Holey Moley What do I want?

[Seal]

OK. I live in Northern VA near the W&OD trail so I'll be doing some trail stuff. Also we are in the foothills of Shenandoah mountains-classic rolling countryside. I mainly want to get out more and improve fitness, maybe do some long rides or bike tours in fall/spring and will stay off the dirt roads. Back in the day I would do 25 miles in a day on bike paths in New Mexico on a 50 inch Bridgestone mountain bike. Not sure how far I will realistically be able to travel 20 years later, though I'm thinking without the altitude and on a lighter weight zippier bike I might work up to 50 miles.

The big problem is that my husband (he of the heroic thighs who never deliberately exercises but somehow can ski all day) will probably eventually want to come with me and all the fun will fade if I'm struggling to keep up with him.

So do I want a carbon fiber road bike? Will the low weight help? And what's up with the different types of carbon fiber?

Or do I want a steel touring bike?

For the record, if it matters I'm "hard on things" and not the queen of maintenance. I've gotten the impression aluminum=bad for vibration and carbon is lightweight but other than that I'm not sure what I should be looking at. Is steel bad for vibration too?

Right now I'm struggling with an 8 year old Specialized hybrid that is really heavy and probably too big for me-my wrists hurt and hands are falling asleep and back feels stretched after a very short time. I don't know how big it is but I was fitted many moons ago on a size 50 bridgestone mountain bike. I'm 5'4 and 2/3rds (seriously) about 145 currently but aiming for 125.

I'd like to keep this project under $4000 but half that would be even better. And I have a fantasy of taking my dog with me in a trailer but I could be easily talked out of it if people think that's insane or dangerous. He weighs 20 lbs and probably could work his way up to trotting alongside but I'd need to go pretty slow and I don't think it would work on hills so having a trailer for him to ride in when the going got tough would be helpful. I know if I go that route I'd need the touring bike option.

Any suggestions would be so welcome.

[tulip]

If your budget if $4k, you should have no trouble getting a deluxe custom made bike just for you. However, I wouldn't want to pull a trailer with a $4k bike.

Lots of people take their dogs in trailers. Well, not lots-lots, but more than I expected to see. And lots take their kids, which are typically heavier than dogs.

Since you are in the DC area, you might want to head over to the Bike Lane in Burke or Proteus in College Park and try out a few bikes. Have fun, and make sure you get a proper fit.

[Cataboo]

You probably don't want carbon fiber if you want to bring it out on trails... Steel or titanium might be better for that. Titanium's lighter.

[roguedog]

I agree with Cat. Steel or Titanium. Go out and try some bikes. A few of each type and see what grabs ya.

Given the variety of things you want to do with the bike. Try a road bike and then try a cross bike. They cross bike will give you more diversity but you might sacrifice some speed. And the cross will feel a bit different because the geometry is slightly different because of its intended task.

For steel, try a Serotta Fierte. Try a Surly LHT or Soma Doublecross. Try the Gary Fisher label @ a Trek store (used to be Lemond but Fisher bought the IP).

For titanium, try a Lynskey or Merlin. Lynskey has some nice sales sometimes on his page or you can get one custom.

And there are lots of nice builders out your way. But get riding and see if you can begin to define what you like and what you don't like.

If you can narrow down what you like, you can get some really good deals on the used market .. *if you know what you're looking for (model, SIZE, condition of the bike, etc.)*

If you want new and don't want to have to worry (and you have patience), I think new models are coming in and you can stalk the shops that have what you're looking for and see if it goes on sale. *If* they happen to your size at the time of the sale...

[Seal]

Just to clarify, the W&OD trail is a paved 2 lane bike path. I don't plan on going on anything that is not paved with this bike.

The problem seems to be that there's just not much out there for women currently to even try-perhaps because its late in the season and they've all been sold?

Proteus is quite a haul for me but I will try to go if the bike fitter woman is worth it and the shop has stock. Maybe I need to call before I go to find out what people have in stock. Most places seem to have very few or only 1 model for women.

How does the weight compare for something like the Surley vs a carbon road bike vs a hybrid? Will that make a difference? The last thing I want is to get something like what I already have.

[Biciclista]

check out Lunacycles.com. Built by a woman, for women

[Cataboo]

Alright - my surly frame & fork on the pacer weighs about 6-7 lbs, and that's in a really small size, 44 cm. The entire build weighs about 25 lbs with burly wheels, etc.

My carbon fiber road bike which is a 105 level triple weighs about 18-20 lbs.

My titanium litespeed road bike which is an ultegra level compact double weighs 16-18 lbs.

(I have 2 scales, I don't know which one is right, but they're 2 lbs apart).


I originally got the carbon fiber bike to get rid of all vibrations to make things easier on my wrist - and it is, but I can also ride the titanium litespeed without any wrist issues. There are more vibrations on the latter, but they're not jarring and they don't inflame my wrists.

If you want this to be a bike that's going to last you forever - carbon fiber frames supposedly have a lifespan of 5-10 years. I haven't cracked mine, but I don't really count on it as a bike that I will have forever. The litespeed - I'll have forever barring any really bad accidents. It's currently my favorite bike.

What is your inseam? Do you have relatively long legs for your height? The only reason you should get a WSD bike is if you have a tall inseam and a short torso. I don't have either, so I don't ride WSD bikes. But you do need to get out and test ride a lot of bikes to figure out what material you want and what sort of geometry you need.

