Bicycles... I want one... Suggestions/Recommendations?

2live&ride said:
Honestly, I had no idea how serious of a hobby riding is.
There is so much to learn.
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No joking aside, back in the day, I spent almost half a year in research which included reading (which back in the day consisted of getting my hands on any/all Mountain Bike mags I could, and reading about "skinny tire" riders as well) and hanging out at bike shops (for me was a store in Etobicoke called 'Chain Reaction'). Went to shows, events, riding groups, riding clinics, etc. and found out anything and everything I could about bikes at the time (didn't want to be a poseur), then went off and purchased my bike (made a HUGE difference than just walking in there with no knowledge whatsoever).

Hell, there's a page on Wikipedia dedicated to bike frames/suspension, and it's a BIG page...lots to know/understand these days.
 
2live&ride said:
I was talking about riding a bicycle... lol but yes, agreed.
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Well I was just pointing out that no matter how cool the hobby is, there are always those who take it to uncool extremes.
 
Warms my heart to see Boonen using these in the 2011 Paris-Roubaix..sniff..simplicity..strength..

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Since we're in bicycle mode..anyone done any riding in and around Quebec City?
 
Rode to Mt Saint Anne on the rocky hydro trail, up MSA, down the sketchey fast gravel road (where I blew up the inner tube and had to hammer my rim back together with rocks), and then back on a nice sideroad to our car in Boischatel.

Sorry, awesome story, had to share. Spent the summer of '02 there.

Have heard that Ile D'Orleans makes a great bike loop. Also, the sideroad we took back from St. Anne was great, very quiet and scenic and pretty - Avenue Royale? Also, there's nice paths along the river in Lévis. Apparently MTB's are banned from the Plains of Abraham but I had to give it a try :p

Quebec has a really awesome touring map called 'Route Verte' - http://www.routeverte.com/routevert...93452094&lat=5919539.58980642&zoom=4&r=quebec
 
dr_sarcasm said:
...having got out of the sport about a decade ago, it still amazes me to this day that there are bikes out there in the same price range as motorcycles...and used cars.



P.S. Ten years ago, you'd have been poked with a sharp pointy stick (repeatedly) if you paid $9Gs for a Norco...eeeeeek.
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Sorry I should have written something with the link. If you go from lowest to most expensive there are quite a few hard tails from $300-$500. I'm suggesting a hard tail as well as having a full suspension bike for anything other than hard core dirt biking is just a waste of energy. Takes more effort to get from A to B cause it's so bouncy.

Picked that shop because there is one on Parliament close to where my dads shop was and I know the guys there. They will get you fitted for the right bike for you. I believe in the store they have used bikes as well. Bought my first bike from them and I really can't remember what it was. It got stolen and I went through insurance to get an other bike and had to get my replacement from a shop the insurance company approved. Ended up getting a Rocky Mountain which I love.

I agree, some of the bikes are just ridiculous in pricing but you get what you can afford, just like with everything else in life.

2live&ride said:
I'm 6 FT and 200LBS :(
What sizes should I be looking at?
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You really need to go to a shop and sit on bikes to figure that out. It depends on inseam, torso length and arm reach. Best bet is to go to an actual bike shop not a sports store that sells everything and have the people there fit you to the bike. They'll also show you how to set up the bike, most people I see riding don't have the seat at the right position for their legs.

CruisnGrrl said:
size varies on your inseam and torso length... you could be 6' with really short legs. a wrong fit can really hurt you.
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This^.

Also, there is a bike swap place on Bayview just south of Davisville, they have a lot of used stuff but because of the area I'm pretty sure they are over charging.
 
honduhmatic said:
Rode to Mt Saint Anne on the rocky hydro trail, up MSA, down the sketchey fast gravel road (where I blew up the inner tube and had to hammer my rim back together with rocks), and then back on a nice sideroad to our car in Boischatel.

Sorry, awesome story, had to share. Spent the summer of '02 there.
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Thanks! I've planned on a day at Mont St Anne..see if I can blitz the uphill at least once.. I hope to ride around the town for sight-seeing..Plains of Abraham will have to endure my MTB as well!! :-) The Ile d'Orleans looks like a nice day ride. Might give that a go if I have time. Cheers!
 
