holy hell i'm overwhelmed! PLEASE HELP!

[malkin]

Hey Earthgirl!
Way to go deciding to ride and asking for help and everything!

Where do you live?
I never heard anyone say "holy hell" until I moved here!

[earthgirl]

well so much for my trading option... so i guess i'll just pray it works out on the lowest setting... my brother is six feet tall and i ride his bike pretty well.. so there's some hope i guess.

malkin - i was born and raised in tejas, and live here now but i've been pretty nomadic... everyone is like "what did you say?" when i say that... but I've been saying holy hell the better half of my 26 years on the planet :-)

other things that make non-texans pause: "no worries" and "y'all"

where do you live?

[Kano]

Earthgirl, when I was 5'4 and 236 pounds, I got my '80's era Trek 730 out of storage and started riding it. It's a PERFECT fit for me, and it's a 17" frame. I have the seat up 4-5 inches out of the tube, not jammed all the way down.

That was a few years ago and I did succumb to the temptation to buy a different "comfort bike" that I've never gotten along real well with. It's an okay bike, and DH loves his, but I later bought a road bike and then got the Trek out again for grocery shopping and the like.

This year I've made some changes to the old bike -- put on lighter tires, and a new rack and panniers for carrying stuff. It's a fun little bike to ride -- I think you'll like it!!!

Karen in Boise

[tulip]

earthgirl, kudos for taking the big step and living healthily.

No matter how much a deal a bike is, if it doesn't fit, it's not a deal. You will end up being uncomfortable riding it, and then you won't want to ride it.

Like others have said, bikes are not like cars. You can't just trade it in. Some shops will sell bikes on consignment, others will not. You may well end up with a bike that doesn't fit and have to deal with the hassle of selling it.

I suggest taking your time and getting a bike that fits you properly. Praying it will fit will not change the size of the bike.

[earthgirl]

okay so i went ahead and bought the bike from my friend because, like i said - it's the only thing i can afford, the final price was $250 plus 1/8 tank of gas.

So does it fit? I don't really know what an actual good fit is... so I can't say for sure. Edit: I lowered the seat, my feet are flat on the floor. (i previously said that my heal comes a 1/4 inch or less off of the floor...)

And this may be because I'm so heavy -but I noticed that when I stand on it, the tires flatten out a bit. Not completely, but more than I expected it to...

I haven't actually ridden it yet, so I don't know if this the case when I ride it.


***the reason I haven't been on it yet, is b/c there's a hurricane coming through and my friend's city is being evacuated. So I just picked up the bike from him and head out of dodge like the rest of the people. I'm going to ride it tonight :-)


i really can't say thank you enough to everyone on this thread. You seriously helped out a great deal. I wish I could have fixed up the Schwinn first, like so many advised... but it wouldn't fit in my car (the wheel can't come off b/c it's rusted over...). sad :-(. and I didn't want this trek to be gone by the time i figured out the cost of fixing the schwinn...

<3

I gotta say though, everytime I glance over at the Trek... i fall in love a little bit...

[wackyjacky1]

I am assuming you're here in Texas because you said there was a hurricane coming? If so, I'm always glad to see another Texan!

Regarding the tires, they're probably not fully inflated. Check the sidewall and see what they should be inflated to. My FX has 700x35 Bontrager tires that call for 60-80 psi. I pump mine all the way up to 80. Fully inflated tires deter flats, and as Martha Stewart might say, that's a good thing! You'll probably want to invest in a pump with a gauge. I got a cheapie one from Wally-World -- a Schwinn something-or-other -- that's kind of a piece o' crap until you figure out its quirks. Or spend a few buck more (maybe around $40 or so?) and get a decent quality one from your LBS.

Search TE for tips on bike fit, like saddle height. Basically you want just a slight bend at the knee when your foot is on the pedal and the pedal is at its lowest point. After that, I think you'll just have to ride it to get a feel for what you like and don't like, and adjust from there.

As for clothing, if you're like me and aren't quite ready to do the lycra thing, check out underliners -- they're padded shorts designed to go under regular shorts. The TE store has 'em. I recently got a pair and love 'em.

Rock on!

[Biciclista]

If your feet are flat on the floor your saddle is too low!!
that's really hard on your knees!!

but the good news is it sounds like the bike fits. Get some air in those tires and go riding (well, as soon as the hurricane blows through)

[earthgirl]

Thanks for the tip!!! you're right... i'm SO not ready for lycra. I can't even imagine a day that I will be.... seriously...

yup - i'm from Houston!!

My friend who sold me the bike lives out by Galveston... they ordered an evacuation... I'm not sure if it was voluntary or mandatory.. But all the billboard flashy sign things were like "HURRICANE EVACUATION IN EFFECT" or something close to that.

So I got the bike, and sped off before traffic hit :-)