Cycling (Road Bike) Thread

It's important to position it just right but also I never rely on the mirror alone. I still look back but the mirror helps reassure me of oncoming traffic. I had a bigger mirror mounted on the brake lever that worked a little better but it was so big and more prone to vibration.

 

Agree about not relying on just the mirror. That one under the bar tape is limited on positioning possibilities. The one on the right in the pic above looks to fit more like a bar end cap and mirror part looks to be more positionable as well as having bigger viewing area. Seems a little more useful but less stealthy. Personal preference tradeoff. I think a more effective approach for road riding might be something mounted off to the side of the visor on the helment. I have visors on all my helments because I like having the shade for my eyes even when wearing sunglasses. But that setup will give up aerodynamics. I'm sure a bunch of the leg shaving crowd would disapprove. I personally have no sponsors and am not doing this for a living so a balance of personal comfort and effective equipment is my norm.

 

Forget Cateye, go with Sigma...

 

Why do you run a MTB pedal? I use Speedplay Zeros and they are great

 

I know a lot of guys that go with mtb pedals to start with b/c the shoes are a little more like regular sneakers.

 

That'd be about it. Ridin for 42 yrs since 8, started ridin again 22yrs ago on mt bikes with no clip-ins, got a real road bike in 2009, already had mt bike shoes that had spot for cleat, egg beaters were cheaper and lighter than other road pedals and didn't have to buy new shoes. And why not? clipped in is clipped in. Wouldn't, haven't and never will use them offroad but on the road bike I figured why not? Nothing else to do but pedal, shift and steer so I have plenty of time to develop a new skill. Helps fill the monotony of mindless hammering on the road bike.

 

How much do they weigh and how much did they cost? IIRC, my egg beater Ti's weigh 168g a pr and costed me $39.00 new besides not needing another pair of shoes.....and because they look cooler, have 4 entry points for the cleat and have a little red spring to go with other stuff on the bike.

 

I also run speedplay zero's and they weigh in at 108g/pair and run ~$120 for cro-mo. If you got egg beater ti's for $39, that is an amazing steal: they typically cost $200-400 depending on exact model. I like road shoes b/c they typically have a stiffer sole & lack of tread means less weight.


Edit: Speedplay Zero's look like 216g/pair.

 

My Whip
2012 Specialized Roubaix 54 cm
Sram Apex Compact Drivetrain
New Parts:
12-25 Cassette
Easton EA50 Alloy Seatpost (Stock 2-bolt seatpost is stupid: Front bolt can't be adjusted with non-cutout saddle)
Fizik Aliante Saddle
Mavic Aksion 25mm tires (vastly improves ride quality)
Technology:
Garmin Edge 500 w/HR & Cadence Sensor

Pics to come

 

How's that seat after 40-50 miles? I need one that is good past 50. Avatar Gel isn't very welcoming after 30-40.........and yes, I ditched the 23's before leaving the shop for 25's. I hate flats. Got trade credit for oem wheelset, seat, tires, pedals & stem.

2009 Allez Sport
FSA Team Issue Carbon Cranks/BB
FSA K Force Compact Dual - 53t/39t Chainrings
DuraAce 11-23t 10 spd cassette
Cane Creek headset
USE-1 Carbon Aero seatpost
SRAM Rival black brakeset
Bontrager Race XXLite wheelset
Bontrager Race XLite Kevlar triple puncture resistant tires - (25's)
Carbon aero handlebars
105 flightdeck shifter/brake lever, rr der, fr der
Cateye Strada Limited Edition Red Wireless Computer
Avatar Gel cutout seat
Eggbeater Ti Special Edition Red Spring Pedals
Gray Rollamajig
Silver/red cable housing
Carbon fiber pattern bar tape
Carbon bottle cages
Carbon stem

Any further weight savings on any parts unreasonable price for full aluminum frame with carbon fork. It'd have to be full carbon something to go any further trying for lighter bike. Already overboard somewhat for what this one is but oh well.......

 

Love the saddle. Had it up to ~50 miles and it feels just like the first 5. I will say it took me about 150 miles to get the height & angle set, but I'm very picky on position.

I was in a similar situation as you with my last bike (2007 Trek 1200), I just got to the point of cost/lb dropped was way to high. I then switched over to full carbon and I have to say that I love it. I also switched to Sram and really, really love it. From what I can gather the only real difference in the different levels of Sram equipment is the weight.

 

I just don't ride mine enough to go any further with it either. I much prefer playing offroad with fat tires. Just got this one for the occassional group rides and sporadic local rides to break up trail rides. Sucks pushing a mt bike convert on the road for charity group rides so that and just a good excuse to build another bike is why I got what I did..................and it matches my truck.......or I got this truck to match it. My 05 silver AC matched a DB mt bike, lol.

 

I had an Allez for a couple of years. It was a great bike for me to start on. I've since moved on to a couple of different bikes that were more race specific, but it was a great bike. Have fun.

 

Agree 100%. I use Look Keo Sports on all of my road bikes and I've not had any problem with them in 6+ years. They are lightweight and have a very wide platform, which is important for power transfer. They are single-sided, but its never been an issue for me.

 

If anyone is looking to sell there old road bike in order to upgrade to a new one please let me know. Looking for a used road bike.

 

Craigslist worked pretty well for me.

 

I look about 10 times a day all over the place and can't seem to find the right size for a good price. Tons and tons of 54s but only one or two 56s

 

I ride a Cervelo RS in a 51cm. Full Ultegra with speedplays. Great bike i just dont ride enough. My wife has a Cervelo S1 and a P2C for tris.

 

try your local LBS, sometimes they sell used bikes

 

Same thing for me but patience paid off. I have a CL app on my phone that alerted me every time a new road bike was listed.