Most of you know I’m searching for a new bike. My price point is right in the neighborhood of $800 which doesn’t let me get to the 105 component level I want unless I can find me a good deal used (which I’m open to) or buy online (I’m skeptical of doing). I do know that I want at least a 9 speed rear cog set and would like STI. I’m open for compromises such as considering a triple chainwheel set instead of a double. After finally concluding that I won’t be challenging Lance or Levi in the Tour De France I’ve decided that I can probably forgo my 105 requirement. At most I’ll be doing the organized ride which would be more for distance riding rather than placing. The number one priority of my new bike is, as it always has been, to help me lose weight.

I decided to make myself a handy-dandy chart to help me along and to show you what I’m looking at (the real reason for the chart is because I’m an Excel geek that can’t help myself). I did get an email from a guy who has a 2007 Specialized Allez Elite Triple that sounds promising. He’s sending me pics tonight to look at.

Those bikes in the chart below labeled as ‘local’ are available at a Local Bike Shop while the ‘online’ bikes are available at Bikes Direct. There are advantages and disadvantages to buying at either place. I wish there was a Bikes Direct store here in Dallas that I could go look at some of their bikes. We have one back home in Florida but, alas, I’m not there right now. I didn’t include any bikes from Performance Bikes but those are options too. In fact, I’m thinking of hitting their store tonight just to see what they have since it’s been so long since I’ve been in there.

Update:

I mentioned earlier about a guy with a 2007 Allez Elite. It’s actually a double not a triple. Pics of it are below. My initial thoughts are that it looks to have been ridden hard which isn’t necessarily bad. The cogs do look pretty grimy to me and the entire bike needs a cleaning. I’m not sure about the cranks. On the plus size, he wants $500 for it which seems like a great deal. I’d value my readers opinions.

I downsize the pics he sent me since they were around 2mb each.

I had a bunch of time to kill yesterday afternoon so I went to a local bike shop and looked at some bikes. I’ve gone in several times up until now to casually look at bikes but since I’m kinda in the market for one I went in looking for specific price points and component setups. Here’s what I found at one particular shop.

$500-$850

These were clearly your beginner level bikes with all of them featuring 8-speed Shimano Sora and Tiagra component groups. I have a 7-speed now so moving up to a 8-speed doesn’t seem like that much of an improvement. All of them had no-name brakes and the shifting mechanisms aren’t nearly as functional as something with Shimano 105 or above shifters. Bikes in this range included the Trek 1.1 or 1.2 and some of the low-end Specialized Allez. Like I said, these looked to be beginner level bikes and not something I wanted to get.

$1000-$1500

I would classify these as intermediate level bikes and most likely the price point I’ll be targeting if I have to buy brand new. Most of these bikes came with at least 105 components with some variances here and there in shifters, brakes, or derailleurs and were all aluminum frames with carbon fiber forks. For instance, you may see a bike with 105 shifters, derailleurs, and cranks but no-name brakes. Or 105 everywhere except perhaps an Ultegra front or rear derailleur. The hard part was finding the combination of components I liked on a bike that was the right size and color. I found what I thought was a great deal ($1199) on a Specialized Allez in Saxo Bank colors with 105 everywhere except the brakes.

$1600-$3000

The bikes in this range are what I consider geared towards advanced level riders. You start getting into carbon fiber rigs with Ultegra or better components and nicer wheel sets. Personally, I think when you’re paying this much money you’re paying for weight savings more than anything and with somebody like me riding one of them I just don’t think the extra cost is worth it. If you know what I mean. Granted these are some nice bikes but I believe these are out of my price range and, truthfully, think that I probably weigh too much to be riding carbon fiber.

$3000 ++++

Either Pro level bikes or bikes for folks with too much money who think they’re Pros after watching the Tour de France. You name it and these bikes had it. I actually caressed (?) a Trek Madone 6.9 and just had to shake my head at how light it was. There’s no doubt it weighed less than the bag I take to work everyday. At $8,000 for the one I fondled I’m not surprised they aren’t flying out the door in today’s economy. They had a nice group of ten or so that were just standing there for show.

