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Conference noted::bicycle

Title:	Bicycling
Notice:	Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:	JAMIN::WASSER

Created:	Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3214
Total number of notes:	31946

1430.0. "Need advice, can spend $1000!" by QUICKR::SPIRO () Fri Feb 23 1990 11:15

I need to buy a new bike that seems to be in a different price range from
some of the other "need advice" notes.

My situation is rather curious: I had an older Raleigh Competition that I 
bought in 1974.  Over the next five years I rode quite a bit, went on 
a number of bike camping trips (over 7000 miles), and was your typical
bike junkie.  

However for the past 10 years I haven't ridden much (variety of reasons),
only used the bike to commute, and didn't follow the technology at all.

Anyway my Raleigh was recently stolen but I had this insurance that
covered appreciation.  So now I have about $1000 that I HAVE to spend
on a new bike.  I don't get the money unless I replace the bike.

The problem is it's like I'm in a time warp when I walk into today's bike shops!
Aluminum bikes with fat tubes, indexed shifting, freewheels incorporated
into the hubs, oval chainrings, mountain bikes, etc, etc.

So what will I use the bike for??  Truthfully, I probably won't use it
much at all for about another 10 years.  I just had my third child, I'm
good for at least one more, possibly two; so the whole family won't be ready
for tours for at least another 5-10 years.  And even then I'll probably be 
pulling a bugger.

So at some point in the future I'll use the bike for touring again, in the
meantime I might find some time for some week-end rides (25-100 miles). 

I'd like to find a bike that feels fast and responsive unloaded, but would
still be comfortable for tours with a front pannier and back panniers holding
about 30 pounds, or like I said possibly pulling a bugger.

I rode a TREK 1500 the other day, it certainly feels nice, the Ultegra
components seem to work real well, but I'm not sure the geometry would be that
good for touring.  But on the other hand the Raleigh that I had wasn't really a
touring frame either, I just got used to it. 

So does anyone have any suggestions?  One thing I've been thinking about
is just buying a $600-$700 bike and also buying a bugger.

Thanks.

-peter

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1430.1	a novel approach	SHALOT::ELLIS	John Lee Ellis - assembly required	`Fri Feb 23 1990 11:37`	9
	If you won't be able to ride much for a few years, sounds like you could spend the money on a flashy professional frame, and hang it above the mantel. You'd impress your friends, and you'd be all set for the day when your ready to hit the road again. I hear Eddy Merckxx's, De Rosa's, and Fuso's run about $700. -john
1430.2	Burley Design - TREK 1100	WAV14::DELORIEA	DEC jerseys are back on sale	`Fri Feb 23 1990 11:53`	12
	Peter, If you get a bugger/trailer get a Burley. They are GREAT! They have the best hitch design, it attaches to the frame in front of the right dropout, you hardley feel any difference in a corner with it. It also has a trunk/storage area behind the seat, that will fit a bag of groceries and gallon of milk. My opinion of a good bike: The TREK 1100 it is light bike with a triple crank, good for pulling a trailer up a hill. Tom
1430.3	Would trade my LeJeune for an R531 Raleigh	GSFSWS::JSMITH	Support Bike Helmets for Kids	`Fri Feb 23 1990 11:58`	22
	Wow, do I envy your position. Just so happens that I was in Naults bike shop this weekend (Manchester, N.H.) and saw a new Reynolds 531 frame hanging up that I had never seen before. Turns out that it's a brand new Raleigh. I thought that all Raleigs now were technium or something like that but this model evidently comes from England. The frame has a price tag of $500 on it so I guess it could be built up with Shimano 600 Ultegra components in the $1000 ball park if your interested. It's a real striking frame in Red, Black and Chrome'd Forks and Stays. I'd buy it just to do what John suggested, i.e., stick it over the firepalce and just look at it until your ready to ride again. I have an old LeJeune made with 531 and really like the ride as opposed to my C-Dale however the frame is a tiny bit small for me. If your interested in buying the Raleigh (since you've obviously liked your old one) and then fall out of love with it just let me know and we might be able to work a deal on the LeJeune plus cash. In any event, let us know what you end up with. _Jerry
1430.4	LOOK & RIDE	WMOIS::C_GIROUARD		`Fri Feb 23 1990 12:00`	10
	Just another couple cents worth here. There are some very good "sport/touring" machines out there. You ought to be able to nail a VERY good bicycle down for a $1000.00. One thing that I can gaurantee you is that what you get for a $1000.00 today will be much less of a bike over the next 5-10 years for the money. You're doing the right thing. The ultimate decision factor is trying it out. That's the best test. Chip
1430.5	semi-rambling reply...	WLDWST::POLLARD		`Fri Feb 23 1990 15:45`	47
	Or you could get something that one of your notesfile buddies would buy from you because the two of you had agreed on it ahead of time. Then you get cash. It might be more fun to ride before ten years pass, though. If you decide to get a whole bike and keep it instead of some of the other suggestions, I'll offer my ideas on newfangled technology. That was your original question, right? Indexing is great, the new indexed bar-ends are even better. Shimano is best. (I own Suntour and Campy but not Shimano if you're wondering about bias/pride of ownership.) Helmets are a good idea, and have become un-geekish and even "hip" in some cases (if you care about such things). Step-in pedals are very nice to have. Clinchers are getting pretty good. Some people will argue that they are now as good as tubulars. I think they're wrong, but the difference isn't as great as it was 10 years ago. It all depends on your purpose, I suppose. Out-of-round rings have their fans, but I think they are a fad as far as road bikes go. Shimano has dropped them this year. Any road bikes that you see in the shops with these rings are last year's stuff, and you probably won't see them again except on mountain bikes. Lots of new materials being tried out in frames. Steel remains popular. Carbon fiber could make bikes look pretty different by the time that you start riding again in ten years. You've got a lot of choices at $1000. The extremes are a.) Low end Campy stuff (for Campy, low end is a relative term) on a very nice steel frame, or b.) all the latest techno stuff from Shimano on a carbon fiber frame. First you've got to decide that you want to use it before 10 years pass. The equipment less than 5% of why biking is a fun thing to do. What a fun question - on a narrow scale, this is like updating someone who has come forward in a time machine.