terry precision

[surgtech1956]

Does anyone ride a Terry Precision(older model 1999)? I know its a steel bike. Is it a decent entry level bike? Thanks Nancy

[KnottedYet]

The Terry Forum might be able to get you some more info. They even have an "oldies but goodies" section.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/forums/

Which model of 1999 Terry Precision bicycle did you try out? Did you like it? How was the fit? Was it in good shape?

[massbikebabe]

Nancy;

I have a Terry P. from around 1987-1988 that I am still riding and love. Last year my DH and son stripped the frame and updated it to Ultegra and it still has some old Campy Record on it. She is beautiful and yes I think it would make a good entry level bike. PM me if you have any other questions.

Karen

[surgtech1956]

Thanks, there's one on Ebay and looks in very good condition - its local pick up only, only about an hour from me - its a 1999 and the bid is at $179.

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet - thanks so much for the forum link.

[KnottedYet]

Is this the bike?
http://cgi.ebay.com/STEAL-MY-BIKE-Terry-Symmetry-17-5-inch-womens-bicycle_W0QQitemZ200114153413QQihZ010QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

27.5 inch standover. Nice and small. It isn't too hard to get stuff for the 24 inch front wheel, either. Bar end shifters are nice (have 'em on my Surly).

I'd get it!

(well, *I* wouldn't get it, cuz I'm on the tall side, but YOU should get it!)

[Triskeliongirl]

I have two terry bikes with 24" front wheels. Getting wheels, tubes, and tires are no problem. The terry fit really works for my body (shorter upper body and arms with proportionally longer legs). As long as you don't mind the 7 spd rear, I would say go for it. You can still get 7 spd freewheels from Harris Cyclery. I looked at the listing and the condition looks terridic. Her older steel frames were very well made. In fact, I think all her steel frames are better than her current aluminum ones. Let us know if you get it! PM me later if you want advice on wheelsets, etc.

p.s. the listing says the model is the symetry, which is her entry level road bike. it is basically a 'sport bike' geometry, it should also have eyelets for a rack, and take tires up to 28c wide if its make like the more recent ones. fyi you can now get 24" tires in sizes from 23c to 32 c, not a lot of choice but what's out there is good quality and works well.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks girls. I think its looks in great shape. It looks like the color is silver. I think the size is right for me to - I'm 5'5" with about a 29" inseam and I think a little smaller bike will work for me better - I have a permanent knee problem(patella femoral joint) and need my seat up to make it easier on my patella. I'll keep you posted if I win the auction.

[Triskeliongirl]

Thanks girls. I think its looks in great shape. It looks like the color is silver. I think the size is right for me to - I'm 5'5" with about a 29" inseam and I think a little smaller bike will work for me better - I have a permanent knee problem(patella femoral joint) and need my seat up to make it easier on my patella. I'll keep you posted if I win the auction.

Actually, based on this info. I think it may be a size too small for you. I am 5'4" with a 30.5" cycling inseam, and the 19" frame fits me much better than the 17.5" frame (I own one of each). If your cycling inseam is really 29" though, the 17.5" one may be fine. Is 29" your pants inseam or cycling inseam. Cycling inseam is measured in bare feet, but pressing a book or something into your crotch and then marking on a wall the distance from your pubic bone to the ground.

You said its only an hour drive. Can you make an appt. to test ride say an hour before the auction closes, and then place your bid either on the sellers computer or your cell phone if you are happy with the ft?

p.s. if your cycling inseam is really 29" then this bike should be a good fit, as I have minimum clearnance on my 19" frame with a 30.5" inseam. 29" just seems small for your height.

[KnottedYet]

Be sure to set the saddle back far enough that your knee is just *behind* the spindle at the forward horizontal pedal position. (ie: saddle low and back) That takes the stress off the patellar-femoral joint. And it's pretty darn comfy, too!

Standard fit is to have the knee at the spindle, but from a PT standpoint behind the spindle is kinder to a pat-fem issue. Get ahold of Andy Pruitt's book, and give a holler to the PT and PTAssts on the board if you need help.

I hope you "win" that Terry! Sweet bike!

[surgtech1956]

Let me see if I have this right. From the bottom of my foot(floor) to the crotch area is just almost 30 inches. I put a book - maybe too big of a book and it measured 26 inches. Does this sound right???

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet - are you saying the front of the saddle should be tilted up?? I think thats how I got the back sore spot.