That’s certainly not a detailed synopsis of what you get for the money but I think you can basically see how it’s broken out by price. It seemed to me that you got more for your money with Specialized than with Trek (at least in the intermediate level price range). They had Cervelos but I can’t even afford to walk down that aisle.

This particular shop did have a used/demo section that had a nice Bianchi with a full Ultegra setup for $1,350 but for some reason I just can’t get over two things with Bianchis. First, I hate the traditional green color most of their bikes are painted in (makes me want to gag). Second, is that I can’t help but think ‘woman’s bike’ when I say or see ‘Bianchi’. I don’t know why. I don’t even have an ex-girlfriend called Bianca.

Call me picky but color is somewhat important to me. The low-end beginner bikes featured a lot of red (on the Specialized) and Trek has some funky looking bright color schemes I don’t like. Not until you get into the $1000-$1500 price point do you see some imagination with the paint jobs like the Saxo Bank setup on the Allez I liked or an awesome blacked-out scheme on another Allez that totally blew me away. Even at the intermediate level I still didn’t like the Trek paint jobs.

Here’s two questions for my readers:

1. What did you look for when you purchased a bike (components, colors, prices, etc.)?
2. What is the big difference between 105, Ultegra, and Dura Ace? Is it weight?

I drove up to my mom’s house for the holiday weekend and as I always do when I’m up there I use my dad’s shop to give my bike a thorough cleaning and tune up. It’s been a month since I’ve done it and I could really tell on my last couple of rides that things felt a little out of sorts. Little did I know how out of sorts they were.

The first thing I always do is give the bike a good cleaning to get all the road grime and build up off. While doing it this time I went ahead and took apart the chain rings and rear derailleur to clean them well. With the rear derailleur off I discovered my first problem. The derailleur hangar has a crack in it. Luckily, my hangar is the replaceable type so it’s done it’s job in not letting the frame crack. The bad part is that it needs to be replaced. I had actually broken my first hangar after only having my bike a few months because of a bad shift. It looks like this crack was a product of age and/or fatigue. I know I’d probably crack under the pressure of carrying an elephant around.

One of the last things I do is clean my rims and the front rim was the last one to get cleaned this morning and it held the last surprise. One of the spokes looks like it’s pulling through the rim and on the break surface side the rim is splitting apart. Not good and actually very dangerous should the rim have decided to fail while riding. I had replaced my rear rim about a year ago due to a similar problem (although the front rim is in much worse condition) so I was probably due to replace the front anyway. It is the original after all.

So, with those two problems it looks like I won’t be cycling until I can get them fixed and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to. Truthfully, I was actually worried something like this might happen with all the riding I’ve been doing but I think the bike held up pretty good considering its age and my weight. I’ll probably take it to the bike shop tomorrow to get an estimate on a rim, hangar, and a few other things that need to be done, and I’ll take it from there. It kinda sucks but I think my century ride is probably in jeopardy. It’s probably in jeopardy anyway if I end up getting the job I want back in Jacksonville.

Here in North America we’re rapidly approaching the end of Summer and if you’ve been riding your bike in the evenings like I have then you’ve no doubt noticed that sunset is coming sooner than it was at the beginning of the month. In fact, we’re losing a minute of sunlight each day while the Blokes and Sheilas in Australia are gaining a minute. I did a long evening ride a couple of weeks ago and felt I could have used a light then so I thought now would be a good time to talk about bicycle lighting.

Why use a bike light?

1. First and foremost, you’ll want to use a bicycle light for safety. As the sun begins to set earlier each day our evening rides stand a very good chance of concluding in civil twilight (the sun has set but it’s not quite dark yet). There’s enough light to see but it is becoming more difficult due to lack of light and shadows. If you’re having a hard time seeing then other folks are probably having a hard time seeing you. In this instance, a bicycle headlight and/or tail light will make you more visible to other riders approaching or overtaking you and, probably more importantly, you’ll be more visible to car drivers who are feeling the effects of decreased light as well.

