Been unfaithful too (road bike lovers only)

Cool - I might well look into this then Can I just nick the bars off of my MTB instead? They have a pretty decent proportion and feel to them

 

That is one nice bike! I could do with something like that to improve by bike times when racing.....remind me of your address again

 

Depends, a very few MTBs have a weird diameter on the bars. But a handlebar doesn't cost much so I wouldn't think it worth the hassle of changing it over (think of brake levers etc.), and besides, what are you going to do with a bar-less bike?

 

He he - true - although I'll have to move my bike horn and speedo then OH - and my "pimp up my ride" £1 bar extensions from Poundland ( my excuse; my hadlebar mirror fell off and there was an unsightly hole in the end of the bar!)

 

Now that is a long way!
Where do you do most of your riding then Galahad? Out of Paris?

 

Owning a new bike definitely gives you new impetus. This one is so responsive, you tend to overdo it at times, staying on a higher gear than you should, standing on the pedals as often/long as possible.

As for my address, I'll think about it

 

From Bordeaux to Paris is about 500 km by car, but they usually take a much longer way (smaller roads) , probably closer to 600 km. It's a yearly, two-day event.

Living downtown Paris is far from ideal, but we are lucky to have two bike-only courses, one at Bois de Boulogne (west), the other at Bois de Vincennes (east). The one at Bois de Boulogne is 3.6 km, which means quite a few laps for a good ride, with the advantage that you can leave whenever you feel like it. Hundreds of people of all ages, level and condition meet there on Saturday and Sunday mornings, which makes for quite large packs.

Or you can take your car and be in the country in 45 minutes.

 

Dom what I think your after is a Hybrid, its a cross between a MTB and a road bike. Standard Road bikes IMHO are not strong enough for our roads, one clip of a drain or pot hole will see you down the bike shop for a new wheel, and yet MTB's have gears that are too low for road use. So its basicly the best of both bikes, the toughness of an MTB with the drive chain of a road bike.

 

Or get a cyclocross type setup.

 

I never had that problem in years of riding around londons roads on a road bike. I just had standard 700c Alloy wheels on mine. Obviously I didn't go out of my way to hit potholes but in london they are unavoidable and you are going to clip the odd drain etc.


If you want to avoid such problems just fit a good road bike with a pair of steel rimmed/spoked wheels. Sure you're going to suffer a weight penalty but around cities it isn't going to make a big difference. Then just fit a pair of flat handlebars if you don't like the standard racing dropped type.


GTM

 

I was just speaking from expeience, I used to ride a racer / road bike to college and I was forever taking it to the bike shop to get the front wheel straighened and I have to replace the front wheel twice, we are talking 15 years ago though maybe things have improved since then. But that is why I went to MTB's haven't had a bent wheel since. (even after my last crash, not a scratch, dent on it, now that's tough).

 

I always lusted after a Colnago - only ever got the hat and the jersey!
And I only ever rode an MTB in town if it was snowing - never had any trouble at all with London roads and bent wheels on my Donohue road bike (made for me out of Reynolds 853, Campag Mirage gear and still weighed 20lbs...).
Which reminds me, must change the rear sprocket - it's a nighmare round here with that old flat London close ratio one, and 54 chain ring!