What's the right bike for me?

Recreation Sports
1

I bought a brand new Giant Iguana mountain bike for a song a couple of months ago, and have been enjoying it immensely. I have a pretty manic teaching schedule - 5 to 7 hours a day in Muzha, then it’s back home to Xizhi for a bit, and then off to my buxiban (downtown Taipei) for four hours of classes in the evening. I find that biking to and from my buxiban (about 25 kms round trip) gives me the energy to get through the evening hours - I’m really enjoying it!

I’ve been thinking about my ride, though. A mountain bike can’t be the ideal bike for this kind of commute, can it? The roads I travel on are bumpy and rutted (I travel along a good stretch of Nanjing East Road, which is all dug up due to MRT construction). What’s the best kind of bike for what I’m doing? What are the best kind of tires? I don’t intend to ever go trail-riding. What’s the best size of bike for me? Right now I’ve got a 19-inch frame (center-to-top) but the bike feels small, somehow. I’m 183 cms, 100 kilos, with a 32 inch inseam.

I think a ten-speed (the last bike I owned was a ten speed that I got in 1981), would be too flimsy for the crap road conditions, here right?

I feel like there’s too much weight on my hands - but this is my first mountain bike - perhaps I’m just not used to it?

I don’t feel particularly nimble on it. The riding position doesn’t seem to be good for “no-hands” riding, which isn’t something I plan on doing, but it always felt good to know that a bike rode that easy.

I know there are a few questions here, so feel free to pick and choose. This post was written after a couple of whiskies, so it’s a little disorganized.

I’m really loving the endorphins I’m getting from the ride, though. The hardest part is getting on the bike. Once you’re on, you just keep pedalling until you get to where you’re going. I’ve been doing some good thinking on these rides, too. I’m not really saving the environment or anything, as my wife still has to take the car in, but at least I get the work-out!

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You need to drop the suspension forks off the front which are adding a couple of kilos, dulling your steering as well as making the going tough.
You also need to change the standard tyres to Continental Travel Contact. They will take about 85P.S.I., provide maximum grip on road as well as provide a minimum traction for gravel and light mud paths. They have inbuilt puncture resistance and as I have done both of the above I can tell you it makes all the difference.
I changed my forks to rigid carbon upgrades, but steel would suffice. THe steel forks at Alan’s come in two varieties, but I would suggest getting the one’s with the lugs and holes for pannier fitment. You never know what you might end up doing.

Don’t think the upgrade will hurt the bike’s offroad capability either. I have offroad Tyres too, and with a fully rigid but light weight bike at just over ten kilos, almost nothing can keep up with me. I must admit though, the arms take a heluva pounding and you’ll turn to jelly at the end of a punishing ride. The trick is keeping a minimum tyre pressure with the right tyres. I love thrashing people using old school rules.

Just to give an idea of performance change, with offroad tyres on and rigid suspension through town I average about 26kph, but with Travel Contacts on about 35kph.



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sulavaca, average of 35, nice - what’s your top speed on that baby?

Maoman,

Tires are the biggest change you need to make no question. A lot of people (me included) use tires with no knobs at all, since on road-bikes they are really there for show - there’s no risk of hydroplaning on a bicycle, so really you’re only sacrificing contact surface area and increasing power loss to friction. Others claim that tires as pictured above where the knobs are only on the edges can cause unexpected handling when you’re going into a heavy turn and all of a sudden rotate onto them. In any case if you aren’t doing offroad I’d go for a no tread design.

If I remember right the Iguana has a front suspension lockout which is useful for uphill segments but other than that I’d leave it in for comfort. Weight wise on mostly flat long trips you’re probably not going to notice a difference, especially at high speeds where wind resistance accounts for about 90% of the work, so I’d save your money there.

I have a 19" frame too, and at 6’2" I feel like it’s too small for me as well. I’m thinking about buying a longer front-bar-thingy (forget the name, the part that connects the handlebar to the frame). Also make sure you’ve got your seatpost extended high enough so that your legs are getting good extension (almost fully extended but not quite).

