Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley I don’t know if it’s the fact that the grand tour season kicked off last week with the Giro d’Italia, or if it was the arrival of Bike Month (Colorado’s isn’t until June), or if the weather suddenly improved. Whatever the reason, I’ve been fielding lots of questions from folks shopping for new road bikes.
This season is a great time to shop for a new road machine because you have more choices than ever. But more choices can mean more confusion. So, I thought I’d try to help by sharing some very basic buying advice I’ve been doling out for the questions I hear the most.
If you’re the expert in your riding group and enjoy providing shopping advice, please weigh in with your tips by sharing your comments below this article.
To start off, my most important advice for new road bike buyers is following these three rules.
- In order to ensure you get a quality road bike, thoroughly vet the place you plan to buy from, whether it’s a retail bicycle store, chain or online supplier. Their are counterfeit bicycles out there, poor quality copies and many other scams. I always recommend buying from a local bicycle store you know and trust, or one that someone you know and trust told you to buy from. That way you’ll get a great bike and have a reliable place to bring it when you need service and support.
- Make sure that the new bike fits you properly – and this includes the frame, saddle, handlebars and stem. This is another reason to buy from a bicycle shop with the knowledge to set you up right.
- And, thoroughly test ride every new bike you’re thinking of purchasing. Only buy a new road bike if you love how it rides as soon as you start riding it. There are huge differences in ride quality and you want a new rig that feels fantastic from the first pedal stroke. If a bike feels meh, move on until you find the one that feels like it could sail down the road without any help from you. (A bad riding bike isn’t going to ride better with use.)
Questions And Answers
Should I Buy a Carbon, Titanium, Aluminum or Steel Bicycle?
As I said in my opening rules, a proper fit and a fantastic ride trump any specific frame material. So, keep that in mind when shopping and don’t buy a bike no matter how great the frame material sounds or how sweet a deal you can get on it unless it fits and rides like a dream.
But, let’s say that you find bikes in different frame materials that fit perfectly and ride wonderfully, too. How to choose? At that point it comes down to the details, things that only you can decide, such as the appearance, price point or the components on the bike.
The bottom line is that there are great road bikes in all of these frame materials. And, all the frame materials keep improving, too, so it’s not like there’s a risk of buying a “bad” frame.
Should I Get Carbon Or Aluminum Rim Wheels?
After the frame, wheels make the biggest difference in ride quality. But, it’s not the material the wheels are made of that matters, it’s the design of the wheels.
To get the best ride quality, what you want are wheels that feature reliable and light rims. Wheels with 400 gram aluminum rims will feel livelier than wheels with 600 gram carbon rims, for example. So, you have to do a little homework and look at wheels closely.
If the bicycle specifications don’t list the rim weight, try to find the brand and model of rim and see if you can look the weight up on the company that made the rim’s website. Knowledgeable salespeople should be able to tell you, too.
Note that one advantage of disc brake road bikes is that their wheels don’t require braking surfaces on the rims. This allows companies to spec thinner and lighter rims on these bikes. But don’t take it for granted that the wheels are light and lively. Check the specs and make sure.
How Important Are Road Tubeless Tires?
Many road bikes today come with “tubeless-ready” road tires. The salesperson might tell you this or you might see it in the catalog specs or even read it on the sides of the tires on the bike.
What tubeless-ready means is that if you wish, you can run the tires on the bikes without tubes inside the tires. To do this, the tire is removed, a special valve stem is placed in the wheel, a sealing liquid is put inside the tire and it’s reinstalled.
Trading sealant for a tube like this helps prevent flat tires, because the sealant will rush to and plug small punctures before much air escapes. It also allows running slightly lower tire pressures for a softer, more comfortable ride.
While they cost more than non-tubeless rubber, some riders love tubeless tires. Others say they feel no difference in ride quality. Recently, none other than Goodyear entered the bicycle tire market and announced their new Tubeless Complete road tires, which do not require sealant or special rims.
Because they cost more and give you the option of trying riding tubeless, I think it’s worth it to look for tubeless tires on your new bike. Other considerations are that most mountain bikers ride tubeless and all car tires are tubeless. I think road tubeless will be here to stay eventually.
Which Are Better, Rim or Disc Brakes?
