Big girl looking for bike to hold her goodies! Any suggestions on bikes 4me

[Geonz]

How much do you want to invest? This is my dream bike... right now I have an Xtracycle on a hybrid (Giant Nutra), and when I got it last February, suddenly I simply didn't have to drive, for weeks at a time. It just does everything - I've carried bookcases and crock pots and groceries and all kinds of stuff. It also announces "hey! there *is* a FUN alternative to polluting-commuting!" and four more of them have sprouted in my neighborhood since I got mine. It handles extra weight peachily, though I got a new back wheel with 36 spokes because I needed a new wheel anyway (the bike already had 17,000 miles on it); from the discussion groups, the frame holds up but with a heavy cargo load a light wheel would "taco."

Many of the "comfort" bikes are made to be comfortable for short rides... and they're honestly a lot harder to push around. Yes, the effort to push one 20 miles could push a racing bike twice as far. (I love switching from the Xtra to my Trek 7500FX... FLYING!!!) Many hybrids are a really good compromise between comfort and efficiency.

[KnottedYet]

I have been considering turning the Kona into a Kona Xtra someday.

[Bikingmomof3]

Welcome to TE. You have received some wonderful advice. I wish I was as tall as you. I suppose it is too late for me to have a growth spurt.
Enjoy bike shopping, it is a lot of fun and addicting. Happy Belated Birthday!

[Bad JuJu]

Happy birthday and GOOD for you! You seem to have the perfect setup to start bike-commuting--manageable distance, plus lockers, showers, rack at work--what else could you ask for? Oh yeah, a bike.

As someone who did NOT start out on a hybrid, I'd suggest seeing if you can find a touring bike to start on. Touring bikes are road bikes, not hybrids, but they generally offer greater durability and comfort than road bikes that are built more for speed. The glitch is that most bike manufacturers offer lots of fast bikes and hybrid bikes and mountain bikes, but usually only one or two touring models, if that. So this will take a little research, but I think will be worth it in the long run. A good tourer will take you through your commute on the weekdays, into fitness rides on the weekends, and even into beginning club rides.

Do some reading, research, and educate yourself so you can shop wisely. Make sure you go to a shop that will spend some time fitting you properly.

And definitely post back and let us know what you get and how you're doing. Welcome aboard!

[lauraelmore1033]

Ive been meaning to ask the ladies of the forum this very same question myself, so I can only offer advice of the don't-do-what-I-did variety. I am not quite as tall as you are and am a bit heavier, and had experienced a problem with spokes breaking on my DiamondBack hybrid once I began consistently riding more than 75 miles per week. I'm guessing that means a road bike would be out of the question- in my case anyway. The first repair shop assured me that my weight was not an issue since it was a hybrid bike, and hybrid bikes are supposedly designed to withstand tremendous forces. Perhaps they were being diplomatic. The second time it happened, I limped back to a bike shop quite luckily located near the trail I was riding and was told that I needed a much more sturdy wheel, and they produced a nice hand built, double walled mountain bike wheel and popped that sucker on right then and there. I've ridden 500 miles on it with nary a problem. So definitely spend a little extra making sure your back wheel is nice and sturdy.

[HipGnosis6]

I have been considering turning the Kona into a Kona Xtra someday.

I'd like to do the same to my Sirrus. Someday I'll be able to afford a road bike, and then the pavement bike can become the SuperSirrus.

[Tuckervill]

I have a Trek 4500 WSD mountain bike. I really love my bike, and it fits me well and it gets the job done.

One thing though...It developed a click in the bottom bracket. Every time my right foot went over the top, a couple of clicks. I took it to the LBS and he took it apart. He said there was 2-3 tablespoons of water in my bottom bracket.

WHa...??

He said, "This bike's been left out in the rain a lot."

Uh. No.

We did get caught in a rainstorm when the bikes were on the rack, though. So kept the bike and he did something to the bottom bracket and I couldn't hear the click anymore and I took the bike to New Mexico.

About halfway down La Bajada Hill (the old one, not the one on the freeway), here comes the click again. :P

Here's the confession:

I think I'm too heavy for my bike. I weigh about 195. I think the increased pressure of my weight hitting rocks hard and bouncing over basalt is straining the bottom bracket and knocking it out of whack.

Now I can't really blame Trek for not making a mountain bike (a WSD bike, mind you) to handle a 195 lb. 44-year-old woman cranking around ancient petroglyphs. Heck, most people don't believe I even CAN do that. But I wish I had taken into consideration my weight versus my bike.

I hope you do, too.

Karen

[ace]

Hiya,

I'm the same weight and several inches shorter than you (5'5), been riding a Trek hybrid for years. I regularly go on 40ish mile rides these days. I did start breaking rear spokes this year, partly due to the crappiness of my wheels, partly due to my weight. So I got a higher end rear wheel, and have had no more spoke problems.

For commuting and relatively short rides (under 40 miles), I think a hybrid is the way to go. Mine has been very, very good to me! I have back problems as well as carpal tunnel that makes my hands hurt, so I like the upright position. I'm going to buy a road bike in the spring, and am interested to see if I can tolerate a more hunched-over position.

Have fun!

-Amy

[BeeLady]

As I was reading I was trying to visualize what a bike would look like without a fork and thought "Whoaaaaa pretty amazing, I've got to surf, find and take a look at one of these contraptions" Thanks for the clarification - saved much web time
_____

It's called a unicylce -- not a good starter bike!!!

Welcome to cycling - how about an update? _____________

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lauren...a unicycle is missing a lot of things, but a fork isn't one of them!