[KnottedYet]

Measure from the edge of the book that is pressing into your pubic bone. So, essentially TOP (spine) of the book to floor in stocking feet. You don't want the bike tube to be hitting your pubic bone when you stand over it (even in stocking feet) so you want a bike with a SMALLER standover than your bicycling inseam.

If you don't have a firm book handy, use a board. Cutting board works fine. measure from the edge of the cutting board that is pressing into your pubes to the floor as you stand with your back and heels and end of the board against the wall.

[KnottedYet]

KnottedYet - are you saying the front of the saddle should be tilted up?? I think thats how I got the back sore spot.

Nope, not at all. I'm referring to sliding the saddle BACK toward the rear tire. Moving it back in the seat post clamp. Sliding it back on the rails. Slipping it hindward. Movin' on back. Aft-ward direction. Fore-aft placement.

Don't mess with tilt. Tilt is a whole 'nother universe. I'm talkin' saddle position. Keep that puppy level. Don't play with tilt until you get fore-aft settled.

Go find a copy of Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. It is a very valuable resource!

Did you take your A+P at LCC or JCC? (LCC RULZ!!!) Remember the tibial tuberosity? Arrange the fore-aft placement of the saddle such that when you are comfortably settled on the saddle and one of your pedals is in the forward horizontal postion your tib tub on the forward leg is just behind the pedal spindle. If your tib tub is goofy (like if you have Osgood's), use the ant pat as your reference. Andy Pruitt uses the ant pat, which puts the actual joint line behind the spindle anyway.

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet. I think the size will work. I used a hard cover novel and the measurement was just about 26 1/2 inches. My hybrid is a 15" - I had a mountain bike and it was a 17 1/5 and I never liked it riding it, it never felt right. thanks

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet, thanks, now I understand about the saddle and I'll look for that book.

[KnottedYet]

Let me see if I have this right. From the bottom of my foot(floor) to the crotch area is just almost 30 inches. I put a book - maybe too big of a book and it measured 26 inches. Does this sound right???

Now I'm lost. Both with this "big" book at 26 inches, and then you said a hardcover novel got you 26 1/2 inches.

How did your inseam decrease 3 1/2 to 4 inches?

Using a book or board to squish the soft tissue out of the way so you get a boney landmark measurement should've made your inseam measurement increase.

Here we can fall back on A+P again. What we're looking for is pubic symphysis to distal surface of calcaneous. The book and wall are just a way of isolating pubic symphysis to bottom of calcaneous. Do what you need to get that measurement in weightbearing, and then you can use that to assess the standover height with regards to a bicycle's top tube.

Edit: are you holding the book horizontally or vertically? Got a broom? Use the broomstick intead. Mash that critter into your pubes holding it horizontally like it was the top tube of a bike. Measure from the top/upper/high/pressing against your girlie-bits/closest-to-the-sky edge of the broomstick to the floor. That gives you the standover height of a bike that would crush your girlie-bits but not bust your pelvis open like a walnut. (aka bicycling inseam, aka absolute no questions asked do not pass go do not recieve $200 upper limit) If you don't want a bike to mash your bits every time you stand over it, get a bike with a SMALLER/lower/closer-to-the-ground standover height.

[emily_in_nc]

That's a really pretty Terry, but I agree that you need to be really sure about the size first. I'm 5'2.5" with a 28.5" cycling inseam, and my 17.5" Terry Isis was a perfect fit for me. At 5'5", you sound too tall for this bike. If your inseam is really as short as mine and yet you're 2.5" taller than me, you probably have a long torso and will find the cockpit of the bike too cramped. You'd need a longer stem for sure. The price is phenomenal, though, so if it stays that low, you might want to buy it anyway -- you might be able to sell it for more than you paid if you are willing to ship it. An LBS will normally box and ship it for you for about $50 (not including the actual cost of shipping), so you might make money on the deal... Good luck, and keep us posted!

Emily

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet, I am so embarrassed. I really am a newbie. I was putting the book so that it gave me clearance. :o :o Now I know what you were talking about measuring. So I would say its 29 1/2".

[Triskeliongirl]

If your cycling inseam is 29.5 then you definitely need the 17.5" frame for standover clearance. I agree with Emily, the cockpit may be too short, but that will depend on the lengths of your femurs and arms, and how aggresive a position you want to assume on the bike, none of which we know. BUT, putting a longer stem on is easy and relatively inexpensive (~$29, nitto technomic comes in a lot of sizes to dial in fit http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.asp?PART_NUM_SUB='1173-10'), and will only improve handling as I think the stems on those bikes as supplied are too short (I always put longer ones on) so again given the apparent good condition and good price, I think its a good bet. Again, what about my suggestion of driving out to test ride prior to bidding?

