[OrRando] new bicycle recommendations

[joel metz]

i think its probably going to be crucial to determine whether youre 
thinking more "ultramarathon" or "randonneur" type distance cycling, 
really. i honestly think theyre two different disciplines, in many 
ways, or at least two different approaches, with perhaps different 
needs.

personally, i dont think of myself as qualified to suggest a good 
bike for ultramarathon cycling - its just not my bag, not my style of 
riding.

but for randonneuring...

frame material, schmame material. yeah, i like steel. ive always 
liked steel, and ill always like steel. its cheap, reasonably light, 
quite durable, and easily repaired. but whatever. what it boils down 
to is what *you* feel comfortable on over long distances, which, in 
the end, will likely boil down to bars, saddle and shoes as much as 
it ever does to what your frame is made of. i say geometry trumps 
material most of the time, and thats gonna be something plenty of 
people can talk at you, but only you are gonna know what works for 
you in the end.

so yeah, that doesnt answer a whole lot, and unfortunately, thats 
what youre going to be stuck with, to some degree. no bike shop test 
ride is going to give you enough time in the saddle to really suss 
things out, because whats comfortable for a 15 minute spin around the 
streets around the shop is far different from whats comfortable for 
hundreds of miles at a time.

(for what its worth, i ride lugged steel, steep angles, long 
chainstays, friction 2x6 gearing, reasonable (ie 
non-rivendell-overboard) upright position, with hbar bag and 
carradice - tells you where im coming from, and that i may not be too 
qualified to comment on aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, or 10 speed 
clusters :) heck, *i* think distance riding on a 70s ish steel road 
frame with some upgraded (or not!) components is probably just *fine* 
for most peoples purposes :) )

do you have a bike now that you use for distance riding? figure out 
what you like about it, what you dont like about it, try to quantify 
as much as you can about it, and go from there.

as far as addressing womens-specific issues, biology keeps me from 
having useful information here :) as for bike shops in the area that 
cater to us long distance types... er? does any shop cater to our 
type of nutcase?

there. ive probably quite successfully not really answered your 
question at all :)

-joel

(for the record, i differentiate between ultramarathon and rando 
stuff on the lines of more support + greater emphasis on speed and 
possibly competitiveness = ultra; more emphasis on self-sufficiency 
and de-emphasis on speed and competition = rando. rando more like 
touring, ultra more like racing. im really not into ultra :) )


>I am shopping for a bike that would be appropriate for ultradistance 
>cycling.  I looked at a Scott Contessa CR1 which is a carbon fiber 
>frame, 10 speed with a triple crank.  What other options would you 
>recommend for a woman specific bike?  What are the pros and cons of 
>carbon fiber vs. titanium vs. aluminum with carbon seatstay and 
>fork?  What bike shops in the Portland area cater to long distance 
>cyclists?
>
>Thank you!
>
>Rachel
>
>
>
>
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-- 
joel metz  : magpie at blackbirdsf.org :  http://www.blackbirdsf.org/
bike messengers worldwide : ifbma : http://www.messengers.org/
		       portland, oregon
==
           i know what innocence looks like - and it wasn't there,
                                 after she got that bicycle...