Flat bar road bikes

[Winners at last 4,676]

I want a bike that is relatively light, and reasonably fast.

I have back problems, so a drop bar racer wont work for me.

I've virtually narrowed down my search to Scott Metrix 20 and Avanti Blade 4.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Green Demon 766]

Hi Bingers,

I had a quick look at the specs of both bikes. One appears to have disk brakes, the other doesn't. I strongly recommend the one with disk brakes. They are far superior, especially in the wet.

The Shimano components on the Scott appear to be at the same level, or superior to the ones on the Avanti.

Therefore, the Scott would be the one I would choose, based on components. You should try to ride both, to see if both are comfortable. GIANT usually give great value for money, so it might be worth checking out what you can get for the same money in their range.

Good luck!

[Biffen 12,298]

I want a bike that is relatively light, and reasonably fast.

I have back problems, so a drop bar racer wont work for me.

I've virtually narrowed down my search to Scott Metrix 20 and Avanti Blade 4.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I want a bike that is relatively light, and reasonably fast.

I have back problems, so a drop bar racer wont work for me.

I've virtually narrowed down my search to Scott Metrix 20 and Avanti Blade 4.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Yes I do.

Please refrain from wearing lycra and stupid corporate logos.

Stay off Beach Rd and keep to the left.

Otherwise, Enjoy.

[beelzebub 22,225]

Ride both. Youll know. Decent shops can arrange a test. Bikes arent cheap...takem for a test. Get them set up right too.

[Green Demon 766]

Yes I do.

Please refrain from wearing lycra and stupid corporate logos.

Stay off Beach Rd and keep to the left.

Otherwise, Enjoy.

Au contraire, I recommend that you wear lycra, with as many different colours as you date.

Head to Beach Road, there is safety in numbers.

Keep left - pretty sensible.

It is good to avoid busy roads, because some drivers seem to blame cyclists for the roads being busy, rather than all the other vehicular traffic in front of them!

[Cards13 9,117]

Why the lycra? I have never understood this unless you are in a race of some sort. I wear the "gooch" protecting shorts underneath shorts or jeans but never EVERs on there own.

I have taken up riding (a Bauer commuter only) again recently and farken love it. The amount of times I actually arrive in advance or same time as cars/, trams etc is amazing.

Keep left but not too far left near parked cars, I was almost car doored today not for the 1st time.

Stand up and be tall when cars are stopped in traffic as cars turning across from the other side of the road can see you (again almost taken out 3 times recently).

Watch out for people walking across the road, they do not look for bike riders at all. Have almost taken out/been taken out numerous times.

Be careful riding directly next to a car as they tend to randomly swerve at unknown times without indicating at all.

[Macca 16,173]

Why the lycra? I have never understood this unless you are in a race of some sort. I wear the "gooch" protecting shorts underneath shorts or jeans but never EVERs on there own.

I have taken up riding (a Bauer commuter only) again recently and farken love it. The amount of times I actually arrive in advance or same time as cars/, trams etc is amazing.

Keep left but not too far left near parked cars, I was almost car doored today not for the 1st time.

Stand up and be tall when cars are stopped in traffic as cars turning across from the other side of the road can see you (again almost taken out 3 times recently).

Watch out for people walking across the road, they do not look for bike riders at all. Have almost taken out/been taken out numerous times.

Be careful riding directly next to a car as they tend to randomly swerve at unknown times without indicating at all.

Crikey's 'Cards' , that read like a 'Near death experience' . Think I'll stick to the exercise bike or designated bike route's around Melbourne . Not interested in being 'Taken out' in a hurry

I don't wear 'lycra' . I think the 'Authorities' would shoot me if that happened .

[Winners at last 4,676]

There is a sequel to my story. Not a happy one.

I bought an Avanti Blade 4. A lovely bike. Relatively light and fast.

Unfortunately on 28 November 2012 I came off the bike at relatively high speed. 7 broken ribs, 4 fractured vertebrae, broken shoulder + bruised lung. Oh, the bike is basically ok, but I haven't ridden it since. I'm still recovering.

Expressions of sympathy gratefully accepted.

