While a lot of attention is given to the carbon fiber wonder bikes, performance driven road bikes, and mountain bikes, the majority of cycling is had by more practical bicycles. These practical bicycles take on a mix of features that try to find a balance of value for the customer. It is encouraging that most people come to Scott’s Cycle and Sports looking for such a bicycle.
Two great examples of this type of bicycle are the Boulder SE and the Raleigh Circa
The $380 Giant Boulder SE (pictured above right) is a go anywhere mountain bike with a 24 speed drive-train functional suspension fork and a lightweight aluminum frame. A lot people like the fact that for under $400 they can get a real mountain bike made for real off-road riding. If you need a bike a to go across town on pavement it is more than able to make the trip, especially if the trip might make a turn and hit some more rugged terrain.
Starting at $385 the Raleigh Circa (pictured above left) comes with either a 7 speed derailleur, 3 speed internal hub gear, or 8 speed internal hub gear. Raleigh has developed the Circa with the aspect of rider comfort and ease of use as the most important factor. The geometry of the Raleigh Circa is designed for an upright riding position and gives slightly lower seat height for ease of use but without sacrificing pedaling effectiveness. The grips, seat and simplicity of shifting are packaged together to give the rider a sense of comfort and ease. Pedaling the Raleigh Circa will give a a smile to your face and make you find reasons to run errands or take the family out for a ride.
When buying a new bike, the decision to find a bicycle that fits the practical needs and also fill the desire to find the balance of cost, durability and performance is hard place to find. The saying holds true that out of cost, durability, and performance, you can pick two of the three. That is to say that if the product has low cost it can have durability but not performance. Or if the product has performance and durability it must also have high price and so on and so on. In reality the aspects of value are not so black and white and most products have a more complex mix of the determining factors but the basic principles still hold true. The Raleigh Circa and the Giant Boulder SE are perfect examples of a bicycle that holds a great balance of value and practicality.
Scott’s Cycle and Sports has been sponsoring 2010 RAAM rider and ultra endurance racer Ross Meucke as he completes his dream of completing and racing in the Race Across America, RAAM is without a doubt the most grueling feet in endurance road cycling. Ross has already set records and has had success in events like the Hoodoo 500, Race Across Oregon and other non stop efforts across both the state of Washington and Idaho. So he knows a thing or two about finding a bike you can ride for long time.
A week ago he test road the new Infinito and gave this review on his blog.
Feb. 7.5th, Bianchi Infinito
February 8th, 2010
Had the pleasure of taking the new Bianchi Infinito for a test ride today, and here is what I think:
I’ll preface my remarks with a couple notes: I’m an ultracyclist, and spend my days riding farther than most. Today was no exception – by the time I arrived back home to give the Infinito a whirl, I already had 110 miles in the legs. So I do believe I will be accurately reporting what this bike is like.
Second, if you are looking for some negative points to use to talk yourself or your spouse out of a new bike, you won’t find any here.
I’ve always thought Bianchi makes a great bike, and the Infinito is no exception. I usually ride a 928 Sl – and the Infinito shares many of it’s finer traits. The bike is very stable, with no speed wobble issues at all. With hands off the bars I was comfortable descending at 20plus. I tried to induce a little instability, but it tracked perfectly straight. Bianchis love to go fast, and the faster the Infinito goes, the more stable it feels.
Handling is superb. Give the bike a trajectory change to follow and it does so immediately. It never leaves you wishing you had turned a bit harder, nor does it ever cause you to believe you should have gone straight instead of diving into the Starbucks driveway.
Performance is where this bike really shines. You are left with the feeling that every watt of power you put into the bike is being translated into forward motion. Powering out of the aboved mentioned turns, the bike instantly accelerates back to your chosen speed. More than that, though, the bike seems to ask you to give it your best. Pesky little rollers are conquered by simply spinning faster, maintaining speed on long flat pulls is easier, and the bike wants to accelerate while climbing. It carries power deep into the pedal stroke – there is very little feel of a dead spot at the top and bottom of the stroke.
The new geometry works well. The higher headtube brings your shoulders and head up and back, which allows you to find a balanced feel on the bike. I can’t speak for the other changes – longer wheelbase and slightly different seatpost angle, but they all add up to a very stable, comfortable ride.
Certainly this bike is built for long days in the saddle – less power is wasted fighting the frame, while comfort and bike behaviour leave you free to enjoy the day.
Starting in small workshop on 7 Via Nirone in Milan Italy by Edoardo Bianchi. The Bianchi company has been making bicycle since 1885 making it one of the oldest manufacturers in the the bicycle industry. Owning a Bianchi is something special and you can feel the years of bicycle experience learned from pro level racing in the highest levels. Bianchi has been involved with the sport for basically almost long as bicycle racing itself. With legendary riders like Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, and Marco Pantoni riding Bianchi bicycles to Tour de France and Giro d’Italia victories for more than half a Century. What some people don’t know is that they also make a very high quality bicycle for all levels of riders from Pro Tour riders to the local club rider. One shining example is the Via Nirone 7 Sora an under $1000 dollar road bike with details not found in bikes found in this price range. First thing that will stand out is the frame a beautiful Hydro formed and Triple butted aluminum frame. Most Companies do not take this much care in making an entry level road bike frame and it shows. The frame is light and stiff but with the design is also surprisingly smooth. We have had customers upgrade for just a few lighter parts and have gotten the total weight to around 18lbs within 1.5 to 2 lbs of considerably more expensive carbon models. Another stand out is the wheels, while not name brand Mavics or Rolf’s they are spec’d with sealed bearing hubs a detail a lot of other brands leave out. The Via Nirone 7 Sora is also spec’d with the complete Shimano Sora drivetrain including the out board bearing Sora crankset a place that sometimes is over looked. Overall the Via Nirone 7 Sora is slightly more expensive than seemingly similarly spec’d bikes but with a closer look you will realize that it is worth the extra few dollars to ride the legendary quality of a Bianchi Bicycle. The aptly named Via Nirone 7 the address of Edoardo’s first shop is a great model road bike to start the experience of road cycling.