Let's have some opinions...or advice...

So I've been off the bike for over two years, I 've been being put back together by orthopods and such, and I'm told to toodle around the nieghborhood on my bike to rehab the fixed knee. (The other one gets fixed in August. Then the whole hellish nightmare should be done by Xmas if I can keep dragging my *** to rehab.) ) The problem is, my MDs and PTs don't understand that my stable are all race appointed wonders and totally unsuitable for the couch slug I've become. Both legs and feet have had to be pretty much redone and I'm fat and weak and cry when I see anybody on an Orbea frame. I WANT ONE!
So I guess I have to suck it up and change out some parts on a Mt bike to get an absurdly overdone comfort bike. I haven't got four bills to just go buy one, so, what do you all think of this? The chosen victim is a 96 Zaskar (hardtail) with a brand new Sachs nine speed drivetrain. I've already taken off the ATACs and put on some bear traps with clips and straps. I've got a little of the Fear and need a few miles before I can cope with the tricky bastards.
I've got those Terry liberator V Race saddles on all my bikes and loved them, but frankly they make my butt hurt so bad it takes a week to recover now. If I put on a wider cushy tushy saddle it seems I'll need to get more upright and then we get to the tricky part- changing the stem.
My back would like this, a whole lot. Stems are such a crapshoot though. Comments please? The current one is, I think, 135mm with a 10 degree rise. I did swap out the flat bar for a riser bar so I've gained a little hieght. And did I forget any other ways to wuss up an elegant, breathtaking beauty of a bike? It hurts me to do this to her. My junky Go To Mardi Gras bike takes a lot of strength to manhandle around the brakes and it's rigid. I can't take the beating yet. I don't see any other options than to tune down a good bike.

Thanks, girls

Miss Liz

I suggest taking your bike to a bike shop and having someone who knows what they are doing help you with fitting issues around the stem and so on.

penny s

:confused: Did it. Went to the very shop I worked for for two years. Had long discussion. Called Paul Swift in L.A. and had long discussion. The seat/ stem change is his idea, along with some nifty tricks involving washers between the pedal and crankarm for a biomechanical compensation. Is that enough for a start, penney?
When you get run over buy a drunk peice of white trash in a cane truck I will try to have better manners than to make truly absurd suggestions when you want to figure out how to get on the spin with warped garbage for knees. (given that you survive). Did you actually read the whole post? In the mean time you might want to get a magazine subscription or two and educate yourself about the equipment.
Surprisingly enough, women who ride aquire park tools and workstands and shop manuals. And six bikes. And information. I was looking for my own kind here.

When I had my road bike made, they put an extension on the stem because I needed to be about 1" more upright. It made all the difference in the world.

If you have to go to a big cushy seat, please don't cover it with fake fur <grin>.

Also, I don't think the previous poster meant any harm. It's very unusual for a woman to know as much as you seem to know about bikes. I don't even approach it. I rely on my LBS to work on my bikes because I don't have the time, nor inclination to learn. I do basic maintenance, but the big stuff goes to the bike shop.

I notice that your original reply to Penny has been deleted by the board administrator, I would assume, for its absolutely snotty tone. Here's a fact: you are not the only one in the universe who has had misfortune in your life. I'm sorry you were hit by a truck, but it's time you either got some therapy to work out your rage, or moved on.
It's a lot easier to join a community and find good advice if you don't alienate everyone with put-downs and arrogance. Time to grow up and decide just what you are trying to prove, and to whom.
marys
(by the way, I own Park tools and do most of my own work, too. And I was injured and unable to ride for 6 years, so I know of what I speak).

Quote:

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Originally posted by missliz
:Is that enough for a start, penney?
When you get run over buy a drunk peice of white trash in a cane truck I will try to have better manners than to make truly absurd suggestions when you want to figure out how to get on the spin with warped garbage for knees. (given that you survive). Did you actually read the whole post? In the mean time you might want to get a magazine subscription or two and educate yourself about the equipment.
Surprisingly enough, women who ride aquire park tools and workstands and shop manuals. And six bikes. And information. I was looking for my own kind here.

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excussse me... I've been rear ended twice, and started out mountain biking on a modified bike that was fit specifically to address my pain issues.
I don't' wrench on my own bikes, I work with a few lbs guys that treat me right and have helped me a lot; people like me support people like you that work in the shops.

here's a tip about web forums: you may not always get the answers you seek. That's just the way of it. Not everyone will know what you know, but dont' slam people just becuase you didn't get the information you wanted.

For others, after about four years, I've been able to go to much better aggressivve geometry and rarely have pain any more. I do keep up on the chiropractic and massage tho.

penny s

You go, Penney!

Let's hope we can keep up with a positive spirit of the forum... the reason we're here is to ask for help and support and to give advice based on our own experience and mistakes. Put downs have no place here and are not welcome! If a person feels the urge to be snappy, please leave.

Nobody wants to be around a person with a negative attitude, Miss Liz. Cheer up.... it's amazing what a difference a smile can make. It really can cure the things you're irked about.