[beelzebub 22,225]

Bloody hell.

Did a shoulder/collarbone way way back . It takes a while. Get better mate .

[Cards13 9,117]

There is a sequel to my story. Not a happy one.

I bought an Avanti Blade 4. A lovely bike. Relatively light and fast.

Unfortunately on 28 November 2012 I came off the bike at relatively high speed. 7 broken ribs, 4 fractured vertebrae, broken shoulder + bruised lung. Oh, the bike is basically ok, but I haven't ridden it since. I'm still recovering.

Expressions of sympathy gratefully accepted.

Shitballs! What the hell happened Bings? I know I ride too fast and put myself in silly situations and must pull my head in a fair bit especially after seeing that!

[Trisul 636]

The roads are really dangerous for cyclists these days. Few motorists know sufficient laws to keep themselves and others safe in a car, let alone the regulations applicable to cyclists. Fewer still even care - might versus right. I was down towards Inverloch around new years and the number of cars that overtook cyclists on blind corners at 80+ k/h was distressing. Also, If you're travelling 'bush', how about looking at the tourist info first that says quite clearly that the 84th annual road race is on and plan accordingly. Beach road? What, you mean the cycling mecca that's been that way for almost a century?

Everyone needs to lift thier game. People on bikes are not good cyclists, just like people in cars are not good drivers. In the CBD from 4pm through to 7pm a surprisingly large number of people on bikes attempt to get home. Most have some form of lighting, although those that don't, in the middle of winter where everything is dark grey at 5pm, are in my opinion suicidal. Many also wear black on black with black trim. Also in my opinion suicidal. I was recently abused crossing Little Lonsdale. My fault was not looking right twice (the wrong way) for the cyclist wearing black, with no lights, speeding (road is 40 limitied) down a one way street. The moron came very close to cleaning me up and then abused and blamed me, Almost also got run down in Rathdowne by a pretty girl on a pretty bike that decided the pedestrian crossing with the little green man going didn't apply to her. Ran over my feet. 'After you' I said. She didn't say a word, just kept on going.

And so castles made of.. wait. Where was my rant?

Hope the backs holding up while all the other bits mend mate.

[daisycutter 28,451]

whilst driving from burwood to the city and return i noticed a lot of bikes

i then noticed that virtually no bikes (1 in about a 100 it seemed) had any rear vision mirrors

this amazed me. Is there not a regulation saying you must have rear vision mirrors

maybe i'm missing something

anyone care to explain this mystery?

[Cards13 9,117]

whilst driving from burwood to the city and return i noticed a lot of bikes

i then noticed that virtually no bikes (1 in about a 100 it seemed) had any rear vision mirrors

this amazed me. Is there not a regulation saying you must have rear vision mirrors

maybe i'm missing something

anyone care to explain this mystery?

No regulations to have them, no regs that i'm aware of at all for bikes even on lights, high vis/bright coloured clothing etc. I used to have a "low rider" with mirrors and it was a bit of help for sure thinking of getting one for the city bike. From my experience though most of the issues occur are in front of you and if something does happen from behind the bike rider is in troulbe even if they can see it coming. Bikes riders need to be the one's on the defensive, people break before cars/trucks/poles/fences/roads.

[Winners at last 4,676]

Thanks guys. The accident was entirely my own fault. No other party involved. I went round a bend on the bike path near Collingwood Childrens Farm too fast. There was gravel all over the path. (Never been gravel there before.) I had nowhere else to go other than AOT. The rest is history.

I have recovered from the broken ribs reasonably. It only hurts when I laugh. I had to stop watching Ricky Gervais on TV last week for this reason!!

I'm recovering from a shoulder operation, but it is very slow going. I have to have a second operation in a few months to remove the metalwork.

It will be a fair while before I'm back on the bike. And I will certainly be riding a lot slower and more conservatively. Shame really cos I'm not particularly into exercise and my fitness had certainly improved over the past couple of years.

My neighbour (60+) was knocked off his bike about 6 months earlier and suffered a a compound fracture of his elbow. And when I was in hospital (RMH - dont start me on the treatment I received there!!!!!!), the woman in the same room had suffered a shockingly broken leg after being knocked off her bike.

