New bike: what is key, what’s silly?
- Thread starter Chuckschreiner
- Start date
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raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
More to the point what religion was it built to serve, Christianity didn't arrive until a couple of centuries after it was finished.
Hi Chruckschreiner,
Funnily enough myself & friends recently had a discussion about the construction of such grand structures such a long time ago and it certainly is incredible to think through the processes. Although the time scales to construct would unrecognisable to us today but it is nonetheless incredibly impressive!
Back to your thoughts about a bike you mention that you want low gearing. On this subject unless you choose a touring bike it is very hard to find a bike with a very large gear range with for example a triple chainset. Perhaps you could consider asking the bike shop if they could fit a triple chainset groupset but your frame would have to be compatible.
If the bikes that you end up interested to not have low enough gearing for what you want then there are perhaps another couple of options (and potentially more) to consider.
For starters for us mere mortals outside the professional peloton it is very unlikely that we get any benefit from the same group sets and chainring / cassette combinations enjoyed by the professional riders.
Depending on what changring(s) and cassette combination your new bike comes with perhaps you could speak to a bike shop about the possibility of swapping out the groupset that it comes with and changing it for a Shimano GRX groupset on which the double chainring is available as either a 48/31 or a 46/30
https://road.cc/content/tech-news/2...oupset-launched-all-key-details-you-need-know
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-grx/
Alternatively as a cheaper option to the changing of an entire groupset you could consider just a sub-compact chainset:-
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/super-compact-chainsets-next-big-thing-308008
https://road.cc/content/feature/191171-which-chainset-right-you
https://www.bikeradar.com/road/super-compact-chainsets-the-next-big-thing-for-road-cyclists/
https://www.cyclingabout.com/low-climbing-gears-road-bike-crankset/
Perhaps you could consider a chainring from Praxis Works such as the Alba or Zayante
https://praxiscycles.com/road-crank-story/
And also pay attention to the cassette on the back and whether your rear derailleur is set up to accept larger cogs of say 32 or 34 teeth or potentially higher as I have seen some people do.
Good luck with your hunt and I hope that you have fun testing some bikes.
John
Funnily enough myself & friends recently had a discussion about the construction of such grand structures such a long time ago and it certainly is incredible to think through the processes. Although the time scales to construct would unrecognisable to us today but it is nonetheless incredibly impressive!
Back to your thoughts about a bike you mention that you want low gearing. On this subject unless you choose a touring bike it is very hard to find a bike with a very large gear range with for example a triple chainset. Perhaps you could consider asking the bike shop if they could fit a triple chainset groupset but your frame would have to be compatible.
If the bikes that you end up interested to not have low enough gearing for what you want then there are perhaps another couple of options (and potentially more) to consider.
For starters for us mere mortals outside the professional peloton it is very unlikely that we get any benefit from the same group sets and chainring / cassette combinations enjoyed by the professional riders.
Depending on what changring(s) and cassette combination your new bike comes with perhaps you could speak to a bike shop about the possibility of swapping out the groupset that it comes with and changing it for a Shimano GRX groupset on which the double chainring is available as either a 48/31 or a 46/30
https://road.cc/content/tech-news/2...oupset-launched-all-key-details-you-need-know
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-grx/
Alternatively as a cheaper option to the changing of an entire groupset you could consider just a sub-compact chainset:-
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/super-compact-chainsets-next-big-thing-308008
https://road.cc/content/feature/191171-which-chainset-right-you
https://www.bikeradar.com/road/super-compact-chainsets-the-next-big-thing-for-road-cyclists/
https://www.cyclingabout.com/low-climbing-gears-road-bike-crankset/
Perhaps you could consider a chainring from Praxis Works such as the Alba or Zayante
https://praxiscycles.com/road-crank-story/
And also pay attention to the cassette on the back and whether your rear derailleur is set up to accept larger cogs of say 32 or 34 teeth or potentially higher as I have seen some people do.
Good luck with your hunt and I hope that you have fun testing some bikes.
John
Chuckschreiner
Regular
- Location
- Los Angeles
Yes, construction time over 100-200 years! What also is worth understanding is how they hoisted huge blocks of detailed artistry several hundred feet into the air!
The one thing I can say unequivocally is: there is a learning curve in all of this. All the various technologies and terminology- like how cassettes are described. I actually created a little cheat sheet to refer back to a few days ago.
My one concern is that shops stock pretty conventional inventory. When you start customizing the price jumps and it’s easy to get into $4-5k range (or so it seems).
We are now in Barcelona for a few days. I miss the long days of walking in the woods. Barcelona is fun, exciting, beautiful but I like the quiet of the woods and pasture.
