[ooheadsoo]

How much faster would I feel on a road bike vs my rockhopper 29er hard tail with front shock locked and slick tires?  It would have to be an inexpensive road bike, and not too aggressive in terms of position and handling, since i don't think i could take it.

[Meicheng]

Setting aside the question of price, one can get a road bike in the range of 16-18lbs which I assume will be quite a few pounds lighter than your Rockhopper.  Also, 700C road tires are little skinny one-inch wide tires and they also should feel (and be) quite a bit faster than any mountain bike wheels, even slicks. 

[PhilNYC]

How much faster would I feel on a road bike vs my rockhopper 29er hard tail with front shock locked and slick tires?  It would have to be an inexpensive road bike, and not too aggressive in terms of position and handling, since i don't think i could take it.

Much of it would depend on the gearing.  Your wheel diameter wouldn't be much different, and you'd only really notice the weight difference on the hills.  But with road gearing, you'll be able to get to faster speeds overall...

[JoshK]

The roadie....for jackman...

[ooheadsoo]

I use 700c x 37 wheels and have a top gear of 44 x 11.  I can't hit that gear at a decent cadence unless I'm going downhill    I do exceed my max cadence going downhill, but I'm not really all that eager to die    I could switch to a 700c x 25 or thereabouts, but I'm deathly afraid of flats on my 20 mile each way commute.  I do tackle a 3-4 mile hill every time I take that commute, though. 

*sigh* I want one, but don't really have the money, now.  Maybe by next year's commute season, I'll have some more money in my pocket.  It doesn't really sound like I'll feel the benefits, especially at my weight.

Sweet bike, Josh!

[jackman]

How much faster would I feel on a road bike vs my rockhopper 29er hard tail with front shock locked and slick tires?  It would have to be an inexpensive road bike, and not too aggressive in terms of position and handling, since i don't think i could take it.

The biggest difference between a traditional road bike and your bike is riding position.  A road bike will be lower to the ground and have a longer top tube for a faster, aero riding position.  There are other differences (weight, tires, frame stiffness, etc.) but I think the riding position is something you could never achieve with your existing bike.  It might not matter if you just want to ride around by yourself or other guys on mountainbikes.  If you plan to ride with other road cyclists, you will need something with more traditional road geometry.  There are several bikes with relaxed geometry that will fit the bill.  If your budget is tight, you might want to check craigslist.

[jackman]

The roadie....for jackman...

Sweet ride!  Now we're talkin'!   

I love the looks of that bike and wish you all the best.  If you want to take some of the edge off of the ride (especially if you ride long distances), try Continental GP4000 tires.  I let four people test my bike, after I installed the GP's, and all four switched to Conti tires. 

Most of all, just ride it!  As your flexibility improves, you may want to remove a couple spacers to lower those bars and then flip that stem to get a more aero position, but don't do  it until you are ready.  Comfort and proper fit should be top priorities.  If you feel numbness or pain, have your shop adjust your fit.  I learned this the hard way!

Good luck,

Jack

[charmerci]

How much faster would I feel on a road bike vs my rockhopper 29er hard tail with front shock locked and slick tires?

Try the slicks on the MB. You will be really surprised at how much easier it is to ride compared with having 2+ inch knobbies.

[tybee]

Jackman,

Thanks for the tip on the Continental tires which are selling at reduced prices on-line. I am currently restoring my herd of vintage steel road bikes after a long absence from riding.  I was a serious rider between the late 70s and early 90s often logging 9,000 or miles annually.  After gaining too many extra pounds, I decided to start riding again.

All of my bikes are considered classics now and were equipped with either Camp SR or Shimano Dura Ace components.  My herd includes two custom frames from Scott Paisley and Matt Assenmacher.  I also own a Gios Torino Pro, a Pinarello, and Basso all in Columbus double tubing and a 531 Reynolds tubed Harry Quinn.  You can see examples of all of my bikes at http://www.classicrendezvous.com/

When I rode seriously, all of my wheels were equipped with tubular or sew up rims which I am converting to clincher rims.  You tip on the Continental tires is timely as I was shopping for tires

[ooheadsoo]

Try the slicks on the MB. You will be really surprised at how much easier it is to ride compared with having 2+ inch knobbies.

I know, I'm using 700c x 37, it makes a big difference.

[jackman]

Tybee,

You have some awesome bikes!  Here is a link to the Conti GP4000's from Probikekit.com.  If you use TDFUSA you get an additional 10% off.  This brings the delivered price of a pair down to $67.87.  That is impossible to beat (the price is for a pair, delivered). 

These tires are made in Germany and will transform your ride. They ride like tubulars but are clinchers.  I'm thinking about getting a backup pair!  Probikekit has great prices on everything.  I've ordered from them several times and the stuff always arrives quickly. 

http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y0072

[PhilNYC]

Jackman...what other tires have you tried, and how would you compare them?  My favorite road tire right now is the Vredestein Fortezza TriComp, which imho has a great combination of weight, speed and durability.  Previously, I rode Michelin Pro Race 3 and Vittoria Open Corsa CX (both of which were very good, but not very durable), and Pro Race 2 before that (loved them, but they don't make it anymore)...

