What factors do you consider when deciding which one to ride? Do you have them set up differently with gearing, etc?
my main ride is the one that get the most miles,but every once in a while she gets parked and i ride a different bike,at on time every bike was set up the same,now the main ride is 9 speed the others 7 speed
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-first road bike ever-trek 1200 sent down to Florida to ride when visiting the parents in the winter.
–Caad9-any crit races and now pretty much all the time.
-Felt F3 used to be my goto bike but for long rides but retired after a wreck and lack of funds to replace.
I have a race bike that I race on and train on if the weather is good, otherwise I use my training bike to train on. Both are set up identical
I have one set up in a much more aggressive position (seat angle,bar drop etc) that I use for Olympic and shorter races. And my other bike is more of a long distance comfortable bike that I use on longer and easier rides and on my Computrainer during the winter months.
My speed bike only has an aerobottle between the bars. Gearing is 11/23 and 39/54. While my longer distance bike has two bottle cages on the frame and 12/25 and 39/53 gearing. Seat has more padding too.
My training road bike acts as two different bikes. For long rides, I go with self-inflicted “super single-speed” mode. (50x18 or higher). For recovery rides, I ride it fully geared so I can spin and flush out the legs.
I ride my race bike for races.
What factors do you consider when deciding which one to ride? Do you have them set up differently with gearing, etc?
I have two road bikes. One is the “racing” bike and one is the multi-purpose racing/training/everything else bike. The main difference is tire clearance and stiffness. Now that chip/seal road are the norm, bike 1 will pretty much beat the crap out of me after about 60 miles and there is no clearance to run 700x25 tires. So it doesn’t get ridden so much unless it is a ride I know has good roads and it is a shorter ride.
Bike 2 has a much more comfortable ride and I mount 700x25 tires. I can do 100 miles on it with no major pains.
Both are set up identically as far as saddle choice, seat height, saddle setback and crank arm length. If you ride multiple bikes and this stuff is set up different, you’re probably going to hurt something eventually. HB drop and reach is very close, but I’m not so fanatical about making it the same because it doesn’t matter so much.
Bike 1 has standard cranks and I’ll usually run it with 12-23 cassette or put on what I think I need for a specific course. Bike 2 almost always runs a 50/36 compact and an 11-25 cassette. This lets me grab it and go for any occasion no matter how hilly or flat without an equipment change. Bike 2 also has S&S couplers so I can pack it and take it with me on airplanes as regular luggage. It’s better to have a bike and not need one than to need a bike and not have one.
one is 7-speed and 21 lbs, 52/38, use it for most training
the other is 9-speed and 17lbs, compact 50/36, use it for mountains and long touring.
Three road bikes plus the TT bike.
Daily driver - '04 Litespeed Ultimate. Ksyrium ES wheels. Force gruppo. 50x36 ring and 11-23 cassette. About 17 lbs. Very comfy. Too nice and not stiff enough for crits.
Light bike - '06 Look 585. Built instead of getting therapy. 13.7 lbs in an XL. Red shifters, derailleurs and cassette.Ended up getting therapy anyway! 50 x36 rings and 11-23 cassette. I replace the 36 with a 34 when doing heavy climbing. Nice ride. Too nice for crits.
Crit bike - '09 Alan. All aluminum and full carbon fork. Mostly Rival. 39x53 and 11-23 cassette. Started doing crits this year and needed a more appropriate bike. A beautiful blue, with some white. Almost too pretty. Got it built up last week. 3rd ride is tonight and will race it tomorrow for the first time. And will probably use it on the trainer in the off season.
All three have as close to the same position as possible, but it’s not dead on. I can tell the difference in my legs after 30 miles or so. The muscles get used slightly differently. My guess is that if I swithc them off a little more often, my overall fitness will improve.
hth
Steel fixie for winter nasty riding and commuting. It gets some use in the summer, but not much.
CX bike for summer commuting and short jaunts. It has a 12-32 on the back (I think) its a mountain cassette and works great for recovery rides in the hills, or hauling around my kid in the trailer. Its a frankenbike, but works great and is unlikly to get stolen.
Roadie for fast group rides or zippy times in the hills. Gets quite a bit of use training on in the summer.
Tri bike for long days and when training for tris. Every once in a while it comes to work with me. It sits in my office and begs me not to do work. I cant wait for the day to end. I never ride directly home and end up going way out of my way to just get some long uninterupped ride. I tell my wife it takes longer to ride home on because it is more dangerous in traffic and I am being careful.
I love my tri bike the most. the fixie is the best bang for my buck I have. If I were to only have one bike it would be the CX Bike hands down. It would do 95% of what any of my other bikes do.
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