Cycling Thread

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Burke Salad

Do places like Calgary Cycle or Bow Cycle provide financing options? Seems the good bikes are getting extremely pricey.

i'd like to think you could get a lower interest rate with a personal line of credit

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

jasper has a couple of sweet, sweet trails.

my family and i are going to Bend, Oregon this summer to bike and hike.......i am looking forward to this vacation......

Bend is a cool town. Lots of brewpubs. The trails in town are buff with not a lot of elevation gain. The river, through town is awesome. they have beaches and you can swim and float along it. Like the Elbow, but a million times nicer.
Make sure you bike the Mackenzie river trail. 25 miles of bliss.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by bossy22

Bend is a cool town. Lots of brewpubs. The trails in town are buff with not a lot of elevation gain. The river, through town is awesome. they have beaches and you can swim and float along it. Like the Elbow, but a million times nicer.
Make sure you bike the Mackenzie river trail. 25 miles of bliss.

I love to hammer on the MRT; however, will have the wife and kids with me, (kids are 12/10 and soft); should looking at ridings Phils, Deschutes river trail and was drooling after seeing picture of smith rock.......

will also be taking a side trip to Portland.......would ahve loved to have done the coast, but that is too much driving and would have cut into biking time in Bend

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

jasper has a couple of sweet, sweet trails.

my family and i are going to Bend, Oregon this summer to bike and hike.......i am looking forward to this vacation......

Bend certainly has a great reputation.

I'm going to visit Portland and plan on stopping to bike in Hood River as it's close by. I will get to Bend someday.

[Northendzone]

Our vacations plans started the same way, Portland and hood river then it morphed into bend then Portland......

[habernac]

should have worn the shoe covers today. Brrrrr!

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

I love to hammer on the MRT; however, will have the wife and kids with me, (kids are 12/10 and soft); should looking at ridings Phils, Deschutes river trail and was drooling after seeing picture of smith rock.......

will also be taking a side trip to Portland.......would ahve loved to have done the coast, but that is too much driving and would have cut into biking time in Bend

You might want to check out the riding in Oakridge, which isn't very far from Bend. I've heard the riding there is even better than in Bend, but unfortunately I haven't had the chance to check out either for myself yet. MRT is definitely near the top of my riding wishlist.

[Table 5]

I know this is a bit of a lame request for this thread, but can anyone recommend what type of child trailer I should be looking for? Are there any types that work better than others? Any particular brands to look out for? What are the safety features they should have?

I have a 1.5 year old, and was hoping to get something for a couple of seasons if possible.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I know this is a bit of a lame request for this thread, but can anyone recommend what type of child trailer I should be looking for? Are there any types that work better than others? Any particular brands to look out for? What are the safety features they should have?

I have a 1.5 year old, and was hoping to get something for a couple of seasons if possible.

Not lame at all. Chariots are the best, but they come at a cost. I have a double Chariot Cheetah, I think they go for $700 new, I got mine used for less than half. They hold their value pretty well for when your kid grows out of it as well.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I know this is a bit of a lame request for this thread, but can anyone recommend what type of child trailer I should be looking for? Are there any types that work better than others? Any particular brands to look out for? What are the safety features they should have?

I have a 1.5 year old, and was hoping to get something for a couple of seasons if possible.

years ago i picked up a schwinn trailer at canadian tire for about $225 at a time when chariots were going for $500 ish. the schwinn did like not roll as smooth as a chariot; however, for the times we used it - it was fine and i could deal with it.......i sold it a number of years later for about $175.

if you buy one, take care of it, keep all of the little parts and keep it clean - you'll get some moeny back out of it.

[Coys1882]

We bought a Chariot Cheetah I think it was off of Kijijii and we used that thing steady for four years before selling it for $30 less than we paid. Super value - great product.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I know this is a bit of a lame request for this thread, but can anyone recommend what type of child trailer I should be looking for? Are there any types that work better than others? Any particular brands to look out for? What are the safety features they should have?

I have a 1.5 year old, and was hoping to get something for a couple of seasons if possible.

A Chariot used off of Kijiji is definately the way to go. Keep in mind:

- Accessories are horribly expensive, so look for the ones that throw in several. (extra hitch, infant sling, fenders)
- going used the top end CX model is a better deal than the Cougar, for a few extra bucks. Also more plentiful.
- if you are contemplating a 2nd kid, stick with a single and upgrade to a double since you can sell a used single for not much less. Singles are far smaller and maneuverable.

