conflicted, stressed, and making this too hard!

[xeney]

Assuming you live in Sacramento proper and not up in the foothills somewhere, and assuming you mean the American River bike trail ... 8 gears is more than enough. There's a decent hill on the bike trail as you get up towards Folsom, and there are some overpasses here and there, but I mostly ride out there on a single speed, and even when I ride my road bike I tend to use only a couple of gears. I am not a strong rider by any stretch of the imagination ... it's just a really flat trail.

A hybrid is not a bad option at all for around town and on the bike trail, although I started to hate mine pretty quickly because it was so slow and heavy ... it's a lot of work to get very far on a hybrid, so you ride the same stretches over and over and it gets a little dull. You might do better with an entry-level or used road bike.

It's too bad College Cyclery on Freeport seems to be under new management -- they used to have a very nice selection of used road bikes, but the last time I was in there it seemed like it was mostly a bunch of old Schwinn cruisers (many marked "not for sale"). Bicycle Chef sometimes has used bikes on consignment but they tend to be fairly high-end stuff.

[SactoGal]

Assuming you live in Sacramento proper and not up in the foothills somewhere, and assuming you mean the American River bike trail ... 8 gears is more than enough. There's a decent hill on the bike trail as you get up towards Folsom, and there are some overpasses here and there, but I mostly ride out there on a single speed, and even when I ride my road bike I tend to use only a couple of gears. I am not a strong rider by any stretch of the imagination ... it's just a really flat trail.

I'm out towards the fish hatchery (probably the spot that I'd park the car). I know there are a few rises along the way, and maybe they just seem steeper when a person is out walking. LOL I don't think I'm ready to tackle the hill heading to Folsom lake yet, maybe some day


Bicycle Chef sometimes has used bikes on consignment but they tend to be fairly high-end stuff.

The woman at Bicycle Chef was the sales person suggesting the Jamis Commuter with 8 speeds. It's a real light weight bike. I am going to go ride it again (as long as they're open this weekend)

Thanks for the feedback.

[michelem]

Hey SactoGal,

I live in Folsom and normally I'm able to do that Beals Point climb without resorting to the "granny gear" (I have a triple 21 sp. mtn. bike right now). BUT, this past weekend I didn't fuel/hydrate myself properly and ended up using that "granny" for even the smallest inclines on the trail toward the end of my ride.

One thing I've learned in my test-riding is that you need to speak up and be really specific about what you need. Or, if you don't really know what you need (which is how I was in the beginning), just inundate the lbs employees with information about your riding style, goals, things that feel good or don't feel good about your current bike, etc. In the beginning, I thought I was communicating okay with the lbs guys, but turns out I wasn't because I didn't know what I needed to communicate! The more test-riding I've done the more I know what I want/need now.

Good luck to you!

[SactoGal]

Hey SactoGal,

I live in Folsom and normally I'm able to do that Beals Point climb without resorting to the "granny gear" (I have a triple 21 sp. mtn. bike right now). BUT, this past weekend I didn't fuel/hydrate myself properly and ended up using that "granny" for even the smallest inclines on the trail toward the end of my ride.

well, maybe it was probably lack of conditioning, but I was testing a bike at the Folsom bike shop near the new bridge, and I had to use what I assume would be considered the granny gear to get up that little hill that goes behind the shop ... I was pleased that at least I could get up the hill!

One thing I've learned in my test-riding is that you need to speak up and be really specific about what you need. Or, if you don't really know what you need (which is how I was in the beginning), just inundate the lbs employees with information about your riding style, goals, things that feel good or don't feel good about your current bike, etc. In the beginning, I thought I was communicating okay with the lbs guys, but turns out I wasn't because I didn't know what I needed to communicate! The more test-riding I've done the more I know what I want/need now.

Since I haven't ridden in so long, I'm not sure what it is to ask. I think it comes down to "I don't know what I don't know". I am learning fast, and reading forums like this really helps!

Good luck to you!

THANKS! I appreciate the info