Hi Chuckchreiner,
I totally appreciate that you don't want to see the price spiral out of control.
However if perhaps you discount the option which include more work on the part of a local bike shop of swapping out a bikes entire groupset and changing from the original stock option that a bike comes with and changing over to a Shimano GRX groupset with easier gearing you could look at the option of just changing the crank/chainrings.
If for example you looked at the All City Cycles Zig Zag in the 105 build option it has an MSRP of $2,699 and it comes with Shimano 105 crankset with chainrings that are 52/36. Now unless we're part of the professional peloton or racing at a decent club level is debatable whether or not any of us really need a 52 chainring at the front combined with an 11 sprocket at the back.
If you then bought a Praxis Works Zayante with the 48/32 chainrings I think that is approximately $200 and got the bike shop to swap them over and do any associated work (I guess that the chain length might change but I'm not sure of what other work would be necessary and you'd have to ask the bike shop). Whilst you wouldn't end up with a bike that has the wide gear range of a touring triple chainset with some very low gears you'd end up with easier gearing than the bike would have in its original stock state.
https://praxiscycles.com/product/zayante/
I'd hope that any bike shop if they are worth using would be happy to provide you with a service such as this especially if you're buying a brand new bike from them. If a bike shop wasn't prepared to make some changes for a customer then I'd be tempted to use a different one. I'd hope that just making this change wouldn't result in a huge extra cost to you and at the end of the day if you have no interest in using the original Shimano 105 52/36 crankset then the bike shop is getting this into their stock of parts which they should factor in although I'd assume they wouldn't credit you with the full retail price of the crankset.
Good luck testing bikes when you get the opportunity!
John
I totally appreciate that you don't want to see the price spiral out of control.
However if perhaps you discount the option which include more work on the part of a local bike shop of swapping out a bikes entire groupset and changing from the original stock option that a bike comes with and changing over to a Shimano GRX groupset with easier gearing you could look at the option of just changing the crank/chainrings.
If for example you looked at the All City Cycles Zig Zag in the 105 build option it has an MSRP of $2,699 and it comes with Shimano 105 crankset with chainrings that are 52/36. Now unless we're part of the professional peloton or racing at a decent club level is debatable whether or not any of us really need a 52 chainring at the front combined with an 11 sprocket at the back.
If you then bought a Praxis Works Zayante with the 48/32 chainrings I think that is approximately $200 and got the bike shop to swap them over and do any associated work (I guess that the chain length might change but I'm not sure of what other work would be necessary and you'd have to ask the bike shop). Whilst you wouldn't end up with a bike that has the wide gear range of a touring triple chainset with some very low gears you'd end up with easier gearing than the bike would have in its original stock state.
https://praxiscycles.com/product/zayante/
I'd hope that any bike shop if they are worth using would be happy to provide you with a service such as this especially if you're buying a brand new bike from them. If a bike shop wasn't prepared to make some changes for a customer then I'd be tempted to use a different one. I'd hope that just making this change wouldn't result in a huge extra cost to you and at the end of the day if you have no interest in using the original Shimano 105 52/36 crankset then the bike shop is getting this into their stock of parts which they should factor in although I'd assume they wouldn't credit you with the full retail price of the crankset.
Good luck testing bikes when you get the opportunity!
John
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Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
Glad you liked the cathedral. The earliest parts are 11th century with lots of later editions up to 17th century, but for me the early Romanesque bits are the best. Anyhow, its a nice place to end your ride (or walk).
Chuckschreiner
Regular
- Location
- Los Angeles
We walked - but saw a lot of people riding. The ride at times looked pretty hard - especially a group of middle aged couples in tandem bikes looked like they were struggling. Also I saw a few on road bikes and wondered how they handled the rougher paths. We liked it enough to think we might come back and do a different route... maybe thru Portugal.
PS: they are doing a lot of renovation on the cathedral right now so we only saw parts of it. Still - beautiful!
Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
Chuck, the ride is well worth it if you get the chance. Another architectural gem is Oviedo cathedral which was on the way to Sant de Compostella (you may have guessed by now I love old buildings!)
I am seriously thinking of revisiting this ride next spring, it was awesome. A forgotten corner of Europe that's for sure. Are you back in 'boring' old LA yet
Chuckschreiner
Regular
- Location
- Los Angeles
Chuck, the ride is well worth it if you get the chance. Another architectural gem is Oviedo cathedral which was on the way to Sant de Compostella (you may have guessed by now I love old buildings!)
