OCR3, CRX4, CRX3 or maybe even a Vivente. My Bicycle dilemma

[heavymetal]

He later remarked it was a heavy bike, and preferred the Aluminum Mongoose.

I have a preference for heavy metal I like the Alu Mongoose, but the Vivente sounds like the ideal bike. Finding one is the problem.

Kev.

[Grog]

Your budget will determine what you buy. If buying new, buy something with a Tiagra groupset - they are a good, all round groupset, but you'll be paying more than $1,000.
Richard

Sorry Richard, have to inject on that comment. You CAN find new worthwhile bikes with Tiagra for under a grand depending on the timing etc, granted though, they are few on the ground. My Gitane Mach 1600 came in well under that price - fortunately it was at the yearly model changeover time when many shops do the deals to clear last year's "obsolete" models.

[timbo]

Somewhere in this topic, the issue of weight specs (or lack of them) came up. It would be easier to split the atom than get the weight of a bike from a manufacturer. It seems if one of their high end road bikes was 50g heavier than another brand, then people will stay away from it by the thousands. Its better to not worry about the weight too much, and just feel what rides along the various roads you will be taking the best.
A good wheelset and decent tyres more than make up for a few hundred grams of overall weight

[panda1971]

hey dude i got a felt f80 up for sale 105 runnung gear, and its only six months old. ... looking around 950 pm if you want some pics or info its a 52 cm, medium

[Carbon Wabbit]

Interesting thread. I vote other...or CRX 3 & above (07's should be negotiable as the 08's is out)

As like Jim I commute a fair distance – 60 km return each day. Thankfully 36 kms of the trip is by a fairly flat motorway - but there are some very nasty steep hills thrown in just make your legs hurt a little more as the week goes by

My mount of choice is a Progear 14 speed flat bar (from ebay about $250 delivered) admittedly a good deal - but the bike kitted out with decent tyres, thorn proof tubes, tyre liners and a seat rack/pannier is more than up to the task I can not stress enough that great lighting is need if riding without street lighting. I currently fun 10/15 dual halogens (to see) in addition to bright led flashers (to be seen). This bike looks great, weight is fine for a commuter & sturdy enough to handle commuting. Climbs hills fine - but can run out of puff down long hills – but I live with it, take a rest, have a sip of water, enjoy my tunes & keep a closer eye out for suicidal rabbits darting on to the motorway – if you have not experienced these little bouncing furry demons clipping you wheels at 35kms/h – you are fortunate!

For really nice days (few lately) - I take my learsport 8500 (self built clone) out - a much quicker & responsive ride but can not carry luggage.
The 8500 originally retailed for about 2k when released (great bike by the way - but does not lend it's self to other than what it is designed to do .. get from A to B quickly - forget about luggage etc).

My bike owes me less than $800 running 9 speed rather than 10. Sourced parts over time from ebay, trading post garage sales etc.. I have ended up with a 8.8 kg bike that is great value & can more than hold it’s own with it’s more expensive brethren found on the open road.

I guess what I trying to say is that spending lots of $ is not needed - we are not talking about huge kms here - but naturally do spend if you want to – that is the purpose of $ after all - to that end a CRX3 or above would be a nice ride.

[Halfanewb]

Hey Jim

mate if your going to commute 50k's per day then you run a big risk of catching the bug - you have been warned !!

I am a bit of a fan of Aluminum frames and though a good steel frame would be ideal, a mix of alloy frame and carbon forks is something to be considered.

I guess it depends on the load you want to carry, if it is mainly a change of clothes and a lap top that would be different than carrying a swag of heavy text books. The locker at Uni now looms large in your existence - how secure is it and how much will it hold?.

A lighter load will give you the option of a slightly racier breed of pony , thinner wheels - 23c , possibly lighter frame construction etc. If the load works out to be substantial then the choice of frame and a fatter wheel becomes more important.

Personally i think the mongoose randonneur is a good choice, our lbs sells them for about $1200 with the front wheel hub generator, if my memory serves me correctly.

I'm with the lads on my preference for drop bar bike for this task. It is going to add to the learning curve, but after 6 months of melding with your bike you will appreciate this riding style.

the groupset hmmm, whats your route like? your going to be doing it twice a day, does it have any killer hills? if so, it might be an idea to get a model with a triple front chainring , these usually combine with a "touring" rear cluster.

I wouldn't get too hung up on group set labels, you can replace these components for higher spec gear as they wear out, far better to focus on a good frame and wheels.

Be prepared to spend some cash on your pannier system. A low center of gravity is important for handling so side panniers would be more appropriate or preferable. Water resistance is a major factor too, the last thing you want is for water to get in through a stitching seam and screw your laptop.

Happy Hunting.

[triode12]

G'day

For what it is worth BB Cycles in Osborne Park had a 08 Giant CRX 1 (horrible gray in my view) going for $1385 and have 30% off all 07 models on the floor. If you decide to still go new, it might be worth checking them out.

Regards
Andrew

The 07 models are higher spec'd over the 08 models. 30% off the 07 models is a good deal.

[triode12]

Universities are notorious for bike thevies. I work at one and they will even steal K-mart specials.i.e. Huffy's.

So a shiny new OCR or CRX will be the first thing they'll target.

What most students do to combat this, is to make their bike look as unattractive as possible. They do things like plastering their bikes with several layers of stickers till the frame looks like it is made of paper mache or remove the original decals of the bike.

I'd also suggest a cheap steel roadie (80s/90s vintage) off Ebay or the trading post. Most probably it'll come with friction shifters, so you may want to have them changed to Tiagra level brifters ($150) for convenient and safer shifting.

I'd firstly get an idea of the correct sized frame that will fit you by using one of the free bike fit calculators online. e.g. from the competitive cyclist website -

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... ATOR_INTRO

Armed with information on the frame size that fits you, I'd then scour Ebay and the tradingpost for 80s bikes. e.g. Repco, Miyata, Nishiki, Panasonic, Clamont, Centurion, Paconi,Kuwahara, Apollo, Univega, Shogun, etc. Prices range between $30-200 depending on condition.

Frames with Tange, Ishiwata and Reynolds Chrome Moly/Mag Steel tubing are the ones to look out for.

[Aushiker]

Universities are notorious for bike thevies. I work at one and they will even steel K-mart specials.i.e. Huffy's.

Thankfully we have a cage which helps and of course once I actually move offices, my office.

Regards
Andrew