the Buzz in my size for much less cash than a Buzz V. Rode them both and didn't want to pay more for a heavier bike that felt mostly the same and had a lower component spec. I'd love to have gone used or built my own, but the market around here is awful and I don't have the space to build one up.

So far it's been my bad weather commuter/grocery getter. No complaints from me!

Weatherall,

What are you going to use this bike for? Racing? Commuting? Riding 5 miles a week or 100, etc? That will help. I sent you to the Commuting Forum because you were looking for a rack and fenders, but is Commuting really your focus? That will help you decide if you should get "bomb-proof" or "lightweight".

FYI - that Scat is only available online in 48, but you may be able to find one in your size at your local Performance store.

Also, if you're interested in the Surly's, although you may not be able to find one locally to test ride, almost any LBS can order one if you know for sure that's what you want.

FWIW - I don't like seatpost racks either, but others will disagree.

Finally, if you have a problem with heelstrike, this solved my issue: http://www.arkel-od.com/racks/redRoc...asp?fl=1&site=

I had the same problem with the Cannondale Cross bike I picked up for commuting...I ended up buying one of these
http://base0.googlehosted.com/base_m...ab9b4070&hl=en
and after that I could mount a rack like normal.

It works great, got it from http://www.treefortbikes.com

That looks really interesting - any chance you could tell us what it's called or link directly to it? I went to the website, but couldn't find it.

Those seat collars are awesome! They get me out of jams at the bike shop all the time when trying to set up new bikes with a rear rack. I'm so glad manufacturers are making bikes "useful" for people.

road bike
 

Wow, those really are neat. That completely solves the problem.. Great find!!!

fyi, he wanted a carbon front fork, not a full carbon bike.