[Table 5]

Thanks guys, appreciate it the insight. I've never heard of Chariot before, so good to know about that brand.

Any experience with Thule? I can get a bit of a discount at Sportchek, and that's what they carry. Although now that I look at it again they also have the Chariot Cheetah (with a Thule logo on it for some reason).

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Chariot (a good ole' Calgary based company previously) was bought out by Thule a few years back. They now wear the Thule name.

[JMN]

Bike noob question here: is it worth $600 to go from Shimano Sora components to 105s and $300 from Sora to Tiagra? As a noob, am I going to notice the difference or appreciate the upgrade? I don't plan on ever racing and will only use it about 4-5x/week.

I'd like to get a cyclocross bike and have my heart pretty much set on the Norco Threshold. Jut need to decide on which model.

http://www.norco.com/bikes/road/cycl.../threshold-a1/

Thanks.

[corporatejay]

I looked at the Chariot and the MEC bike trailer, the single retails for about $300, the chariot is well over $500.

The MEC's are well built, and they have been great for returns/warranties on anything I've ever purchased from them so I wasn't concerned.

I also have a used double chariot that I use as a jogging stroller. I would say that Chariot's have better suspension so if you are doing trails or even bumpy gravel, it's probably better but if you are sticking to pathways the MEC should be fine.

Also, if you are thinking about a double, be advised they are about twice the weight. So all of the sudden instead of an additional 50 pounds (25/trailer + 25/kid) you are carrying an additional 75 pounds or 25 pounds of completely dead and useless weight.

I will also mention that I find the MEC much easier to take apart and fold than the Chariot.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by JMN

Bike noob question here: is it worth $600 to go from Shimano Sora components to 105s and $300 from Sora to Tiagra? As a noob, am I going to notice the difference or appreciate the upgrade? I don't plan on ever racing and will only use it about 4-5x/week.

I'd like to get a cyclocross bike and have my heart pretty much set on the Norco Threshold. Jut need to decide on which model.

http://www.norco.com/bikes/road/cycl.../threshold-a1/

Thanks.

Nice bike.

The jump from A3 to A2 is more than just sora to tiagra. You get the carbon fork for that too, so a worthwhile jump.

From A2 to A1 is only 200 beans, and is more discretionary. Still 105 is often described as bulletproof as it's unfailing. I'd probably drop the extra dough for that little jump up too.

[Northendzone]

Towing all of that extra weight will be a workout. And get you in shape for sure....

[JMN]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

Nice bike.

The jump from A3 to A2 is more than just sora to tiagra. You get the carbon fork for that too, so a worthwhile jump.

From A2 to A1 is only 200 beans, and is more discretionary. Still 105 is often described as bulletproof as it's unfailing. I'd probably drop the extra dough for that little jump up too.

Well im glad I have a deposit on the a1 Love the matte black on it too.

Not that the price is a deal breaker but is bow cycle strict on pricing or can some haggling be done?

[Hack&Lube]

I'm regretting buying a $2000 road bike. I think I should have gotten a cyclocross bike instead. As a beginner I find it's tough keeping the road bike steady and the ultra-stiff ride, super thin wheels, super stiff tires, etc. make me afraid of getting off the path into grass or going off a curb, etc. I've wiped out on my road bike several times already. A lot of it was due to getting wobbly once speed goes down and trying to squeeze into tighter lanes or going around people. Some of it due to not being able to unclip in time and just falling over on my side.

Today I said screw it and washed the thick layer of dust off my older $200 "Wal-Mart special" mountain bike and did 50KM, basically through half the city with it through paths, streets, mud, grass, etc. and even hit bigger roads without any fear of falling over when I hit a traffic light because my feet could just come off the pedals and touch the ground whenever. Sure it weighs like twice as much and half the time I have to look down to make sure the gears have changed because it often doesn't work (POS gear system, no luck trying to adjust my dérailleurs. Shimano 105s spoiled me.) but like Northendzone, all the extra weight is good for training!

The only good thing about the road bike is the weight. I can sling it over my shoulder and run up a hill or through the barrier filled obstacle course the city has set up on a lot of the river pathways after flooding.

Cyclocross definitely looks like the best of both worlds and I wish I had known about that sooner. Can I just swap my road wheels for cyclocross ones? (no disc brakes of course).