I have been a mountain biker for about 11 years with pletny of experience building and maintaining higher-end bikes, and I have always wanted a road bike. Recently, my wife and I bought a new house in an area that is not so good for mountain biking, but PERFECT for road riding and training. In fact, my neighborhood seems to be a training circuit for LOTS of roadies.

So now I have the ultimate itch. I'm going to build my long-lusted road bike.

My goal is to have a bike ridable by next spring, and to get a frame I have always coveted, a Landshark. I'm going to take my time with everything on this bike, because I want it to be right, and I want to be happy with everything on it.

My plan is to purchase parts and pieces slowly over the fall and winter, mostly to avoid killing my wife with sticker shock (she asks me why I can't ride the bike I already have). I am leaning towards a full DuraAce 9-speed setup, and I would like to hear your opinions for and against.

I would also like to know your opinions on gearing (chainring and cassette), crank length and stem length and positioning. I would also be open to any opinions on fork materials (carbon vs. steel). I am a steel advocate from MTBs, so I am leaning in that direction.

I am a lightweight rider and tall (6' and 140 pounds soaking wet). I can get away with light and frail componentry that most wouldn't dare ride.


Thanks all, I am looking forward to learning as much as I can about the thin tire world.


Cheers,


doug

Since you're new to the road scene, I'll be kind. DuraAce 9 would not be a good choice,IMO. It's been replaced with 10 speed and so will the lower level Ultegra group in a couple of months. It's never a good idea to start off with an obsolete group.

I would seriously consider Campagnolo Centaur or Chorus 10 speed. A truly fine frame deserves Campy components.

As for gearing, there's no way anyone here would have a clue without knowledge of the terrain that you'll be riding. FWIW, the most common Campy 10 cassette would be a 12-25 for moderately rolling terrain. With Shimano, you also have the option of a 12-27, one of the few things that Campy doesn't offer, but should. There's rarely a need for an amateur to use a cassette with a 11T cog, so the 11-21 or 11-23 can generally be ruled out.

As for bike fit, the basic info is available at www.coloradocycylist.com. The only point that I would emphasize is that placing the knee directly over the pedal spindle (neutral knee position) is only a starting point, not something guaranteed to produce the most efficient pedaling. I have my knee about 2cm further back to enhance climbing and find that it has not hurt my spin on flatter terrain. The key is to lower the saddle by 1/3 the amount that it is moved back, to maintain the same maximum leg extension.

My last bit of advice would be to avoid an expensive custom frame for your first road bike. Why? Because it's unlikely that it will have an ideal fit a year or two later after you've figured out your positioning preferences. Better to buy a stock frame, work out the fit and then have a custom built. Even the best fitter can only give you the dimensions for a "normal" position. If you later find you like the saddle 2cm further back, you're going to have a darn short stem on that custom bike.

My road bikes have Shimano Dura-Ace 9 that I have been riding since 1998 and Campagnolo Record 10. Both groups are great and I'm not sure which I prefer and would agree with C-40 that if you are going to buy new, get 10-speed unless low cost is a high priority. I use a variety of cassettes on the D-A but most often use a 13-25 or 13-26 (home made). With the Record 10 I use a 13-26. I prefer a cassette with a lot of mid-range ratios that keep me in the 85-100 rpm cadence range.

~Al

Agree with the others that it makes NO sense to put an outdated group on your dream bike. 10s is here to stay, and 9s parts are going to be less and less available over the next couple of years. They'll be obtainable, but they will not be "standard" in the retail channels, so you'll have to plan ahead and you won't get good prices.

Gearing is totally individual based both on ability and preference. The reality is that the use of 11 and 12 cogs is nearly all about preference, since very few have the ability to justify giving up other gears to get these "vanity cogs." Crank length is also personal preference - there's no data to support any given crank length as a function of anything and you will adapt to whatever you chose. Shorter cranks favor higher cadence, which some of us think is a good thing.

I'm not at all clear what you mean when you ask for "opinions" on bike fit. There are a number of sizing calculators out there, and they all have their proponents and biases. Again, your personal preferences and flexibility should/will have a large impact, not someone else's opinion.

In the case of fork materials (carbon vs. steel), you might notice that CF forks totally rule the roost. They are much lighter than the equivalent steel units, and do offer a bit of damping of road buzz. IMO, CF forks are not a fad -the market has shifted nearly completely in that direction for valid performance reasons. You are correct that at your weight, you will be able to use lightweight components, and in the fork department "lightweight steel" is a bit of an oxymoron.

Thanks for the initial opinions, guys. I appreciate the thoughts and insight. I will take all of these things into account before making any purchases. I also plan on getting the Greg LeMond book this weekend, too.

My request on sizing issues isn't an exact request, but was looking more for "rule of thumbs" so to speak. There are more than a few with mountain bikes, and I was trying to figure out if there are any tips on stem height, length, positionings, bar widths, etc.

The area I will be riding the most is mostly flat (Illinois), though this neighborhood that I live is known to cyclists in the area as having some killer hills and steep grades. The hill in front of my house is a local training sprint (its tought to even walk up, let alone ride a bike), even, so there are plenty of reasons to need gears to climb with.

I have been on enough bikes to know that I don't like odd positions, or things too far away from the typical suggested setup, so I am fine with standard placements, and minor adjustments with componentry. I will also be looking much deeper into Campy, as well. What do you guys feel is the difference between Campy and Shimano road groups? I don't have anything to compare to from the mountain side, where all I have ever used is XTR and SRAM.

Cost is not going to be a MAJOR factor with this bike. I'm not going to build a $6000 road bike, but I don't plan on cutting any corners either. Second guessing is not one of my hobbies. I have no plans on racing this bike, but I do plan on many miles of spirited road riding and training. There is plenty of time for me to learn what is needed to build it the "right" way, and I'm glad I found this place. I will take any and all insight and opinions you have to offer, because once I lose my knobbies, I'm a fish out of water.


Thanks all,


doug

As far as the differences between Campagnolo and Shimano it basically boils down to the shifters and the crankset. I find that larger hands tend to work better on Campy stuff, it has a large flat section on top that seems more comfortable. Shifting style is different with each but they are both so easy it's a moot point. Some will point to Campy being rebuildable but both are pretty bulletproof these days so again it's a push. Cranksets use different BB styles and that results in the Shimano being noticeably stiffer but with a caveat.....That new Shimano crank is FUGLY! I sure wish Campy would abandon that old square taper BB. If you were gonna consider racing I would suggest Shimano because typically nuetral wheel support( if you get a flat in a race they give you a wheel from a following vehcle) is 90% Shimano and you'll have better luck finding that last minute part before a race. If you were just gonna ride, Campy is a great groupset but go with Chorus, it's 99.99999% what Record is for a lot less $$$$.

Bike fit, if getting a custom, the builder should have a vast knowledge of bike fit, but as a caution it took me three frames to FINALLY get proper fit on my bike.

Hi guys, I want to thank everyone for their input on this topic. I have been researching and reading as much as I can get my hands on over the last few days. Plugging all of my measurements into multiple sizing calculators told me what I had previously had thought—that my sizing is very "regular" or typically average off-the-shelf sizing, within reason.

I also happened to find a Landshark frameset on these Classifieds, in my exact size and dimensions, and it was essentially a brand new frameset with a carbon fork. I got a great deal on it, too. So much so that the money I had planned to put into a new frame may be able to be re-allocated to an overall component upgrade. I am pretty sure that this bike will be built with Campy Chorus now, with a few different parts thrown in here and there.

Now the process has begun, much to the dismay of my wife. :D I think she hates all of the small boxes of bike parts constantly being delivered to the house with my name on them.


Thanks again,


doug