Bikes designed for road use only. Could be any road-only bike, but typically means bikes optimized for speed / racing / club rides with drop handlebars, narrow tires and a crouched-forward rider position.
16
votes
9answers
20k views
What pressure should I run my Road Bike tyres at?
There's a question for mountain bike tyres but I can't seem to find anything on here for road bikes. At the moment I'm running at around 90psi. Is that too much? too little? Also, am I more likely to ...
21
votes
3answers
9k views
How do I know when to replace my tires?
The treads on my road bike's 28C tires are almost completely gone—they only persist along the shoulders of the tire. Do the treads matter? What is a good indicator of when the tire as a whole needs ...
19
votes
8answers
16k views
How do on-road mountain bike speeds translate to road bike speeds?
When cycling on roads on my mountain bike, I generally get around 10-12 miles per hour on a flat surface.
What sort of speeds can I expect to get on a road bike?
14
votes
7answers
5k views
What is the biggest component difference between a cheap road bike and an expensive road bike?
I am shopping around for road bikes now, and I wanted to know what components to look for. I am not talking about the frame, carbon or otherwise, I mean types of shifters, brakes, cranks, rims, etc.
20
votes
5answers
2k views
what makes a good entry level road bike?
I've been riding a mountain bike for years, but I prefer to go longer distances on paved ground, so I think a road bike would be better. When I ask what is a good bike, I don't need brands/models - ...
20
votes
7answers
2k views
How long should a road tyre hold its pressure?
How long should a road tyre be able to maintain a pressure of around 100psi, and what factors are likely to reduce this time?
Background:
My tyre pressures are consistently dropping to around 60psi ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
What should I look for when buying a used bicycle?
I'm moving to a city where I can ride a bicycle to the grocery store, coffee shop etc. I want to purchase a decent used bicycle. I'm leaning towards a bike that's in between a "10-speed" or road-bike ...
4
votes
6answers
451 views
How do I estimate how long it will take me to ride my commute?
How can a cyclist, new to commuting by bike and not all that experienced in riding, estimate how long a commute will take?
I have been riding for 4 days to and from work. 156km over over 4 days. I'd ...
2
votes
1answer
881 views
Shimano 105 early- to mid-1990s SLR groupset on eBay worth it for 70s SuperCycle rebuild?
Is the below groupset a good value for this frame?
I picked up a vintage SuperCycle Medalist frame (I'm guessing 1970s) and am looking to make a comfortable but capable bike for commuting and ...
1
vote
2answers
133 views
Bike fitting in the UK
As an keen but casual touring cyclist I'm interested in getting a little more competitive and also keeping myself comfortable over longer distances. So I'm considering getting professionally fitted, ...
20
votes
5answers
5k views
How often should I lube my chain?
I ride less than 200 miles a week, and I'm at about the 200 mile mark on my new road bike. Most of my riding is done on the road in an urban city, so there is a lot of odd, unnatural debris. My LBS ...
15
votes
4answers
4k views
How do I make sure my bike's the proper size?
I recently received a used road bike. I took it to a bike shop where they told me the seat and handlebars had to be raised for my height, so I had them make the adjustments. I now have trouble getting ...
12
votes
12answers
26k views
Converting a MTB to a Road Bike
I just bought a new MTB and am planning to change my previous MTB into a Road Bike.
How do I do it? What kind of parts do I need to change or add or remove?
I am not looking to for a full ...
9
votes
3answers
9k views
Upgrading straight handlebars to drop handlebars
I have a two-and-a-half year old Giant FCR 3 (with a road-bike-like frame and thin tires; it's somewhere in the loosely-defined "hybrid" range) that I use to commute to work, twenty-five miles ...
7
votes
6answers
858 views
Is it possible to estimate road grade while riding?
It would be nice to be able to estimate the grade of a road while riding, even if the estimate is not completely accurate. With a GPS, in theory it should be possible in theory to ride a short ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What are the positions on drop bars called?
I've heard the different places to put your hands on drop bars given different names, like "hoods" which I think is the flat part on top or maybe the brake levers, or "drops", referring to the lowest ...
3
votes
1answer
315 views
Will a road brake lever work with a v-brake?
I'm planning on changing my commuter handlebar to a drop handlebar. As the diameters are different, I need to know if the new brake lever will work with the existing v-brakes.
(My intention is to ...
3
votes
2answers
705 views
How do I evaluate the quality of a road bike?
I am specifically looking at a Fuji Finest Womans road bike - 51cm. I am not sure what year it is. The ad description says:
Women's specific geometry, 51 cm
Shimano Sora, Ritchey stem, ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
Road Shifters, Mountain Rear Derailleur?
I have a road/cyclocross/commuter frame that is currently spec'd with road components - all Shimano 105, with an Ultegra rear derailleur.
The cassette (10 spd) tops out at 27 teeth, and the rear ...
10
votes
7answers
4k views
What is the best bicycle lock on the market?
What is the best bicycle lock on the market, defined by:
Best security
Easiest usability when securing your bike
Easiest method of transport
Lightest without other compromises
Edit:
In addition, ...
54
votes
13answers
7k views
Why don't road bikes have disc brakes?
Window shopping for road bikes, can't see many that have disc brakes, any reason for this?
6
votes
2answers
2k views
Proper Posture on a flat bar road bike
I've been commuting on a flat bar road bike for a couple of years now. The ride feels comfortable but whenever I see myself riding I always think my posture is wonky.
Is there a guide somewhere or ...
14
votes
7answers
10k views
How often should I change road bike tyres?
My road bike has now done 500 miles, but unlike cars, I've no idea how often the tyres should be changed. It's used on normal road conditions. The brow of the tyre is now smooth.
How do I know if my ...