I’d pick up a Cateye wireless speed/distance computer - for me at least having all of that data makes riding much more fun. :slight_smile:

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For a safer ride (more work though…) you can go from Muzha to Xizhi…right over the mountain behind the Zoo. It runs through many tombs…but its an amazing ride. You go all the way down Mucha Road…to section 5 ( I think) RIGHT before the little goofy giraffe tower, you turn left…that takes you to the tombs. Ride until you see a sharp turn left…then it’s all downhill to Academia road.

I can get more accurate directions with the name of the lane you turn into this weekend…

fun fun fun…

You have a heavy schedule!!! Do you make it to work on time?(using a bike)

5

Nevermind…saw that you only bike to your bushiban…
This is still a stunning road though…maybe try it out over the weekend sometime.

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25km round trip is a good work out. Good on you.

Clipless pedals might help a bit - you can get some that are clipless on one side and standard platform on the other. I’m not sure whether they’re worth it though - Sulavaca, what’s your take on them? (I’m thinking of getting some for my Giant Yukon, sorry for hijacking the thread).

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[quote=“necroflux”]sulavaca, average of 35, nice - what’s your top speed on that baby?

Maoman,

Tires are the biggest change you need to make no question. A lot of people (me included) use tires with no knobs at all, since on road-bikes they are really there for show - there’s no risk of hydroplaning on a bicycle, so really you’re only sacrificing contact surface area and increasing power loss to friction. Others claim that tires as pictured above where the knobs are only on the edges can cause unexpected handling when you’re going into a heavy turn and all of a sudden rotate onto them. In any case if you aren’t doing offroad I’d go for a no tread design.

If I remember right the Iguana has a front suspension lockout which is useful for uphill segments but other than that I’d leave it in for comfort. Weight wise on mostly flat long trips you’re probably not going to notice a difference, especially at high speeds where wind resistance accounts for about 90% of the work, so I’d save your money there.

I have a 19" frame too, and at 6’2" I feel like it’s too small for me as well. I’m thinking about buying a longer front-bar-thingy (forget the name, the part that connects the handlebar to the frame). Also make sure you’ve got your seatpost extended high enough so that your legs are getting good extension (almost fully extended but not quite).

I’d pick up a Cateye wireless speed/distance computer - for me at least having all of that data makes riding much more fun. :slight_smile:[/quote]

You are referring to the stem. Yes, increasing the length of the front stem and also adjusting the angle can help make a ride more comfortable and fitting, as well as the saddle position. I played around with three before I settled on the right one. Again Alan would let you try a few out before deciding which one you need. Go back there and tell them your woes Maoman. I’m sure they would help you readjust your bike to your requirements.
Personally I would recommend playing around with the seating angle as you are out on the road. It is for this reason that you should have a multitool with you, as well as for when you need it in an emergency.
The knobs on the sides of the Travel Contact tyres will not limit the capabilities on cornering, I promise. I was amazed when coming back from Woo-Lai in the downhill sections, when I could put that bike through the corners at my maximum tilt and without any brakes and it holds and holds and doesn’t give at all. They are amazing and the best set of tyres I’ve ever had. I rate them higher in terms of satisfaction than any other tyre I have tried, including offroad Kendas which are great too. The Travel Contact are hard wearing and a perfect balance between friction, width and life. Afterall, they were designed for touring, which is also why even up to a high pressure they can take a greater pounding, ideal for the heavier rider or heavy loader.

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Hey Maoman, if I might ask; what’s “a song?”
Athula the rotiman is looking for a cheap but decent used bike 2,000-3,000 and I’m tired of dicking around trying to place an ad on Taiwanted.
Anyone reading this who knows of such a machine for sale, please let me know. Thankee.

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I paid $5000 for it - it hadn’t been ridden even once. I don’t think I’ll sell it, because I doubt I’d be able to get a bike a like for anything even close to that price.

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Maoman, those continental tires are definitely the shiz.

