sunofsand

I'm 25. For the past two years I've been riding a mountain bike -on the road- and I figure it is about time to buy my first road bike. I am quite comfortable going long distances and have no problem with a "century ride" whenever the mood hits. The bike weighs about 37 lbs itself and I normally wear a loaded backpack which can weigh in at more than 35 pounds. -the backpack won't change as I carry photo gear along with me on most long rides. I maintain a 16/17 MPH "cruising speed" (without excess baggage) and climb into the 20's on flat terrain and sustain for a while. Lots of moraines out here in western NY (Rochester) and I can climb those gradual inclines pretty well without getting out of the seat while maintaining double-digit speed. I don't know if those kinds of speeds on the "flats" and all riding a MTB are great or merely average but I have always been faster than others in the past so I am fairly sure my standards are still pretty decent.
I would love to ride a bike that weighs 20 lbs ...but I am cheap ..I will -have to- settle for a vintage bike in the 25+/- pound range which I am guessing would include all 70's and newer bikes, right? I don't race in races at this time but it is something I would like to try once I get used to riding a road bike. If in time I find that road bikes are for me I will purchase a high-end early 90's. The price range I insist on staying within for my first bike is in the $150-$200 range. I'm not worried about the price and that isn't what I'm here to inquire about.
I am 5'9" and weigh 165. I have an athletic build and I am very athletic. My "cycling" inseam is 31.5. Armspan is roughly 73 inches/27.5 arm length. Shoulders are 18+ inches. Shoe size is 12+ but I wear 11's for tighter/compact fit during athletic activities. Large hands. Using the wrenchscience.com system I am to ride a 54cm bike.
frame=54cm. Overall reach =70+cm. Saddle height=70.65cm
On my MTB I ride with the nose of the seat pointing downward about 15 degrees (I do not like the feel of it horizontal or upward even slightly) I push the seat forward as far as I can on the rails to get nearer to the grips. I raise the seat to minimum insertion trying to get the handlebars lower than saddle. My knees are forward of the balls of my feet slightly. I place bar ends nearly horizontal (slightly upwards) to the plane of the ground to give myself a fake "aero bar" type grip/profile.
To me (with little knowledge about proper technique besides what my body tells me) this style of riding -feels- like I'm probably well suited to a triathlon frame "geometry"
I am -or atleast was- an avid runner/sprinter and this saddle/riding position seems to be a more athletic and aerodynamic "stance"
That is my main concern here.
While I often go on long peaceful rides it is the sprints during those rides that I really love and would like a bike tailored specifically to that aspect -without losing too much of what a road bike may offer.
Should I look for a triathlon or just purchase a road bike and put aero bars on it?
How large of a bike is really possible given my riding style? I know my MTB stance -may not- be a huge help when determining what I will be like once on a road bike ..but that is all the info I have into how I personally ride.
In short can I use a larger frame bike because I like to slant inwards towards the handlebars and over the pedal while stretching out a bit to get "flatter?" I guess it really isn't a "stretch" but more of a natural flex.
What really governs which frame sizes you can ride comfortably? Would the average 54cm frame ("correctly" fitted for my height) be too small the way I ride since I get a little "cramped" physically? Or, do I need that 54cm height with extended distance between seat and handlebars? ..Or something else?
Sorry about the lack of proper cycling terminology! What I know about road bikes (and bikes in general) I have learned within the past 24 hours.

I don't mean to imitate Lance Armstrong in any way ..but I've read today that he uses a 58cm frame and yet he isn't particularly tall. What is it that allows him to ride big while many posters here and other places wouldn't care to do so and advise against it?


In case you have not yet read enough
What are the dumbest/craziest things you have done/had happen while cycling?
My MTB doesn't have a place for a water bottle and I don't normally bother (except for in the winter months) to carry one
While out on rides of well over 70 miles (150+ once) I have worked up such a thirst that I have resorted to drinking from filthy, deathly mudpuddles on the side of the road. I have slept/napped/recuperated in cemeteries after bonking in the middle of the night.


Well, hopefully a few of you can help me out a little somehow. This is a cool site and I expect to visit often.

Falkon 

It's all about where to look. I just got my first decent road bike. I got an all aluminum Cannondale from the mid 90s for FREE, yes free... in almost perfect shape [had to get the rear wheel trued]

Before that I was riding a 1985 Lotus with a steel frame. Let me tell you, you can buy an old steel framed touring bike for $50 if you just check around. I bet there are a few gathering dust in thrift stores in your city. I thought this Lotus weighed little until I got the Cannondale. I'm not in shape for riding at all and I find a nice long ride is nothing.

good luck.

cs1

I won't reply with a quote because you gave so darned much info. I'm not sure wether you're just blowing your own horn or asking for help. So, I'll answer your old question. Early to mid 90's road bikes are very affordable. I'm not so sure about $50 like the OP said but they can be had for a few hundred. Shimano 7 speed bikes are very nice and durable. You can still get new chains and cassettes on Bike Nashbar. 130mm BCD chainrings are used today by Shimano so it's real easy to get them also. Most BB's and hub use loose ball bearings, real easy to service also.

Try to find a clean used Shimano 105 or above level bike in steel. They should weigh in the low 20 lb range. Specialized, Schwinn and Bianchi are all reasonabely priced and readily available. Good luck and let us know what you come up with.


