road cyclists?

I sold this
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/arcticcatmatt/bike1.jpg

And just bought this
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2005/archive/1000
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/arcticcatmatt/trek.jpg

Dackler (mountain biker) gave me a few good online links for parts. Do you guys have any more?

What is the newenough.com of road bike gear :)

ebay

Sorry I always went through my cycling team or my team shop so I don't really have any good online shops that I could offer. What are you looking for?

Online is a good place to get parts but a mom & pop is better. You may end up paying a bit more but when you find a good shop, the perks outweigh the 10-20% you save by buying online. I've gotten free riding clothes, food, service, wheels trued, etc. all because I took the time and money to build a raport with a local shop.

I have a few things on my list, pedals, shoes, aero bars, maybe a new shirt.

I am going to the local shop today to get a new tube (and a spare), presta adapter, 2 rolls of handlebar tape, and who knows what else.

The local shop here is a college town shop and has horrible reviews online because their prices are so high and service is bad (per online review, not my review).

I had a good shop where I moved from and visited them almost weekly. I will support the local bike shop that I find that does good service and is reasonable.

I have a few things on my list, pedals, shoes, aero bars, maybe a new shirt.

I am going to the local shop today to get a new tube (and a spare), presta adapter, 2 rolls of handlebar tape, and who knows what else.

The local shop here is a college town shop and has horrible reviews online because their prices are so high and service is bad (per online review, not my review).

I had a good shop where I moved from and visited them almost weekly. I will support the local bike shop that I find that does good service and is reasonable.

Make sure your pump can do a minimum of 90 psi. Also, the Bontrager tires that come original on Treks are very easily punctured (I went through 4 sets before I realized it was the tire), they are however, very smooth and comfortable tires. Insert shameless plug for Conti Ultra Gator Skins here.

Sucks to hear about the local shop. I've had luck with the Trek dealers from Albuquerque, NM and Cary, NC... there'll be a good shop around somewhere.

I love my Look Keo pedals and Shimano R131S shoes (carbon).

www.chainlove.com

Matt- hit up action sports in Cortland on Main st. The owner, Matt, is awesome to deal with.
I try to order through him whenever I need bike stuff and I've pretty much been able to avoid shopping online.

if you dont have a decent lbs, a good place online is universalcycles.com, they have a huge selection and will price match anything you can find on another website.

The local shop here is a college town shop and has horrible reviews online because their prices are so high and service is bad (per online review, not my review).

.

I'd check the shop in person before dismissing them because of an online review. Plus the reviewer may have been a jerkcustomer.

I've used http://nashbar.com and http://www.performancebike.com/ and had good luck with both.

I tend to supprt the mom & pop stores, but the bike shops around here don't seem to care if you come back or not. (they both sort of suck-- I've bought my last bikes locally)

Yeah the bicycle shops around here resemble the local motorcycle shops, they act more like you are bothering them then supporting them.

Nice bike. I have been considering selling the Kona MTB I bought a few months back to pick up a road bike instead. I ride on the street 90% and I thought a MTB would have a more upright riding position but have realized it's not much better than a road bike.

I spent 40 bucks at the LBS today. They were pretty decent and flooded with local yuppies (odd area here).

I didn't need service but if I do I will give dacklers guy a shot. He is only 30 mins away.

I changed the front tube in it tonight and put 20 miles on the bike in 1 hr 18 mins. Average speed of 14.8 and top speed of 29.1. This thing cooks!

I never thought riding on the road could be so much fun. I had a good time. I was unhappy with the shoulder of the road I was riding but thats besides the point.

I do have to adjust my shifters. I am having some problems there with noises. I tried to adjust it and screwed it up hah. I will research online the rules of adjustment.

I do need a 100 psi gage with built in floor pump also. I used my compressor to fill the tires and just set the comrpessor at 100 psi hah.