You could look at the steel tourer bikes - jamis aurora, surly long haul trucker, etc. But those are going to be a bit more "solid" than a lightweight road bike. My surly feels like a tank when I'm riding it. It's a smooth tank.

It looks like you're in northern VA - off the top of my head, I can mention revolution cycles in clarendon. I don't know which part of northern va you are living in. If you're near Leesburg, there's 3 bike shops out in frederick md which'll be about 30 mins from you.

if you just want to ride bikes and don't expect much in the way of fitting, there's always rei & hudson trail. But I'd just recommend that so that you can get out on a bunch of bikes test riding. You probably want a fitting if you're going to spend as much as you are.

[7rider]

For $4K, you could get yourself into the Gateway program and get yourself a totally custom Seven.
Custom steel or ti designed for you and the way you ride.
You could get a custom ti Alaris road bike, a lightweight road machine that will last a lifetime. Or, you could get a custom Mudhoney cyclocross bike (swoooon!), a do everything rig that will handle road and trail equally well. Or, you could do a custom Muse touring bike...a little longer wheelbase, more relaxed geometry vs. the road bike....an all day cruiser. Or, if you prefer beefier tires for a plusher ride, you could get a Mokeefe commuter... a high utility rig that would have no problem hauling it all with you.
Find a Virginia Seven dealer here. Or, the Bicycle Place in Silver Spring is a Seven dealer and Mike is probably one of the best fitters around.

[malaholic]

carbon fiber frames supposedly have a lifespan of 5-10 years

Really? I haven't researched this, and I know that there are cracking concerns upon hard impacts, but unless you crash I'd be very surprised if a decent carbon frame is "expected" to fail so soon with normal use.

[Seal]

Ok I don't know if I want a "forever" bike because technology changes and I might want something cooler or cuter later. but I sure don't want to need another one in 1 or 2 years if it can be helped. I just want one I'm not liable to hurt and that will be comfortable and not "too much bike". My inseam with the ruler pressing my pubic bone is 80mm or 31.5" and I'm not sure but I think I have either long or average legs. I definately am not a person with a long torso.

I am near enough to look in Frederick or winchester or even silver spring. All they have fir women is treks in Rockville at revolution but of course it owns up way more options if I can do a man 's bike.

Just got on the scale w my moutain bike. It weighs 33lbs.

Does steel cause vibration too? I have a feeling my main problem with my wrists are they are flexing on the mtn bike but am not sure if it's sharer the bike is made of that's contributing.

[Cataboo]

Really? I haven't researched this, and I know that there are cracking concerns upon hard impacts, but unless you crash I'd be very surprised if a decent carbon frame is "expected" to fail so soon with normal use.

Supposedly was the key word.

Google and you will find a gazillion people arguing either way. Either way, I wouldn't buy a used carbon fiber frame. If I want a bike that will last forever, then I wouldn't get a carbon fiber frame.

A chip or scratch in a carbon fiber bike has a much greater chance to lead to catastrophic failure than a chip or scratch in a titanium or steel bike.

http://www.bicyclepaper.com/articles...n_fiber_frames

[Biciclista]

Steel has a great reputation for NOT wearing you down from vibration. That's the reason a lot of us switched to steel in the first place.
My bike has a steel frame AND fork for that reason, it's great!

[Cataboo]

Ok I don't know if I want a "forever" bike because technology changes and I might want something cooler or cuter later. but I sure don't want to need another one in 1 or 2 years if it can be helped. I just want one I'm not liable to hurt and that will be comfortable and not "too much bike". My inseam with the ruler pressing my pubic bone is 80mm or 31.5" and I'm not sure but I think I have either long or average legs. I definately am not a person with a long torso.

I am near enough to look in Frederick or winchester or even silver spring. All they have fir women is treks in Rockville at revolution but of course it owns up way more options if I can do a man 's bike.

Just got on the scale w my moutain bike. It weighs 33lbs.

Does steel cause vibration too? I have a feeling my main problem with my wrists are they are flexing on the mtn bike but am not sure if it's sharer the bike is made of that's contributing.

If you're paying $4k on a bike - you seriously don't want to be updating to something cuter in another few years.

Steel has vibration, but it is not as bad as aluminum and it should cushion it a bit - on a mountain bike you can look into ergon grips:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergon-GP1-Perf...9411211&sr=8-1

What you want to make sure is that you're not leaning on your wrists at any point, and that your wrists aren't bent back towards you - you want your shifters & brake levers to be sort of inline with your arm being straight in a relaxed position. You can get gloves with gel padding in them that might help. There's a ton of threads on wrist pain on here, if you search around you'll find a lot of solutions.

Frederick's got specialized, orbeas, sevens, and a few other brands to try.

Anyways, I was just mentioning the weight of titanium vs. carbon to let you know that titanium can be as light as carbon. Aluminum is as well. So just because you want something light doesn't confine you to carbon. Some of the custom steel people on here can tell you how it compares - I think it's probably similar - just I find surly's heavy.

[redrhodie]

I have both steel and aluminum bikes, and I like both for different reasons. Basically, if you fall in love with the sport (and hang around with us ), you are not going to stop at one bike. They're kinda like potato chips...

You can get 2 great bikes for 4k! Seriously, 2k will get you an awesome bike.

Jonathan Vaughters said that the difference between a $500 bike and a $1500 bike is huge. Between a $1500 bike and a $5000 bike, not so much....

[Zen]

You can get 2 great bikes for 4k! Seriously, 2k will get you an awesome bike.

You beat me to it