Best Type of Bike for a Long Distance?

Question

Hi- I finished by first really long ride this month on a cheap (less than $300.00) hybrid (I did the AIDS RIde from San Francisco to Los Angeles). Not only was the bike a bit heavy in training and on the ride, it had a tendency to break spokes- I kept having to change out the back wheel. I'm looking to buy a new bike, obviously, in the $700-$800 range as I am now a HUGE fan of long distance bike rides. Can anyone tell me:

1. Whether I should stick with a hybrid for distance and
2. Recommend a good bike in that price range.

Thanks!

Tommy

Answer 1

ok, no one has really addressed your needs here, just thiers. long distance riding, not RACING, requiers a bike with a few things road bikes lack. when you hear "road bike" read it as "racing bike", because thats what they are designed for. road bikes have
stiff frames for acceleration, light weight for the same reason, flimsy wheels, same reason, and aerodynamic riding positions, same reason. they also have narrow saddles, and a gear range that is too high, or hard, for normal guy long distance riding.
touring bikes on the other hand, have a much wider range of usable gears, including a series of extra low gears for steep extended hills, higher handlebars for less back and neck and hand and wrist strain, wider saddles for better sit bone support,
more compliant frames for a nicer ride, more powerful brakes for stopping under load, and more durable wheels, not to mention fatter tires, which makes the ride more comfortable. road bikes cant take fat tires or fenders, rendering them useless in the rain, gravel, dirt, ect. fat tires protect the rims from pot holes, and general road debris. steel is generally accepted as the ideal touring bike frame material. people say steel is heavy, but well made steel bikes are within a quarter pound of an aluminum bike, and will survive wrecks much better. good steel bikes last a lifetime. aluminum lasts a decade. long story short, a good touring bike will be a lifetime investment, wearas a road racing bike is a fragil object at best, suited for fast paced riding over smooth roads in ideal weather.
a decent touring bike can be had for 1300, custom complete, made to measure. if a shop tries to talk you into a road racing bike, its cause thats all they know, and all they have to sell.
touring bikes arnt money makers, they last too long, and cost too much to build. 800 dollars buys you nothing, not even a bad cheap road bike. think of it as an investment. road bikes, if your lucky, last 10 years. thats if you never crash... they will never carry loads well, never handle predictably under load, and are prone to mechanical failure..

Answer 2

The bike is part of the equation when it comes to long distance riding. A big part but there are other things to consider as well. I would recommend looking into a road bike. They can be comfortable as well. They give you a better aero position which can help you with long distances. You should be able to find a nicely equipped bike for that price range. Check with your local bike shop. Some makers that have solid rides are: Trek, Cannondale, Marin, Bianchi, Specialized(just to name a few). The other option is to buy a bike on consignment. The bonus of this is you can get an upper level bike with better wheel sets, brakes, frame, fork, etc., for your price range. Ride as many different bikes that you can. They all have different ride qualities b/c of the types of geometry, and types of material. After you've decided on the bike for, there are some other things to consider. To be able to ride comfortably for long distances, buy good riding shorts, shoes, a helmet, and a bike jersey - just to name a few other things that will help. Ride long, live strong!

Answer 3

Everybody has a favorite brand (I'm partial to Cannondale,) but I don't think that's the issue. Focus more on frame geometry (MTN vs road vs hybrid) and frame material.

Hybrids came about when people were putting mountain bars and gears on their old road bikes, which were more efficient on roads and hard pack. They truly offer the best of all worlds, BUT they master none.

If you kept breaking spokes, you need a new wheel. It was probably put together by a machine that over tensed the gear side. I've never broken a spoke; even when I parked the derailluer in them once! But, those back spokes are typically under an uneven load, and are more suceptible to failure.

Problem today is that most bikes are aluminum, as it is standard and cheap to produce, now... thankfully! Aluminum is great. It never rusts or corrodes, it's very light, and we finally figured out how to make th paint stick!

Problem is that aluminum is very flexible, when compared to steel. And what makes matters worse is that steel bends and returns to it's original shape... aluminum cracks and fatigues. Which is why several airplnes wound up topless in the 80's.

To combat this, designers can employ one of two options: thicker wall tubes, or thicker diameter tubes. Thicker wall tubes with narrow diameters are strong enough to resist failure, but are very flexible, and not very efficient. Thick diameter tubes with thin walls are very stiff and harsh on long distance rides.

Steel is stronger, but heavier, and it rusts. It was the mainstay for decades, but has fallen out of favor. High end steel is very expensive (those $1000 plus Italian jobs.) Low end steel is very heavy, high-tensile strength steel. Cro-moly is great for building bikes, and offers a nice mix of the two.

Titanium is out-of-this-world expensive, but is stronger than steel, very light, and offers what some call "the magic carpet ride." Springy, yet tight and efficient.

Carbon fiber is what the designer wants it to be, as it is strong in the direction of the fibers, and tangentially flexible. If it feels good riding it, chances are the designer hoped to optimize it for characteristics you are looking for.

Personally, I'd go with a light, aluminum hybrid or touring frame. You want the relaxed geometry (slack head-tube/seat-tube angle.) If your a die hard roadie, go with a touring frame. they're basically the same deal as a road bike, but the chainstays are longer, and thus the wheelbase is longer, so it's more plush. They also have slack head-tube angles (which means you can keep it going straight without two sets of white knuckles!)

You want tires that are as slick and small as are practical. Rolling resistance adds up. The difference between road slicks and knobbys is huge... the difference between 20 and 25mm is not.

Answer 4

If you are going long distance on road: 15 miles + go with a road bike. The big names in the industry are Giant (www.giant-bicycle.com), Fuji (www.fujibikes.com), and Trek (www.trekbikes.com). For the specific models and msrp(s), look on their websites. You could get a decent road bike for that price range. One nice thing about road bikes and the price range you are starting at is that you can easily do some upgrades if you want to get the weight down ie. add carbon fiber parts.

When you are fairly informed about your options, go to a local bike shop, don't go to target or walmart or any other big name store, they don't have very good quality bikes. I don't know about the shop where you live, but we offer free lifetime tune-ups on the bikes we sell, also you can probably negotiate over the price some.

Answer 5

A road bike will give you more hand positions and more comfort. Plus it rolls faster and is more aerodynamic. Specialized makes the Roubaix which is set up with a higher handlebar. It is more stable than the racing bikes with quicker geometry. If you can get a setup with compact cranks, you get most of the low gears you need to climb serious hills but avoid the less crisp shifting (plus more troublesome too) of triple cranks.

Answer 6

I would def. recomend a Recumbent bike! I have one of these bikes and they are absoultely great for long distances! For one your butt dosen't hurt from the longer distance! On a recumbent you can ride as far as your legs are able to keep pedaling without getting sore!

Answer 7

Get a hybrid or trek bike

Answer 8

Road bike- trek
mtb- specialized

Answer 9

recliner or the bike wher u lay down

Answer 10

try a harley next time dude...lol actually try huffy they make decent bikes