   Not only do bike lights improve safety so you’re more visible to other riders and drivers but you’ll be doing yourself a favor by using a headlight to illuminate where you’re riding. The area I ride is in pretty good shape but there are spots on the trail where an improperly illuminated rut, hole, or seam could see me injuring myself, another rider, and/or damaging my bike. A good headlight or helmet light will help illuminate the path you’re riding.

2. Another reason you’ll want to use bicycle lights, and often forgotten, is that in most cities it’s required by law to have a light if you’re riding during darkness. Check your local laws but, even if there isn’t one, you should still have lights due to the safety concerns above.

Things to consider when choosing bicycle lighting

1. What type of riding do you do? If you’re a road cyclist you may not need as robust (tough) a light kit as a mountain biker.
2. How long do you ride in the dark? If you ride for long periods of time in the darkness you may need bike light options that offer long-life batteries or generators.
3. Are you environmentally conscious? If so you may chose lights with rechargeable batteries or a generator over bike lights that require replacement of dead batteries.
4. Is it very dark where you ride? If you’re a trail rider or ride in areas where there is no street lighting you may need bicycle lights that are very bright.
5. Are you on a budget? Simple lighting systems for bikes can be very affordable where more advanced lighting options can put a strain on the bank account.

What kind of power source do you need?

1. Standard Household Batteries. A lot of the smaller head and tail lights for bicycles use two to four double or triple A batteries for power. These are convenient and due to the small size (and power output) of the lights you can get run times upwards of 60 hours or more depending on the mode (constant light versus flashing) used.
2. Rechargeable Batteries. Like a lot of electronic devices these days, you can get bicycle lighting that uses rechargeable batteries for power. Not only is this convenient, it saves money, and helps the environment. Battery options include Nickle-Metal Hybrid and Lithium Ion.
3. Power Generation Systems. For those looking to have a lighting system that is not only super environmental friendly (no batteries required) but can last a long time (as long as you pedal it works) then this could be what you need. These lighting systems are run off a generator that’s attached to your wheel and makes electricity as long as you’re moving. Some have battery backups or reserves for when you’re stopped.

Halogen, LED, or HID?

The type of bulb you choose can have a big impact on the quality of light emitted. The type of bulb itself doesn’t generally drive the cost of the lighting system up as much as other components (type/size of batteries and accessories) but your higher quality lighting systems are generally LED or HID with rechargeable batteries. The bestselling lighting systems are typically household battery powered LED units with 3-5 LEDs.

1. A halogen lamp is an incandescent lamp in which a tungsten filament is sealed into a compact transparent envelope filled with an inert gas and a small amount of halogen such as iodine or bromine. The halogen cycle increases the lifetime of the bulb.
2. Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are an electronic light source. LEDs have many advantages over traditional light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, and smaller size. LED bike lights are very popular and what I use.
3. High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps are a type of electrical lamp that produces light by means of an electric arc. HID lights give a greater amount of light output per watt of electricity input than incandescent lights.

What to get?

As you can see above there are lots of options available but choosing a basic bicycle lighting system (a headlight and a tail light) isn’t hard. Find a balance between your needs and budget. You can easily find a good LED headlight/tail light combination that will fill your basic needs and meet safety and legal requirements. If you need something with a little more power or rechargeable batteries you can go that route as well. In addition to Amazon.com, Real Cyclist also has a good collection of bicycle lighting or you may find what you’re looking for at your local bike shop. It really doesn’t matter where you get it. Just make sure you have some kind of bicycle lighting if you’re going to be cycling while it’s dark.

As I write this I’m watching the Tour of Romandie coverage on Versus. I’m blown away by the conditioning of the riders and how fast they can ride. Equally impressive is the countryside there in Switzerland. Hard to believe how green the fields are. Just awesome.

I took Friday evening off from riding so that I could do some work on my bike and be fully prepared and rested for a hard Saturday ride. I planned on getting up early on Saturday, heading out to White Rock Lake for an early morning ride and, in the words of Phil Liggett, “suffer like a dog”. At least that was the plan.