17
votes
7answers
7k views
Am I too heavy for my road bike tires?
I am wondering if bike tires have a weight limit. I have to admit, I am a large guy at 6'3" 250lb (190 cm, 113,5 kg), and I have always had issues with my road bike's tires getting pinch flats. I ...
14
votes
11answers
32k views
Can I use a cyclocross bike for regular road-biking purposes?
I want to race cyclocross, and I also want to ride some longer rides out on the road. Can I buy a cyclocross bike and use it for both cyclocross and some serious road rides (I'm talking century type ...
13
votes
3answers
851 views
Is there something particularly wrong with exclusively riding a mountain bike in a city setting?
I live in Davis, and I ride bikes simply for commuting around the university and around town. My last bike is a hand-me-down from my sister's friend over 6 years ago; it's pretty much on it's last ...
11
votes
7answers
2k views
What is the simplest way to lower the gearing on my touring bike?
I have a 2004 Jamis Aurora with a 52/42/30 triple and an 11-32 cassette in the back. 30x32 (25.3 gear inches) being the lowest gear is frustrating for the hilly terrain where I live (e.g., 7% grade ...
5
votes
4answers
719 views
Choosing lights for my bike
I recently bought a bike and I'm looking at getting some lights for riding at night. I live pretty well lit city so I would just want them to make me more visible to drivers. What kind of things ...
3
votes
3answers
313 views
Muscle spasms while riding?
I've ridden 90 KM (and at reasonable speeds - 30+ KM/h) without issues, but rode my first Gran Fondo (140 KM) and experienced various spasms while riding. There were aid stations with food so I ate ...
3
votes
6answers
9k views
Is a 51cm frame road bike the correct size for someone almost 6ft?
Looking for some advice on my first road bike.
I've had my eye on a Carerra Virtuoso for about 6 months now, they haven't budged from £350, however I've just spotted one on ebay second hand.
None of ...
16
votes
2answers
7k views
What height should drop handlebars be - relative to my saddle?
I've done most of my cycling with flat handle bars on a mountain bike. I'd like to start commuting to work though and am considering getting a road bike with drop handle bars.
The thing is though, I ...
12
votes
7answers
2k views
How should I approach hills?
I've been biking to work 2-3 times/week this summer and I enjoy it for the most part. My big problem is that my ride is mostly downhill on the way in to work and mostly uphill on the way home. These ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
I keep breaking my road frames - why?
I've gone through four frames in the last decade or so, all from different manufacturers, all steel but both lugged and welded. Every one of them has eventually developed a crack, been repaired and ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
Mountain Bike on Paved Roads
I'm an occasional biker. I bought a mountain bike (nothing fancy) with the idea that I might use it off-road or on mountain trails (of which there are many here in Calgary). However, since I've bought ...
10
votes
5answers
1k views
Looking for a first race worthy road bike - What should I look for?
I am a runner and have been getting into biking just to add some additional flavor to my workout schedule and racing. I am wondering what I should look for when purchasing a new road bike.
Is the ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of turbo trainers and rollers?
In a previous question I asked what I need to know about turbo trainers, but several answers mentioned the use of rollers. What are the pros and cons of turbo trainers and rollers?
10
votes
1answer
502 views
How can I tell which road bike components/groupsets are better?
Shimano has new models of their groupsets every year but the lines generally keep the same names. This makes it difficult to figure out what year/version a particular bike has. Is there an easy way to ...
8
votes
1answer
726 views
How often should I strip my bike down?
How often should I give my bike a full service? Strip the bottom bracket, clean and grease it. Strip the groupset and freewheel.
And what products (or type of) should be used for each process?
It's ...
6
votes
11answers
5k views
What is considered the maximum safe downhill speed on a road bike?
I've heard between 30-40mph, but I am pretty sure I have hit 45 and felt safe and in solid control of my bike. If you look down and see you are above XXmph, you decide it is time to put on the ...
6
votes
3answers
528 views
Looking for orange tyres
I'm looking for a pair of folding, orange training tires, size should be 700x23C.
I'd like to have only an orange stripe, not the whole tire.
Can you recommend some model?
5
votes
1answer
247 views
How feasible is it to transfer modern (2010) components to a 90s frame (road bike)
My 2010 aluminum frame may be toast (stripped bottom bracket) and I was considering getting an older chro-mo frame and transferring the components to it. It's a racing/sport style with drop bars and ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How to get more tire clearance with caliper brakes?
I've discovered the brakes on my Bike Friday Tikit don't allow for enough clearance to run Schwalbe Marathon tires. The bike - a folding bike with 16" rims - ships with Kojak treadless tires. It looks ...
5
votes
1answer
670 views
Android/EVO bike mount recommendations
Does anyone have experience mounting an EVO phone on the handlebars of a road bike?
3
votes
2answers
128 views
Disassembly and Shipping of bike
I have a road bike lying around in a garage in California. I would like to use it here in Illinois. However, there's no one out there who can disassemble and pack the bike for me in California, ...
3
votes
3answers
258 views
What do I need to know about Turbo Trainers?
I'm about to get hold of my first turbo trainer (borrowing it from my triathlon club). Before I start, what do I need to know about turbo trainers?
2
votes
4answers
347 views
What will happen to a roadbike when rode on broken tar?
I am planning to buy a bicycle (either road-bike or MTB). I personally prefer road-bike.
I have to travel on broken tar to reach a smooth tar road.
On an average I will cycle 200 km per week out of ...
1
vote
3answers
625 views
Efficient gear shifting
I've recent purchased a road bike bit of a classic with the downtube shifters, lugged steel frame etc etc.
Before I mainly road my fixie, thou I do have another geared bike, but it left a bit to ...