A rigid fork will save weight and give you much better handling on 99% of your roads too. and the difference in weight between a steel and a carbon fork for a mountain bike can be substantial, so perhaps consider it though the cost is a lot higher.

for your build and needs, i don’t particularly recommend a road bike (your old 10-speed has grown up to a 20 or 30 speed these days, BTW) unless you plan on doing a lot of mountain riding on tarred roads for hours at a time, as fast as possible…

a road bike will put even more weight on your wrists, but it does build very strong back muscles after a while. as for your MTB, a 19" frame is prolly about right for you but a longer stem with perhaps a bit more lift to it sounds like it may help. they’re easy enough to swap out (5 minutes) that any good store like Alans should be able to come up with the right one in an hour of suck-it-and-see.

maybe one thing you might also like to improve on is the rear derailleur, if you find the shifting is not as precise as you’d like (and maybe the gear levers too). the front derailleur generally does not give so much drama as a cheap rear one does. and clip-in pedals and appropriate shoes if you ride hills a lot (though they’re referred to as clipless pedals to distinguish them from the older cage and strap type which meant you really were clipped in to the bike when you had them done up tight)…

11

i should add that the Sport contact tires from continental are even better. grippy as hell, puncture resistant, and almost slick, which is what you want for road riding.

you might prefer to use a floor pump rather than a hand pump to get the pressure you want without too much effort. most have a gauge built in so there’s less guessing: 80–90 psi is pretty hard to push with a tiny hand pump.

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Maoman,

The tires and the longer stem are the way to go.

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Agreed. Although for the occasional gravel path or even muddy path, slicks can’t hack it. Travel contacts are at least 2/3rds slick in the center and so offer almost the same lack of rolling resistance on road as well as offer at least some grip in other situations. It saves swapping tyres to and fro quite so often.

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You guys rock! Man, I just love Forumosans! :notworthy:

Ok, then. New tires and longer stem - what will that set me back, roughly?

Approximately how much are the rigid forks, both carbon and steel?

And what are clip-in/clipless pedals? The only kind of pedals I know of are a) regular, b) cage-and-strap, and c) the kind with the knobby bit that is inserted into the sole of specially made biking shoes. I’m assuming that clip-in/clipless pedals are a different animal altogether.

sulavaca, I’m ashamed to say that I never bought the multi-tool because I don’t have the slightest idea how to use it.

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[quote=“Maoman”]You guys rock! Man, I just love Forumosans! :notworthy:

Ok, then. New tires and longer stem - what will that set me back, roughly?

Approximately how much are the rigid forks, both carbon and steel?

And what are clip-in/clipless pedals? The only kind of pedals I know of are a) regular, b) cage-and-strap, and c) the kind with the knobby bit that is inserted into the sole of specially made biking shoes. I’m assuming that clip-in/clipless pedals are a different animal altogether.

sulavaca, I’m ashamed to say that I never bought the multi-tool because I don’t have the slightest idea how to use it.[/quote]

Maoman - a clipless pedal is c. Like this.

You can also get ones that are clipless on one side (hence take the bike show) and flat on the other. Like this

I’m considering putting the 2nd type onto my MTB.

Sulavaca, Urodacus, would you recommend it?

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[quote=“Maoman”]You guys rock! Man, I just love Forumosans! :notworthy:

Ok, then. New tires and longer stem - what will that set me back, roughly?

Approximately how much are the rigid forks, both carbon and steel?

And what are clip-in/clipless pedals? The only kind of pedals I know of are a) regular, b) cage-and-strap, and c) the kind with the knobby bit that is inserted into the sole of specially made biking shoes. I’m assuming that clip-in/clipless pedals are a different animal altogether.

sulavaca, I’m ashamed to say that I never bought the multi-tool because I don’t have the slightest idea how to use it.[/quote]

A multi tool will cost 700nt for a good Topeak one and you should have one as you will at least have to fix punctures eventually, and learn bit by bit how to adjust and replace components on your bike.

