Roadie Question

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DANSPANK

Guest
Since its crappy weather and possibly too wet to ride the trails it would've probably been a good day to get sone road miles....but I don't have a skinny-bike. I'm in the market though. I know a lot of yous guys ride the road and wanted to know if the rim-brakes do well after splashing through puddles and stuff. My last time on a racer was many moons ago and wet brakes meant certain death. I'm assuming that technology has caught-up though.

If not then are there any multiple-geared road bikes with disc brakes? In the thread "What's the word" with the inspirational guy, his bike has disc brakes but is just a single speed. I'm looking to build up some road hill miles so wil definitely need the granny gear - and likely some of her friends too!

Thanks for the feedback in advance!
 

walter

Fourth Party
I dont own a road bike, but I know Cannondale makes a cross bike with discs, I would think all you would have to do is swap the tires
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
Dan, you could get a 29er mtb and have the best of both worlds. the rims are just wide 700c rims. so you could build one up with disks and gears, and then run fairly narrow road tires, cross tires, or 29er mtb tires on it. total versatility.
 

heythorp

New Member
Since its crappy weather and possibly too wet to ride the trails it would've probably been a good day to get sone road miles....but I don't have a skinny-bike. I'm in the market though. I know a lot of yous guys ride the road and wanted to know if the rim-brakes do well after splashing through puddles and stuff. My last time on a racer was many moons ago and wet brakes meant certain death. I'm assuming that technology has caught-up though.

If not then are there any multiple-geared road bikes with disc brakes? In the thread "What's the word" with the inspirational guy, his bike has disc brakes but is just a single speed. I'm looking to build up some road hill miles so wil definitely need the granny gear - and likely some of her friends too!

Thanks for the feedback in advance!


i put 2 hours in on the road today in the rain. Do the brakes work? yes, do they work as good as when its dry? no

When on the road in less then favorable conditions it is important to pull back a bit on the throttle. Dont bomb down hills like you normally would, start slowing down for stops signs and lights sooner. Dont take turns as hard as you normally would.

Watch out for painted lines and tar fixes on the road. They become extremely slick.

I have not seen a full geared bike with disks on it, but i am sure their is a solution out there somewhere. I dont think they are necessary but that is something you need to decide for your self.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
When on the road in less then favorable conditions it is important to pull back a bit on the throttle. Dont bomb down hills like you normally would, start slowing down for stops signs and lights sooner. Dont take turns as hard as you normally would.

I'll second this. Really you just need to take it a little easier. The brakes work fine. Nowhere near certain death.

But ask yourself this question. If you buy a road bike are you going to want to take it out in crappy weather? I did for a while and it was a nightmare to keep clean. If you primary function is bad weather, maybe look into a junker bike or maybe the solution Sean (anrothar) put forward.
 

ryderX

Well-Known Member
Any new 'decent" road bike will have brakes that are perfectly adequate for a wet road ride. I've done 1000's of miles in horrible conditions on the road, up to and including snow and have never had a problem. Whether or not you want to ride a nice new road bike in the rain is another question. My "winter" training road bike is a Redline Conquest pro 'cross bike with a compact crank set and avid disc brakes, and it seems to be the perfect bike for crappy wet, salted and sand covered roads, it also lets me ride the rail beds when the impulse strikes. I don't how long it's been since you've ridden a road bike, but the technology has grown by leaps and bounds in respect to braking, shifting and wheels/tires. I'd go to a few local bike shops and let them know up front what your concerns are, and try to get a few demo rides on a bunch of different bikes i.e.: road bikes, 'cross bikes, 29's, etc. . Good luck.
 
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DANSPANK

Guest
Thanks for the feedback chaps.

The main focus to to improve my endurance levels. I keep reading "ride more often" but I can't get to the trails after work during the week. I could easily get some road miles in though. But on days like today when it's perhaps too wet on the trails, I would jump on the road bike.

I've been hitting the spin classes and can feel the difference. I'm not the fastest guy on the trails but I can kick the arse off people in the spin classs! Nice, I like! But I doubt that's any substitute for road miles so I'm determined to get started on a skinny too.

Hey, sorry I missed the Morritown drinking session - I wasn't around at the time. I'll keep an I out for the next one!
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
you can always get a trainer for around 2 bills delivered right to your door. throw a slick on your real rim and you are all ready to go.
 
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