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Manniyunk 07-31-13 09:37 PM

new bike question
 
Hello - as you can see I am new to the forum. I am 39 yrs old, in decent shape - 6'1m 200 lbs. Im a pretty avid runner but it is starting to take its toll on my feet and knees. I want to start riding a bike to excercise, and replace 2-3 days per week with biking instead of running.

That being said - where I live in PA has great places to ride a bike. Much of my area is paved, but some is ash, tar and pitch - or crappy roads - others are paved beautifully. I will also be riding "down the shore" in NJ on the boardwalk, and all over town. Some of the area is somewhat hilly - but not to bad. I would say that majority of riding will be on roads, with trails and poor tar and pitch roads mixed in.

I didnt want a mountain bike - but I also didnt think I wanted a true road bike. It seemed that a Cyclocross bike was a good compromise and woud also also allow me to take it off the road and onto trails more (which my area has plenty of)

Did I choose poorly? I ordered this bike today - but I can still change my mind.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400318__400318



Seems to be a good bike for road riding and trail riding.

I was thinking of getting a second set of wheels/tires for any longer rides on the road.


I am kind of second guessing my choice and thinking of getting a pure road bike - but who knows.....

I am not going to get 2 bikes (for the time being) - so some sort of compromise seems best.


Also - at some point, I would like to try a few sprint triathalons - but the bike part isnt all that long so I assume I could still use this bike - or - pony up and buy another...and get my wife mad!!!


Any advice is appreciated

DX-MAN 07-31-13 11:37 PM

You made a good choice; the versatility of a 'cross bike will serve you well. Give it some time to used to it, and then you can consider whether or not you want/need a second wheelset.

Retro Grouch 08-01-13 07:56 AM

There aren't too many places that bike won't ride just the way that it is.

If you do decide to get another wheelset, think about rim width. Unless your new rims are pretty close to the same width of what you have, you might need to readjust your brakes every time that you change wheels. PITA.

If it was my bike I'd settle for a set of smooth tires. Then I'd probably ride them all the time and save the knobbies just for winter.

MRT2 08-01-13 08:04 AM

Looks pretty good. You could switch out tires if you find the stock tires aren't working for you.

wahoonc 08-01-13 08:15 AM

I did that years ago with an MTB. I kept two sets of wheels. The rims were the same width, I ran slicks during the week for commuting and would put the wheels with the knobby tires of for trail riding on weekends or the occasional snow commute n the winter. Worked great at the time. I would run what ya brung for now until you figure out what you really want.

Cross bikes are a decent compromise. Some older non suspension MTB's can fill the bill too.

Aaron :)

Manniyunk 08-01-13 04:38 PM

Thanks for all the input. Maybe Ill hold off a little on the other wheelset - well see. ... I bought my wife a bike for her birthday - then ordered mine - so even after getting some accessories - I have a lot of their rewards points that should cover a wheelset - but Ill wait to see if I need/want it after a few months of riding it.


My problem is that with everything else I do (BJJ, Scuba) - I get pretty obsessive and I cant take anything casually - everything ends up being pretty extreme. So if this sticks and I keep at it, I see myself into talking myself into some more purchases..............

brianogilvie 08-01-13 08:24 PM

Looks like a nice versatile bike for the kind of riding you want to do. You might find steep hills challenging at first with a double crankset; if you're concerned about your knees, don't be ashamed to get off the bike and walk up really steep stretches. I say that as a former runner, now cyclist, who has to pay attention if my cadence gets below 60 (rpm, i.e. one full pedal revolution per second); when I drop below that for extended periods, my knees begin to complain.

Manniyunk 08-02-13 04:07 AM

How do you guys track your cadence - just by learned feel over time - or - some electronic measurement tool.

Im a "do it right" kind of guy and Id like to start with good habits!

Retro Grouch 08-02-13 06:17 AM


Originally Posted by Manniyunk (Post 15916285)
How do you guys track your cadence - just by learned feel over time - or - some electronic measurement tool.

Im a "do it right" kind of guy and Id like to start with good habits!

If you're a digital thinker, you need to get a bike computer that has a cadence pickup for the crank.

brianogilvie 08-02-13 08:24 AM


Originally Posted by Manniyunk (Post 15916285)
How do you guys track your cadence - just by learned feel over time - or - some electronic measurement tool.

Im a "do it right" kind of guy and Id like to start with good habits!

You can get a computer that has a sensor that mounts to your chainstay and has a magnet attached to the left crankarm. I have one of those now. But when I first started working on cadence, I simply counted the number of pedal revolutions I made in 6 seconds (as measured by my cycle computer) and multiplied by 10. I found that if I concentrated on maintaining a high cadence for a couple of minutes on each ride, it became increasingly natural to ride like that without paying attention. Now I'm more interested in how my cadence matches my effort; I do a lot of rides with slower riders (not that I'm fast, mind you!), and I find that my cadence is a lot lower (55-65) when riding with them than by myself or with stronger riders (80-90).

fietsbob 08-02-13 08:33 AM

"Hybrid " with a triple crankset may have been OK as well , flat bars and controls Vs drop bars.. same type of wheels.

Manniyunk 08-03-13 06:52 AM

Thanks - looking into the cadence computers now! They seem pretty simple.

Manniyunk 08-09-13 07:31 PM

Ppicked up the the bike today and I was so excited - I jumped on for a quick 6 miles. So far I love it. I think I made a goo dchoice, but Ill hold the final review for a little while and a couple hundred miles!

Corben 08-11-13 09:00 AM

just ride...


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