gtepper

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the site. Got into biking this year to lose a little weight (actually a ton of it) - down 70 lbs in 5 months. Ride a Trek mountain bike, typically 20-30 miles at a time, about 15 mph avg, 2-3 times per week, and mostly on the San Gabriel River. Been trying out different trails in So Cal, mostly flat.
I think I want to move to a road bike. Interested in learning about the differences. Will I be able to go that much faster or further? Will it be that much easier? How does price play into the mix? Budget is $1000 or less. Should I go with a used bike, or buy new? Just interested in hearing everyone's experiences.
Also interested in knowing differences among Giant, Trex, Cannondale, Lemond, etc. roadbikes. Which are your favorites and why? Would it make that much of a difference to a 290 lb guy who's trying to get to 230? Or am I jumping the gun on the price/performance curve? How do the new aerodynamic "Teardrop" shaped frames compare to the conventional steel frame? Is a steel frame a bad thing, or should I only go aluminum? (- cant afford titanium!)
Are there major differences in Gear ratios? etc. How about smaller framed bikes versus more traditional large frame bikes? I'm 6'2" about 31-32 inch inseam. Is there a typical frame size for someone that height?
Anyway, I figure by now, I've scared everyone away with all the questions. Good news is I dont talk much when I ride! So, if your ever on the San Gabriel River between Whittier Narrows Dam or the River's End Cafe in Seal Beach (where I have breakfast a couple times a week), be on the lookout for me. I always nod, or say "good morning" - but that's about it! I'm the guy in the T-shirt and regular shorts. No fancy bike clothes...yet.

Happy riding!
= Gus

hillyman

If you are already averaging 15 mph you are going to do great on a roadbike,but don't expect a big jump right off the bat.You will be able to get in a better aero position and maybe some weight off the bike will be the main advantages.Speed will come with riding more and riding harder.If you stay at the same speed each ride you will always ride at that speed.Frame material,thats a matter of opinon .Whats your personality? Old school ;cromoly. State-of-art; alum,ti,carbon.Gearing,what kind of riding will you be doing? Fast;double.hills and touring;triple.

John E

At your budget level, it is difficult to go too far wrong, provided that the bike fits you and your riding style.

gtepper

I was struggling to get past 12.5 mph, until the local bike shop sold me a leaning accessory for my handlebar. Now, I am a bit more aerodynamic, cause my elbows are a few inches away from the handlebar. That immediately got my speed up considerably to about 15 mph. I do weigh my bike down a bit with a pack that contains a toolkit, extra tube, windbreaker, tire irons, and wrench or two, along with wallet, keys, cell phone. I guess I'm defeating the purpose! But still, relative to my weight, its not that much more.

I will mostly do easy to moderate rides. I want to increase distance though. The more strenuous hill rides are near impossible right now for the shape I'm in. I can do slight grades for up to a 1/2 mile or so, but not the constant up/down stuff.

I'd like to work my way up to 60-70 mile rides. What do you think typical mph gains are on road bikes, when coming from mountain bike? I think a triple might make more sense for me, cause even though I hardly change gears on a flat road, I can go easily through a ton of gears on any hill of any substance.

I've seen a few posts regarding people cracking aluminum frames. Maybe the cromoly makes more sense for now.
-G

hillyman

If you are not sure what kind of bike you want yet,I suggest getting narrower street tire for your mountainbike.I don't think you are going to see any speed increase just because you switch to a roadbike.I've seen people on full suspension mountainbikes w/knobbies fly right by me at charity rides just because they are stronger riders.You will figure out what bike you need over time.

gtepper

So, would you say that the actual amount of tire touching the road is the biggest factor when it comes to ease of riding? I can see there might be less friction with minimizing the amount of road being touched by the tire.

Aerodynamics? Possibly keeping the bike as bare as possible is the best thing for it. I'm going to try a backback, to see if it improves anything.

