[gsweet]

So after a few road rides with friends/family, I decided to make the foray into road biking official; a budget bike! The "grad student special" began with an afternoon spent cleaning up an old mountain steed, and traded it in for a decent frame/fork/wheels. Thanks to the monkey (and James), I acquired everything else I needed (plus some) to finish up the build. So, without further ado, I present to you the best 250 dollars I've ever spent...(aside from that hooker).

Thanks again, James!

 

[Serial Midget]

Better than the can of Pork & Beans I rode in school.

 

[KavuRider]

Nice ride! You'll have a lot of fun on that.

 

[gsweet]

took it out for a spin today and it's a little big for me, but quite nice...needs some lovin' in the derailleur department once the cables finish stretching, but it promises to be a sweet little number.

 

[ire]

Nice! Talk about stretching your dollar!

 

[CBJ]

Nice I got my first road bike in a very long time this year and I wish I had done it sooner. More bike time, I'm in the best shape I have bee in 10 years and my cholesterol is much lower too.

 

[James]

Looking really good man! Glad it came together so well, time to enjoy the Autumn weather!

 

[dhmike]

money well spent .

 

[gsweet]

so an update, of sorts. after a few rides, it became clear that the 56-57cm lemond frame was a bit long for me (i'm funny shaped: long legs/short torso) so i went on the hunt. luckily, my broke-as-hell-student approach landed me a pretty sweet looking frame today on the cheap, though i've not really heard of them (cyfac?). either way, it's light, looks pretty nice and might actually fit me...so i'm damn excited!

a question though: the bars i've been using are 46cm and are far too large. i've poked around the internet a bit and have found multiple ways of measuring out a bar width, but what would you experienced sorts recommend for someone with fairly narrow shoulders (<40cm).

 

[Serial Midget]

I would not settle for a bar that was more than 1" wider than your shoulder with, particularly if your riding style requires use of the drops. The closer the match the higher the comfort.

 

[gsweet]

I would not settle for a bar that was more than 1" wider than your shoulder with, particularly if your riding style requires use of the drops. The closer the match the higher the comfort.

is this from personal experience with fitting bars, or is this a "standard" of sorts? the reason i ask is that i am odd shaped, and i find that the standard approach generally doesn't work for me. i grabbed a tape measure and measured "point to point" on my shoulders: 37cm on the button. i can't find much in the way of bars slimmer than 40. good enough?

 

[Serial Midget]

is this from personal experience with fitting bars, or is this a "standard" of sorts? the reason i ask is that i am odd shaped, and i find that the standard approach generally doesn't work for me. i grabbed a tape measure and measured "point to point" on my shoulders: 37cm on the button. i can't find much in the way of bars slimmer than 40. good enough?

Personal - I like wide mtb bars but not on a road bike; bars that are too wide in the drop will not support your shoulders and cause fatigue pretty fast. The top of the bars are not angled - using the bar top for primary support forces your wrist into unnatural angles, pinching nerves and restricting blood flow. Road bars are designed for vertical gripping, flat or riser bars are for horizontal gripping.

Your bar needs to be comfortable and supportive in the drops and on (or just before) the hoods.

 

[gsweet]

Personal - I like wide mtb bars but not on a road bike; bars that are too wide in the drop will not support your shoulders and cause fatigue pretty fast. The top of the bars are not angled - using the bar top for primary support forces your wrist into unnatural angles, pinching nerves and restricting blood flow. Road bars are designed for vertical gripping, flat or riser bars are for horizontal gripping.

Your bar needs to be comfortable and supportive in the drops and on (or just before) the hoods.

thanks SM. seeing as i can't find anything slimmer than 40cm, i'll probably just grab a set of those when i can for cheap...again, thanks for the info!

 

[Serial Midget]

Good luck!

 

[maddog17]

so an update, of sorts. after a few rides, it became clear that the 56-57cm lemond frame was a bit long for me (i'm funny shaped: long legs/short torso) so i went on the hunt. luckily, my broke-as-hell-student approach landed me a pretty sweet looking frame today on the cheap, though i've not really heard of them (cyfac?).

nice pickup with the Cyfac!! they're a French company, been building frames for a long time. many a famous rider have ridden their frames with other company names on them due to team sponsorship problems. they do a lot of custom building too, they have their own "fit" system too. Lemonds used to be sort of "square" geo... like 56x56 etc so it doesn't surprise me that it didn't fit you if your short up top. good luck with the Cyfac and post a pic when it's rebuilt.

 

[gsweet]

nice pickup with the Cyfac!! they're a French company, been building frames for a long time. many a famous rider have ridden their frames with other company names on them due to team sponsorship problems. they do a lot of custom building too, they have their own "fit" system too. Lemonds used to be sort of "square" geo... like 56x56 etc so it doesn't surprise me that it didn't fit you if your short up top. good luck with the Cyfac and post a pic when it's rebuilt.

sweet! thanks for the history lesson, too...i'll get some pics of the frame up hopefully during respite from my thesis this thanksgiving.

 

[tandem3bike@mai]

.., .., i am new here.. nice bike... i will post my stuff soon.. it looks like yours.. lol

tandem cycles for sale
tandem bikes

 

[gsweet]

so as promised, pics of the whole shebang as it sits now...

after sitting on it and getting a feel for the fit, i think the cyfac frame geo is going to be much better than the lemond. coincidentally, does anyone want a 56-57cm lemond with a bunch of extra parts?

 

[MMcG]

I like the paint scheme on that thing. Cool F'in bike!

 

[gsweet]

doneski! now i just have to wait for the snow to melt so i can take her out for a spin

 

[ire]

Nice! Any indoor parking garages you could take it for a spin in?

 

[gsweet]

Nice! Any indoor parking garages you could take it for a spin in?

non that i know of at the moment. the outskirts of boston are not really conducive to indoor parking lot testing, i'm sorry to say

 

[gsweet]

I figured I'd give this thread an update, now that I've had some time in the saddle. Still making the fine adjustments (seating position, stem length, etc), but so far the bike is wonderful. Now that it's getting warmer, I'm using it as a commuter and the frame is impressively supple for aluminum. That said, my only experience with road frames is carbon fiber, but this compares quite well actually. Getting out of the saddle and really pumping the gears is hindered only by my lack of physique and the fact that I'm running a completely incompatible (and low end) drive chain. There's no flex in the BB area like the Lemond frame I previously owned, so that's a big plus. Other than that, bike fits great, feels great, and is half the weight of any other bike I've ever owned!

Enjoy the warm weather!

 

[TreeSaw]

Looks great and sounds like you are enjoying the new steed!