[KnottedYet]

29.5 bicycling inseam meets 27.5 standover top-tube.

I'd say 2 inches of clearance sounds pretty fine. Especially at that price. For a STEEL TERRY! (I have less than that on my Surly and Waterford, but I have a very long torso and long arms and the geometry works for me) If you need a bit longer reach once you get the bike, it's not a difficult thing to get a longer reach stem.

And at our age (eh-hem) being a little more upright (slightly shorter reach frame will do that) isn't a bad thing.

I'd still get that Terry. (except that it's too small for me and 2,000 miles away...;) )

[surgtech1956]

My hybrid frame is 15" and seems fine - I think sometimes I'm in between sizes, my mtn bike was a 17.5 and seemed too big. I'm going to try the adjustment on my saddle(thanks KnottedYet). I can't go before the auction ends and look at the bike. I guess if I win it and it doesn't work out - I can just resell it on Ebay. Thanks girls, I'll keep you posted.

[KnottedYet]

If you get it and can't make it work for you, I'd sell it here on TE or on the Terry site before Ebay. Sell it to an audience who knows what it's really worth! (If I didn't already have 2 steel bikes and weren't 2,000 miles away I'd happily pay up to $400 for that Terry. $500 if I was madly in love with it.)

Don't get too caught up comparing size numbers between a hybrid, a mtb, and a road bike. They are all going to have unique personalities and unique fits regardless of numbers.

Just buy the damm bike!!! :D

[Triskeliongirl]

[QUOTE=surgtech1956;208506]My hybrid frame is 15" and seems fine - I think sometimes I'm in between sizes, my mtn bike was a 17.5 and seemed too big. QUOTE]

The mountain bike may have been too big cuz the top tube was too long. An advantage of the small front wheel is that it will have a more proportionally sized top tube. I think you can't go wrong on it. If it really doesn't fit you can probably make money selling it either here on TE or at the terry website.

[surgtech1956]

Didn't win the auction. The Precision sold for $380. I'm sure its worth it. I'm watching a few bikes. Terry must not be that popular of a bike?? Thanks for all your advice and info. I really appreciate it.

[KnottedYet]

Terry is a very popular bike among women who know bikes. Georgena Terry started the entire "WSD" wave. And she is a VERY cool chickie, riding like a demoness even with one leg in braces. (I think it was polio, but I could be wrong on that.)

You know those "cut out" saddles everyone talks about? (guess who?)

It's very sad you didn't win that Terry.

Here's some info about Georgena Terry.
http://www.engr.uiuc.edu/communications/outlook/Text%2042-1-2/blowtorch.htm

Listen to the "Queen of Cycling" herself:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6577627

Georgena Terry is number 19 on this list:
http://www.bicyclenewswire.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showrelease&cid=46&id=132

This is an old article, but it's good. You'll note that Prestige Cycles in CLINTON TOWNSHIP MICHIGAN is mentioned. If you have any questions about Terry bikes, they might be a good resource, and they aren't too far from you.
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-96/06-17-96/c01li096.htm

Here's a little something from Team Estrogen:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/se_terry.html

I have admired Georgena Terry for years. She is one of my heroes. Back in the old days I used to save her catalogs and read them over and over again.

[surgtech1956]

KnottedYet - Thank you so much for the links. OMG she is such an amazing woman. I had no idea who she was. She is like the 'martha stewart of women's bicycle'. I 'googled' her too - I liked the part that her employees are 90% women and the men are in the warehouse lifting heavy boxes.

[KnottedYet]

Martha Stewart?

Well, I'd put her more as Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell. Susan B Anthony.

[surgtech1956]

Your right. Bad comparison.

[Crankin]

Well, she might be a cycling legend, but a couple of years ago, in one of the Terry newsletters or catalogs, she let off with some political opinion. It was very uh, right wing. This was not the place for her political opinion and not just because I disagree with her (it was really pointed). I wrote an email and got a "formula" response from her. But, I never saw any more of that again. And, btw, I adore Terry clothing and buy it almost exclusively.

Robyn

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, nobody's perfect. (If they were, they'd be *just like me*! :D ) But she has had a huge impact on women's bicycling! I admire the heck out of the engineering and business sense and determination!

[Velobambina]

I'm planning on selling my Terry Fast Woman soon. It's a limited edition bike --a one of a kind --- that was a spare for the Team Terry captain back in 2005. Unfortunately, the TT is a tad too long and puts me in a too aggressive position.