cgfen

Few things indeed.
I often take my passenger seat out so i can carry a bike.
I drive to an "interesting" (read hilly -twisty) area in North San Diego county.
Do a few circuits in the car, then so the same on the bike.

glad to see others do the same.

cheers

Craig

cgfen

nice!
Masi's RULE
as do those of us of old enough to have lived with 52-42s
though i must admit, the 53 X 39s do have a certain charm.
fortunately i'm light enough and ride enough to not have to go the compact or triple route.
someday yes, but not today



enjoy that straight block my friend!

cheers

Craig, ( ~ 3.2 miles from the old MASI factory in Carlsbad).

Tcc1999

Maybe I'm too jaded but I don't understand Campy reincarnating Super Record. Instead of seriously upgrading Record they bring back Super Record and really jack up the price.

Shimano offers a wireless shifting system on it's Dura Ace line. I think it's available now. I've heard good things from Beta testers. Campag. couldn't quite make it work and Mavic's two attempts never really caught on. Mechanical shifting works fine but if Shimano's electrical system is able to shift and adjust the chain-line so it runs optimally from chain ring to cog that would be quite an achievement.

Compact cranks or standard cranks, figure out the gear inches so you can get a feel for the ratios you are turning. It might take a while to appreciate a 1.5 ratio v. a 1.68 but there is a difference.

Phil G.

I'm just getting into biking. Bought my kid a Trek 7200 which he didn't use, so I'm using it. Want to move up to a good road bike - and would spend around $1K or so for it. My wife has a Cannondale and loves it. My local dealer has Cannondale, Specialized, and the other shop carries Trek, Fuji, and a couple of other Asian makes. I really am not looking to get into a $3-4K euro bike, but want a good, lightweight road bike. What do you think? Appreciate the input.

DPorcella

I'm with Machina on this one, as in: after I and everyone I knew (bicyclists and motorcyclists) got hit by cars at least once, I went mostly to mt biking and have LOVED not having to listen paranoically and hypervigilantly for the next car coming. If I crash now, it's my fault and not some teen playing with the radio or someone on a cell phone completely lost in the time-space continuum.

Lived in Marin and SF without a car for best part of two decades car-less. Now my main bike is an XT-equipped 29er.

(What's with all you guys from the dead flat parts of the US with all the fancy bikes? I'd love to take you Houston and Clearwater folks over Mt. Tam to Stinson Beach and back of a Sunday. . . )

I watched Lance win the 49th annual Nevada City Bike Classic (a criterium) last Sunday, his last tune-up race before the Tour.

GO LANCE!

cgfen

ok, sorry, i'm a bozo.
i didn't know that C had resurrected the Super Record groupo recently.
sigh
way too much CF for my taste.

cheers

Craig

C4S BOULDER

Back to the original question....I ride a Look 565 full carbon frame with compact crank. Since I ride in Boulder Co and Santa Barbara Ca, hills and windy roads are my favorite areas to spin. Like my P-car, I also like to ride fast at times, and my Look is solid at speeds up to 52. I also purchased a Porsche bike rack a few years ago and can say it is the best rack I've ever owned. For 450 bucks, it better be! My bike has seen 125mph atop this rack, so it is very solid. The best advise I would give on buying a bike-don't go top end. Spend your money on a light frame and Mavic wheels...it's all about the spin.

DCP

I started with a $1,000 bike (nine years ago) and was shocked to discover that what I bought was an entry level decent road bike. Nonetheless, you can get a okay bike for that price. The problem is that a lot of them are aluminum frames which are decent performers, but transmit a lot of vibration and can get uncomfortable after a while. Cheaper brannds (Fuji is one) offer a carbon fiber frame near that price range, and I guess were it me, I might consider that a good option. Another option is to figure out your size and look for a lightly used bike on Ebay. Far more bang for the buck that way, but you are running some risk and it is harder when you are new to bikes. There are usually a lot of used bikes for sale because folks get enthusiastic for a few months and then quit. That is why I wouldn't suggest spending too much on a first bike. I love the sport, but it is not for everyone.

DMoore

Cgfen:

Do you, or have you in the past, jumped out of perfectly good airplanes? If so - yes, we've met. I think we chatted a few years ago during a ride with BB, perhaps the ride past the Sahm house in Rancho Santa Fe on one of BB's Masi memorial rides. Weren't you in a brief partnership with BB? I was a skydiving buddy of Mike Howard.

To get back on topic (997s) I caught the Porsche bug pretty recently. Started with an '08 C2, which set the hook in my mouth. I went to the Performance and Masters classes at PSDS in April of this year, and got to drive the C2, C2S (PDK) and turbo (tip) at Barber. At that point, I was doomed. About a month ago I traded in the C2 on an '09 C2S PDK launch car, the green over sand beige version.

Dwight Moore
'09 C2S PDK
'08 S4 Avant

serapis

Orbea Opal for me with Campy Chorus components.

allegretto

wow, you must have really big, strong legs, huh?

Phil G.

I appreciate the suggestions. I really want a bike that fits me right, not something used off ebay that might not be the right bike for me. I found a Cannondale Synapsis 5 at my dealer that I can get for around $1200 that looks and feels right. The gear is upgraded from the Synapsis 6 or Caad 6 as well. I will ride it again this week and go for it. The other plus is my dealer is willing to take my Trek on consignment and sell it for me, which saves me the hassle.

sand8

If you know your size, you may want to check out: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm

I bought the Immortal Force carbon fiber bike with Ultegra for $1600. I am using it mostly for weekend 40 miles ride.
My offroad bike is Intense Uzzi SL, and am not using it too much since moving to Houston.

Sinclair

stevepow

Modest bike here, but I enjoy it. Well, I have two actually - a starter Marin Redwood that I got a few years ago just to try out riding, and later I picked up a Marin Sausalito which has really nice Shimano components. We just ride local riding trails, no hard core stuff - don't aspire to be a Lance Armstrong nor wear the tight shorts and shirts .

I did get a little spendy on a nice Garmin Edge 750 for it this year - cost almost as much as the bike, but my several yo Garmin Etrex was ready to retire. It turns the bike into a nice exercise tool and it is about the only excercise I enjoy. Just got back from a nice ride today - off to get some beer and burgers now for an antidote.

Phil G.

Thanks - I will.