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#31 | |
Only looks like a disaster tourist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: above 7,000 feet
Posts: 7,208
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Quote:
I was thinking of a smaller front chain ring. Some of the hills around here are so steep that I have to lean way forward just to keep the front wheel on the ground. |
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#32 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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I've owned a lot of mid-rangers and Cannondale is a favorite, you can't go wrong IMO.
Been a few years, but I've got no reason to believe they've changed a great deal, as far a quality and weight-to-durability is concerned. |
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#33 |
still says videotape
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,813
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That may be a little fussier to setup than a new cassette. I assume you have a 9sp cassette. You can run anything from an 11-21 12-27in Shimano Ultegra and 11-21 to 12-26 in SRAM (better price) I did have to change my mtn bike from a bigger cassette to a smaller because the rear derailler was being over-extended. *shrug* I think the change is useful and doable but your chainring idea is a cheaper place to start.
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If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis |
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#34 |
I hear them call the tide
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
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Ha ha! I went to the Trek site and the two dealers in my city are the one with the worst rep -nobody has anything good to say about them and they didn't mention Trek to me, and the other had nobody to help me so I left. But their website looks promising, so I'm thinking maybe they were having a bad day and I'll try again.
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart |
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#35 |
still says videotape
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,813
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My first touring bike was a Cannondale, it was a nice ride. I did, however, have a frame failure because the chain stays, being aluminum, were soft enough to be ground away by pebbles which stuck to tar on my tires. This was an early version frame though and the new ones have more space between wheel and chainstay. For hardcore touring, I'd lean toward steel for durability and ease of welding.
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If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis |
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#36 |
Esnohplad Semaj Ton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: A little south of sanity
Posts: 2,259
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I'm not criticizing the load. I probably carried about 10 lbs worth of food alone. Considering I burn in excess of 4,000 calories day-to-day, I'm not sure I want to know how many I burn touring. I'm thinking it's somewhere in the range of all of them!
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#37 |
Only looks like a disaster tourist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: above 7,000 feet
Posts: 7,208
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I once spent 51 days riding from Frankfurt, Germany to London, by way of Italy, and I kept a food journal (I should look for that). We ate lots of pastries and ice cream and pasta. Just before we left London to come back to the US I bought some nice dress pants. They fit me for about a week. I didn't realize how much weight I lost during that ride, despite the huge intake of food.
(My friends wanted to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa but I didn't want to spend the money. I said, "I need that money for more food." I did end up going up, and I'm now glad I did.) |
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#38 |
I hear them call the tide
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
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Now the proud owner of a Trek FX 7.2 WSD. Thanks all
(it has pink grips, but I'll be doing something about that in the next few hours.....) My friend also needed a new bike, and has similar riding habits, and found that the (evil) store just round the corner from me was doing 10% off today. she tried loved and bought one of these this morning, then called me..... The service was still crappy, though.
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart |
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#39 |
I hear them call the tide
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
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21lb. feather-light
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart |
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#40 |
still says videotape
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,813
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Yay monster yer the biker!
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If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis |
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#41 |
Only looks like a disaster tourist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: above 7,000 feet
Posts: 7,208
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monster -- I imagine you've just finished a 14-hour marathon ride with your new light-weight bike. How do you feel?
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#42 |
Pump my ride!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England
Posts: 1,890
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Nice looking bike - just checked it out in the Trek catalogue.
As well as changing the pink grips you might want to change the saddle to an ergonomic one (the standard ones become uncomfortable too quickly), and although the tyres they fit are quite good they have relatively high road resistance - try something like Specialised Armadillo All Condition which are very light on road and yet still tough off road (need high pressure - min 75psi front and 90 psi back). Have fun!
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Always sufficient hills - never sufficient gears |
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#43 |
I hear them call the tide
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
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Well I biked to the pool and back and a local party and back.... Have a longer ride arranged with my friend for monday. It is wonderfully light -especially on the way back tonight when the beer was in my belly and not the panniers...
![]() Saddle is fine so far (I have plenty of personal padding and my previous saddle that i have to compare it to was 20 years old....), but will keep this thread and your advice in mind if it gets to be a problem, thanks CF. The wheels thing -way to technical for me. But if one day I suddenly understand, I'll be sure to remember your advice and come back and read it again, thanks ![]() ![]()
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart |
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#44 |
I hear them call the tide
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Perpetual Chaos
Posts: 30,852
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(I think beest is jealous of my new bike.... I wonder if we'll be down the store again tomorrow getting him a new one before the 10% discount expires....?
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart |
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#45 |
Only looks like a disaster tourist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: above 7,000 feet
Posts: 7,208
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monster - that's a nice looking bike. It has a mountain bike-style frame with the sloping top tube. Does it give you a lot of clearance when you're standing over the frame? With the Trek 520 I only have about an inch of clearance between the frame and my sensitive bits.
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