you must be an idiot... where is there such thing as no spending for future upgrade... how bike shops survive like that?

he say like that so that you can kena poison later and want a set of SRAM Red LTEs and a new set of ZIPPs : )

this is how bike buyers kena conned...

actually sizing doesn't really matter nowadays as those sizes are usually measured along the seat tube... as long as you don't buy a frame too big... saddle height can be adjusted via seatpost.

what matters is the effective top tube length, that would be a more accurate measurement as that can affects your reach points... most importantly is that you feel comfortable when you are on the bike and it also depends on whether you are doing road or off-road, there will be different requirements for the different riding that you will do.

if you are not 100% sure, take your friend's bike for a ride as bike shops will never ever let you ride their bikes out especially the pricy ones... make sure it is a fairly long one and not just 1 round around the block... be sure to ride different sizes and you will get a feel what you are looking for...

that way you know what size to roughly aim for when you go shop...

a lot of factors has to be taken into account for the perfect fit, minor adjustments to positioning can be made with different stems and saddle positioning or even crank arm lengths.

i can say so far that i have never found my perfect fit as our physique changes over time, partly due to a reduction in the donuts surrounding your mid section (road cyclist will understand) and the increase in our fitness levels and sometimes just your mind playing tricks on you or you have a bad day on the bike.

all i can say from a non bike shop point of view.

if you find yourself excessively tinkering with your position over time, all the above doesn't matter and i wish you good luck and godspeed, no joke.


most does nowadays but limited to certain CCs and most of the time not very long periods, if you are looking to buy a 10k bike and strip it down to 5 years...

you are better off starting to save money as those up front administrative charges can buy you a nice set of wheels probably.

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Added on January 3, 2012, 3:08 pmWhat happens is that shops rarely bring in all sizes and if they do, they might not stock them up to the ceiling.. so they will try to convince you to buy a certain size that is possibly 1 size too big or too small or even a totally different model which has the size right you even though when evidently some chart or their calculation say that you should be riding a particular size.

Well, all i can say is that it's business for them and rarely you will find them saying come back in 3 months time when we have that size available. They would rather milk you of your money before they let you leave the shop and buy another bike from their competitors.

I think this applies to most if not all shops. When have you heard a salesperson saying, "why not you go try brand x over at that xyz shop. They will have it?"

i am afraid that 1 size smaller if it is your first bike is really the better way to go unless you already know your fit points and size that you have tried... a frame too big will be a road of no return if you get uncomfortable on it.

basically if you are not a bike geek or weight weenie, workhorse groupsets are good enough for eveyday use and back in the days of mountain biking when you constantly rip parts off the bike.. you will opt to buy the parts that least hurts your wallet..

i think 10 years ago 3 LX RDs for 1 XTR, you be the judge if you are constantly bombing down terrains with huge rocks and massive drop offs that threatens to tear the RD off your hanger.

I personally would think to stay away from electronic groupsets for now for the sole reasons that they have yet to standardize it.

When you see that DA Di2 and Ultegra Di2 has interchangeable harness or even parts, then it will be time.

Not to mention frame battery mount and cabling compatibility now that campy EPS is coming in. Still too rich for my blood.

There aren't anywhere that has no cars frankly. Putrajaya on weekends maybe, but far from where you stay.

You can ride the motorcycle lanes from summit subang to sri petaling which don't have a lot of traffic at night. Just make sure you can keep a straight line when you are in the motor lane,

Alternatives if you like short climbs, would be kiara / gasing hills in the PJ region.

Genting Sempah, further out, no cars except for the occasional toll skipping lorries.

Hulu Langat and the likes would have reduced traffic on weekends.

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Added on January 3, 2012, 3:40 pmwhen someone needs to buy something they want.. they have 9531 reasons to justify it...

jus sayin.

buying bikes be it a road or a MTB is like subscribing astro packages... you will always find that if you pay a bit more, you get this and that.. and you end up with many things that you might not find a need for.

most important to spend wisely...and not kena poisoned by evil friends, no cure for that.

This post has been edited by butthead: Jan 3 2012, 03:40 PM

In conclusion, get the bike first, worry later?

i am going to give you a very vague answer... in some ways yes...

you have to know yourself very well... if you have very very good self control.. then you might as well get everything right upon buying your bike even if it means to spend a bit more than you planned... like RM500 more for hydraulic disc or RM500 more from Tiagra to 105, very little now but a lot when you plan to upgrade later not counting the additional parts that you have left behind.

you will still spend some over the year if i am to be frank, for maintaining worn out parts and you can afford to splurge on it a bit then... when the chance comes (see, i am the evil one )

if you are the type where you have evil friends that spawns from hell and always tempts you to buy useless junk and you have next to no control over your impulsiveness to buy things... then you are better off worrying later as you are bound to succumb to their evil temptations sooner or later.

Bikes are unlike cars where a jump from a Proton Inspira to a Mitsubishi Evo X is not within many people's reach.

A price jump from an entry level carbon to a high end carbon bike can be easily acquired by anyone with a plastic card. Therefore, control is first and knowledge of what you want is second. Or you can substitute control with your "wife", the best finance controller the world has ever known.

