Braking on a road bike

[Jaristokraatti]

I will look at the ladies bikes...as long as they aren't pink!

Hmm, and there was I thinking of repainting my old blue Trek pink to celebrate my feminine side...

Did you know that over half of the bicycles are bought based on the colour of the frame rather than the specs of the bike?

Mine was: Could have gone for the "better" Trek, but that was reddish and mine is and always will be BLUE.

 

[Sittingduck]

Hmmm Cube go up to a 58cm women's, where on earth I find one to test though...!?

Vickster, you mentioned Cycle Surgery - the one in Spitalfields? Friend of mine from work got her Cube from there a cpl of months ago... I also noticed that the sizing on Cubes are a little weird, eg. it says it's a '56' but I cant see any part of the bike thats 56 and it seems smaller than a 'virtual' 56 to me. Might be worth calling back in and asking them for a test ride?

 

[vickster]

No, it was the one on Great Portland Street. It wasn't a Cube, but an Orbea there?

 

[vickster]

Hmm, and there was I thinking of repainting my old blue Trek pink to celebrate my feminine side...

Did you know that over half of the bicycles are bought based on the colour of the frame rather than the specs of the bike?

Mine was: Could have gone for the "better" Trek, but that was reddish and mine is and always will be BLUE.

No better reason - as I said, to be honest, all of the specs are total gobbledegook to a mechanically and technically inept female like me The Bianchi in white and celest is still the only bike that truly appeals despite its bits which may or may not be as good as other bits

..although that said, having just wiped my white Sirrus down after a lovely ride home in the rain, maybe grey is the way to go!

 

[slowmotion]

The Victoria branch of Cycle Surgery let me have a test ride back in January when I was looking for my first road bike. They also got different frame sizes in from their other branches for me to try. Oh Boy, drop bars felt odd after riding a hybrid. My wrists and forearms hurt like crazy for quite a while after I bought the bike. I really despaired of getting used to the riding position but now I'm a big fan of drops.

Good luck.

 

[vickster]

Hmmm, I know what I can be like. If this happened, I'd probably get annoyed with the bike, stick it in the shed and there's a grand down the drain! I've already got one bike in the shed that I've not ridden for months!

 

[albion]

It's certainly acclimatisation in that I also found riding a road bike quite disconcerting for braking.I suppose I'm now older, unrushed, prefer a relaxed style of riding and have used solely hybrids for 10 years or so now.

 

[lulubel]

I disagree with lulubel, Ergo shifters require no additional movement from the hands to operate.

It probably depends on the size of your hands. I have very small hands, so it would be a struggle for me.

 

[buddha]

Even though I use large size gloves, I found braking difficult on my road bike.
The Slim-Shims helped a little, but swapping to a compact handlebar gave the most pronounced effect. Using a lot of trial-and-error to position the levers in the best place/angle. I use an FSA Omega Compact bar BTW.

 

[vickster]

Question...given it looks like I may not be designed for an off the peg road bike, and am going to have to spend time and no doubt oodles of money changing over this that and the other to actually be comfortable (and able to stop safely ), perhaps I should ditch the whole dropped bar idea and go back to pan A which was a better, faster, lighter hybrid (or plan B which involves a bigger TV or plan C which involves a holiday in the sun ). It's not like I actually do that many miles anyhow (my most so far in one go is about 12) nor do I ride especially quickly given my gammy knee, bulk and general lack of fitness . Yes, I do see 25mph+ going down hills (during which I pray and hover over the brakes), but I also see 6mph going back up those hills (due to gammy knee, bulk and general lack of fitness)! Soooo, help me out here - are there any flat barred bikes in the £700-1000 range that are as light and quick as a comparably priced race bike? 58cm...might be just the thing? http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Bianchi-Camaleonte-5-2011-Flatbar-Road-Bike_39906.htm Or a pretty Brit? http://www.whytebikes.com/2011/bike_page.php?ModNo=W-1-031-11

I realise I am being seriously indecisive here, but I don't want to spend a load of money on a bike I can't get to grips with. Wiggle's 30 day test thing may be an idea, but their choice isn't great and I'd rather get from an LBS

 

[MacB]

I'd rate a straightforward flat barred road bike as the weakest of the choices available, you get any negatives associated with a road bike but lack the positives of multiple hand positions and aero position offered by drops. I'd have a good look at what sort of riding you plan, distances expected and whether you want some extra versatility in potential useage. Some of the options can really narrow down the search:-

type of brakes - if you want to be able to run properly bigger tyres then canti, v or disc brakes are needed - I'd rate discs as the way forward out of those
clearance and frame fittings - how big a tyre may you want to run, remember you can always bung on skinny road slicks as needed? Do you want to run mudguards, rack, do you compact or traditional geometry
frame material - carbon, steel, aluminium or ti - or a mix - or you don't care

For example, if you went for a fast hybrid, with disc brakes, rack and guard mounts, you could select a size that gives the ride position with say a 130mm stem. Then you could always switch to drops at a later date by using a shorter stem, you can get discs that work with drops and your brakes won't care what size tyres you've got. Get a frame with a decent sized head tube so that you can get an upright riding position. Maybe try out some alternates to flats or drops, butterflies, moustache, north road and flats with bar ends all have their fans.

This sort of bike can be roadified as much as you want, drop bars, inverted stem, skinny tyres, but a road bike(flat bar or drops) can't be hybridified.

Obviously the above contains a lot of personal bias

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Since you have issues with your back, and you already have a hybrid, an option is just to upgrade it and blow the rest of the budget on plan b or c!

Most hybrids', actually most bikes' weakest link is relatively low quality wheels shod with unncessary heavy tyres and tubes. For the mileage you do and you are probably not racing any time soon, I don't see why a hybrid shouldn't be the ideal bike in your case for now, and chance is a good set of wheels, tyres and tubes will transform the feel of your hybrid.

Do you have its spec, in particular that of wheels and tyres? Btw what is the mystery bike in the shed?

 

[vickster]

Thanks - I think your thinking is a bit like my thinking on this

I have a 2010 Sirrus sport, on stock wheels and tyres - it is light but reckon it could be quicker - already has bar ends so do have an alternate hand position - I am not sure how much head down riding I would do on a race bike

Basic spec here ... http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/sirrus-sport-2010-hybrid-bike-ec020017

The shed contains a 2010 Spesh Crosstrail...bought as a solid and safe return to riding after the knee-damaging tumble.

Will put some slightly less fat tyres on it and it'll do for the cooler wetter weather, not least being grey it won't get as filthy as the white Sirrus

 

[HLaB]

I put Aksium's on my Sirrus, 25mm tyres and flipped the stem and it was a vast improvement to the bike it was on a par with most dropped bar road bikes except in the wind (it does help the 2006 sport has a 52t ring); I did end up fitting drops and buying a road bike though

 

[vickster]

Thanks HLaB. Sounds interesting. I shall have a chat with the chaps at Pearsons. Bike's done >500 miles, must be new wheels and tyres now