Rigid steel forks will cost about 1,500nt. Carbon forks are about 5,000ish for the straight blades and 7-8thousand for the curved blades as I remember. Curved blades have a little more shock absorption than the straight ones, and are lighter too. It’s worth knowing that there is believed to be a usage life of about three years for carbon forks, but steel should last forever if properly taken care of. Some people say though that modern carbon fiber laying and gluing techniques extends the life of it considerably over early types. Still its early to say as it hasn’t been out for too many years.

The Travel Contact tyres I think were around 1,800 each. Far more expensive than Kenda but worth all the extra. They tend to sell out really quickly at Alan’s so call ahead and check if there are any in stock.

Stems can range in price considerably, from a thousand to quite a few thousand. The feel you prefer will dictate the price, as well as the weight. A stem’s weight won’t make much difference to the bike though, so don’t take it too seriously, it’s the correct angle and length that’s most important.

SPD pedals are the ones pictured in the post above. They will require shoes to work and this means a reasonable set of pedals will be anything up from 1,700 to perhaps 7,000. The shoes range in price, but go for a pair with at least some give in the sole as totally rigid ones are great for cycling, but are poor for walking anywhere in. I have studded soles in mine and chunky grips for offroad, but Taiwan’s offroad trails are mostly very hard and compact making my studs useless and even a hindrance at times. Get some nice rubber flattish soled shoes.
SPDs take a while getting used to for most, so expect to fall off a few times when learning them. You will likely forget to release from them early on which can be embarrassing at the lights when you fall off sideways. Clipping in and out is an art and must be practiced. Clipping in whilst going up a hill is the hardest thing of all.
The advantage to the SPD is that it allows for the trailing leg to apply an upwards-forwards drive thus increasing torque to the crank and increasing speed and efficiency. The main disadvantage is that they are tricky to use and add an extra service item to the bike.
I used the old foot cages for years and I was happy to. A foot cage means that you can wear any kind of shoes you like, still have some trailing foot torque, but without the service problem of the SPDs. They are a little tricky to get used to at first, but aren’t as tricky as SPDs. Oh, and they cost 200nt to fit as opposed to thousands. I only recently changed to SPDs because I had money and wanted to experiment. Yes, they are cooler, but I don’t think definitely worth the investment for general use.
Pedals are a purely personal opinion though and everyone’s may differ. Unless all varieties are learned and experienced, then you won’t really know until you have tried them.
Best save this investment until you have plenty to spend and have done everything else to the bike I suggest.

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no more to add. he is the bike salesman, after all.

as for clipless pedals, I’ve been using them since 1990 or so (first generation Look pedals, which i still have somewhere in a box), so i can’t really remember much about the initial drama (or not) of learning to twist your foot as you take it off the pedal to force the release mechanism.

i do remember a couple of embarrassing falls when i first used clipless pedals on my MTB as they wee a different style called egg beaters, and the release was a little different. falls halfway along a steep rocky track are a little more serious, but it’s truly second nature now, and i don’t have to look to clip in or out.

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I have owned several types of clipless and shoes. For beginners I totally recommend the one side clipless/one side flat shown in the pic. It makes learning clips easier, but more importantly if you forget the bike shoes and have to wear regular shoes you can do it with those. I think I had those in like 2003-2004 and they set me back about $75USD for new shimano ones.

As for shoes, go with the ones that look like hiking or regular shoes. They are more practical for walking around and such.

Of course I now wear speedplays and tri/road shoes by LG, but apparently those are lame and I should switch (most roadies make fun of me). But I like them and have had them for 3 years now, don’t plan on changing. However you can’t get 'em in Taiwan.

~Amanda

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Just a note. The Travel Contact tyres I misquoted and are actually 1,100nt, 4,500 for the straight blade carbon forks and 7,000 for the Trigon curved blades.

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I changed the tires and front forks and man, what a difference! I’m riding faster and cornering with greater control. Why the hell is half the world riding around on full suspension bikes with knobby tires when they never take their bikes off the street? It just doesn’t make sense! Thanks, everyone, and especially sulavaca, for your advice!