RetroGrouch said:
I would never pay over $2000 for a bicycle, I mean it's just a bicycle for chrissake.
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Meh..you can say that about a lot of stuff..audio junk..clothes..aftermarket exhausts..to each their own..
 
CruisnGrrl said:
I miss my Giant 980C, insurance company replaced it with a specialized allez epic...
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The stories I could you about the alu lug Epic's... :-S Please inspect the lugs and brake bridges regularly.
 
Since we're talking bicycles, the Fox Triad rear shock on my Specialized FSR Elite Comp has started leaking its oil. As I understand it most shops have to send them to Fox to fix it. Should I drop it off at a shop or can I save any cash by sending it to Fox myself?
 
invictus43 said:
The stories I could you about the alu lug Epic's... :-S Please inspect the lugs and brake bridges regularly.
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sold that bike years ago, i'm down to a diamond back apex & a bianchi.. giant did make the specialized frames (same factory) and the two bikes were almost identical except the 980c was a little heavier and stiffer due to the wishbone frame.
 
Quick bike Qs...

This isn't really about performance bikes so it might be harder to answer, but what would be the best braking system purely in terms of low maintenance. I mean obviously pads need to be changed but if I'm commuting through crap all year and don't want to keep cleaning and lubing everything am I gonna want disk brakes or V brakes or what?

This is a bike that comes close to matching my needs;
http://www.commuterbikestore.com/breezer-uptown-infinity-bike2012.html

I just want something more upright, which may be hard since I'm 6'4". What frame size should I be looking for at my height?
 
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invictus43 said:
Since we're in bicycle mode..anyone done any riding in and around Quebec City?
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Done a few runs down the Worlds course at MSA.

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rafiki911 said:
Picked that shop because there is one on Parliament close to where my dads shop was and I know the guys there.
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Terry and Tweek When they worked at Trail Blazers......long before Cycle Solutions opened.

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fastar1 said:
Quick bike Qs...

This isn't really about performance bikes so it might be harder to answer, but what would be the best braking system purely in terms of low maintenance. I mean obviously pads need to be changed but if I'm commuting through crap all year and don't want to keep cleaning and lubing everything am I gonna want disk brakes or V brakes or what?

This is a bike that comes close to matching my needs;
http://www.commuterbikestore.com/breezer-uptown-infinity-bike2012.html

I just want something more upright, which may be hard since I'm 6'4". What frame size should I be looking for at my height?
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It's no Cloud 9, but any Breezer is going to be decent.

This early 80s one fillet brazed by Joe Breeze himself just went for $10K on ebay

breezer_186.jpg
 
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FullMotoJacket said:
It's no Cloud 9, but any Breezer is going to be decent.

This early 80s one fillet brazed by Joe Breeze himself just went for $10K on ebay
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Sweet zombie Jesus! The collectible bike scene has never done much for me. I guess I'm more into the sport of cycling than the actual equipment.

I know there are some neato vintage BMX bikes and parts out there that fetch obscene amounts of money.
 
caboose483 said:
Sweet zombie Jesus! The collectible bike scene has never done much for me. I guess I'm more into the sport of cycling than the actual equipment.
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I like both aspects. Riding and building vintage/retro bikes. Hunting the globe for obscure parts is a sport in itself.

Her's a few of the steel ones. Some half finished projects didn't make it outside of the garage for the shot, and some new ones added since then.
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caboose483 said:
I know there are some neato vintage BMX bikes and parts out there that fetch obscene amounts of money.
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MTB is still relatively reasonable to build and collect for the most part, but old school BMX stuff is insane. I've seen a pair of well used Cook Brothers pedals go for $1,850. NOS Crupi and Triton pedals routinely go in the $7-800 range. NOS Tioga Comp III amberwalls, $250 a pair. The ones with the white tread, $6-700.
 
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That's a serious collection right there...
How long have you been collecting them for?
 
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