So, fellow bike riders, take care!!!!

[Biffen 12,298]

Au contraire, I recommend that you wear lycra, with as many different colours as you date.

Head to Beach Road, there is safety in numbers.

Keep left - pretty sensible.

It is good to avoid busy roads, because some drivers seem to blame cyclists for the roads being busy, rather than all the other vehicular traffic in front of them!

All right-at the risk of sounding anti-bike, why on earth do cyclists ride two abreast on Beach Rd?

Why are they on it at all?

There is a path running along the beach that goes from the city to Mordialloc.Today I couldn't drive a car on Beach rd because it was given over to cyclists.

Drivers pay for that road.

Do Cyclists think they are the guys from CHiPS?

I love riding my bike but I use the remnants of my brain about it.

FFS-Beach Rd is a dumb place to ride-bendy and switching from 1 to 2 lanes depending on parked cars.

Cyclists act as if they own it and frequently get hit.

I believe bikers should be forced off it and/or made to pay a registration fee for the use of it.

The damage to my car is getting out of hand.

[Cards13 9,117]

Thanks guys. The accident was entirely my own fault. No other party involved. I went round a bend on the bike path near Collingwood Childrens Farm too fast. There was gravel all over the path. (Never been gravel there before.) I had nowhere else to go other than AOT. The rest is history.

I have recovered from the broken ribs reasonably. It only hurts when I laugh. I had to stop watching Ricky Gervais on TV last week for this reason!!

I'm recovering from a shoulder operation, but it is very slow going. I have to have a second operation in a few months to remove the metalwork.

It will be a fair while before I'm back on the bike. And I will certainly be riding a lot slower and more conservatively. Shame really cos I'm not particularly into exercise and my fitness had certainly improved over the past couple of years.

My neighbour (60+) was knocked off his bike about 6 months earlier and suffered a a compound fracture of his elbow. And when I was in hospital (RMH - dont start me on the treatment I received there!!!!!!), the woman in the same room had suffered a shockingly broken leg after being knocked off her bike.

So, fellow bike riders, take care!!!!

Good lord Bing hopefully you on the rebound soon enough, take care next time and I bloody well will too!

[puntkick 325]

All right-at the risk of sounding anti-bike, why on earth do cyclists ride two abreast on Beach Rd?

Why are they on it at all?

There is a path running along the beach that goes from the city to Mordialloc.Today I couldn't drive a car on Beach rd because it was given over to cyclists.

Drivers pay for that road.

Do Cyclists think they are the guys from CHiPS?

I love riding my bike but I use the remnants of my brain about it.

FFS-Beach Rd is a dumb place to ride-bendy and switching from 1 to 2 lanes depending on parked cars.

Cyclists act as if they own it and frequently get hit.

I believe bikers should be forced off it and/or made to pay a registration fee for the use of it.

The damage to my car is getting out of hand.

Believe biking @ Buller @ this time of year is to die for and there you could have a real influence on your home turf with your car !

[Paul Gardner 6]

The roads are really dangerous for cyclists these days. Few motorists know sufficient laws to keep themselves and others safe in a car, let alone the regulations applicable to cyclists. Fewer still even care - might versus right. I was down towards Inverloch around new years and the number of cars that overtook cyclists on blind corners at 80+ k/h was distressing. Also, If you're travelling 'bush', how about looking at the tourist info first that says quite clearly that the 84th annual road race is on and plan accordingly. Beach road? What, you mean the cycling mecca that's been that way for almost a century?

Everyone needs to lift thier game. People on bikes are not good cyclists, just like people in cars are not good drivers. In the CBD from 4pm through to 7pm a surprisingly large number of people on bikes attempt to get home. Most have some form of lighting, although those that don't, in the middle of winter where everything is dark grey at 5pm, are in my opinion suicidal. Many also wear black on black with black trim. Also in my opinion suicidal. I was recently abused crossing Little Lonsdale. My fault was not looking right twice (the wrong way) for the cyclist wearing black, with no lights, speeding (road is 40 limitied) down a one way street. The moron came very close to cleaning me up and then abused and blamed me, Almost also got run down in Rathdowne by a pretty girl on a pretty bike that decided the pedestrian crossing with the little green man going didn't apply to her. Ran over my feet. 'After you' I said. She didn't say a word, just kept on going.