Wish i had one...

This post has been edited by butthead: Jan 3 2012, 04:19 PM

very good comment, i think i am not going to worry about the component first, since it will be the first road bike I purchase.

Evil will come eventually, by the time you need upgrades just do it if you can afford, else your old bike will still do it probably fine anyway

how u doing bro??

Come join me at kesas..
every tuesday night

Yes, the ol' don't fix it if it ain't broken.

Sometimes we are too easily suckered into having to own what the professionals do. But in reality, those are not affordable in the first place and a high chance that it is not very reliable in a long run not to mention the ability for mere mortals to maintain them. Never to overspend what you cannot afford is what i say.

My mother from day 1 has always told me how her old steel bike from x + y number of years ago that costs 20 bucks is still and most probably surviving today while i have gone through 3 bikes in 5 years.

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Added on January 3, 2012, 5:02 pmthere one funny article i read where it says the only place to see grown man cry is at a crit... 1st corner pile up and you will see dudes of different age in tears holding their broken high end carbon frame or wheels...

not to say you should race an el cheapo bike... but if you ain't winning or getting a million dollar pro contract what gives in owning a RM20k carbon rig other than you have the psychological edge against your opponents.

the best alternative is to have a willing friend that will loan you a bike or spare bike that he or she has.... for an indefinite period of time until you decide to get your own one...

commuting is a great thing if your work does not mind you arriving at the office a bit sweaty and whatever that comes with cycling, good for everything especially for the environment... can't say that much bout your lungs in a heavily polluted industrial place

what's the point of buying an insight with low emission when you can have no emission at all right?

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Added on January 3, 2012, 5:11 pmyou can, but not easy unless you have a really long thumb...

i sort of like Sora because the brake lever does not swing like most of the other shimano shift levers..very very disturbing on descents when you pull the lever and it moves....

that is until i used SRAM never looked back since then...

This post has been edited by butthead: Jan 3 2012, 05:11 PM

= =

you seems like quite free today...first time drop by answering numerous questions at once...

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Added on January 3, 2012, 5:32 pmyou are the evil fren by the way butthead... luckily the force is strong with me...

This post has been edited by hianboy: Jan 3 2012, 05:32 PM

i am just a "pengacau antarabangsa"...i come here and make pointless comments...

just thought of finding better use of my fingers than planting them in my nose to dig around...

the force isn't really with you... it is just like how the dark side clouded master yoda in Star Wars 3 : Revenge of The Sith...they think they had control of anakin but they didn't. ( drifting further and further away from cycling )

This post has been edited by butthead: Jan 3 2012, 05:35 PM

I also read many positive comment regarding SRAM components too

dun read too much...

Hi cyclist....

I'm looking for group ride on weekends. Anyone riding in Guthrie Highway? And I'd like join you guys... I'm staying in Subang Two...

Please PM me yeah.... Thanks!

This post has been edited by kyasee: Jan 3 2012, 05:42 PM

come Kiara ~ on sunday morning~ much fun~ (evil laugh)

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Added on January 3, 2012, 5:49 pmby the way i saw quite alot cyclist riding along jalan sg. buloh on weekend...not sure which group are they

This post has been edited by hianboy: Jan 3 2012, 05:49 PM

They have their merits... some like them, some don't

For me, it is just value for money i guess.

Their functions aren't that poor as well. They broke into the shimano road cycling stronghold much like shimano did to campy back in the 90s. They just reminded shimano they have to continue innovating to stay on top of the game.

That'll be until some xyz brand comes to topple sram.

he is quite right... reviews are the most poisonous...

you don't even need Dom Cobb to plant an idea in your head while you are dreaming...just reading them would plant and indestructible, un-rootable idea that cannot be removed until you cannot resist the urge to buy it....

you can take a look at the PCC gang...

http://www.pccmalaysia.com/

they ride a lot at what i think is guthrie and then into the bkt jelutong area...

This post has been edited by butthead: Jan 3 2012, 05:56 PM

Yes...I saw a few group riding towards Guthrie Highway.

First place I want to cycle when I get my bike would be Silk into Lekas, which I drove every morning to work

don't know where silk is but becareful if you are heading into expressways...

police have the rights to stop you in expressways as no bicycles are actually allowed...

many years ago i liked to sneak into north south expressway from KL end and ride to Damansara exit... got some hills and a long descent down to damansara exit... got stopped by coppers a couple of times... got bored of it since then...

...and not to mention...without helmet and proper bike light...

Thank you for sharing the website, this has been useful information.

no prob... baik bike has listed a couple of clubs...

http://www.baikbike.com/cycling-clubs-malaysia/

one of my favs not within KL or PJ area is knights of the round table which is in penang.

http://www.kotrt.com.my/kotrtpit.html

just read their rides and you will get some ideas where to go.

Hello all,

Can I ask anyone of you are storing your bikes outdoor? My condo has very little space and I can only store the bike outdoor. Is there a tent or something alike I can use to cover my bike with? So that it won't rust/ damage for Malaysia weather? I saw this online - http://www.yardstash.com/ and not sure if it's available in Malaysia..

Any advices are much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Lowkei