Comments for Cycling Road

Comment on Why Flat Handlebar on a Road Bike Is Not a Good Idea by Made

Made — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:39:31 +0000

In reply to Steve. Hi Steve, this article specifically discuss about traditional flat bars, which I see you agree that they are less comfortable than drop bars. It's true that butterfly bars and swept back bars are more comfortable than drop bars because they shortened the reach of your bike and make you sit more upright. Plus, they have better handling than drop bars. However, butterfly and swept back bars are categorized as "alt bars" or "comfort handlebars" not flat bars.

Comment on Why Flat Handlebar on a Road Bike Is Not a Good Idea by Steve

Steve — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:42:59 +0000

came across this quite by accident. I have to say I disagree with most of your assumptions. In my long experience, most people I have helped to change a bike to a flat bar setup ( including myself ) have either:
1. an existing old road bike which they want to adapt to suit their commute/town riding and find it is cheaper than buying a new bike out of economic necessity
2. Have had a road bike they have loved but have got to the stage of life that the setup is causing major discomfort ( me at 65 ) but want to keep the bike and need a far more upright setup. Butterfly bars on a shorter riser stem did the trick.
Interesting that you say the road bike bars set up is ‘more comfortable’ compared to totally flat mtb bars. True, but totally leaves out the myriad of other bar set ups in existence which are far more comfortable. When you look at Bicycle Dutch’s videos on people cycling in Netherlands – none wear a helmet, nor use road bike set ups. They all have more upright commuter style bikes and swept back bars. Reason – it is more comfortable.

I have happily toured with my family for 2 years through central and South America. 3 of us on ‘flat’ bars ( slight sweep )and my wife on her trusted Surly with drop bars, which she had ridden over the previous 3 years. After 3 months, her neck and shoulders were causing problems due to day after day riding. So we changed them in Panama to similar setup to us and she never looked back.

Comment on Best Weight Weenie Upgrades to Reduce Your Bike Weight by Made

Made — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 08:18:14 +0000

In reply to JT. Interesting. I just weighed a pair of Shimano L05A disc brake pads and they're about 16g. I don't know if a 15g weight saving (front and rear pads) is worth it even for the most extreme weenie, since I've tried the Carbone pads (non-SL) and they performed really badly compared to Shimano's.

Comment on Sensah Empire Pro Review: Is This the Best Groupset for the Money? by J.Campbell

J.Campbell — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 15:47:42 +0000

I am presently running the Empire shifters with a GX derailleur with a RD shift fin on my ICAN GravelX. It has performed flawlessly for more than 1000mi as a 1x setup. I will be changing it to a 2x with a SRAM GX 2x derailleur this winter for greater gearing range. The 12 speed shifter paired with a 12×1 on the 9-50 cassette has been a definite advantage due to the larger gearing steps than that of a road cassette with fewer gearing choices like a 10 or 11 sp.
I am also using the ZRACE RX cranks with the setup with out issue. These are similar in design to Rotor’s and a bit lighter than standard offerings.
Terrain ridden has be everything from the road to rooted single track.
Looking forward to the release of Sensah’s Empire HRD to pair with my system.

Comment on Winspace T1500/T1550 vs Seka Exceed RDC: The Best Aero Bikes from the East by RJ

RJ — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:42:56 +0000

Winspace indicates the new T1550 with 880+/-35g for M size (unpainted)

Comment on What’s the Average Road Bike Speed – Are You Fast or Slow? by Kishan Darji

Kishan Darji — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:09:43 +0000

excellent post, I learned many things as a beginner. I am new to cycling and I ride an MTB on a tarmac at nights. I feel it tiresome while maintaining an average speed of 16-17 kmph over a 5 km circuit around my home. But I feel good.

Comment on Best Weight Weenie Upgrades to Reduce Your Bike Weight by JT

JT — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 20:16:34 +0000

Thanks so much for this…you’ve given me lots of food for thought!

Just out of interest…I found that there was “the lightest disc brake pad in the world” advertised. 8.8g…AMP Carbone SL.

Comment on The 7 Best and Most Affordable Chinese Carbon Road Bike Frames by Craig McDonald

Craig McDonald — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:48:32 +0000

Excellent
I love a bit of research
Purchased a pedal force road frame 10 years ago. Local riders laughed at it! That’s until they took it for a ride. Still going strong.
I’m interested in a gravel bike and happy to purchase the complete bike. Any ideas?
Cheers

Comment on Trek Emonda, Madone, and Domane: Which Road Bike is Right for You by kelvyn stirk

kelvyn stirk — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 00:05:30 +0000

I would love a madone. But at 55,
I’m not sure it would make much difference in my riding. I have a Domane and slammed the stem, made changes to the angle of the bars, got continental tires and try to ride more Aero. It helped and I’m faster but I doubt that the cost difference between domaine and madone could be justified.

Comment on How to Bike Uphill Without Getting Tired by Alejandro

Alejandro — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 05:34:42 +0000

Good info overall, thanks!