Bicycling On-the-Road

PhilNYC · « **Reply #220 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 03:21 am »

Quote from: Levi on 23 Aug 2010, 03:18 am

Hey Phil, anyway we can meet halfway? I am thinking about riding from Queens to GWB.

You mean meet near the GWB? Definitely! Strictly Bicycles in Fort Lee is a great place to meet up....

npg3 · « **Reply #221 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 03:54 am »

I am new here, but here are my rides....I started on the road in 1979 when I was 9. I was the geeky kid on the 10-spd when everyone in school was on a BMX bike

A bad shot of the Colnago...It is my main road bike.

I have sold all of my track bikes...De Rosa, San Rensho, Carrera, and Colnago, but I kept my favorite one of all:

Levi · « **Reply #222 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 05:17 am »

Nice bikes. It looks like you love Italian bikes.

@Phil, I will ping you tomorrow. Weather wise, it looks like same as Sunday.

npg3 · « **Reply #223 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 11:12 am »

Quote from: Levi on 23 Aug 2010, 05:17 am

Nice bikes. It looks like you love Italian bikes.

@Phil, I will ping you tomorrow. Weather wise, it looks like same as Sunday.

Thanks Levi...yeah, could you tell?

Both of my parents are Italian, and when they took me to see Breaking Away at the theater (seems like forever), I was hooked. I have always had a love for Italian bikes.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #224 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 12:14 pm »

That Colnago C-50 has been high on my list for carbon frames that I would be interested in if I ever made the jump into carbon...

@Levi...yeah, it's pretty wet out. Maybe later in the week...

jackman · « **Reply #225 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 07:29 pm »

Thanks Phil and Jeff,
I'm going to a fitter later tonight. My knee really hurts after about 40 or 50 miles. My shop fitter moved the cleat position on the right shoe (and I'm using 9% float) but it still hurts. I've had 3 knee surgeries on this knee but it was fine up until mile 80 of my last century. I have another century this weekend (Bike Psycho in IL) and I'm hoping the next fitting will be the charm. My friend has special insoles that correct for some of his issues and I'm going to ask the fitter if something similar would work for me. What kind of shims (Jeff) do you have and what do they do?

Lastly, the SRAM Red drivetrain is awesome. I love the way it shifts and the way the handles feel. Also, the hoods are very comfortable for my hands. Aside from the knee issue, my bike is comfortable for century riding and for fast weekend rides. Will take pictures and post them later.

That Colnago C-50 is amazing! One of my favorite looking bikes.

Levi · « **Reply #226 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 02:25 am »

Congrats on the SRAM RED. Where did you purchased it?

I am thinking about upgrading my Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels to a pair of Zipp 101. Lots if choices out there.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #227 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 11:34 am »

Levi, if you're going to upgrade your wheels, I highly recommend looking at the Easton EA90 SLX wheelset. They are almost 200g lighter than the Zipp 101 and more than $200 cheaper. The Easton R4 hub uses ceramic bearings, too.

A friend of mine got these this summer and loves them...

Levi · « **Reply #228 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 01:32 pm »

Thanks Phil. I will consider that in my short list of wheelset. My bike weighs 17lbs 1oz stock configuration. It is going to be a great hill climber when I am done with it.

Atleast when Set Man drops me climbing the 59th street bridge, I can't blame the bike.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #229 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 03:23 pm »

The Easton wheels are great for sprinting and climbing. My friend who has them is about your size/weight, so I think they would be plenty stiff for you...

LadyDog · « **Reply #230 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 03:59 pm »

Levi,
You can get the Easton wheels for sub $500 at Performance.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #231 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 05:13 pm »

Quote from: LadyDog on 24 Aug 2010, 03:59 pm

Levi,
You can get the Easton wheels for sub $500 at Performance.

Performance offers a "special edition" of the wheelset. Not sure what that means, but rumors say that it is based on prior model year parts. From the looks of it, it does have the R4 hub, which was updated in 2009 to the current design...

PhilNYC · « **Reply #232 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 07:41 pm »

You might also consider going with a custom wheelset. I happen to really like Chris King hubs, and there are some good quality rims out there for good prices...you can get a really great set of custom wheels for something under $1000. The Chris King-Velocity Fusion wheels I have on my Spectrum are fantastic...

LadyDog · « **Reply #233 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 10:25 pm »

Phil,
While I've not seen the wheels in person, in their add they reference the hub as being the R4 edition. Not that the R3's were bad either.

Easton EA90 SLX Special Edition Wheelset - Performance Exclusive

The R4 Series hub with precision-sealed cartridge bearings and asymmetrical, low-drag seals provide lightweight strength, easy maintenance and smooth speed

A lot of great wheels out there now. You can pick up used Bonty X-Lite's for $300 just to name one.

jackman · « **Reply #234 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 01:38 am »

Quote from: Levi on 24 Aug 2010, 02:25 am

Congrats on the SRAM RED. Where did you purchased it?

I am thinking about upgrading my Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels to a pair of Zipp 101. Lots if choices out there.

Hi Levi,

I got the SRAM gear from my friend who crashed his Felt racing bike. The left brake lever has a scuff but it's functionally perfect and works great. It's very lightweight and the doubletap shifters work great. I have seen Red for a great price at Jensenusa.com and probikekit.com when it's on sale. I have also seen it at Performance recently for a very good price (and you get a 10% rebate if you are a member). Plus, Performance will install anything you buy from them for free.

Those Fulcrum wheels are heavy but decent training wheels. I'd make a suggestion, but there are lots of more experienced riders who can make much better recommendations in this area.

Good luck!

Jack

Levi · « **Reply #235 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 04:00 am »

Lots of wheels out there. Since it was raining and roads and trails are wet today, I went out and checked many bike shops and saw many wheelsets. It looks like www.RACycles.com has it all! This is like BHPhoto of high-end road cycling. I am sold on the Zipp 101 because I love it's 188 rear hubs and bearings (It reminds me of my I9 with 3 less praws). Having better aero qualities is a plus.

I am sure everyone have their favorite wheels.

Decisions, decision...I have more time than money.

Thanks guys for the suggestions.

p.s. I didn't know SRAM bought Zipp.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #236 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 10:14 am »

So did you buy them??

One quick note about Zipps...prior to my current wheels, I had wheels built with Zipp 530 rims. Compared to my current wheels, getting a tire on and off the Zipp rims was really tough. I thought this was normal until I went riding with a friend and he flatted...I was helping him take the tire off the rim (he had Bontrager Race X Lite wheels) and couldn't believe how easy it was. After getting my new wheels (with Velocity Fusion rims) and seeing that they too were much easier to get tires on/off, I did some Googling and found that people do have a harder time getting tires on/off Zipp rims.

Anyways, something to think about....

Levi · « **Reply #237 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 02:32 pm »

I won't keep you in suspense.

I was able to sneak in a pair of Zipp 101! This setup made my bike lose exactly 1.0 lb!

These wheels met my expectations...sustained speed of 20mph on the flats @90RPM and 1/3 the cost compared to my frame! They are perfect wheel for training when I am not on my MTB.

Zipp 101, front: 1.10lbs, Rear: 1.14lbs as delivered

Levi · « **Reply #238 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 02:34 pm »

Sweet 188 rear hubs.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #239 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 08:02 pm »

Congrats on the new wheels! Did you ride them in this rain??

Still haven't seen a pic of your new bike....!