And so castles made of.. wait. Where was my rant?

Hope the backs holding up while all the other bits mend mate.

Some are planning some more sports to play on the Highways, One is motorized Skate Boarding. Groups of up to 50 at a time, over mini marathon distances. Another mooted is Ultra Trotting, Trots that run along Highways for 50 kilometers.

Some even want to take over the highway Intersections to play six-a-side soccer, during light changes.

whilst driving from burwood to the city and return i noticed a lot of bikes

i then noticed that virtually no bikes (1 in about a 100 it seemed) had any rear vision mirrors

this amazed me. Is there not a regulation saying you must have rear vision mirrors

maybe i'm missing something

anyone care to explain this mystery?

Rear view mirrors? It would be pointed at their face to see how smooth they look.

no indicators.

no hazardlights like slow moving or dangerous vehicles have.

just the competative spirit required to be playing on a road near you, & just in case, the 'bird' is at hand when required.

[Axis of Bob 10,158]

I have returned recently from a month riding in Thailand and Cambodia.

Despite the crazy traffic there, I felt much safer there on a bike than I do in Australia. There is a much greater acceptance in SE Asia of bikes as a legitimate road user. Nobody sticks to lanes, or even drives down the correct side of the road, but everyone recognises that everyone else has as much right to use the road as anyone else.

That doesn't happen in Australia. Road users have a sense of entitlement such as 'we pay for the roads, so bikes should get off it'. Firstly, that's wrong, and secondly, who cares? The roads are public property and should be used by anyone who lawfully does so. There is an anger which I don't understand.

I'm not a lycra clad road warrior, but I ride my bike every day to work and have now sold my car. All I want is to be able to ride my bike safely from point A to point B without someone trying to run me off the road just because they have a problem with me existing. I can deal with people swearing at me for no other reason other than that I'm using the same road as them (thus forcing them to drop their speed from 60 km/h to 25 km/h for 5 seconds), but I can't deal with people trying to make my trip less safe. Why should I have to suffer extra risk just because some idiot suffers feelings of inadequacy?

Biffen, I don't ride down Beach Rd, but I can see why those who ride for sport would. It's a great view, the road is flat, long and there's a big gap between traffic lights. Cyclists are entitled, legally, to ride two abreast. Besides, it's a multi lane road so there should be no issue with it. Why do you have an issue with it?

[Biffen 12,298]

I will admit my issues with cyclists are irrational.

Soon after I wrote that about Beach Rd I saw another one bite the dust.

It needs fixing.

Cyclist should pay for the widening.

Or stick to the fkn track.

For their own benefit.

[beelzebub 22,225]

I have returned recently from a month riding in Thailand and Cambodia.

Despite the crazy traffic there, I felt much safer there on a bike than I do in Australia. There is a much greater acceptance in SE Asia of bikes as a legitimate road user. Nobody sticks to lanes, or even drives down the correct side of the road, but everyone recognises that everyone else has as much right to use the road as anyone else.

That doesn't happen in Australia. Road users have a sense of entitlement such as 'we pay for the roads, so bikes should get off it'. Firstly, that's wrong, and secondly, who cares? The roads are public property and should be used by anyone who lawfully does so. There is an anger which I don't understand.

I'm not a lycra clad road warrior, but I ride my bike every day to work and have now sold my car. All I want is to be able to ride my bike safely from point A to point B without someone trying to run me off the road just because they have a problem with me existing. I can deal with people swearing at me for no other reason other than that I'm using the same road as them (thus forcing them to drop their speed from 60 km/h to 25 km/h for 5 seconds), but I can't deal with people trying to make my trip less safe. Why should I have to suffer extra risk just because some idiot suffers feelings of inadequacy?

