On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM, Walt Gilbert <ldott...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all,
o hai > Well, a friend gave me one tonight. Unfortunately, the last bicycle I ever > owned was when I was about 14 years old. Consequently I know exactly jack > shit about them these days. It seems like a pretty good bike to me -- > especially considering the price. Here's a couple of photos of it. > > http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa376/WaltGilbert/IMGP3404.jpg > > http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa376/WaltGilbert/IMGP3396.jpg > > I was actually looking for something more along the lines of a mountain bike > so I can access some of the tougher to reach places off the back roads and > such. But this seems like a pretty good road bike. The bike you have is perfectly suitable for paved and gravel roads, rail trails, MUPs and most of the other byways you'll encounter. It's probably not well suited for single track, but I've seen people on carbon fiber road race machines blowing past the guys on double boingers, for what that's worth. I've had good luck with Continental touring/commuting tires. They seem to excel in the durability and utility arenas. Based on your cantilever brakes and shifters, I'd guess your bike is early 90s vintage. One one hand, it basically has no dollar value to speak of. On the other, it's modern enough that replacement parts, if needed, can be found at any bike shop. If I were going to use this bicycle for transportation I'd add a few things to it. Fenders, a rack and basket, and a battery operated headlight, at the very least. Check your State's bicycle laws concerning lights. All of them require a headlight after dark. Some only require a rear reflector, while other require a taillight. All of these don't have to be expensive. If there's not a local shop that sells this stuff, or if you'd rather not deal with them, there are plenty of online retailers that carry this stuff. I'd be happy to point you in the right direction. As for fit, saddle height is pretty damn important. Start here: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html When you're finished with that page, spend the next two weeks reading the rest of his site. Lemme know if you have any questions. -- Scott Loveless Camp Hill, PA USA http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/ __o _'\<,_ (*)/ (*) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