[bunnyma357]

I'm also a big fan of Continental tires, although from a durability commuting perspective. I have had great performance from the Ultra Gatorskins, and my ride often included dirt, gravel, potholes, thorns, and broken glass. They seemed to have the best combo of comfort/performance/durability out of what I've tried.

Jim C

[PhilNYC]

I'm also a big fan of Continental tires, although from a durability commuting perspective. I have had great performance from the Ultra Gatorskins, and my ride often included dirt, gravel, potholes, thorns, and broken glass. They seemed to have the best combo of comfort/performance/durability out of what I've tried.

Jim C

I use the Gatorskins on my fixie...

[LadyDog]

Tybee,
Much of the older gear you have is worth some pretty good coin now.  So you could sell one of your rides or the parts, and step into a newer bike.  Unless you want to keep riding your sewups, imagine you are looking at $300+ for new wheels.  May make more sense to sell and use that $300 for something new?  Not to say that's what you'd want to do though.

Regards,
Jeff

[jackman]

Jackman...what other tires have you tried, and how would you compare them?  My favorite road tire right now is the Vredestein Fortezza TriComp, which imho has a great combination of weight, speed and durability.  Previously, I rode Michelin Pro Race 3 and Vittoria Open Corsa CX (both of which were very good, but not very durable), and Pro Race 2 before that (loved them, but they don't make it anymore)...

Hi Phil,

Good question.  My bike came with Bontrager 25mm Race Lite AC tires that were very durable and flat-resistant but extremely harsh riding.  I swapped them for Gatorskins which rode a bit better but still were too harsh for the rough roads my group typically rides.  My neighbor gave me a set of Specialized S-works tires (don't recall the model but they are in the garage at the moment so I can check if anyone wants to know).  They say "Dual compound" on the label.  These tires were a step down from the Gatorskins, IMO, in terms of ride.

The GP4000's have the best ride of any tire I have tried.  Please note, I only have approximately 2000 miles on mine but I havent gotten any flats and they seem to be wearing nicely.  I have not tried the Pro Race 3's but have read accounts of several people on Bikeforums.net (under road cycling) comparing them to GP4000's.  The GP's feel and ride softer but do not appear as flat resistant as Gatorskins or the Bontrager tires.  So far, so good!

Cheers,


J

[LadyDog]

Phil,
More of a tubbie guy than clinchers, but of those I have ridden.  My faves are the GP's already mentioned, Attack/Force, and Schwalbe Ultemo's.  Nice thing about the Schwalbe's is they are right around 24 in width, just about pefect imo.

I also like to step down a range and use the Rubino's, Krylion's, and Diamante's of the world.  Not quite as nice of a ride, but I'll trade for the extra durability.

Really am looking to try tubeless some day.

Btw, ProBike has the TriComps for like $40 a tire.  Not sure if that is a good price or not, but usually PBK is pretty competitive.

[jackman]

Phil,
More of a tubbie guy than clinchers, but of those I have ridden.  My faves are the GP's already mentioned, Attack/Force, and Schwalbe Ultemo's.  Nice thing about the Schwalbe's is they are right around 24 in width, just about pefect imo.

I also like to step down a range and use the Rubino's, Krylion's, and Diamante's of the world.  Not quite as nice of a ride, but I'll trade for the extra durability.

Really am looking to try tubeless some day.

Btw, ProBike has the TriComps for like $40 a tire.  Not sure if that is a good price or not, but usually PBK is pretty competitive.

Thanks Jeff, you have much more experience in this area than I, and I always enjoy hearing what you have to say.  Someday I hope to try toobs but I'm too chicken at the moment!  Maybe tubeless is a good compromise. 

Today was very disappointing.  I rode 60 miles yesterday with my group and everything was fine until mile 50.  My right knee became inflamed and was very painful.  Thankfully, it didn't slow me down and a bit of ice and a couple ibuprofins helped with the pain, but I had to bag today's 80 mile ride.  I originally hurt the knee around mile 75 of last Sunday's century ride.  It was extremely painful but I limped home with a group of riders after being dropped by my faster group. 

I've had 3 knee surgeries on my right knee (the one acting up) and I hope to avoid #4.  I went to the bike shop to get my fit adjusted last night.  The guy who does my fittings said the knee pain might be caused by my cleat position (I adjusted them before last week's century ride) and he made some slight changes to the cleats.  This really sucks because my first 50 miles were pretty fast yesterday, and pain-free.  Will ride 50 today (easy pace) to see if the knee holds up. 

Cheers,

Jack

[PhilNYC]

Talking about disappointing rides, I went out for a fast solo-ride yesterday on a flat 30 mile route...ended up getting two flats in the first 17 miles, broke my pump on the second which forced me to call the support car (wife) to pick me up...

[JoshK]

If I were to drive up to the 9W to go on a longer ride, where is a good place to park/start?