modern road bike ?

i am curious why mtb sizes are in inches and road bike sizes are in cm's ?

MTBs marketed largely by American companies, road is more European.

azaro":1r2sar7f said:

JamesM":1r2sar7f said:

gtRTSdh":1r2sar7f said:

top of the range have both cables for each hidden under the bar tape.

Click to expand...

105 and upwards!!!

Click to expand...

I had a bottom of the range Trek until recently,.and that had the cables concealed under the bar tape!

Click to expand...

New Tiagra doesn't have the gear cables under the bar tape only the brake cables. With Sora and below the gear cable release is a small thumb actuated lever that you can only really reach when riding on the hoods.

Some of the cheaper roadbikes have doubles but the point stated by hamster makes a lot of sense.
Ahh yes i remember the little thumb bits now. They have always seemed quite stiff to me but maybe that has been because they have been in a work stand so im not at the right attack angle.
You pays your monies i guess weight wise but then there is the trade off of heavier bike 'should' make you fitter quicker (within reason).

videojetman":343epty5 said:

i am thinking about buying a road bike but i want a more modern road bike with dura ace components.
but as i've mainly stayed away from road bikes, not sure what to go for.
what are the frames which are worth looking out for ?
i will just be using it for going to work and putting extra miles in on the road.
and i want the gear shifters integrated with the brake levers.
also is there a good time to buy a road bike ?
i am thinking about how we are doing so well in the olympics, there may be some people going out to buy a nice bike only in a few months to realise its not for them. so there may be a bargain to be had there.
thanks in advance for any advice. jeff.

Click to expand...

I've recently been considering a road bike too.... What I've learnt is that modern bikes tend to come in two flavours, racing and sportive. Race bikes are stiff and unforgiving, have long top tubes and shorter head tubes and more aggressive geometry. Sportive's on the other hand have a more relaxed and upright position and have more flex built into them and are probably the best choice for 90% of the riders out there (just like triple chainsets), but most don't want that, they want the bike the pro's ride cos they're faster innit. The size of the frame refers to the length of the top tube as opposed to the seat tube on mtb's.

If its just for commuting and the occasional leisure ride then blowing your wad on Dura Ace is going to be overkill. 105 or Tiagra is a more sensible choice for a first road bike but I suspect you know that already and just want the best. For that I salute you but you should also know that you can now get Ultegra with electronic shifting which is slightly cheaper than the DA with regular shifters.

If I were buying new it would be a tough choice between these two -

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2515

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2510

Its probably a good idea to pay for a proper bike fitting session before dropping that kind of cash on a first road bike though. And there are always good 2nd hand bargains out there depending on your size. Maybe consider buying a frame only plus a donor bike...

If you do get into it then don't forget that you will also need to budget for a new helmet, shoes and pedals (spd's and peaked helmets are a no-no on a road bike apparently :? ) and you will develop an irrational desire to shave your arms and legs yet wear tights and arm warmers on the hottest of days and also acquire a sneering and condescending attitude towards any other road user who is not similarly attired.....

peaked helmets tend to be a no no as you can't see where you're bloody going!

I'd say similar rules and pitfalls to buying a modern MTB: buy cheap, get rubbish, especially where carbon fibre is concerned. The frame is much more important than the bits that are on it. The mistake that British buyers always seem to make is to buy spec over ride - and all the Dura-ace (or XTR) in the world doesn't make up for a poorly designed and cheaply made frame, something that's even more apparent on a road bike than an MTB.

I just bought a new (well first) road bike, must say while I'm not hugey faster (don't quite trust the decending yet), it is mostly a lot easier. I got a carbon cannondale synapse with ultegra and it ride the bumps better than my hardtail.

\... but god I could do with a triple chainset! I'm still not fit!

Fudd":2xjr6acg said:

(spd's and peaked helmets are a no-no on a road bike apparently :? )

Click to expand...

Why are SPDs a no no?

T'boo Ted":2xjr6acg said:

I just bought a new (well first) road bike, must say while I'm not hugey faster (don't quite trust the decending yet), it is mostly a lot easier.

Click to expand...

If it's easier then push as hard as you did on your old bike and you will be faster!!!

at the end of the day you can have what pedals & helmet you want on a road bike. i'll always use spd's, why change when spd's do the same job.
and having a peaked helmet never stopped me seeing where i was going.