doomridesout
05-09-2018, 12:12 AM
A thought experiment: How would you set up your stable if you rode these three types of riding and wanted to be able to do this stuff in three bikes or less.
1. Group road riding and trying to pin it solo- the group is riding light stuff and low rolling resistance tires on a sunny day. You are trying not to get dropped or feel like your stuff is that last increment holding you back. Fast racer boy stuff but you're on the same roads as below. Something carbon would be good, at least fast wheels.
2. Paved road riding solo, or long distance where speed is not as important. The road tends to be bad pavement, wet often, in very steep switchbacky mountains. Weight and stiffness feel like they matter. Rides could also include buffed dirt sections of actual road occasionally. Emphasis would be on comfort, control, and light weight. Titanium bike with light wheels and 650x38 seems like a good choice
3. Unpaved "road" riding: Even steeper, fire roads, logging roads, miles of heinous washboard and loose gravel, roads with rocks the size of baby heads, occasional surprise mud bogs, possible single track connectors. See the OMTM rides in Seattle for what this could be like.
My thought is that I could satisfy my aspirations with this stable:
1. A titanium, performance oriented 700c/650b convertible disc road bike for either 700x32 or 650x38 or 42 slicks, compact 2x road gearing, and two sets of light wheels with nice tires. 700x25 for use case 1 and 650x38 for use case 2.
2. Some sort of drop bar mountain bike I can build on the cheap. Maybe a carbon hardtail with drop bars? What's the best option for this? Fender capacity is a help.
And then, later I can get a go-fast carbon bike to satisfy use case 1 without this wheel switching nonsense.
1. Group road riding and trying to pin it solo- the group is riding light stuff and low rolling resistance tires on a sunny day. You are trying not to get dropped or feel like your stuff is that last increment holding you back. Fast racer boy stuff but you're on the same roads as below. Something carbon would be good, at least fast wheels.
2. Paved road riding solo, or long distance where speed is not as important. The road tends to be bad pavement, wet often, in very steep switchbacky mountains. Weight and stiffness feel like they matter. Rides could also include buffed dirt sections of actual road occasionally. Emphasis would be on comfort, control, and light weight. Titanium bike with light wheels and 650x38 seems like a good choice
3. Unpaved "road" riding: Even steeper, fire roads, logging roads, miles of heinous washboard and loose gravel, roads with rocks the size of baby heads, occasional surprise mud bogs, possible single track connectors. See the OMTM rides in Seattle for what this could be like.
My thought is that I could satisfy my aspirations with this stable:
1. A titanium, performance oriented 700c/650b convertible disc road bike for either 700x32 or 650x38 or 42 slicks, compact 2x road gearing, and two sets of light wheels with nice tires. 700x25 for use case 1 and 650x38 for use case 2.
2. Some sort of drop bar mountain bike I can build on the cheap. Maybe a carbon hardtail with drop bars? What's the best option for this? Fender capacity is a help.
And then, later I can get a go-fast carbon bike to satisfy use case 1 without this wheel switching nonsense.