GRM bicycle site?

Yeah, it's that time of year again, the Tour is on, etc. So can anyone recommend a good cycling forum or site that is GRM-like and noob-friendly?

All I've got currently is a big knobbie-tired mountain bike and I'd like to do some reading into what others have done for beginner and budget-minded road setups (with an eye to eventual tri's). Sprockets is great but doesn't have the volume of info or traffic to be a great resource.

I'm on f88me, but it's mostly poo flinging with some bike E36 M3 thrown in. Small group, most new people don't stick around long because of the poo flinging, but i like it. Knowledgeable, helpful people if you keep the personas out of it.

They know I'm not a gnar core rider and could lose some weight, but they don't snub me if I ask questions.

I troll around on Bikeforums.net and recommend giving that a look. There are many different sections on there and people are pretty helpful and knowledgable over there. Pm me if you have any questions on a beginner/budget roadie setup (Most of my road bikes have been done on the affordable side).

Thanks, I'll check out BF.

I also stumbled across these - http://forums.roadbikereview.com/ and http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

Edit - I went to bikeforum.net at first, not exactly what I was looking for and then realized I forgot the 's'....

I find that the retro-vintage forum of RBR (RoadBikeReview) is pretty good. People appreciated older bikes there (but they still spends lots of money).

Your next best bet is to find a commuter/messenger forum. I know lots of folks who gave up good jobs, high salaries, sold their cars, paid off their houses, and work 10 hours a week via bicycle.

Yeah, there isn't a lot of grassroots kinda stuff out there from what I've been able to find so far. Like you mentioned, even the vintage people still get caught up in high dollar stuff.

I'd love to see or find some roadie or beginner tri-based "I found/bought/built this bike for $200-300" threads. I'm not looking for high-end fancy catalog builds - anybody can spend $1,500-15,000 to build an awesome bike. Who cares if it isn't going to be a "competitive" bike for tri's or what not, guess what, the motor on the bike isn't going to be competitive starting out either!

What are you looking to do? How are you planning to use the bike?

You won't find $200-$300 builds on any bike used for racing. I mean...maybe...but you'd be a severe disadvantage in a number of ways.

Weight Tires Shifting

Old cheap bikes prior to the internet all weighed a ton. Occasionally you'll find a higher-end bike for sale, but usually the owner knows its value and wants a few hundred for it. My 1980 Razesa was high-end small numbers hand built in Spain and it still weighs more than most entry level 2012 road bikes. You'll find some relatively lightweight frames from the 80's, but with the fixie/vintage crowd hunting, many unique frames have increased in price, and if you spend $150-200 on a nice frame, you'll still have a heavy bike.That's because of components and tires.

Tires and wheels have changed a fair amount in the last 20 years. Wheels are designed for a certain amount of flex while still being lightweight. Old tires are usually dry-rotted and need replaced. You can buy an older bike, get some new tires, but it may not be as comfortable as a newer bike with new wheels designed for a comfortable ride.

Lastly, component weights have change drastically since the 80's. Carbon forks, seat posts, handelbars, wheels, shifter/brake combos, seats, all have reduce bike weight, but also cost a pretty penny. Downtube shifters are light, but they could also get you killed if you were riding in a tight race. If you were racing you'd want brake mounted shifter combos.

So, if you want a bike to put miles on, any bike with good tires do.

If you want a bike to race, to keep up with the pack, and impress your friends, you'll need to spend a little.

Tri bikes are very specific. They are a relatively new style of bike. Tri bikes from the 90's were just a high-end lightweight road bike, now they are built for aero, not for comfort. Skinny frames and wheels, aero bars, aero seatposts. They are usually made to be stiff and lightweight so you can efficiently put the power down. Carbon is common, and wheels/frame will cost you $300 alone, even used, even some triathletes junk will cost you $300.

Unfortunately I agree. In a way, "grassroots"in the bicycle world just means old and semi-obsolete. Case in point: I have a very high in steel mtn bike from the late 90's. Everything on the bike is top spec- XTR, Chris King, etc... The bike still works well, but parts are becoming difficult. Shimano stopped production of XTR 8 spd cassettes about a decade ago, so when I need a replacement I'm looking on ebay where everyone knows they ate unobtanium and ask stupid prices. Chain rings are similar.

A couple of years ago when I built my new Niner, I figured I could still use many of the spare XTR stuff I had, but in the end, I ended up cobbling together a 9 spd set up sourced from my slalom bike. I still had to pay dearly for used 9 spd XT shifters.

For my current Niner hardtail build, I'm just going all new XT and XTR 10 spd. Yes, I paid dearly for it, but at least I should be good for parts if needed for a few years. Eventuality, the other Niner will get the same drivetrain.

My current road bike is of equal antiquity in the parts department - 8 spd Campy Record and Chorus from 1992. Likewise, my next road bike will just get new stuff.

Having quickly jumped from a heavy bike to a light bike a number of times (my old f/s mtn bike is a 40 lb DH bike), don't quickly dismiss how much difference it will make.