Messages

1

Gear Talk / The Trouble With Trailers

« on: April 19, 2005, 01:05:14 am »

A friend of mine recently bought a Burley trailer. He took it out this weekend and said there is a constant banging with each pedal stroke as the momentum from the trailer bangs into the bike. I've never used one of these so I really don't know whats going on, but I told him I'd post a msg here to see if anyone knows how to resolve this (aside from buying panniers like I tried to tell him in the first place!) Is there a way to use rubber isolation mounts to dampen the tugging and banging, or is this just something that takes some getting used to?

2

Gear Talk / Dependability of STI shifters?

« on: February 15, 2004, 04:13:45 pm »

Another question for the experienced touring cyclists out there ... several of the responses to my previous question about Cannondale (and the STI shifter) vs. Bruce Gordon (and the bar end friction shift) comment on the serviceability factor of broken STI shifters on the road in the middle of no where. I have virtually NO experience (yet) as a touring cyclist, but have logged thousands of miles as a roadie. I've had problems with things breaking before - chains, a cheap rear derailleur, and spokes. I've bent rims and worn out brake pads, saddles, cassettes and lots of tires. But I've never had an STI shifter fail. Is this something that is frequently experienced by long distance touring cyclists? Again, I have never ridden a bike with bar-end friction shift so I plead total ignorance of these things. I'm just trying to understand how big of a factor the shift mechanism type should be in determining which touring bike I should buy.

Thanks again,
Dan

3

Gear Talk / Cannondale T2000 vs. Bruce Gordon BLT ???

« on: February 12, 2004, 02:29:09 am »

Interesting ... I've got a friend that swears by his Cannondales. I am intrigued by the Rivendell suggestion though. I'm not in a major hurry to buy right away, so the added cost is no big deal. If that's the bike that looks like my best choice, I can wait another year.

4

Gear Talk / Cannondale T2000 vs. Bruce Gordon BLT ???

« on: February 10, 2004, 10:56:54 pm »

Excellent feedback, folks. Thanks! I looked again at the Cannondale specs. The Crankset listed is a TruVatiV Firex 28/38/48 and they use a Shimano 105 derailleur. I found a source for another TruVatiV Firex crankset that comes in 22/32/44T, so if the derailleur works for that small of a chainring, it sounds like a solution.
There really isn't that much difference in cost between the Cannondale T2000 and the Bruce Gordon BLT - less than a hundred dollars.
As far as the ability to shift while out of the saddle goes .... I can't ever remember shifting while out of the saddle! Of course, I haven't ridden in mountains yet (lotsa very steep hills, but no actual mountains), so maybe that's where that particular feature would be useful???
I'm still undecided, though. Maybe I'll try to find a bike with bar-end shifters I can test ride.

5

Gear Talk / Cannondale T2000 vs. Bruce Gordon BLT ???

« on: February 07, 2004, 06:03:11 pm »

Hello,
I've been saving money for a long distance loaded touring bike for some time now & I'm getting close to making that purchase. Hoping to do self-supported trips in the mountains and elsewhere. Also hoping to do some touring in Europe, but that's a few years away. Anyway, I had pretty much decided on buying a Bruce Gordon BLT because of the good reputation and low gears, but I read a review from a person that didn't like the bar-end shifters. I'm really comfortable with STI shifters myself and fear that this would be a problem for me too, so I started looking around again. The Cannondale T2000 is starting to look like the better choice for me, but the gearing isn't quite as low. Does anyone have any experience they would like to share regarding either of these choices?

Thanks,
YellowTrek (Dan)

6

Routes / Winter Park, CO roads???

« on: June 19, 2004, 01:40:06 am »

My wife (a non-cyclist) has organized a family vacation in the Winter Park , CO area next month. Being a flatlander from IL, I'm anxious to take my road bike and tackle some serious climbs. All of the info on the web that I find when I search for 'cycling' and 'Winter Park' is of the Mtn Biking variety, I plan to sample a little of that too, but as a hard-core roadie, I'm really hoping to find some nice routes around the area. Anyone out there familar enough with that area to advise where the good roads are for climbing?

THANKS!