pkh@alice.UUCP (Paul Pavlidis) (01/24/85)
Well, the old bike is looking pretty bad. Sure, it works, but now that I'm taking biking more seriously, that sucker must go. I need a new bike that will last through at least several years of campus gunkholing, weekend trips and the occasional extended (we're talking ten days at most, not a round-the-world extravaganza) tour. I have about 400 dollars I am willing to spend on the bike. My experience with specific components and bikes is quite limited, and the research I've done on the subject cann'ttell me everything. Therefore, this is a good time for the netusers to show of.bikers to show off their knowledge of bikes and help me make a choice. One bike that looks good at the moment is the Bridgestone T700. Does anyone have one of these or another Bridgestone? If anyone has experience with their bikes, good or bad, I would like to hear about it. I am also looking at bikes made by Centurion. Does Univega make any good touring bikes in my price range? If it's hard to tell me without details about what I want, I'll give you details. I would like a low-mainenence bike; this means sealed bearing hubs. I need a granny gear because I'm not the world's greatest hill climber and I have to climb a lot of hills. What's all this hoopla about anatomic saddles? If they're as great as they say, I would like one. What's the net's opinion of cantilever brakes, as opposed to centerpulls or sidepulls? Does anyone know if it's possible (as in, hae you done it or seen it done) to build a good touring bike by buying an off-the rack frame and components separately in my price range? In short, I want a bike that has every possible advantage for a reasonable price. If anyone has something to say about this, tell me about it. If I get some interesting advice, I'll post it in a followup. Thanks in advance, Paul Pavlidis The gear-masher with the 40 lb. bike
leimkuhl@uiucdcsb.UUCP (01/26/85)
Don't be afraid of used bikes, you can often save %50:
I bought a Holdsworth Special (Reynolds 531)
w/Suntour Cyclone II, Gran Compes, Super Champ Gents, etc.
Not a great bike but it was in good shape and very
reasonable at $425.
My brother bought a Team Miyata racer with all Galli/Campy Rec/
Cinelli stuff for $500 in near new condition--close to 1/2 original
price.
We bought our bikes at shops, and in all fairness I should point out that
my friendship with a shop owner was very helpful in getting my brother
his deal.
Ask a bike shop owner whom you trust if he has any used bikes.
Buying a used bike is NOT like buying a used car--there are far fewer
things to go wrong, and further, if something does break (i.e. a
derailleur) it is fairly cheap to replace it (unless of course it's
Campy Rec. or Dura-Ace in which case it probably won't break if it hasn't
really been beaten around). Don't be afraid to have the shop dismantle
any questionable looking part on the bike. (Chances are, though, they
will already have done this.)
Finally, a tip about tubing. Any Seamless Double-Butted Cro-Mo is very
nearly the same as any other SDBCM tubing. Principle difference is
tube wall thickness (i.e. Columbus SP/SL) but this is usually matched
to the size of the frame. Tange, Ishiwata, Columbus, and Reynolds 501
are virtually the same (although finish varies tremendously and bike
made with Columbus tubing will probably be more carefully brazed and
lugged. Reynolds 531 has some Manganese as well, which is supposed
to make it a little stiffer for same weight, but if you're in the smaller
frame sizes, Columbus SL with its thinner walls might actually be lighter.
The new Seamed tubings, Columbus Aelle and Reynolds Z are not as light
as the above, but they are probably as strong and given current methods
for making seamed tubing, are probably quite adequate for most intermediate
level riders.
While bike stiffness and weight won't vary all that much for different
choices of SDBCM, the resale value will. A bike made with Reynolds 531
or Columbus SL/SP still tends to sell for a lot more than the competitors.
Actually, there is a reason for this: Reynolds 531 MUST be hand-welded,
and Columbus SL/SP usually is, whereas the other tubings are typically
assembly line welded.
The Miyata frames made with in-house tubing are regarded as the stiffest,
but stiffness probably isn't important for you. These frames hold their
value like frames of Columbus SP/SL and Reynolds 531.
Columbus SLX has very thin walls. Reynolds 753 is ultra-exotic, and cannot
be used by tall people of normal weight. Both are expensive.
Most people probably wouldn't want the oversized aluminum, although I hear
that the Cannondale sport-tourer is very nice.
Now about parts. There are so many different component groups on the market
that it is very confusing which is which.
Here are my best guesses about various groups--anyone have other knowledge?
The numbers on the left are my ratings-- scale 1-10.
Campy:
1 980 - very mediocre quality, not sold in USA
3 Gran Sport - medium quality
5-6 Victory - new, nice finish
8 Nuovo Record - very good
9-10 Super Record - Top Notch
Suntour:
2-3 VX
4-5 ARX
7 Cyclone II
9-10 Suberbe Pro
Shimano:
? ??
6-8 Shimano 600
9 Old Dura-Ace
10 New Dura-Ace
Dia-Compe:
? ??
5-6 500N/G
400
7-8 Old Gran Compe
10 New Gran Compe
Huret
? Duopar
? Duopar/titanium
? Jubilee
Galli
?
Sorry I spent such a long time spouting off about this stuff, but I really
love to discuss it. Let's have some other commentary on parts/tubing etc.
-Ben Leimkuhlermarcum@rhino.UUCP (Alan M. Marcum) (01/30/85)
Regarding the component ratings (opinions) recently posted, I'll
provide my opinion on a ? entry.
I have a tandem with a half-step plus granny gearing arrangement;
we can go from about 21" to about 102" or so (I forget the exact
numbers). The inner chainring is the smallest TA made (26?),
with 48-52 for the others; the large rear sprocket is, if I recall,
a 32 on a New Winner 6. I have a Huret Duopar derailleur on the
rear, a Simplex Triple on the front.
Both work like champs with this setup. I end up with three
useable ratios on the inner chainring before the Duopar runs out
of take-up (and the gear overlaps with the 48-32). It shifts
like a champ -- not exactly crisp and precise, but what do you
expect given the cable length? The Simplex Triple will haul that
chain from the 26 to the 48 with no difficulty at all.
In this application, I give the Duopar an 8 or 9, the Simplex
Triple the same.
--
Alan M. Marcum Fortune Systems, Redwood City, California
...!{ihnp4, ucbvax!amd, hpda, sri-unix, harpo}!fortune!rhino!marcum