Biffen, I don't ride down Beach Rd, but I can see why those who ride for sport would. It's a great view, the road is flat, long and there's a big gap between traffic lights. Cyclists are entitled, legally, to ride two abreast. Besides, it's a multi lane road so there should be no issue with it. Why do you have an issue with it?

i ride for leisure and exercise. ive done a number of Vics and Interstaters. I only mention this so as to suggest I do actually like bikes

I also live on the Nepean Hwy bayside. I can tell yo that the vast majority of cyclists are good. I can also tell you theres a fair share of arrogant sh!theads who's sole goal it would seem is to fight some sort of war agaisnt cars and paying users of roads.

Cyclists pay for nothing. Lets get that clear. They pay no licence, they have to PASS no licence. They pay no insurance. I say THIS so as to highlight the inbalance between positions. The minute you get a small handful together they seem to think theyre a peloton on the Tour !!

As is often the way a minority spoil it for the rest. This lot do a really good job of it too.

Roads were designed for cars. It just so happens bikes use them too. Where theres a bike path /lane then the road has been designed also for bikes.

Edited January 30, 2013 by belzebub59

[Trisul 636]

i ride for leisure and exercise. ive done a number of Vics and Interstaters. I only mention this so as to suggest I do actually like bikes

I also live on the Nepean Hwy bayside. I can tell yo that the vast majority of cyclists are good. I can also tell you theres a fair share of arrogant sh!theads who's sole goal it would seem is to fight some sort of war agaisnt cars and paying users of roads.

Cyclists pay for nothing. Lets get that clear. They pay no licence, they have to PASS no licence. They pay no insurance. I say THIS so as to highlight the inbalance between positions. The minute you get a small handful together they seem to think theyre a peloton on the Tour !!

As is often the way a minority spoil it for the rest. This lot do a really good job of it too.

Roads were designed for cars. It just so happens bikes use them too. Where theres a bike path /lane then the road has been designed also for bikes.

I & ii - So, you pay for nothing, bub? iii -Or chariots, or .. everyone?

[Axis of Bob 10,158]

Roads were designed for people. Roads were designed for a horse and cart.

Cyclists pay tax. They pay for the road. Car registration isn't the sole source finance for transportation. A lot of that money would go into driver licensing, education etc.

So if cyclists pay to use the roads, why aren't they allowed to use it? Because it's ever so slightly less convenient for a motorist that overtakes them?

If there is more acceptance from everyone on the road then it will be safer for everyone and everyone will be happier.

[Winners at last 4,676]

In the words of Frank Woodley "I wish that hadn't happened" (contemplating his unfortunate experience).

[daisycutter 28,451]

I have returned recently from a month riding in Thailand and Cambodia.

Despite the crazy traffic there, I felt much safer there on a bike than I do in Australia. There is a much greater acceptance in SE Asia of bikes as a legitimate road user. Nobody sticks to lanes, or even drives down the correct side of the road, but everyone recognises that everyone else has as much right to use the road as anyone else.

That doesn't happen in Australia. Road users have a sense of entitlement such as 'we pay for the roads, so bikes should get off it'. Firstly, that's wrong, and secondly, who cares? The roads are public property and should be used by anyone who lawfully does so. There is an anger which I don't understand.

I'm not a lycra clad road warrior, but I ride my bike every day to work and have now sold my car. All I want is to be able to ride my bike safely from point A to point B without someone trying to run me off the road just because they have a problem with me existing. I can deal with people swearing at me for no other reason other than that I'm using the same road as them (thus forcing them to drop their speed from 60 km/h to 25 km/h for 5 seconds), but I can't deal with people trying to make my trip less safe. Why should I have to suffer extra risk just because some idiot suffers feelings of inadequacy?

Biffen, I don't ride down Beach Rd, but I can see why those who ride for sport would. It's a great view, the road is flat, long and there's a big gap between traffic lights. Cyclists are entitled, legally, to ride two abreast. Besides, it's a multi lane road so there should be no issue with it. Why do you have an issue with it?

Bob, if you are going to quote asia then you should do some research on asian road kill rates

you'd be surprised how high they are. something you don't necessarily see as a short term tourist