There are pros and cons to both types of road bike brakes and in my judgment, which to buy comes down to where and how you ride. Road disc brakes have improved significantly already in the short time since they first appeared. The feel at the lever, modulation and reliability of the best discs will amaze you. And, it’s impressive how manufacturers are neatly attaching the brakes to frames and hiding the hoses, too.
However, longtime roadies may not like the look of the rotors on the hubs and beefy forks and rear stays that have to be reinforced to withstand the new braking forces there. Most discs are moving to through axles, too, which look streamlined and cool to some but annoy others because they require carrying a wrench and make wheels less quick release.
In my opinion, this decision should be based on your riding and skill level. Anyone timid on descents will love disc brakes. Ditto for those who ride in the rain a lot, or especially for gravel riding.
Note that there are signs that the industry is moving away from rim brakes, or just making fewer bikes with them. So, if you’re a traditionalist, you may want to buy that new rim brake road bike sometime soon.
It Costs More, But Is It Worth It To Get Electric Shifting?
This is difficult to answer and in my opinion, like the other choices only the buyer can decide. If you’re interested, I recommend trying some different electric shifting systems.
Having ridden a lot on several different electric shifting bikes, I highly appreciate the advantages. For example, your hands never tire because you just press a button, the motor does the shifting. Also, the derailleurs remain in adjustment. You never need to make a cable tension adjustment. And, front derailleur shifts are super fast and precise.
But, maybe the best part is showing friends who have no idea bicycles have gone robotic and marvel at the little chirp sound as the derailleurs seemingly move on their own. And, few experts would argue that the sweetest looking road bicycles today are those set up with Sram’s eTap electric drivetrain because there are no wires or cables. It’s possible because wireless technology is used to send the shift signal from levers to motorized derailleurs.
However, even with the gee whiz technology, it’s tough to beat good old cable shifting. Because you can shift with as much aggression as you want, you can still make rear shifts more quickly. Plus, you never have to charge a battery before a ride as can happen with electric bikes – always annoys me like heading out and noticing that my iPhone is about to die.
And, old fashioned cable shifting systems don’t change much year to year. Electric shifting so far has been a little like cell phone technology in that it changes – which might mean difficulty fixing a system a few years down the road.
Hopefully, my answers here help with your all important buying decision. Thanks for tuning in and please share your advice with a comment.
Ride total: 8,905
Next Article: Garneau Equipe Shorts, Bibs and Equipe 2 Jersey Review
For me, the compelling argument for electronic shifters is zero risk of snapping a shifter cable and being stuck in the 11. That’s happened to me multiple times on century-plus events, and it was worth the extra cost to eliminate that risk.
On the other hand, with mechanical shifters, there is zero risk of having a battery die and being stuck in the 11! [grin]
IMO, there is no such thing as a good aluminum road bike. the other materials mentioned all have their pros and cons.
avoid carbon clincher rims that use rim brakes. you are asking too much of the rim, and the penalty for rim failure is huge.
The above article was spot on. It all depends on what type of rider you are and what you want to get out of cycling. When in my teens through age 35 I was into racing big time. From age 36 to 55 club rides then to touring. Now at age 70 I’m into cycling just for fun and fitness. I still love steel bikes, cable shifting, bomb proof gears, wheels, and tires (some times just for the heck of it I ride on sew-up tires).
I think it is important advice, particularly for those new to cycling, balance cost with benefit. Is the additional cost of a carbon frame over an good aluminum frame of value to the rider? I think this is especially true when weighing in on mechanical shifting vs. electronic shifting.
Several additional considerations:
1. What size tire does the frame accommodate? With the trend toward more mixed terrain riding, being able to fit a 35mm or even 40mm tire makes a bike a lot more versatile (and paired with disc brakes, provides better stopping and flexibility to run a 650b wheel). With two wheelsets, it’s easy to go from a pure road ride to something that includes a lot of dirt, even mild single track.
2. Through-axles don’t necessarily require a tool to remove–2 of my 3 through-axle bikes allow the axles to be removed by hand.
After 35 years riding Campy, I have switched to etap. I had crashed my bike which crunched my nine-speed brake levers (specifically, I came around a curve too fast and hit the side of cliff; nine fractures) so I decided it was time to upgrade my Merlin Extralight (2001). The shifting is incredible and the bike looks very nice. When I went to the shop to pick it up, people were gathered around it admiring the clean lines and bare Ti frame.
