Mon, 18 Jul 2011
Which Bike?
The 30 years old frame of my bike broke several weeks ago, so I will need a new bike. We have already decided to buy a new bike for my wife, so I have took the frame of her present bike, and remounted some components of my former bike to it. So I don't need a new bike right now, and I have more time to decide what I want.
My previous bicycle was road bike with drop handlebars. I ride on paved roads mostly (altough many roads in Brno resemble off-road riding :-), and we occasionally do touring as well. I am considering the following options:
- Using the frame of my wife's bike until it breaks :-)
- Buying a cyclo-cross bicycle, which is essentially a road bicycle with hardened frame and different tires.
- Buying a touring bicycle, something like Author Avion, which even has a carbon frame.
- Something really different. Last week I rented a recumbent bicycle, AZUB ECO. It was really interesting, very comfortable, yet a bit difficult to drive. I would like to try a bigger one with under-seat steering, like AZUB 5 as well. The only problem with recumbents is that it is not possible to use them with trail gator tow bar.
So, my dear lazyweb, do you have anything to recommend?
7 replies for this story:
Vašek Stodůlka wrote:
I have a scooter (koloběžka in Czech :-) model "Street" from Kostka, it is extremely handy in manipulation, it fits into sedan car boot without any diassembly. It is fun to drive with kids, when they have their own bycicles / trikes, it is possible to use it when others are roller-skating - you have similar speed about 16km/h. It is difficult to use it for longer trips and maintaining higher speeds, because it does not have any transmission. It is not a substitute for traditional bike, but it is very entertaining. A friend of mine has recumbent trike - azub also make theese. For me it looks like more fun, than bike, but on the other hand it is also less useful offroad. And when it comes to traditional bikes, anoher friend of mine (Aleš Habáň) has a shop in Brno - http://www.habbybikes.cz/. I think he is very experienced and can give you advices and if you tell my name, he may give you some discount. ;-)
Honza Obdržálek wrote:
Thinking about a CX bike, you may know that the differences include a slightly different frame geometry and brakes, which are weaker than the standard road bike brakes (if you do not go for the recently allowed disc brakes). The wheels are basically the same as for road bike, the only difference being the tyres. For the uses you specify (city + some touring) I do not see a point of buying a bike with drop handlebars. The "touring bike" you link is not really a touring bike (i.e. trekking bike) but a cross bike (the difference being the former usually comes with mudguards, pannier rack etc.) Cross bike can actually even lack attachment points for a pannier rack and mudguards. Note that in this price category you do not get much extra by having a carbon frame. For the uses you specify I would, however, buy a bike with a rigid fork (you save lots of weight, cheap suspension forks are useless, and you do not really need the suspension). Here I would recommend a carbon fork. As for recumbents, I'm having my reservations for use in traffic - you are too low to have a good situation awareness.
Yenya wrote: Re; Honza Obdržálek
Thanks, Honza (and sorry for my incorrect terminology). As for situation awareness with recumbent, after having ridden a recumbent for four days, I think it is actually better than on a regular bike, with one exception, and this exception has nothing to do with sitting too low, but with sitting "in the back" - when I enter the intersection, on a regular bike I am head-first, and I can see much better than on a recumbent, where I have to move much farther to the crossroads before I can see the situation.
Yenya wrote: Re: Vašek Stodůlka
The Kostka Street looks definitely interesting, but I am afraid it is not suitable for me - one of the purposes of my bike is commuting to work, which is about 8 kilometers with relatively steep hills (from Hády to the level of Svitava river, then uphill to the level of Mendel university, and back to the level of Ponávka). I don't think I would be able to enjoy it on Kostka.
Tom wrote:
I've recently bought Mongoose Croix Elite and I'm quite happy with it. (It was 2009 model which I ordered, but 2010 model actually arrived. Well, there's probably not much of a difference except for the price :) Anyway, what I intended to get was something close to a road bike which I wouldn't be afraid to use in light terrain. And after I switched to slick tires (35 mm wide, 6.5 bar max pressure) it pretty much fulfills my expectations, though I don't have that "light" feeling of a road bike completely, which I guess can't be achieved without those thin, heavily pressurized tires. There are V-breaks which I do not find to be insufficiently effective -- it's not a problem to block the wheels, and I personally prefer drop handlebars which you can hold in many ways. I also use the bike for commuting (Lesná Gorkého) and it's alway a pleasurable part of a working day :). So I would probably go for a CX bike rather than some normal cross bike.
J.C. wrote: Option 1
I suggest option 1, the easiest one ;-). You will have enough time to consider the other possibilities.
job wrote:
i use to room in my bicycle but i brought my first motorcycle. my bike is sleeping for years :(