MORE BIKE QUESTIONS

[niterider]

 

Would love to go and test ride a few bikes to get an idea. Kyalami Cycles are very worried about the wear on the tires if I take a bike for a test.

 

The wear on the tyres?!!! That's a new one. Find another bikeshop.

 

[AndreZA]

S2L, the difference between endurance, sport, comfort and performance (what ever they are called) models are the geometry of the frames. Performance frames are normally longer and lower then sport, comfort and endurance frames. You sit more upright, like on a mountain bike, with the latter.If you're not gonna finish a race in just over 2 hours a perfomance frame will get to you and you will not enjoy your ride.

 

 

[Slave]

I thought so too.

 

It is a rather lame excuse. Problem is a test ride around the block won't really tell me as much as a 30km test ride.

 

Even so, there should not be any major wear and tear even over a bigger distance. It's not like I want to ride to Cape Town.

 

On my present set of tires (Conti) I have done close on 1000 clicks and they are still in great shape.

 

[slowpoke]

S2L, you'll not get more than an around-the-block test ride unfortunately.

 

as to your "dilema" - trust me you will never have that solved... you start cycling... you get hooked... you upgrade... you upgrade... you upgrade....  and every time the dilema surfaces

[Slave]

OK, so the way things are looking at the moment is:

 

There is a remote possibility that I can get a Monac Frame (ally or ally composite, not Carbon) with a Shimano 105 groupset which is the 2006 spec.

 

Wheels, I am looking at opting for those that have more spokes like on the Raleigh RC 2000.

 

In the alternative, a Raleigh RC6000 prbably also a 2006 spec bike.

 

Any comments?

[Spinnekop]

Do NOT go for the Monoc frame.

I do not know about the support you get in SA but when I had a look at them 5 years ago, they broke like twigs and the guys battled to get their frames replaced......

The Raleigh would be a much saver bet IMHO.

 

Have a look at some of the Alu Trek bikes, Merida and Wheeler.  They are all in the same category as Raleigh.....

[VincentBikes]

OK' date=' so the way things are looking at the moment is:

 

?

 

There is a remote possibility that I can get a Monac Frame (ally or ally composite, not Carbon) with a Shimano 105 groupset which is the 2006 spec.

 

?

 

Wheels, I am looking at opting for those that have more spokes like on the Raleigh RC 2000.

 

?

 

In the alternative, a Raleigh RC6000 prbably also a 2006 spec bike.

 

?

 

Any comments?

[/quote']

 

 

 

Is that the Neon Orange Raleigh with full 105 on it?

[TNT1]

The RC6000... hands down... can't be broken... I tried and tried, it wouldn't die....

[Slave]

 

Is that the Neon Orange Raleigh with full 105 on it?

 

Dunno. I have not seen the bike yet so the colour is unknown.

 

If it is orange, I can see a respray coming before I even ride it. The process is open to many alternatives right now, but we have taken the first few baby steps to moving up from last place in the race to second last.

 

Spidey, is there a basic problem with the Monac frame that would require backup. Are there structural weaknesses that should make me change my mind and rather opt for the raleigh?

 

How often do frames break and what are the chances of this happening?

 

I have heard of carbon frames breaking but not ally composite frames, unless they are seriously abused.

[VincentBikes]

?Is that the Neon Orange Raleigh with full 105 on it?

 

?

 

Dunno. I have not seen the bike yet so the colour is unknown.

 

?

 

If it is orange' date=' I can see a respray coming before I even ride it. The process is open to many alternatives right now, but we have taken the first few baby steps to moving up from last place in the race to second last.

 

?

 

Spidey, is there a basic problem with the Monac frame that would require backup. Are there structural weaknesses that should make me change my mind and rather opt for the raleigh?

 

?

 

How often do frames break and what are the chances of this happening?

 

?

 

I have heard of carbon frames breaking but not ally composite frames, unless they are seriously abused.

[/quote']

 

 

 

I had a 2006 orange one but the colour grew on me. At the end of the day it was a great bike and unbreakable like TNT said. The 105 groupset only needed minor adjustment every now and then. Only changed the 11-23 cassette to 12-25 as I was a bit heavy at that stage.

 

They retailed for about R7400 new.

[TNT1]

 

Do NOT go for the Monoc frame.

I do not know about the support you get in SA but when I had a look at them 5 years ago' date=' they broke like twigs and the guys battled to get their frames replaced......

[/quote']

 

Ya, the broke at about the same rate as Haro's, but at least Haro's got replaced with Raleighs...

 

[Slave]

Thanks Felty.

Whatever bike I get, I might be intersted in getting my hands on that 11. 23 cluster / casette, if you still have it, unless of course you live so far away from JHB that it is more worthwhile to just go and buy myself one.

I have never ridden on a gear cluster of that size, but given that I run out of steam on my 13 25 and only use the smallest 4 cogs, I don't see a problem adapting to an 11 23.

[Spinnekop]

Spidey' date=' is there a basic problem with the Monac frame that would require backup. Are there structural weaknesses that should make me change my mind and rather opt for the raleigh?[/quote']

 

Don't know....like I said.....I had a look at one hanging in a shop about 5-6 years ago and did some research on them.....

Some local team rode the frames and they ALL broke. 

So I decided NOT to go that route.

You will not find the brand in bike shops anymore........so I don't know if there are still a importer in RSA........

 

How often do frames break and what are the chances of this happening?

The question you should ask.....if there is 1% change of the frame breaking at 40km/h around a corner.............would you still buy it?

 

I have heard of carbon frames breaking but not ally composite frames' date=' unless they are seriously abused.

[/quote']

True.

Carbon snaps easy..........but a poorly designed frame made of ANY material snaps easier.......

Why take the chance....

 

Like the guys said.......the RC6000 frames are indistructable.....you can't go wrong...

 

[Red Zone]

The raleigh frames are not great, very flexy for a compact and heavy. I would go for merida, felt, trek. spec'd with 105 and an ok set of wheels

[VincentBikes]

 

Thanks Felty.

Whatever bike I get' date=' I might be intersted in getting my hands on that 11. 23 cluster / casette, if you still have it, unless of course you live so far away from JHB that it is more worthwhile to just go and buy myself one.

I have never ridden on a gear cluster of that size, but given that I run out of steam on my 13 25 and only use the smallest 4 cogs, I don't see a problem adapting to an 11 23. [/quote']

 

RC6000 came with a 52/39 though - had to put a 53 Ultegra Chainring on to get some top end back.

 

[Slave]

My current bike, which I have only recently discovered is about 18 years old, has a 52 chainring up front. Not sure what size the smaller of the two is, but I have never used the smaller one. As in never ever.

Doesn't it defeat the object if you replace an 11 23 with a 12 25 and then put on a bigger chain ring?. In my limited knowledge, you have smaller back gearing to increase top end, coupled with a bigger chain ring.

 

Correct me if I am wrong here, (for I am stil learning), but that seems like an exercise in futility. Put bigger cogs on the back, and then put bigger cogs on the front, because we have lost the top-end speed we used to have on the smaller one.

 

I understand that increasing the front by one tooth is not going to have as dramatic an effect as decreasing the back by one. The combination would be significant, but surely the 11 23 had sufficient gears for you to run on a twelve anyway.

 

Older bikes like mine are 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23. The newer bike will have 9 rear cogs starting at 11 and probably only have tooth incriments of one tooth per cog for the high speed gears and then probably two teeth in the low spped cogs.

 

This is just my simple logic applied to a situation and as I said, I may have to stand corrected.

 

Just seems crazy to change a back cluster and then change the front as well because you lost some top end.

 

Shoot me down gently if you must.