Tim

mingsta

Waaay too much info there to respond to...though that maybe could be halved if all the big talk was edited out

You MTB setup sounds rather unconventional and maybe not the best setup to base your roadie setup on. A lot of people, including myself have been guilty of thinking that they have a setup that works for them (through tinkering around and guesswork etc) and sticking to it for that reason. I used to have a few quirky things in my setup like you (saddle tip down and forward, bars too low). When I got fitted for a new custom frame, Seven and Serotta both threw that out of the window and specc'd a longer top tube and saddle back and level. I was horrified initially but figured that they knew a damn sight more about bike fit than I did. I'm glad I trusted them because the new set up is far more efficient and comfortable.

If I were you, I'd wipe the slate clean and use one of the online bike fit systems (e.g. wrenchscience) to get you a theoretical fit. Buy a 2nd hand bike that matches the dimensions as closely as possible and use that as your base for a good fit. Once you've ridden for a few months, take it to a good road bike shop and get a fitting session, it may cost a few dollars but you'll learn alot and may be asked to try things that you would not have thought of yourself but which really end up working.

As for emulating the TT position. I'd scrap that too. Why don't you try a normal roadie set up first...think about it, there's probably a good reason that 99% of roadies use this for long sporting rides and centuries etc, which sounds like the kind of riding that you might be doing. Having the saddle too far forward (a la TT) means that you are mainly using your quads which will tire you out on longer rides. I don't want to get too much in to the details, but TT frames are generally smaller and lower than what you'd have for a equivalent road frame, they are also taylored for typical TT events - short sharp blasts of 10,25 or 50 miles where comfort, visibility and control are not a priority. If you go for a TT bike/fit for doing 50 mile+ recreational rides, you're probably not getting the best bike for the job. Don't expect to be allowed on to the local chaingang or races with a set of tri-bars either...

Welcome to the forum, you'll learn alot from the guys here in the next few months.

sunofsand

thanks, guys.
I appreciate it.
I know I stated my average speeds but I really don't know if they're even all that great.-Not blowing my own horn. lol I just mentioned because it could show, atleast, that my position works OK for me. I don't even know grades of my roads/routes and I don't really care enough to even approximate them -I just ride over them. All I -know- is that some hills around here make me on my MTB - I actually Like those hills for they are my only "competition." Nobody I know cycles.
I just love traveling by bike and a road bike would take me far far away. Not sure I could do 200 on my MTB without dying but with a roadie seems very possible. It's exciting to even think of doing such a long haul on bike when many people think a drive that far -for fun- is ridiculous.
"A lot of people, including myself have been guilty of thinking that they have a setup that works for them"
I know what you mean and figured I would be hearing this. A properly fitted bike doesn't need many adjustments away from "normal." I assume.
I agree that while I do love the shorter sprints that arrive ( that I create) during longer rides and the night runs of 20 miles or less -the triathlon bike MAY not be my best bet considering I won't always be in the tucked position on ALL my rides. I'll just get a "properly" fitting road bike -steel frame- and learn on it for several months deciding what it is I really like positionally. ...I will get the aero bars, though. I like the tucked position. -Just unbolt them if were to get in a race at somepoint, right?
Question about races
Do you -have- to be all cycle shorts, jerseys and helmets riding in those? I'm a bit too laidback (confident/cocky/competitive) to care about extra drag ..if I cannot compete with someone while wearing warm-ups than I just have extra work to do, you know? Is there a dress code in effect?

I NEED one of those free Canondales. Man, that must have been sweet. There probably are a few old bikes hangin around ..I frequent thrift stores, auctions and the like searching for old camera equipment -so, I will now be on the look-out for bikes as well.
Anyway, since you're tired of me already from the first post and probably won't be reading this one ..I will just go read some more threads and start learning some basics.

TheDTrain

I got started road cycling last year and I love it.

I can't give too much advice, but go to a lbs and talk to the people there, even if you don't plan to buy from one. Keep browsing the forums, a great way to learn, tons of knowledgable people here.

Road cycling is way better than MTB btw.

tekhna

You sound like you are mentally ill.
This mess was the most rambling, incoherent mess I have seen in this forum since I stopped reading red house's crap in P&R.

catatonic

Just pick up a nice starter bike and have at it.

As for the pack full of camera gear...have you considered a smaller camera, like the Nikon Coolpix series? Get one of those, a few 1GB flash cards, and maybe a spare battery, and you have the photo side well taken care of...well unless you are one of those camera nuts like my dad that has to go out with 2.9 million different lenses

As for water....bottles or camelbak, your choice. I go for camelbak myself. Easier to use overall, especially when fatigued from riding way too fast for way too long....plus it keeps the water nice and cool for hours.

The bike, just get what fits and is tough enough. Worry about looks later on.

....and stop drinking from puddles...some of the parasites you can get from that are far from pleasant....go get a decent hydration system NOW.

And get a saddle that fits properly...and learn to keep it level on the bike...tilting the nose down is a sign of poor saddle fit. Doing that on a roadbike will trash your wrists, since your arms see more weight in that low aero position than on a mountain bike, which when tilting hte nose down, adds even more weight onto your arms, since now you are potentially sliding forward. Basically, get a professional fitting...tell the guys at the shop honestly what your desires are with this bike, and they will measure the daylights out of you. Best if you already have the bike, so they can make the necessary adjustments to it, and reccomend parts to make the non-adjustable areas within spec.

jmoule

if you are looking for a cheap roadie, check out Mendon Cyclesmith. I got a used Colnago steel frame bike there for $300. he's got some cool stuff.