Cycling Thread 2

[mrkajz44]

Thanks for the info everyone - my in-laws are pretty serious cyclists, and I'm going to be able to borrow a commuter bike from one of them. I'm pretty sure with a good bike that I should be fine. Might be a bit brisk Friday morning, but I'm looking forward to it!

[Fuzz]

Looks like an overnight low of 1, so not to bad. Use warm gloves, not regular cycle gloves. Have some glasses to keep your eyes covered. Wear a buff under your helmet for an extra layer of warmth. I double up on socks too, but my feet are sissies.

[Northendzone]

cool one out there this morning

[Fuzz]

Felt a bit like an October morning.

[Slava]

Can anyone recommend a good bike for me to check out? I'm just going to hit the paths for the most part, and won't be doing any road riding or things like that. I was looking at MEC and the bikes there are ~$700 for what I'm looking at. I don't know if those are a decent brand or not? Just wanting a good not great bike and fairly versatile.

[Fuzz]

If you want something reliable, $700 is the starting point. Most of what you get at that price point is going to have similar components, so check a few shops and see if there are still deals on last years models. You may get something closer to $600 and not much changes between years. Find what is comfortable, brand isn't all that important. I always say to buy from whatever bike shop is convenient for you to re-visit for service. The only thing I'd watch for at that price point is try to get hydraulic disc brakes, not mechanical ones. If they won't budge on price, see if you can get a few things thrown in(helmet, bike lock, gloves etc), or discounts on them. I don't think MEC does that but some shops do, though I'm not sure they have much room on those lower end bikes.

[Slava]

$700 for a bike is low-end these days? Man I'm old! I figured at $700ish I was looking at a kind of middle of the road option.

[Ryan Coke]

I feel your pain, that’s what I was looking at last spring when I decided I wanted to start riding my bike more.

I ended up spending over 5 grand between a full suspension mountain bike and a road bike. Oh well, what else would I have done with that money? Besides mortgage, food, and clothes for my kids.

I did end up spending about 700 for my wife’s bike, and you can get a good quality general purpose bike in that range. And MEC does have good bikes, I have a friend that has bought a couple from there and quite likes them. I’d just check around at a few bike shops, and find the best option at that price point. Most places have everything on line.

[ken0042]

Lifesport is moving this month, and has a lot of last year's models on sale. That's what I did when I bought mine, got a $700 bike for $500.

Also in case anybody else is interested, mrkajz44 and I will be doing the ride into work on Friday together so I can show him the route. Leaving Douglasdale shortly after 6 Friday morning if anybody wants to tag along. Possibly a slowish ride- like 19 km/h pace.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Slava

$700 for a bike is low-end these days? Man I'm old! I figured at $700ish I was looking at a kind of middle of the road option.

No, low end is still $200. I said "reliable". One of the issues is that import duties are set in such a way that it makes bikes in the $400 range kinda non-existent. At least that's what I had read a few years ago.

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by Slava

$700 for a bike is low-end these days? Man I'm old! I figured at $700ish I was looking at a kind of middle of the road option.

$700 buys a really great pathway/fitness bike that anyone should be happy to ride, "low end" or not.

You can get cheaper bikes, but they're not really worth it.

[bossy22]

Just got back from Mallorca. I think I just had the trip of a lifetime. It's amazing there. If you like to road bike, put this place on your bucket list. There was easily over 10000 cyclists there. The locals are all accustomed to it, and are used to following behind packs of cyclists on the roads. Be prepared to climb because there is a lot of it.



We ended up hooking up with a guide. He is a friend of a friend. Cool guy. He's the team lead for USA cycling and lives in Mallorca. He is a former racer and pro mechanic. Awesome stories. I would highly recommend this from a tourist perspective. We did a couple of the obvious routes like Cap Formentor ourselves but on a couple of rides, he was able to guide us through the best routes through towns and the country. While some people were on busy roads, Ken took us on these amazing side roads that a car could barely fit through and wind us though streets in towns, all the while providing some history of the villages or buildings as we rode.

[KTrain]

Mallorca is definitely on the list.

We're going to France/Italy next July and I plan to get a bunch of riding in while I'm there.

[Northendzone]

ugh it is may already, I really feel like i should be able to remove the snowbrush from my vehicle and ditch my riding tights and heavy gloves and ear warmers for the ride in.

also, special thanks to whomever supplied the wind this morning. it is the morning, it is supposed to be calm.

[Fuzz]

It was a glorious tail wind all the way in! Looks like the ride home is going to suck, again though. I'll take south winds over north any day, they tend to be warmer.

[mrkajz44]

Well - I made it in today! Took about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which is a little longer than expected. Wow - the wind was killer! I honestly felt like I was moving at a walking pace sometimes...I'm guessing its not always like that?

Thanks to everyone for the help and a special shout out to Ken for the extra pointers and tips as well as mapping my way into downtown through Inglewood. I didn't even get lost once!

[Fuzz]

No, it's always a head wind! It's a rule. Just be happy we aren't in Lethbridge.

[kermitology]

Tail wind for me riding south this morning, but it's been nasty headwinds all over the place for the past few weeks. Hard to catch a break. I'm saddle sore too, so I should probably take a break.

[BurningYears]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

No, it's always a head wind! It's a rule. Just be happy we aren't in Lethbridge.

Tail winds are never as good as head winds are bad. Also side winds might as well be head winds. and now the word "Winds" does not look correct because I've typed winds so many times.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by Slava

Can anyone recommend a good bike for me to check out? I'm just going to hit the paths for the most part, and won't be doing any road riding or things like that. I was looking at MEC and the bikes there are ~$700 for what I'm looking at. I don't know if those are a decent brand or not? Just wanting a good not great bike and fairly versatile.

I just bought a Norco Indie 2 about a month ago for $714 all in here in Vancouver, highly recommend if you're looking for a hybrid bike, I love it so far.