Protein shake drank... blah

There are some very good vids on youtube about derailluer adjustment.

arcticcatmatt,
here are a few more web sites:

this one has a bunch of high end stuff. They have pretty good product descriptions.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/
this site has about everything you could ever want to know
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
standard bikes and equipment site
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/
general race stuff. be sure to check out the "daily distractions" just like umbrella girls in the m-cycling world
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/

I've been riding bicycles for about 12 years now. I wrenched my way through college in a shop for about 4 years. I also raced road bikes for 2 seasons, and mountain bikes off and on for a few seasons as well. If you have any questions I may be able to help.

The most important thing about the new bike is fit. Find someone (at a local shop possibly) who knows a thing or two about road cycling and ask them to have a look at how the bike fits you. The shop may charge you for a fit, or you may just ask them if they would watch you pedal around the parking lot. Check out Sheldon Browns site, he has alot to say about fit.

good luck with your new bike. Hopefully the skills you learn on it will relate to your motorcycle skills. I found that on the bicycle, you have to be much more aware of what traffic is doing than on the m-cycle. Not many drivers see motorcycles on the road. Even fewer see bicycles on the road. You have to assume that no one can see you. Can't just twist the throttle and get away from idiots.

As for a floor pump, I've always had good luck with Silca pumps. They are expensive, but they are re-buildable and tough. Look for the Pista model. Also, think about carrying an air source and tube repair kit (pump or CO2) with you. CO2 inflators seem to work well. With the CO2, you can also carry it and a plug kit on your m-cycle. 16 grams should fill a road bike tire, not sure how much a m-cycle tire would take. Here is a link for pumps and inflators. http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/accessories/pumps-co2-inflators.47.html

hope this helps. Sorry, no knee draggin' on the bicycle.

^ Thanks alot for that!

I have been gone on a 2 day 600 mile SV ride :)

Now that I am back, I got the trek out and put 12 miles on it. Sadly, 10 miles into the ride I ran over something and cut the rear tire. I got to walk too, wonderful.

I have an extra tube and bike pump and levers but couldn't find my thing to mount the pump to the bike. I guess I have to look harder for it tomorrow ha.

According to treks website the stock tire for this bike is 700 x 25. I looked at the bike and the front tire has dry rot on the sides and is 700 x 23. The rear tire has a couple gouges in it and is the original Bontrager brand, its size is 700 x 25. I am thinking new rear tire. It looks well worn.

I did some research online. There are alot of tires with alot of prices. I think I am going to go for the 23 size on the rear to match the front. Now, to pick what tire I want to use. I am guessing kevlar construction (no wires = less weight = less rotating mass).

I am going to leave the front. Besides the dry rot its fine.

I wouldn't trust the dry rot, but that's just me. Imagine coming down a fast hill and that front tire blows? Not pretty, those skinny road tires and rims don't handle well at speed when flat :).

I went to my LBS today and bought this
http://www.serfas.com/product.asp?ProductID=254

serfas saga wire bead. The folding version was 80 grams lighter (.16 of a lb haha) but I am told the one I got is more puncture resistant? I am not doing the tour de france so I doubt the 80 grams is an issue. The folding version was almost twice the price.

I've used http://nashbar.com and http://www.performancebike.com/ and had good luck with both.

Their clothing is crap...come to think of it, their tires and tubes are crap too.

I've had good luck with http://www.voler.com (http://www.voler.com/) for cycling clothing. I have a few pair of their bib shorts and they rock.

I wouldn't trust the dry rot, but that's just me. Imagine coming down a fast hill and that front tire blows? Not pretty, those skinny road tires and rims don't handle well at speed when flat :).

I agree with Coop. Change that front tire. The Serfas tire was a good choice. The weight of the Kevlar bead isn't that big of a deal, but the flexible Kevlar makes changing the tire a lot easier. With most folding tires you can change it without using tire levers.

It is not amusing when the front tire blows out. With the high pressure in the tires, they usually fail instantly (sounds like a .22 gun shot). The tire goes from fully inflated to no air in an instant, leaving you riding on metal.

If your front tire does blow (its possible even with a brand new tire) DONT TOUCH THE BRAKES! Slide to the rear of the bike as far as possible, and try to coast to a stop. If you cant coast to a stop, only use the rear brake!