View attachment 486438
I am seriously thinking of revisiting this ride next spring, it was awesome. A forgotten corner of Europe that's for sure. Are you back in 'boring' old LA yet
Ha! It’s not so ‘forgotten’ The numbers of pilgrims streaming into Santiago De Compostela was huge, like a steady flow of ants getting the sugar. And Barcelona is jam-packed with tourists. The whole French route has had numerous hostels, bars & restaurants spring up in small hamlets that are always busy.
So you bike the route? Which way do you go?
And LA is boring compared... oldest building built in 1953 (well, ok, a little exaggeration but the only thing from the 12th century is the dirt). But return tomorrow. One more day in Barcelona. Barcelona is fun but I prefer the forests.
Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
Ferry from Plymouth to Santander, ride to St de Comp via picos de europa, Oviedo etc then train back to Santander, lovely ride, maybe just pips Rocky Mountain nat park i did years ago (sorry!)
Hi again,
Just another option for you to consider is a bike from Breezer Bikes who have quite a varied range. Some of their bikes even come as standard with cranksets that include smaller sub-compact chainrings.
https://www.breezerbikes.com
I'll hold my hands up to knowing nothing about the geography of LA but when I looked at their website they seemed to have at least half a dozen or so shops that say they do sell Breezer bikes but you might want to find out a bit more about them before you travel to see if for example they hold any bikes in stock if you're interested in trying any specific ones.
Just another option for you to consider is a bike from Breezer Bikes who have quite a varied range. Some of their bikes even come as standard with cranksets that include smaller sub-compact chainrings.
https://www.breezerbikes.com
I'll hold my hands up to knowing nothing about the geography of LA but when I looked at their website they seemed to have at least half a dozen or so shops that say they do sell Breezer bikes but you might want to find out a bit more about them before you travel to see if for example they hold any bikes in stock if you're interested in trying any specific ones.
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
I would suggest you read the Bicycle Quarterly Blog about tires, which have a lot to do with comfort and speed. Perhaps check out Rivendell bikes which isn't that far from you in Walnut Creek CA. Velo Orange sells nice components and has some excellent frame choices. I believe even lower priced components work well, better than many top of line products from a few years back. The most important thing is comfort, as long as the components work well together. Your goal of 2 hours daily a will require a comfortable saddle and a great fit. I like durability and eay maintenance a lot more than lightness, as long as the bike weighs less than 25 pounds or so unloaded. I have 2 Al bikes but I definitely prefer steel for frames and forks. Since I ride for pleasure and exercise, a couple of pounds makes no difference. Components that don't work right or an ill fitting bike can ruin a ride pronto. As I have gotten older my hands are my weakest point and I don't do well with flat bars because the palm down approach really allows just one hand position. Riding drop bars is no longer comfortable either, and riding the drops and craning my neck to see ahead isn't good ergonomically for me. My current choices are moustache bars, North Road bars or flatter bars that have a lot of backward sweep. These give me multiple hand positions which help me a lot with hand pain and numbness. Along with all the others, I would urge riding as many bikes as you can since the bike fit is so important.
Comfort and fit is very important. I don’t like flat / straight bars as I
was recently informed I have tennis elbow, doctor said that’s what
brought it on, it Is a repetitive stress injury, can settle down with
light use and rest, but the angle of ones hand on a flat bar bike is
all wrong for anyone from this kind of background.
Drop bas also allow you to rest your hands on different positions
on the bar, this helps a lot, if you get sore in one position, change,
it is also a little safer, as you can sit up straight by holding the tops
when your in traffic, you will see more than You will being bent over.
Weight, keep the weight of the bike as low as possible, less energy wasted,
Crank length, very important, I like 165mm cranks, keeps the movement
of my knee joint to a minimum, also keeps my knee from being angled
/ compressed tightly at the top of the pedal stroke, this helps big time with knee pain.
You don’t need the top components, they are of little value unless you want
to sprint or race, 9 speed double or triple crank set is a good choice, plenty
of gears to get you up hills.
was recently informed I have tennis elbow, doctor said that’s what
brought it on, it Is a repetitive stress injury, can settle down with
light use and rest, but the angle of ones hand on a flat bar bike is
all wrong for anyone from this kind of background.
Drop bas also allow you to rest your hands on different positions
on the bar, this helps a lot, if you get sore in one position, change,
it is also a little safer, as you can sit up straight by holding the tops
when your in traffic, you will see more than You will being bent over.
Weight, keep the weight of the bike as low as possible, less energy wasted,
Crank length, very important, I like 165mm cranks, keeps the movement
of my knee joint to a minimum, also keeps my knee from being angled
/ compressed tightly at the top of the pedal stroke, this helps big time with knee pain.
You don’t need the top components, they are of little value unless you want
to sprint or race, 9 speed double or triple crank set is a good choice, plenty
of gears to get you up hills.
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