First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Manc33
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Manc33 »

You said exactly what I always say - "I am never going to drop bars again" - except you are going to?

How much do you wanna bet after a few months you'll want to go to flat bars again? :P

I tried drop bars about 4 times in my life (spread out over probably 20 years) and while I went faster, that's the only advantage... I would rather be comfy and going slower. So every 5 years or whatever I give them a chance again and end up hating them all over again.

I read something the other night that said something like "For the amount of time spent in the drops is it really worth it?" and I agree with that. If you're racing, they are a must, but people that own bikes and race them is the exception not the norm.

One deal breaker for me with drops is you can't get your fingers around properly to change gear - which is the only time I ever change 3 or 4 sprockets down at once, on the drops. I could never work them out.

I'm not saying don't bother but if you're like me and didn't like drops in the past you'll just never like them and would be forcing yourself to put up with them.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
Tonyf33
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Tonyf33 »

Pretty much all modern road frames accept '28'mm tyres, I say 28 but tyres like the Conti 4 seasons come up 1.5mm narrower so aren't an issue anyway.
As for stating you can't have a comfortable ride on 23s due to 'size' with a presumption the OP is somehow too weighty for them is fallacious. I've ridden & still ride 22mm tubs as well as 23mm superlight clinchers and they've never being uncomfortable even at well over 100kg and pressures at 115/135.
The Triban would be a great way to get into trying out drop bar riding without dropping too much money.
slowcoach
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by slowcoach »

I tried using drop bars a number of times and never really 'bonded' with them until I bought forks with an uncut steerer that I could set to the hight I wanted. The result has been comfortable drops that I now prefer to riser bars. However, in my opinion most steerers are cut too short to allow sufficient adjustment, especially if you are coming from a mtn bike setup, so a trial run would be very useful.
fastpedaller
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by fastpedaller »

SimonCelsa wrote:Regarding Decathlon B'Twin Triban tyre sizes & associated clearance;

Quote: "Another big change from the previous models is tyre clearance, with the new Triban able to accept tyres up to 32mm. Each bike will come fitted with 25mm Hutchinson tyres and the capability to accept 28mm tyres in conjunction with mudguards and 32mm tyres without. With regards to mudguards the bikes feature eyelet so you can fit full proper guards. There are also eyelets for panniers."
Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/tech/dec ... LKF8pMu.99



An interesting turn of events........ Will the cycling world go away from fashion and towards what's (for most ) more practical? Like the motoring world? Porsche sell more 4X4s than sports cars now, and when you look at 4X4s such as the Range Rover they look more like cars and less like 4x4s each year! Cars all seem to be migrating to a catch-all suv format. Will all bikes end up as CX?
beardy
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by beardy »

Will all bikes end up as CX?


Funnily enough, not to dis-similar from the old "racer" bikes and light tourers.
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531colin
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by 531colin »

Provided your steerer is metal (steel or alloy) and not carbon, you can probably use an extender rather than buying a new fork http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s88p2989
There are some notes here http://wheel-easy.org.uk/uploads/documents/Bike_set_up.pdf on fitting your "road" bike to your body....needs a final tidy-up, then it should appear on the main club website, rather than as a downloadable.
If you Google something like "endurance geometry" all sorts of stuff comes up.

Something called a "light tourer" simply isn't sexy enough to sell to a public whose ideal is to get a new phone as soon as their contract runs out.
Zanda
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Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 1:07pm

Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Zanda »

The OP might like to try converting their current bike to drop bars and riding that for a few months, before shopping for a road bike. If the bike has vee-brakes, drop bar vee-brake levers with bar end shifters would be an option. That way it can all be converted back if necessary. But this kind of touring bike on the cheap might turn out to be more useful than a dedicated road bike.

Whatever the decision, another recommendation of wider tyres here.
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trogg
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by trogg »

Well i popped into Decathlon and asked a few questions, the 500se is different to the triban 520/540 in that there is a much larger gap between the tyre and frame (about 6mm wider) .
The man I spoke to said that they would not even change the 23mm tyres to 25mm ones because they would be breaking the law and that there must be 4mm clearance, he did say that they would fit 25mm tyres to loose wheels :? anyway, I wanted to fit 28mm tyres so that's not going to happen.