-G

P.S. Tried riding a little harder today on a 12.5 mile ride and got to 16 mph avg (stopped halfway though for a few minutes). Thanks for the advice

outashape

I rode a hybrid & had trouble keeping up with others on the club rides. I practiced breathing, keeping my feet level, pulling up on the pedals and mental games to try to love hills. Hell, I even thought about losing weightl. Well, I'm here to tell you it is the bike. I bought a road bike....WHAT A DIFFERENCE. On a club ride on Saturday, I thought I was riding with members of my bike club, but instead it was 6 university students who were triathelitics (sp?). I had NO PROBLEM keeping up with them for over 15 miles--even on hills. Flat speeds were 20-24 and hills 14-18. I used to average 14 and drop to 8-12 on hills. Some people may not notice a difference, but I gave my hybrid everying I had...and I couldn't make it go faster. The aerodynamics of a road bike place your body in a position and makes you hungry for speed. Instead of mashing the pedals, your leg & the weight of your legs just make the pedals go down by themself. I felt like I was flying. I'm in love. IT IS THE BIKE.

outashape

My daughter is an engineering student at University of Michigan. She had a 6 month co-op at Boeing at Seal Beach last year, and she's there now as an intern. Last year, Boeing paid for her car & bicycle to be shipped to Seal Beach. Because this year is only an 3-month internship, she only has her hiking stuff & blades. Do you know where she can pick up/rent/borrow a bike for 3 months?

gtepper

Dear "Outashape" -

There are a couple of bike stores within a few miles of the plant. (By the way, I ride by there on my rides regularly!).

The stores I use are:

"Richard's Cyclery" on the northwest corner of Chapman and Valley View in Garden Grove (in the small strip-mall, next to the post office). Richard is a good guy, gives good deals on bikes and can find/get just about anything in the biking world.

The other shop I use is Jax on Bellflower Blvd. and Spring in Long Beach. I bought my Trek mountain bike there. They have a great selection of bikes, and their service department is good.

There is also a bicycle shop right on Seal Beach Blvd just about a mile or two south of the Boeing plant. I don't know the name, and haven't been in there. But it is about 1/2 a block south of PCH on Seal Beach Blvd on the right hand side. Don't really know much about them, but it is within walking distance of Boeing (where the others are about 7-10 miles away.

Best of luck to her. I know a couple of project managers that work at that Boeing plant (Mike Lanctot and Roger Lord). They're both good guys: "Soccer dads with daughters" like me. If you need some contacts down here, we could help her get situated.

- Gus Tepper

gtepper

Dear "Outashape"

Thanks for the info on the road bikes. That's really what I needed to hear. Even though the Mountain Bike was a good introductory bike, I think based on the distances I want to travel and the speed I want to achieve, I will probably make the purchase soon.

I've been looking at the Giant OCR and TCR. I'll probably go with the OCR because of the three gears at the crank that will give me a little more variability for climbing hills.

Thanks again,
-Gus

hillyman

Which OCR? 1,2 man there was a bunch.Looked like pretty sporty bikes.Handlebars down too low for me.I like mine level with the seat.But if you like to move on,thats the wat to go.

Bobsled

Hey GT,

Welcome to the forum. I'm just a little north of you in the Downey area. I too ride the SG river bed but headed south. Another shop you may want to try is Downey Cyclery. I know what you're thinking (they're actually in Los Al) so they're pretty close to you. They recently moved from their old Downey location to Los Alamitos. When they were in Downey they didn't have a HUGH selection of parts but they could get it for you. The best thing about this shop was/is their mechanic. Top-notch and very reasonable. I sometimes wondered how they stayed in business. I was sad to see them move but at least they didn't fold up shop. Since my Litespeed is still like new condition I haven't been to the shop but once I need some mechanical work I'll be making the 15 mile drive. Tom's the owner and Paul was the grease monkey BTW.

gtepper

Bobsled-
I didn't know of them. Thanks for the tip! I'll look them up!

-G

Bobsled

Here you go bud!

GravityBmxer

Hi! Welcome to the site! You will have fun here and I hope you do!Have fun!