Hippie has a new ride

well like our batteries... the chinese are doing wonders for the entry carbon road bike!...

Im into biking, mainly Mountain Biking, but i just picked up a full carbon frame and fork from ebay for $400 shipped. Ill be putting a Ultegra group set and shimano wheels on the machine.

We should do a weigh contest when im done and see how much heavier the China carbon is compared to the Trek carbon.

i use to keep a parts blog here www.tripxamerica.com

and here is the latest video from our bike trip to new hampshire highland bike park:
http://contour.com/node/106763

Btw here is my mtb ...

[Serum]

Cool!

Bikes!!

I didn't knew you bike Mike? (and a poet was born)

I recently bought a cannondale supersix roadbike, and i love it. some upgrades, 3ttt parts. Nice bike. matte black/white..

I used to do a good 7500-10000 km on my atb a year, and suddenly saw the light. (bought an on-road after 5 years of off-road)

For my atb, i have also have an oldschool cannondale, which is still going strong after all these km's i put through it. (chris king hubs, which are very durable) last year i picked up a Gary Fisher superfly 29er. To be honest, i am faster on my old cannondale than on the 29er! the 29er is a bit too soft for my likings. It's okay for a long comfortable ride though.

The china-carbon bikes;

My cannondale supersix came with a tiny sticker at the bracket-pot; made in china. (or thailand, can't remember)

Most frames are produced there, as long as there was good engineering involved and a proper quality control, there is nothing wrong with that. Some china parts are best to be avoided though.

If i may suggest a groupset for the roadbike, get a sram groupset. It shaves off a good 500gram, and the best part is that its shifting performance is way better. Sram uses twice the amount of cable travel than shimano. The ultegra 2010, with the cables router through the handlebar are having issues. If you are stuck to the ultegra, get some proper cables, because the stock cables are absolute poop with their plastic end-stops. Way too flexible.

With ATB as well, stepped up to sram, shifting is flawless since then. I am critical when it comes to smooth shifting. Sram took a bad step with their gripp shifts, which where absolutely worthless IMO, but their latest and greatest is perfect.

[rchippie]

Originally Posted by Serum

Cool!

Bikes!!

I didn't knew you bike Mike? (and a poet was born)

I recently bought a cannondale supersix roadbike, and i love it. some upgrades, 3ttt parts. Nice bike. matte black/white..

I used to do a good 7500-10000 km on my atb a year, and suddenly saw the light. (bought an on-road after 5 years of off-road)

For my atb, i have also have an oldschool cannondale, which is still going strong after all these km's i put through it. (chris king hubs, which are very durable) last year i picked up a Gary Fisher superfly 29er. To be honest, i am faster on my old cannondale than on the 29er! the 29er is a bit too soft for my likings. It's okay for a long comfortable ride though.

The china-carbon bikes;

My cannondale supersix came with a tiny sticker at the bracket-pot; made in china. (or thailand, can't remember)

Most frames are produced there, as long as there was good engineering involved and a proper quality control, there is nothing wrong with that. Some china parts are best to be avoided though.

If i may suggest a groupset for the roadbike, get a sram groupset. It shaves off a good 500gram, and the best part is that its shifting performance is way better. Sram uses twice the amount of cable travel than shimano. The ultegra 2010, with the cables router through the handlebar are having issues. If you are stuck to the ultegra, get some proper cables, because the stock cables are absolute poop with their plastic end-stops. Way too flexible.

With ATB as well, stepped up to sram, shifting is flawless since then. I am critical when it comes to smooth shifting. Sram took a bad step with their gripp shifts, which where absolutely worthless IMO, but their latest and greatest is perfect.

Wow a blast from the past . How are you rene ?. This bike comes with mostly a Shimano 105 group FR & RR derailurs, & shifters & brakes handles except for the crank set ( Shimano R600) & tektro calipers. The next bike up from the Madone 4.5 that was in stock, a Madone 5.1 comes with ultegra. But it cost $1.000 more than the bike i got. This is my thrid bike in a month . Because i keep on trading up . I would like durace or Ultegra but i can not afford it.
This is what comes on my bike.

Frameset
Sizes 56,cm
Frame 4 Series TCT Carbon, E2, DuoTrap compatible
Fork Bontrager Race Lite w/E2 aluminum steerer, carbon legs
Wheels
Wheels Bontrager SSR
Tires Bontrager R1, 700x23c
Drivetrain
Shifters Shimano 105 STI, 10 speed
Front Derailleur Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105
Crank Shimano R600, 50/34 (double) or Shimano R-553, 50/39/30 (triple)
Cassette Shimano 105 11-28, 10 speed
Pedals Look clipless
Components
Saddle Bontrager Affinity 1, steel rails
Seat Post Bontrager Carbon, 20mm offset
Handlebars Bontrager Race VR-C, 31.8mm
Stem Bontrager Race Lite, 7 degree, 31.8mm
Headset Integrated, cartridge bearings, sealed, alloy, 1-1/8" top, 1.5" bottom
Brakeset Tektro R540 brakes w/Shimano 105 STI levers

I went to several highend shops before i got this bike. They both sais that the chinese have masterd working with Carbon fiber.

If you want to know were your bike was made read this link.


http://allanti.com/articles/where-wa...made-pg328.htm


Also for those that do not know. Seven time Tour de france winner Lance Armstring is part owner of Sram.

RENO for you it sounds like a Hybred might be right for you. A hybrid is basically a mountin bike frame with road bike wheels. Very comfortable because you ride more upright. But faster because you have the skinnier road bike wheels.


TEDO The only bad thing about Track bikes is, if you stop pedaling you go over the bars. That happened to me the first time i rode one in the 80's .

Well besides going over the bars your also required to wear your sisters jeans on a track bike... kind of a bummer.

[tedo]

Originally Posted by agarabaghi

Well besides going over the bars your also required to wear your sisters jeans on a track bike... kind of a bummer.

Haha, not my sister's. They're your sister's...



Bikes are bikes. Who cares if they are comforts, Madones, or the best lugged vintage Italian road frames.. Atleast we prefer to get great exercise and less miles on our autos.

[JERRY2KONE]

A few years back the difference was obvious between one countries engineering and anothers. When you purchased a product like a carbon fiber bike that is made in the USA, or a real swiss watch, or some kind of one off German machine you knew you were buying something that has been made to percision by someone who is passionate about what they do. From thought to design, to production was maticulasly overseen to the smallest detail, and every item was true tested for performace. Now that the competitors are selling so cheap everyone has to cut corners to stay in the game.

The alternative was to purchase a copy cat product made in China or whoever, by people who had less than a quality product in mind. Their idea was to mirror another high dollar product and make it look just like the real or original item and sell it for half the price. Making a huge profit because their was no R&D to worry about, and once the item was sold who cared on their end if it worked right or not. What could anyone do about it?

Today China and others are turning out some pretty incredible copy cat items that not only look like the real item, but are exact copies to the "T" in quality and performance. Of course even today this is not always true and there are still allot of goof balls out there who could care less about what the product can do as long as it looks like it came from the original manufaturer.

We are begining to see allot of like items here in Korea that look very impressive up against the high quality American products, and also perform just as well or even better in some cases. The foreign competitors are getting smarter and gaining ground on all of their competition. This is just another reason why our economy is falling apart. The US has driven prices up so high because of compensating its staffing that we can no longer compete in allot of markets that we used to make a good amount of money from.