A local shop had http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/p...idproduct=7926 on the floor and it looked pretty cool (which is the extent of my bike knowledge "wow, that looks cool") and wondered if anyone knew anything of the brand or model?
Giants are nice bikes. I have ridden a $300 giant rincon for 4 years now and beat the hell out of it. It just keeps going.
Question though. What are you wanting a bike for? Where are you going to ride it?
Personally I wouldn't mess with a hybrid bike such as this. You've got the drag of the fat tires, without the comfort of shocks. Seems like a waste to me, however, if all you want to do is ride around on the local paved trails, and maybe the occational ride to the grocery store, it'll probably be fine.
Those sort of questions were really what I was looking for. When I went down to the bike shop that was the one the guy suggested. And I don't know nuthin bout nuthin.
I'd like a street bike that you'd ride...er...on the street. I want to say "racing" because that was I associate it with. My knee is bummed so running is out for a while and was looking for something to do that I could jump on and be outside and ride for an hour or two on the paved bike trails and cover some distance (reasonibly) comfortably without having a near death experiance like my 70$ mountain bikes gave me!
I used to have a hybrid type bike. It could do anything and was good at nothing. Better off with a mountain bike with front suspension and semi-slick tires. It will ride the road as well as that bike and can still go off road nicely.
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I agree with Joe. I'd look at a nice front suspension Mountain bike. You can always throw on slicks for more road use. This way you have the option of riding some of the gravel trails, as well as getting into trail riding.
A true road bike is another option. They are more suited for long rides in one position, and can go faster. They are limited to the actual road though. Even a fine gravel road will be hard to ride on.
I really like my hybrid..(Trek 700) but would never try it on anything besides road or fine gravel.. never even thought I could try it on a mountain trail..
but on the roads around here.. I often have to go on the fine gravel shoulders when trucks pass..
Thanks guys, that REALLY helped a lot. I never even considered getting slicks, and having a mountain bike WOULD open up some more possiblities. The on road, off road thing was\is really a concern. Over here the bike paths are unreal...they go evvvvverywhere. In the states...not so much. Chunking down $500 on something hurts...esp on something I don't know anything about.
I figure if you guys say a mountain bike the way to go then a mountain bike is the way to go! Now I just gotta see what my options are in that department.
Many messenger bikes are SS - they are fixed gear. Riding on flat surfaces would seem to make more sense with a singlespeed there than on hilly terrain.
IMO, going SS makes more sense riding trails then road. SS mountain bikes are practical because you don't have to negotiate what gear to be in, the chain will be less likely to come off (especially if you have a bashguard/chainguide combo), and the lack of a derailleur will help prevent things from getting tangled up in your wheel. Plus the reduced weight is always nice. A road bike is meant to go fast, no?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeachHead
I can understand a SS all-mountain/DH/FR bike, hell i even thought of doing it to mine, but a SS roadbike? Why?
You're kidding, right? I'm assuming you're joking, but in case you're not: It's one of THE best ways to train. You have to keep your cadence up, you can't cheat by going into lower gears, and it trains you to pedal efficiently, especially as it relates to form. Pedaling in a block on a SS roadbike will give you immediate feedback about just how wrong you're doing things...
You're kidding, right? I'm assuming you're joking, but in case you're not: It's one of THE best ways to train. You have to keep your cadence up, you can't cheat by going into lower gears, and it trains you to pedal efficiently, especially as it relates to form. Pedaling in a block on a SS roadbike will give you immediate feedback about just how wrong you're doing things...
Well, as a training tool, I can see that. I was thinking more of a "the only way you ride" type of thing.
What Fish said (which is even more true for a fixie). Plus: the baddest-ass riders in the world are bike messengers. Most of them ride fixed gear. Single speed. On the road. In city traffic. Ad they are freaking strong.
If you're having problems on a MTB figuring what gear you need to be in, you need to ride singletrack more and get used to your rig. And if your chain comes off, either get your bike tuned properly or get rid of the shitty bike and get something workable. (j/k of course)
Not many drops in Chicagoland over 4 feet, but still some. There is a lot of cyclocross though.
If all you are doing is jumps or tricks, it makes no sense to have gears - get a BMX bike then. Like I said earlier, if your chain comes off consistently, you need to get your bike tuned right. Your chain shouldn't be coming off simply because you are jumping. There may be too much slack in the derailleur cable, or the chain may be worn and need replacing.
G, to echo ODB, make sure they fit you right and you'll love riding your new rig. A great fit can mean the difference between sweet rides and pain and quitting.
Kaiser, you keep saying "you" and "your" in your responses. I think your under the impression that I have issues with my chain coming off and negotiating gears . That couldn't be farther from the truth. The fact is, I am simply stating reasons that other people who mountain bike have used to justify going SS. In my opinion, SS has no function other than wanting to get attention and have people, like you and fish, call the people who SS "badasses." The only reason I ever wanted to possibly go SS is purely for the attention. That is one of those things that I've thought of, but would never realistically do. What I DO want to do is remove my front derailer and only run a 36 tooth ring in front with a bashguard. For what I ride, that gives me enough speed and climbing power, along with the protection that I could use when bunnyhopping logs and obstacles.
Don't be so quick to assume that if your into jumps and tricks, that you should get a BMX bike. There is such a thing called freeride, which is essentially nothing but jump and drops, on 26" wheels, not 20". Most of those guys either run a chainguide in the front because they do have issues with their chain coming off (these aren't just guys who bought a bike they know nothing about either, they understand bikes and how they work). The same thing could be said for trials bikers too, most of which are SS.
When I talk mountain biking, that includes all disciplines (XC/FR/DH/etc.) With that said, I still believe that if there ever is a reason to SS for function, that it would make more sense for those who ride mountain bikes.
Now, SS on a road bike as a training tool? Okay, I'll buy that. Other than that though, I just don't see it.
Most of my advice comes from personal experience. Just last year I rode a fixed gear (track bike) on the road, just like the messengers. I keep telling you a whole lot of bike messengers use fixies on the road.... you say you can't see it. I say, look around. When you finally notice one, ask them why they're doing it.
For that matter, a lot of track cyclists ride their (spare) track bikes around town on the road. Why? It radically improves bike handling skills and makes control on the track seem relatively easy.
You didn't quantify your gear statement about FRs - you simply said mtb. I should have typed 'if you are doing FR or jumps exclusively, it makes no sense to have gears.' There, we've said the same thing. For X-country riding, what is what most people will do with a mtb, if you aren't using it for training purpose, saying you want to go single speed because of your chain falling off is a really poor reason. Fix the derailleur issue instead.
I have to ask if you've ever ridden a SS. It's a hell of a training tool. You can't use it with weak legs, that's for sure. Anyway, Silly on this forum rode a SS on singletrack for a while. You can ask her why directly.
Actually, I didn't say bike messengers use it for training. I said you should ask one next time you see one using a SS.
Or... if you don't want to wait until you see one: messengers do use SS for function. Specifically, it is a lot more durable and reliable to ride a SS than a geared bike. Fewer parts, fewer problems, more deliveries, more cash. Riding around in urban terrain, mostly paved, probably flat enough, they can do without the gears.
And yeah, it makes them badasses. If you've ever seen video of the NYC messenger race that kicks off at the Kissena (sp?) track, you know just how hard-core these guys are, and the level of strength they have to be able to accelerate that quickly on a SS. They aren't riding a SS to train for that - it's just a beneficial side-effect. So they don't use it for training - they use it for function.
But even more than that, most of the people in the world ride single speed. They don't know gears. They ride bikes to get from A to B, or the ultimate in function.
question on bikes
Maybe even a single speed...
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