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I raced on a Centurion Ironman for 2 years, a really solid steel framed bike. Has a pretty laid back geometry, so it's comfortable on long rides. For $100 you can't go wrong, will probably cost you another $100 or so to whip it into shape.
I raced on a Centurion Ironman for 2 years, a really solid steel framed bike. Has a pretty laid back geometry, so it's comfortable on long rides. For $100 you can't go wrong, will probably cost you another $100 or so to whip it into shape.
[quote=Dorian;29605711]Its funny that you mention the number of gears because I have been trying to find the answer about the importance of more gears.[quote]
More gears theoretically allows you to maintain the same cadence/heart rate regardless of changes in terrain.
In 1952, Tour de France champion Fausto Coppi climbed the 3,749' to the top of the Alpe d'Huez in 45 minutes on a 10 speed bike in that even an impoverish messenger would sneer at. By comparison Lance Armstrong rode an all-that-freaking-money-can-buy carbon fiber Trek Madone with the latest greatest Shimamo 14 speed Dura Ace Groupo and wheels that cost more than most road bikes which allowed his drug fueled beat Coppi's time by all of 8 minutes.
More gears schmore gears. For you, don't even worry about that, there will be plenty. That is for riders that are concerned about always keeping their optimum cadence, at any speed. You can have the same upper and lower limits on gearing, but with more gears, you will just have more in between.
More gears schmore gears. For you, don't even worry about that, there will be plenty. That is for riders that are concerned about always keeping their optimum cadence, at any speed. You can have the same upper and lower limits on gearing, but with more gears, you will just have more in between.
Depends. Not all cassettes are created equally ...now. But the older bikes you are looking at aren't going to accomodate those cassettes. Are you concerned about keeping your optimum cadence no matter the speed or grade? Someone just getting into the sport and only wanting to spend something less that the cost of even a new Shimano Ultegra cassette, should probably be more concerned with just getting out there and being safe and enjoying the ride.
One of my cassettes is a 9sp with these cogs: 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26
A 7 sp may have these 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, 26
This difference only fine tunes intermediate gear ratios so that I can maintain a certain cadence at the speed I am going. I am still confined to gears of 12-26 tooth cogs, it is just some of the gaps between the gears are reduced. If I want to go really fast downhill and not run out of gears I use my other cassette. It is 9sp as well, it is an 11-23, but it is better suited to less hilly terrain. And with a 53 on the front, the 53-11 can go really fast, especially on the down hills, by running out of gears at a faster speed. An older 8 speed can still have a 12 as the smallest and a 26 as the largest. I don't know what you have on that centurion, which could be a pretty nice ride, but it may be anywhere from a 6 sp to an 8 sp. The newer cassettes can have a very wide range especially if you look at mountain bike, but those ranges will necessitate a rear derailleur with a long cage- that thing that holds the jockey wheels.
I have gift cards and store credit for walmart, so the will be almost the same price.
Personally, I'd much rather have $200 worth of vintage road bike over that, but I also enjoy fixing up old bikes and I can do all my own work. No matter which way you go, you'll probably wind up with another bike before long unless you find that you don't enjoy it. If you go the vintage route, I recommend learning all you can about repairing and maintaining your bike. For the most part, vintage bikes (and bikes in general) are pretty simple and it's very rewarding to find an old bike that needs a little love, putting on some new tires, cables, brake pads, and bar tape, and making it ride beautifully. But if you learn to work on them, it'll be useful to you no matter which bike you get. If you get an old bike, you're almost certainly going to have spend more money than the purchase price in order to make it ride nicely and safely, but if you pay someone else to do it all you'll spend a LOT more than the purchase price! And if you do buy a vintage road bike and want to fix it up yourself, but aren't sure how to go about it, you can always ask on this forum. Also check out Sheldon Brown's site to learn more than you ever thought you could know about bicycles.
And concerning the number of gears, I really wouldn't worry about that at this stage. The range of gearing hasn't changed much over the years, just the number of steps between the two ends. My favorite bike of all time has three chainrings in the front and five cogs in the back, and very rarely do I even use all of those. But whatever you buy, only after trying it out for a while will you eventually figure out exactly what you need and want in a bike. And then you'll be able to choose your next bike with a whole new insight.
I used to race on a 5 speed freewheel with friction shifting downtube shifters. Just get a bike that is comfortable and within your price range to start. Like one of the other posters said, I would rather have a great vintage bike for $200 than a Wal-Mart special. See if you like it and save your money if you do, then upgrade next year.
I would have thought the Araya was better than what you said it is based on the look of it, but of course I don't really know what I am looking for when I look at a picture anyway.
Frame obviously plays a factor but for the average person just look at the components. That
Centurion has alloy; rims, brakes, derailleurs, crank, hubs etc... If I were to guess that was probably a very expensive bike when it was new. That other bike has all steel components and that's dead giveaway for cheap bike on older models.
If I recall Bridgestone made a Ironman in the late 80's that was in the $1K range and if it's the same rider endorsing both bikes....
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