login
Me- and how I need more help
-
No new posts
 2004-02-05 9:12 AM |
Member 20 Silver Spring, Maryland (By Way of Kamloops, B.C.) |  Subject: Me- and how I need more helpOnce again, I need advice. I want to train on an actual bike as opposed to a stationary bike- I hate working out indoors... But, I don't have a lot of money and I don't want to purchase a bike if I'm not going to stick the triathlon trainging out. Now I saw this used steel Komda bike for sale- but I don't understand half the specs below. Can someone tell me if this would suffice??? FRAME SMALL GLOSS BLACK STEEL TIG WELDED FITS 5'4" TO 5'7" FORK STEEL TIG WELDED SEAT POST STEEL 250mm HEAD SET TANGE SE-ZX REAR DERAILLEUR GENERIC 12 SPEED FRONT DERAILLEUR GENERIC DOUBLE BOTTOM BRACKET NECCO 882 68mm ENGLISH CRANK SET STEEL 40/52 BRAKE CALIPERS CHANG STAR SHIFTER BRAKE LEVERS DNP SHIFTERS WITH YIN XING BRAKE LEVERS CASSETTE SUN WAY 6 SPEED 14-28 CHAIN KMC C-30 BAR JAS YONG JY-30 43CM STEM HL CORP H6-C90 TIRES KENDA TUBES KENDA RIM TAPE KENDA WHEEL SET DINO WITH ASSESS HUBS SADDLE (bike seat) ROPDIN RACING SADDLE BAR TAPE STANDARD REFLECTORS INCLUDED PEDALS INCLUDED |
| 2004-02-05 10:54 AM in reply to: #6084 |
Expert 948   Mount Vernon, Iowa | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help My first racing bike was a steel frame and worked fine. Actually, I was madly in love with it. Whoever wrote up specs like that for their bike probably knows a LOT about it and what it would be good for. If I were you I would call and chat about it. Something else that has worked for me is to go to a bike shop, explain my utter ignorance, and ask for advice. Nice bike shop folks have been known to look over a bike you're thinking of buying and give you their opinion about whether it's what you want. Good luck! |
| 2004-02-05 12:52 PM in reply to: #6086 |
Veteran 226 Malvern PA | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help What kind of price range are you looking in and how much have you shopped around? This bike has components (cassette, brakes, derailleurs) from a number of companies I've never heard of so it's kind of hard to assess their quality. Probably it will work fine as a first bike, but you'll likely replace it if you keep riding. It will be better at going fast on the flat than hill climbing. Looking around on the net, the only reference I saw to the chang star brakes was someone comparing them to a different brand and their comment on the changs was "ok, THOSE were dangerous". I'd probably pass on this one based on the components, but I agree with CLLinLA about running it by a knowledgable local bike shop person. |
| 2004-02-05 1:33 PM in reply to: #6084 |
Champion 4902 Ottawa, Ontario | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help I would not even bother to look at this bike. First of all it is a "12 speed" which means that it is well over twenty five years old. The components are mostly generic and probably bottom of the barrel stuff. The only good thing about this bike might be the Kenda tires although even they may the cheaper models. Look for something with Shimano Sora at the very least not generic components. Take a look at KHS, Fuji and Motobecane if they are being sold in your area. |
| 2004-02-05 1:59 PM in reply to: #6084 |
Veteran 202 St. Catharines, Ontario | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help I would look for something better. I have a set of wheels with reflectors on them and they provoke a lot of comments when I use then on the club rides. It sounds like a decent old bike but you should be able to find a decent bike that is more spec'd for racing for pretty cheap. There seen to be a lot of old 12 speeds around that no one wants. If you have a used bike shop in town maybe you could pick up a decent old racing bike for a couple hundred dollars that has been overhauled and tuned up. Buying a used racing bike privately could end up costing a couple hundred dollars in repairs. Then again, especially before spring hits, you could probably find a half decent new bike on sale for around $500. The Komba might be alright if you are buying from a shop that works on bikes and if you get it cheaply enough that you don't mind having to upgrade in a year because you will probably want something better pretty soon. Edited by owie 2004-02-05 2:03 PM |
| 2004-02-05 2:13 PM in reply to: #6084 |
Expert 644 Evansville, IN | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help Even if you don't have a lot of money to spare, go to a bike store and just look at low end hybrids. They will have narrow and slick enough tires to not wear you out on the road and if you like triathlons, the bike shop will often let you trade your bike in and upgrade.  |
| 2004-02-05 2:44 PM in reply to: #6103 |
| Member 20 Silver Spring, Maryland (By Way of Kamloops, B.C.) | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help Thanks all, I actually have a GIANT Hybrid now, do bike stores really trade in??? I can't stand riding the Hybrid with the high handle bars...but wait... I suppose I can get racing handle bars instead?!?!?!? It's obvious I know nothing.... |
| 2004-02-05 3:46 PM in reply to: #6104 |
| , Alabama | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help Don't worry. You're not alone. I'm happy with my bike (had it for 3 years) but I don't really know much about the bikes either. I've been told recently that the frame's too big (they're probably right), but it gets me across the finish line. That's one of the big reasons why I'm on this forum, so next time I'm in the market I'll be more knowledgable. Sharon |
| 2004-02-06 3:06 PM in reply to: #6100 |
Resident Matriarch N 43° 32.927 W 071° 24.431 | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help you can take the reflectors off you know.....that's what I did much to my husband's chagrin. He'll get over it |
| 2004-02-06 3:07 PM in reply to: #6084 |
Resident Matriarch N 43° 32.927 W 071° 24.431 | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help |
| 2004-02-07 3:42 PM in reply to: #6084 |
Champion 4902 Ottawa, Ontario | Subject: RE: Me- and how I need more help Try this site, it may help you in your selection of a new bike. It is by no means a definite list of what is out there but a fairly good reprsentation and will help you in figuring out which bike you might want to buy: http://205.147.231.123/default.asp |
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK