Forums >Gears and Wears>Seriously? and it doesn't come with pedals??
Menace to Sobriety
I did some poking around...apparently it's the alloy Cdale frames that are still made in the US, but the carbons are foreign. But a couple of the discussions I found suggested that the asian-made carbon frames are actually better than what is being produced here. *shrugs*
If the fiber in the Asian frames is also made in Asia, then the end product is probably better. I prefer not to go any further than this in public, to avoid any self incrimination. Let's just say the Asian fiber producers have a better undertanding of their process then their US counterparts.
Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go f*** himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
I have a running friend who does lots of Tris/IMs. One time I saw his bike and I asked him if I could check it out. I gave it a little lift. Wow.... I think my water bottle weighed more than the bike. He confessed it was a $5K bike. So much for my $150 Schwin from Target.
Yeah, and $5k is "cheap" compared to some of the stuff out there...there are bikes that cost more than brand new cars.
Carbon is really nice, though my hubby's full carbon is not that much lighter than my aluminum (of course, my frame is a lot smaller, so that helps the weight on mine). The biggest advantage with his carbon is its ability to cut down on road vibration and bumps. On a shorter ride it's not so noticeable, but I have a feeling I'm going to wish that more than just my fork and seatpost were carbon once I get much beyond 40-50 miles in a single ride.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
That's pretty much the gist of what I read. Hey, I drive a Japanese car and have 0 complaints after >50k miles, so I definitely would not balk at a bike made in Asia.
Link regarding where bikes are made
According to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News in June 2007, low-end Cannondales are made in Taiwan - probably by Fritz-jou. Others are welded and painted in Taiwan then sent to the US for assembly. The Synapse is made by Top Key.
Interesting...I don't know who that is, but they don't specify alloy or carbon and the Synapse line has both a carbon and an alloy version.
One way to get a bike that is guaranteed made in the USA is to buy custom...which, of course, isn't cheap, but for people with weird proportions is a good option. My MIL has very long legs and likes to be upright, so she had a Seven custom made this Summer. It is the weirdest-looking road bike I have ever seen (we call it Frankenbike when she's out of earshot), but she has found it to be the most comfortable bike she has ever owned and she was able to have it custom painted. She'd have a heck of a time selling it, though.
The Crap Whisperer
or like a beaver. An adult beaver can cut down 200 trees in a year.
Beaver Power!
Being the best tiny spec that I can be!
That's what he said.
The King of Beasts
"As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man I have chalked up many a mile. Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks, And I've learned much from both of their styles." ~ Jimmy Buffett
"I don't see much sense in that," said Rabbit. "No," said Pooh humbly, "there isn't. But there was going to be when I began it. It's just that something happened to it along the way."”
who doesn't like some beaver?
I know a few guys who don't...
The key word is "some". One needs to be discriminating when it comes to beaver.
In other news, I am the proud owner of new pink socks with a beaver giving a thumbs up sign.
Yessss.
Run like a kid again!
Love beaver. As a little boy somehow I ended up with a little beaver stuffed animal. The size of most Teddy Bears I would guess. This most likely explains a lot about what is wrong with me. Loved that thing though. It had been bag feet and a squishy little nose. Tough as nails as well. Part of me wants to see if I could find a picture of it on the web to show but I know all I will end up with is a bunch of inappropriate websites in my search.
BTW - I second the call for bike stands on those things!
Someone on here once said that unless you are competiting for an award spending more than 2K on a bike is just a waste of money. Besides I am too aftraid to go fast down hill. I think the fastest I have hit is 30 MPH going down hill and I am scared to death at that speed. Why would I want to go any faster than that. Now if it would help me a lot going up hill then that might be worth the money but most TRI races from what I remember are usually not hilly.
Good Bad & The Monkey
Bearcat. Calm down. This is not the Swamp.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Someone on here once said that unless you are competiting for an award spending more than 2K on a bike is just a waste of money.
I read something like that in a tri magazine a while ago. The gist is/was that it might shave off a few seconds off of a full 120 mile bike ride. Never does just a few seconds separate the top from the rest.
I use to work with this guy that commented the main difference between his golf game and Tiger Woods' was the clubs. We responded, "Yeah, the clubs and about 40 strokes."
I read something like that in a tri magazine a while ago. The gist is/was that it might shave off a few seconds off of a full 120 mile bike ride. Never does just a few seconds separate the top from the rest. I use to work with this guy that commented the main difference between his golf game and Tiger Woods' was the clubs. We responded, "Yeah, the clubs and about 40 strokes."
Running, cycling, golf...it's all pretty much the same concept: $$ gear does not a faster/better athlete make, within reason. The main thing that would separate a $500 bike from a $1500 bike is fit and componentry. Fit has a bigger impact than anything, regardless of price-point (kinda like running shoes). The things that separate the fastest/best athletes from everyone else are still natural talent and training. A woman we know locally just got into cycling a year ago, worked hard, didn't ride anything special, but dominated her age group. She has a ton of natural talent, but also rode thousands of miles on the road and mountain last year, including a century every month for about the last half of '09.
Yes, do be careful when doing an internet search. A few years ago, I decided to try to find some of those squishy rubber sandals everyone wore in the early 80's. I did find some, but only after realizing that they are called "Tiddies"....not "Titties".