Flat-bar commuter or drop-bar tourer?

[DaveK]

@KelOnWheels 36952 wrote:

There seems to be a lot of Tiagra on my Hypothetical List

Don’t worry about it – current Tiagra is great. It’s basically Shimano 105 5600 (the last generation), so it’s 10-speed and fully cross-compatible with all the other 10-speed Shimano groups. You’ll be able to find parts for it for a long time and the shift action is great. It doesn’t have the style points of hidden cables, but that’s about it.

[KelOnWheels]

@DaveK 37105 wrote:

Don’t worry about it – current Tiagra is great. It’s basically Shimano 105 5600 (the last generation), so it’s 10-speed and fully cross-compatible with all the other 10-speed Shimano groups. You’ll be able to find parts for it for a long time and the shift action is great. It doesn’t have the style points of hidden cables, but that’s about it.

Considering I’ll be coming from riding 20-year-old Altus, I think I’ll like Tiagra JUST FINE.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KelOnWheels 37108 wrote:

Considering I’ll be coming from riding 20-year-old Altus, I think I’ll like Tiagra JUST FINE.

I thought you’d have figured it out already…there’s no such thing as “just fine” in cycling. It’s “what’ll keep me mostly happy until I can afford to upgrade, even though I don’t need it.” Sure 105 on my new road bike is a nice upgrade for me, but in the back of my mind I know I’ll be itching to upgrade to Di2 or convert over to SRAM, or something….there’s always something!

[KelOnWheels]

@TwoWheelsDC 37111 wrote:

I thought you’d have figured it out already…there’s no such thing as “just fine” in cycling. It’s “what’ll keep me mostly happy until I can afford to upgrade, even though I don’t need it.” Sure 105 on my new road bike is a nice upgrade for me, but in the back of my mind I know I’ll be itching to upgrade to Di2 or convert over to SRAM, or something….there’s always something!

No worries. I’ve already researched upgrading the stock Avid BB5’s on the Redline Metro Classic I’ve never seen in person, test ridden, ordered or purchased.

[KelOnWheels]

Just made my first visit to Revolution Cycles (although I forgot to grab a BA jersey!). Nice people there and a huge selection of bikes I got to see the Raleigh Sojourn in person – definitely going to go back and test ride that one.

Bike shops are fun

[dcv]

@KelOnWheels 37522 wrote:

Just made my first visit to Revolution Cycles (although I forgot to grab a BA jersey!). Nice people there and a huge selection of bikes I got to see the Raleigh Sojourn in person – definitely going to go back and test ride that one.

Bike shops are fun

I was on my way there this afternoon to pick up a BA jersey but bailed at last minute, was riding with my son but we didn’t dress warm enough so we hightailed it home.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KelOnWheels 37522 wrote:

Just made my first visit to Revolution Cycles (although I forgot to grab a BA jersey!). Nice people there and a huge selection of bikes I got to see the Raleigh Sojourn in person – definitely going to go back and test ride that one.

Bike shops are fun

….aaaand maybe take a spin on a Felt F5. I mean, don’t want to limit your options, right?

[Greenbelt]

@TwoWheelsDC 37528 wrote:

….aaaand maybe take a spin on a Felt F5. I mean, don’t want to limit your options, right?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2134[/ATTACH]

[KelOnWheels]

@TwoWheelsDC 37528 wrote:

….aaaand maybe take a spin on a Felt F5. I mean, don’t want to limit your options, right?

I got to wave a Madone around in the air The nice young man helping me said I should take it out sometime to see what the DI shifting is like.

[KelOnWheels]

How do y’all feel about Shimano disc brakes, speaking of the Raleigh Sojourn?

[KelOnWheels]

So here’s a question for you experienced bike-having peoples…

How do you buy a bike if you can’t see/ride it in person first?

The nice folks at Bikenetic said if I wanted to order something they usually carry I could put down a small deposit and they’d order it in and build it up and if I decide I don’t want it, no harm no foul. But what if I decide I can’t live without, say, an All-City Space Horse? (I frequently decide I can’t live without one, so this could happen.)

Should I go get a fitting first and get an idea of what I’m going to need geometry-wise, then look for frames that will work with that?

ARGH NEW BIKES ARE HARD. SOMEONE JUST TELL ME WAT TO DO.

NO BUT REALLY.

[Arlingtonrider]

I wince now when I think about how I bought my now-beloved bike back in 1998. I walked into the store, told them I had a budget of $X, wanted to ride bike trails and streets and get something easy to maintain, and I didn’t want to spend more than an hour shopping for it. They asked some questions and made a recommendation. I went home and researched it. I called the next morning and brought it home that afternoon. Things seemed simpler back then. I knew virtually nothing. Now that I know next to nothing, even thinking about bike shopping seems infinitely more intimidating. (I totally understand what you’re going through.)

[KelOnWheels]

Yup, as a spunky co-ed back in 1993 (they totes called college students “spunky co-eds” in the era of grunge, you know) this whole bike buying thing was way simpler.

“Here, stand over this bike. Now go ride it around the parking lot. Sold!”

[dcv]

@KelOnWheels 40391 wrote:

So here’s a question for you experienced bike-having peoples…

How do you buy a bike if you can’t see/ride it in person first?

The nice folks at Bikenetic said if I wanted to order something they usually carry I could put down a small deposit and they’d order it in and build it up and if I decide I don’t want it, no harm no foul. But what if I decide I can’t live without, say, an All-City Space Horse? (I frequently decide I can’t live without one, so this could happen.)

Should I go get a fitting first and get an idea of what I’m going to need geometry-wise, then look for frames that will work with that?

ARGH NEW BIKES ARE HARD. SOMEONE JUST TELL ME WAT TO DO.

NO BUT REALLY.

I think you should test ride a few bikes, try to go for as long of a ride as the LBS will allow. Maybe visit a few reputable shops to get their recommendations on fit. You should be able to get pretty close on size of frame, then you can dial in stem length / rise later on. IMO top tube length is most important, seat tube or stand over clearance not as important.

[acc]

Please don’t buy a bike you haven’t ridden.
I’ve done this and it was a disaster.
A bike you can take out in the street and compare to the way other bikes feel when you ride makes an enormous difference.
A road bike needs to fit. Perfectly.
Other bikes, ones you ride for fun, the fit is important but not crucial.
The only thing that matters is how that bike feels to you when you pedal it. All the advice in the world doesn’t change that dynamic.

[Author]

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