Sport Today

I own a '93 Specialized Sirrus Cro-Moly bike - I have never felt
comfortable with it - which is the main reason I quit riding - I felt
"beat" up by the bike - numb hands, sore rear, etc.  I have had it
adjusted many times with no relief.  Also, the Suntour components have
been a pain...

I have been looking at the newer comfort bikes like the Specialized
Sequoia Comp and the Trek 1800C(04) / 2200C(03).  I was also looking
at the Specialized Roubaix - more into the performance end but the
sales guy said that it would probably be more comfortable than my old
Sirrus....

Are the newer comfort bikes all that they promise?  Or is it better to
go into a lower end performance bike?  Also, any other brands/models
that I should look at?  I started with Specialized and Trek because I
am the most familiar with them.

Thanks
Mike

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com  For prices and ordering instructions.

Bob C.

Most people doing centuries aren't trying to break five hours.  I think
most century riders would benefit more from a little more comfort,
rather than a little more speed at the expense of comfort.

There's a spectrum of bike styles, from super-comfortable sit-up-and-beg
bikes for slow trips around the block, to nose-to-the-front-wheel bikes
for contortionist racers.  But I think the most comfortable bike for a
century ride is a touring bike - something with a bit higher handlebars,
but still drop bars; with a little more stable handling, so you can
relax a bit; something with low gears for the killer hill at mile 90.

Most people approach a century like a tour, not a race.  For that use, a
touring bike is better than a racing bike.  And even if you wanted to
ride it fast, if you lowered the handlebars and installed skinny tires
on your touring bike, you'd be as fast as if you were on a racing bike.

 > But you need to

(Of course, there's that other style of bike that starts with the letter
  "r", but I won't go there.)

--
Frank Krygowski   [To reply, omit what's between "at" and "cc"]

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Road bikes tend to skew towards higher price points because most shops don't
do much regarding fit on moderately-priced bikes, so they don't feel
terribly comfortable when people ride them.  This is a tremendous
discouragement to sales, and the "answer" from the manufacturers has been to
come up with screwy designs that "force" the fit many customer want by using
shorter top tubes and goofy-looking stems... creating a greater likelihood
that the stock bike is going to have the fit they want.  There's nothing
wrong, per se, with the "comfort" road bike designs that have hit the
market.  It's just that they usually don't accomplish anything that couldn't
be done with a standard road bike, if only the shop cared to do so.

The better road-bike shops discovered long ago that miraculous road-bike
sales levels can be achieved by simply fitting the bike to the customer,
using shorter and/or taller stems, choosing a bar with a different forward
reach, and paying attention to how they looked when actually riding.

--Mike--     Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam:  remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

_ There's lot's of good info about what makes a bike comfortable
at the Rivendell site.

   http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/

_ Booker C. Bense

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wrote in part:

Regards,
Bob Hunt

I'm also looking at the Specialized Roubaix and I'm anxiously looking
for some reviews. Thoughts comments from anyone??!!

Think this bike is appropriate for triathlons? Esp. the geometry and
body position? Comfort is more important to me than speed.....if I need
to lighten up I'll loose weight first.

--

First, I bought a good pair of bike shorts - Nike Dri-Fit - a world of
difference even on my old uncomfortable saddle.

Second, most bike stores and people in this group - suggested a good
'fitting' road bike as opposed to a comfort bike.  On my current bike,
I made some adjustments to handlebars (drop between seat height and
handlebars) which helped with my hand pain alot.

I just bought a new road bike this past weekend - I did the 'opposite'
of my original post - I didn't go with a low end rad bike but bought a
high end - a Trek 5200 carbon fiber bike.  I went a size down which
decreased the top tube length and brought the handlebars closer and
addressed my other 'pain' issue with my back when trying to ride on
the brake hoods.

I never tested a Specialized - only looked at the Trek 2200, 5200 and
the LeMond Zurich.  I was a little skeptical of the insert technology
of the Roubaix's (the engineer in me).

Mike

FWIW, the lemond zurich is the most comfortable bike I have ridden in 30+
years of riding and out of 7 other steeds of different configurations and
materials.  For me, steel was real but I now ride Ti but have the Zurich as
a backup.