Friday evening I did something to my bike that was long, long, long overdue. Get my point? I don’t think you do. I mean something like 8 years overdue. You see, 8 years ago was the last time that I think it could have been replaced when I had my bike overhauled and the brake cables were replaced. I’m talking about replacing my handlebar tape.

I had never done this myself but wasn’t afraid to try. I watched the video over at Bicycle Tutor and did it with no problems. The feel after I was done was amazing. I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to do it. I also gave everything else on the bike a good once over and it all seemed in order.

I got up early Saturday morning, had breakfast and headed down to White Rock Lake. I knew something was amiss when I started seeing orange cones at the entrances to the parking areas along with police offers. I stopped to talk with one of the officers and he said the lake was closed for the race….like I knew what ‘the race’ was. I could see some runners with numbers on their jerseys so it had to be a running race (yuck!) but I could see a few cyclists out there riding. I tried to find another place to park but they had everything blocked off. I finally gave up and decided to head to the .8 mile loop where I’ve been doing my group ride training. That’s when the rain started.

And it rained almost all day. There was drizzle, lightning, thunder, gully washers and wind. You may have heard about the Dallas Cowboys practice facility that collapsed. That’s probably about 20 minutes or so from where I live. There was no way I was riding on Saturday unless it was on the Ark.

Saturday night I put my culinary skills to use and decided to give the recipe I saw over at Cycling Tips a try. It’s super simple and turned out great if I do say so myself. It’s linguine topped grilled chicken, avocado, tomatoes and olives. There’s a picture of the dish to the right.

Sunday morning dawned overcast but it wasn’t raining. It was chili too at only 58F. I suited up and headed out to the lake. In the parking lot I was putting my bike together when a runner went by and said, “You’re brave riding today.” I asked why and he said because of the wet roads. I said I need to get it in and he responded that that’s the right attitude. I agree.

I headed out and within about a half-mile noticed a big problem. The huge amount of rain we had gotten yesterday had caused the lake to swell overnight. The water wasn’t a problem because it had receded but the debris it left behind was. I’m talking big tree limbs, small limbs, slush, and trash. Huge amounts of trash. I couldn’t believe the trash. Totally unreal. There were three of four spots where this debris covered the trail and you were really taking a chance riding through it. I did with no problems but could have easily dumped myself too. The picture to the left is of the spillway at the South end of the lake. It’s hard to see but the water was seriously moving over the spillway and throwing up a good spray and a lot of noise. Totally cool.

The rest of the ride around was no problem but I decided to only do one lap so I didn’t have to mess with the debris again. It was a short 10 miles but tomorrow is group ride training day. Looking forward to that. And suffering like a dog.

This is a question that has been tossed back and forth since, well, since the first bicycle was made. Each material used (aluminum, steel, titanium, or carbon) have their advantages and disadvantages whether they be weight, cost, or strength. Most riders, though, seem to prefer one over the other.

In the last 10 years or so carbon fiber frames have gained in popularity beginning with carbon fiber forks being placed on bicycles frames made from metal. Now you can get complete frames made from carbon fiber including additional bicycle parts like seat posts, brake levers, wheel sets, handlebars, cranks, and water bottle cages. The only limitation you have is the size of your wallet.

For those that can’t make the move to a full carbon frame, many manufacturers produce bicycles that use a mix of both carbon fiber and aluminum materials. Typically these are aluminum frames with carbon fiber forks, seat stays and/or chain stays. These types of configurations keep the costs down while letting riders enjoy the benefits or carbon – weight savings, ride dampening, and poseur-ness.

The poseur-ness factor is only fully enjoyed if you also ride in a full team kit and shave your legs. Is there anything wrong with the poseur factor? Heck no. I hope to be able to achieve that level someday. Just not sure about shaving my legs though. We’ll have to see.

The question, as the post title so aptly states, is which bicycle frame material is the best? I expect a lot of different answers here (assuming folks take the time to answer) so don’t hold back. Tell me which is the best and why you think so.