On 10/21/2011 9:02 PM, Scott Loveless wrote:
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.
Thanks for the info here, Scott. After my ride today, I figured I
didn't have the luxury of time to do any shopping, so I ran out this
evening and grabbed the only pair of 700c tires I could lay my hands on
in this town -- Bell road bike tires. I just finished putting them on
about five minutes ago.
They definitely don't have off-road tread, but they do have tread and
they're hump free. Since I'm planning to ride the bike to work
tomorrow, I figured I probably ought to go ahead and put new ones on
tonight. I just wasn't looking forward to another ride on those old
flat-spotted tires.
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.
I looked at racks after I found my tires tonight and thought about
picking one up, but just didn't have the money to lay out for it after
buying some suitable pants so that I don't have to worry about getting
my cuffs caught in the chain. I do remember that much about riding
bikes. ;-) I shouldn't have to ride in the dark anytime in the
immediate future, but I'm planning on making a headlight and taillight
my next purchase. Everything else is a matter of convenience for the
time being.
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.
Thanks for the link. I did some reading at Sheldon Brown last night and
I'll bookmark the page you noted. At the moment, I feel as though the
bike is a pretty damned good fit, but I'm sure it'll take a little more
time to know for sure.
Thanks again for all the guidance! I have to say I really did enjoy my
ride this evening. It wasn't strenuous or particularly challenging by
any means, but I was surprised at the lack of agony after so many year
of an essentially sedentary lifestyle, cigarettes, and weight gain.
(Not giving up the beer, though!) Now, I'm actually looking forward to
getting back on the bike for another ride.
-- Walt
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