And by “fantastic” I mean fast. I averaged 17.61mph by the time I rolled into the driveway. That’s pretty good for a 45-50lbs commuter with 2.1″ city slicks. Or rather, that’s pretty good for a 45-50lbs commuter with 2.1″ city slicks ridden by *me*. Especially when you factor in the average HR of 176bpm and a max of 192.
I was a little beat when I got home. I did hammer it nearly the whole way, after all, but I wasn’t too bad. A shower, some brats with chips and cottage cheese, and I was ready for pool.
First thing’s first, though. We stopped by the Trek store to pick up some new cleats. I was tiring of the constant squeaking and squawking my shoes were throwing at me every revolution, and I hoped that new cleats would fix it. Turns out, if this morning’s ride is any indication, that it worked like a champ. Most. Excellent.
However, while at the Trek store I got a gander at the ’08 Portland. Um. Pretty. Too pretty. Maybe pretty enough to be post-Triple-Bypass-present-for-myself pretty. It’d need full cover fenders, and possibly a carbon seat post at some point, but aside from that, it’s just about perfect as it is.
You can get a lot more bike for the money with a Trek 520 or building your own Surly Cross-Check or Long Haul. The portland is just a prettied-up road bike. It should have come with mini-fenders on it. IF you’re going to replace the fenders anyways, why pay extra for a road bike with fenders and cheapo cable-pull disc brakes?
Yes! Precisely what I was hoping for. Ideas and mind broadening options.
I am looking for a road bike that can handle racks. I’ll keep the Kona, but I want a road bike for daily road trips. I would prefer aluminum over carbon. I like the idea of disc brakes, and the all weather performance, but I worry about maintenance cost. Caliper brakes are relatively cheap and easy. What other type of disc brakes are there, aside from cable pull? Brake handle shifters have me completely spoiled.
V-Brakes. Those are single side-pull cantilevers. You see these on a lot of rim-brake Mountain bikes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a road-bike with this setup.
Pros: High mechanical advantage, strong braking force, moderate clearance for wide tires.
Cons: Fast brake wear, fast rim wear, reduced performance when wet, can be difficult with fenders.
Note: “Kind of” quick release.
Cantilevers come in various styles. You see these on cyclocross and touring bikes. Some older/cheaper setups use a single wire between the two cantilevers, with a yoke attached to a cable that pulls them up from the middle. Another style is one cable to one brake arm, with a side cable to the other. This is the newer/better setup that’s less prone to problems.
Pros: Quick release, massive clearance for wide tires, mud, and usually fenders.
Cons: Reduced mechanical advantage compared to calipers and V-Brakes
Caliper Brakes are your usual fare for road racing bikes.
Pros: Extreme mechanical advantage stops the bike fast, even when wet. Many fenders designed for use with calipers.
Cons: Can destroy rims if they get wet or grimy, not much clearance.
Cable-pull disc brakes are found on middle-of-the line mountain bikes.
Pros: Don’t tear up rims, don’t lose stopping power when wet
Cons: Not as reliable, and with lower mechanical advantage than fluid-filled disc systems.
Fluid-filled disc brakes are found on racing bicycles.
Pros: Sealed system is almost impervious to dirt and corrosion. High mechanical advantage and increased sensitivity offer smoother modulation.
Cons: Expensive to maintain, require a bit more skill to work on.
Then, there are drum (drag) brakes and coaster brakes. We won’t even go there.
Found a pretty good discussion on mechanical vs. hydraulic disc brakes . Similarly, there are plenty of results just searching for “mechanical vs. hydraulic disc brakes” on Google.
Just a quick browse through seems to indicate that while they earned, and rightly so, a pretty bad reputation when they first arrived on the market, the mechanical variety has since made some good improvements. I like the lower entry barrier in terms of both cost and mechanical expertise required, as well as the lack of rim damage in wet or muddy conditions.