NICE!!!
I love TI. Steel will corrode and anything with paint is easily scraped up. After a recent trip where my wife’s new Trek 720 and my old Salsa Fargo TI were handled by various shuttles her new bike looked like it have been in battle and my bike looked just as good as before the trip.
Having ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway several times with rim brakes I would definitely go for disc brakes.
ELectronic shifters are definitely a non-essential luxury, but they sure are cool. I got ETAP five months ago, and I’ve been loving them more every day.
I wrote up my observations in my Killa’s Garage blog: http://www.killasgarage.bike/uncategorized/sram-etap-wireless-electronic-shifting-is-pretty-cool/
Bit confused about the Goodyear tires. If they don’t require a special rim or sealant, then how are they “tubeless?” Can I put them on my “regular” rims? If so, how?
Hi Paulie, to install the new Goodyear Complete tubeless tires, you will install a rim tape that seals your rim, such as those made by Stan’s. You will also install a tubeless valve (Stan’s makes these, too). Once your wheel is setup like this, you can just put the Goodyear tire on your rim and pump it up and go ride. Note that these are brand new tires and I haven’t had a chance to try them yet. So we won’t know how well they work until we have a chance to try them.
So Jim,
Once this ‘system’ is setup and I wear out the rear tire, will any tubeless tire work or will I need to stick with Goodyear?
I would have added some discussion of geometry to your list: racing vs endurance or even touring geometry. Lot less of an issue if you use a local bike shop, but you still should have an idea of what you are looking for. The gravel category in particular covers a very wide range of geometry.
In that same direction I would have also discussed maximum tire width, you can always put on narrower tires but not wider.
Tom, great point.
I wouldn’t want to buy an ultra-stiff, short wheelbase crit bike to ride in too many centuries 🙂
Enjoyed the article on bicycle feature choices — and there are many.
My input is noting that upgrading to electronic shifting 3 years ago did more to rejuvenate my enjoyment of cycling than any other consideration. I have Shimano Di2. The inconvenience and time involvement of attention and adjustments to cables and derailleurs for this individual who just wants to enjoy cycling was markedly reduced (if not eliminated) by this technology. I would argue it is a greater benefit, and money well spent, for the individual who is less than an avid cyclist, allowing one to focus on the ride rather than the mechanical.
Advice to take a test ride on any bicycle that you want to buy is good, but generally cannot be done. It is impossible for shops to carry every bicycle in every size and as most shops go to a limited inventory it is impossible to actually take a test ride on high-end bikes. You have to trust the shop and the brand name and do a lot of reading of reviews then order the bicycle that you think will be for you and hope that all works out.
Jim: One thing that might have been mentioned is that in almost every city there is one (or more) person(s) who build bikes and that this can be a much less expensive option to buying a new bike (I know, we should support our local bike shops and I do often – but I would rather see someone ride a quality bike than not ride because of cost).
I know a person who builds bikes, buying a known brand frame in new to excellent condition and building it up from there with new or near new components. Yes, the frame may be a couple of years old but he can usually build such a bike for 30-40% of the cost of the new bike (he is retired and does not charge for his time – it is his hobby). He then fits the rider and offers a 30 day money back guarantee (so the buyer has a real chance to test the bike) and will also change out components (e.g., saddles; stems, et.al.) and make adjustments as necessary to ensure a proper fit and comfort.
Maybe this comment should fall more under an article about “used” bike purchases.
Another reason to go to a good, local shop. I recently purchased a new bike. The process started with an evaluation/bike fit on a fully adjustable stationary fitting ‘machine’, to define the geometry that would result in max efficiency/power. Once the geometry was set there was a review of frames from different makers to find the one(s) that best matched the theoretical optimum geometry. End result was that I did not buy the bike that that I coveted at the start of the process. Worked out great for me.
Lastly, to emphasize what several folks already mentioned, be sure to discuss with the shop what kind of riding you want to do: I.e., race, commute, distance, mixed terrain, etc. This should really be the first question the shop asks, certainly before asking your budget.
My 1970 Peugeot AO8 with cottered cranks, five speed freewheel and 27″ steel (yep, steel) rims was just fine on a recent ride when my newest bike, a Norco Search carbon with Ultegra 2X11 speed mechanical STI, was under repair. It ain’t about the bike…