# What about Redline?



## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

I did a fair amount of research and riding before making my decision and I hope I didn't make a mistake. 

I just bought a 2009 Redline Conquest to be used primarily as a commuter. I commute 28 miles/day in just about any weather and the ability to run discs on a road-oriented frame really appealed to me. I discussed this bike with some other friends who race cyclocross, road, triathlon and mtb and nobody really said anything negative. Most seemed to feel the Redline was a solid bike. I may also do some light touring on it.

When I rode it, I absolutely loved the ride and the ergos. I'm pretty jazzed about it.

I realize they are no Cervelo or Kona but I haven't seen Redline mentioned hardly anywhere on roadbikereview except in the reviews section. Is there a particular reason for this?


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## babylou (Jul 13, 2008)

As you described your needs a Cervelo would have been a terrible choice. The Redline was a good choice as certain model Kona's wuld have been too. Be sure to fiddle with tire pressures to find the correct setup for you.


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## Mayday (Jan 22, 2004)

*No worries*

Redline has a good reputation for value, and that bike sounds like a good choice for the kinds of riding you plan to do. The brand has been around for a while but doesn't get a lot of attention in roadie circles. I think they got their start in BMX, then became known for making good, lightweight and affordable cross bikes. Seems they've expanded into producing some road models and other styles recently, but they're still best known in BMX and cyclocross.


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## Triker (Sep 27, 2004)

I ride a Redline as my city/bad weather/touring bike. I've got knobby 30's on it and it can handle anything short of single track. I love it. Terrific value and you are spot on about the brakes.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks for the responses.

I just got my bike last night and rode it to work this morning. So far it's great though I want to get a long mudflap to keep the front wheel spray off my chain. I was riding in a deluge this morning and having reliable brakes was nice.

I did notice that since I had the bike pretty heavily loaded down in the rear it handled a little funky. Maybe I should have looked for a touring bike. I'll fiddle with the positioning of my ortlieb bags...thankfully, they lend themselves well to adjustments.

I'm also not crazy about the spindle...it looks way longer than it needs to be. There is a huge gap between the BB housing and the crank arm. Every time I look at it, I have this compelling urge to buy a Shimano Hollowtech II crankset with the external bearings just to clean it up. It looks really odd the way it is. It also looks like a great place to store water and grit.

As an aside, if I do get a new crankset I was thinking about going with shorter crank arms to give me heel and toe clearance. Is there a downside to doing this as long as I have low enough gearing? Am I not going to be using the right muscles because I'm not putting my legs through a long enough range of motion?

When I get a few (hundred) more miles on it, I'll post back in here with my impressions.


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## sdstp (Aug 25, 2011)

I just picked up a 05/05 Redline Conquest Ti that I am setting up for the road...any others out there?


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