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I'm at a well known biker stop bakery/cafe in Encinitas, Pannikin a week or so ago, midweek. Encinitas is a rich community, tons of triathletes and cyclists. New 2016 Specialized S-Works Venge Vias Di2 out front. This is a state of the art $13,000 race bike.
It has:
funky risers to raise bars like 3"
smartphone holder with smartphone the size oh Kansas on it
Bell - swear to god
top tube bag, randonneur style
fat 25 or maybe 28c punture resistant tires. I'm sure the LBS mechanic accepted the schweet S-Works turbo's in exchange
compact cranks because girl riding it isn't Belgian or male
OEM power meter gone
Cr-Mo rail Terry gel saddle about a mile wide for said non Belgian male behind
Saddle bag that could swallow a double cheeseburger and large order of fries,and probably has
Giant headlight
Giant tail light jerry rigged on carbon aero seat post
bars cranked up so hoods are closer to rider
For those of you reading this and shrugging, it's sorta like buy a Mclaren P1, adding a tow hitch, roof racks, pep boys bug deflector, wood bead seat covers, pep boys texturized steering wheel cover and.. hub caps.
Basically set up like a commuter for a non cyclist. I'm sure the gal walked into the LBS with more money than sense and asked for "the best bike" they have and they set her up accordingly. I have always said that I'm thankful for these riders. They subsidize F1 level tech for us working plebes.
Should have taken a picture.
Picked up a used CX frame from Cat Moore, her old "B-bike", for my buddy's b-day:
His wife is also probably getting White Ind. blue CLDs/Laser spokes/Stan's Grail.
That's the little spacer I was talking about! So I'll order that and try it out. In the meantime, maybe I'll add 10psi to the shock and see what happens. Isn't it rated for a max of like 300psi?
What's different between the spacers, by that I mean which one is designed for what. I see there is a 3cc difference, I take it if they make them so close in cc to each other that the difference between the two is more than subtle. 180psi with a spacer sound like a decent start point?
The bigger spacer adds more bottoming resistance. yeah- add 10-20 psi and see what happens. It's free to tinker with that stuff, so do it! I believe they are rated to 300psi, so you should be totally fine.
The bigger spacer adds more bottoming resistance. yeah- add 10-20 psi and see what happens. It's free to tinker with that stuff, so do it! I believe they are rated to 300psi, so you should be totally fine.
I added 10psi to the shock and that seemed to use less travel on my ride but that could have been partly the terrain I was on too. I'll have to do back to back tests on the same route to really tell the difference. I'm 180lbs or so with gear so I don't know how much I'll benefit from the spacer, but people have cut theirs down to 6cc, 5cc, etc. so I may tinker that way eventually too. I just don't want the suspension to become too stiff in the bottom of the range
I added 10psi to the shock and that seemed to use less travel on my ride but that could have been partly the terrain I was on too. I'll have to do back to back tests on the same route to really tell the difference. I'm 180lbs or so with gear so I don't know how much I'll benefit from the spacer, but people have cut theirs down to 6cc, 5cc, etc. so I may tinker that way eventually too. I just don't want the suspension to become too stiff in the bottom of the range
They are easy to cut down, so you can always do that. We decided on 7cc and 10cc because we wanted people to put in the spacer and notice it immediately. A 5cc (or less) wasn't quite as obvious.
Eventually you want to have your suspension sag at 25-30% and regularly use all the travel without harsh bottom-outs. You should be able to get there with these air-volume reducers.
Edit: ****^ that guy is making the watts. good lord.
Well, I just did the 35+ 4/5 State Crit and went with an MTB bro and was caught with two-laps to go, was up front for 8 laps in a two man break. It was ******* AWESOME. lol I drug the MTB bro for at least three of the 7 laps because I was riding him off my wheel. We could have done it, so close.
Yeah, I feel pretty manly right now. I am going to train right after CX season, want to do some damage next year.
What do you bros think about me moving the power meter and spare 'Teg crank to the CX bike for the summer, riding around on 32mm rubber? Dumb idea, just ride the road bike?
OK brahs, guess what? I think I'm getting into this biking stuff.
Been reading up and just soaking up as much info/knowledge as possible trying to be less of a n00b about road bikes. Before this all I rode was some wal-mart beach cruiser to "walk" my dog and now to give my son rides on in one of those toddler seats they sell for bikes.
Recently I bought some cheapie 8 speed hybrid from Costco, and just trying to ride it for at least 15-20 minutes a day and at least get used to riding something that's not a beach cruiser.
Tomorrow I'm heading over to look at this bad boy:
2013 Cannondale Synapse 6 Carbon Tiagra. Used of course.
Thoughts?
The plan is to get in shape enough to ride it to work daily in good weather (13 miles one way, lots of elevation changes). I'm 5'8, 180-185 now, and while not fat/obese I'd definitely say I'm "porky". Want to lose weight, get fit, and just enjoy something besides cars.
Feel free to bash me like a n00b as I start re-reading this thread and then likely asking a ton of stupid questions.
(already googled "getting into road bikes for n00bs" and such )
*EDIT: oh and also last week I picked up this bad boy:
for riding to the park, and to take with when going camping and such.
Mongoose xr200 with disk front brake and 21 speed shimano gear seat. full suspension.
It's kinda fun though definitely not meant for road riding.
Tiagra is OK, but upgrading the shifters and derailleurs to an 11-speed 105 setup will make a big difference in how the bike shifts. You can find the 4-piece group (2 shifters, 2 derailleurs) for under $100 as new take-offs online. You'll also need a new rear cassette and a new chain. Rear derailleur is different for double and triple front rings, so if you have a triple setup, you may consider switching to a double setup. Not sure if you'd need a new crank for that or not. It sounds like a lot of stuff, but riding on shitty equipment as a new cyclist will put you off of the sport. 105-level gear is not expensive but it is 90% as good as the best cycling parts money can buy.
The Synapse is a great frame. If the bug bites you, the first thing you should do is invest in a decent set of wheels. Wheels make the single biggest difference in the performance of a bike.
Try to ride at least 3x a week at first, and try to avoid going more than 2 days between rides. Start counting calories and you'll be shocked at how fast the weight falls off. I lost 30lbs in 3 months when I first started riding.
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