I have ordered a Triban 520 which is only £450 and has the bigger gap for me to fit the larger tyres, unfortunately the frame is smaller so it probably won't be any good but at least I can cross it off my list. I suppose I could fit a bar riser and longer seat post but I think the frame would be too short.

In light of what Tony and Trev have said I think the 500se is still on the list, although it would be nice to have the option of fitting wider tyres.

Thank you for the link Colin, very informative
Last edited by trogg on 4 Jan 2016, 6:29pm, edited 1 time in total.
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beardy
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by beardy »

would be breaking the law and that there must be 4mm clearance


Ah, the famous 4mm law!

Do the pedals have reflectors on? :wink:

Obviously there is no law about leaving 4mm clearance but it is perfectly reasonable for the shop to refuse to supply a bike with a clearance which they consider dangerous.
I would have thought the clearance needs to be greater than 4mm for that though.

I do ride bikes with that little clearance myself but that is my choice and on my (unhelmeted) head the responsibility (and tarmac) falls.
Zanda
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Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 1:07pm

Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Zanda »

You may know this, but here's how to calculate your ideal frame size based on the length of your leg (inseam).

http://cyclingfortransport.com/bike/com ... rame/size/
Tonyf33
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Tonyf33 »

The 61cm Allez is recommended for people up to 6ft 6 by spesh.
here's one on fleabay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENTS-XXL-SPE ... SwHaBWh9ty
There's a 61cm felt too
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Felt-F95-61cm ... SwnGJWTwMq
I've got a 62cm Raleigh titanium with a 280mm steerer, if I got a higher angled stem I could probably get the floor to top of bar height to about 108cm
Manc33
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Manc33 »

trogg wrote:The man I spoke to said that they would not even change the 23mm tyres to 25mm ones because they would be breaking the law and that there must be 4mm clearance...


:lol:

On my last front fork (Triban 3 red carbon) on Marathon Plus 700x25, I had such a small clearance at the front the red paint had worn away to white at the top of the fork from the tyre. On the rear its not so dangerous but in hindsight I think I just didn't check it, or I thought 'I'm not getting a new fork just for this', I'll chance it. Its a good job I never pressed down on the bars or put weight on them! I was running them at about 100PSi as well so that can't have helped. "Running them at 100 PSi" lol it sounds like nitrous or something.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
Titanic
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Joined: 29 Jul 2012, 7:18am

Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Titanic »

In a similar position (looking to do more road cycling and wanting a suitable bike) I just bought a Giant Defy 2015 for £400 in the sales.
I am 6' 2" and have bought a large, XL is available. There seems to be debate on the web as to whether the bike will take 28mm tyres AND mudguards, but people seem to have done it with particular tyre makes.
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Swallow
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by Swallow »

If you are happy with your hybrid, you could try these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/jtek-superli ... prod36472/ I've never used them so no idea if the're any good but may be a cheap option to see how you get on with drops
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trogg
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Re: First 'dropped bar' road bike Ideas ?

Post by trogg »

Well I've been doing a lot of thinking, a lot of trawling the internet and these forums and I've decided to make a list of bikes that would suit me for my height.

next I will find my 'ape index' and/or go for a 'bike fit' , and one by one I'll cross them off my list...... what do you think ? Does anybody know anywhere in the midlands that will do a 'bike fit' without trying to sell me something ? or will measuring all my bits and pieces suffice ?

My main concern after looking around the net is the 'reach' I've read that this is very important, and so it would be daft of me buying something that was the right height for me but everything else was wrong, I might as well get something to 'fit' me and at least I'd know I gave it the best possible chance .

So, I'm off to trawl through all the manufacturers websites and hopefully find the answers, see you in a couple of months...

There has been some great ideas and I've looked at all the links, so , a big thank you, to be honest I didn't think I'd get so many replies 8)
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