Join in the fun; The Calorie-Count Cycling Club...

Welcome to all who have an interest in anything cycling of any kind.( road, mountain, commuting, stationary, whatever).

This is the place to come to ask that question you have been wanting to ask,

or tell that story about your latest adventure riding your bike,

find out how to use cycling to get in better shape, or anything else you can think of.

So, to start, tell us, what you ride, where you ride and what type of riding you enjoy.

Come back often too check out what's going on and see what's on everyones mind or add your knowledge to the group. 

 

Yay reanne! It's awesome to improve on your time by that much :-)

Welcome CD!

Riding as a couple is great. And, to boast a little, I bettered my better half on l'alpe d'huez back in 2004. by about 15 minutes. twice. He was pretty proud of me for that!

Uhm guys, I just took my bike to the bike shop. They will not adjust the gears on it because it is a department store bought one. The guy said that he stopped working on those because he knows how they are put together and the time he has to put into it is not worth it. He would probably end up charging me close to the price of the bike. Ugh, so now I am faced with a decision. Do I buy a better bike or do I try and work on this one myself? Cost of a good bike is definitely an issue. Since I am purely a commuter, would it be worth it for me to invest in something better or stick with what I've got? If any of you have any recommendations on a good road bike please hit me with them (plus average price). I am really bummed. I know that it is not the best bike (not even close) but I really like it.

Jane

Jane, that's rude of your shop, but it happens all the time. many shops just won't work on chain store bikes at all. Any chance yours is still within the return/warranty period from Target? Also look around for a different shop that might be willing/able to get you rolling smoothly again for a reasonable cost. different shops have different policies, so call around & sound sympathetic ;-)

In any case, look at the bike service sites (parktools and sheldon brown) and try, within reason, to fix your bike yourself.  It's not rocket science & there are easy adjustments you can make to improve operations. i don't recommend disassembling anything! Just turn some of the limit screws and do other easy adjustments/tweaks. Doing something drastic without a shop to turn to to fix your mistakes could mean you need a new bike sooner rather than later.

And don't be too bummed. If your bike is durable and you can get it working reasonably well, it can serve you for a long time. HOWEVER, for commuting, you really need something reliable. If it's to the point of being an unreliable mode of transportation, get something better.

I'll look at some options to recommend if you give me an idea of your budget (feel free to PM this if you don't want it posted in the thread). pandajenn just bought a good commuting bike, so maybe she'll comment on how hers is working out, cost, etc. There can be good finds on craigslist if you know what to look for, and even entry level models at your local bike shop can be solid, reasonably priced options.

This Novara Transfer from REI has caught my eye ($600 may sound steep, but it comes complete with rack, kickstand, fenders and lights for commuting) : http://www.rei.com/ProductDisplay?productId=4 8075191&storeId=8000&catalogId=400000 08000&langId=-1 and it comes with a warranty first-service tune up. [EDIT: Unfortunately doesn't look like there's an REI in your area, and at 32# this bike is pretty heavy.] Giant and Trek also make some quality bikes in this market, I believe.

Thank you so much carrihound. My budget is probably going to be less than $500. I do intend to try and swing the commute in the winter time so it will have to be something sturdy.

Honestly, I don't blame the guy at the bike shop. He explained to me that if he works on it and something happens, he is stuck with the liability because he was the last one to touch the bike.

The bike is still very reliable. It just makes all kinds of noises and it seems to not be going into the correct gear. It may be something simple that I can take care of myself and I will definitely check out those websites. The guy at the shop did recommend that I try Century cycle and see if they would do it. I probably should learn this stuff anyways.

Jane

Jane,

You need to adjust your deraileurs.  It's actually very simple.  There's some adjustment + head screws.

5 min and you could have it switching gears without so much noise .. and with more reliability.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/byregion.asp?c atid=53

definitely try adjusting the limit screws on the derailleurs. it's likely that the derailleurs are just out of aligment a bit & are hitting your chain as you ride. you're certain to see some improvement. if you don't have a workstand, i've used a spent inner tube to hang my bike from a tree limb by the saddle, then maybe put something on the ground to stablize the front wheel to keep the bike from dangling around loosely as you're making adjustments. or just hang the bike by the saddle from a sturdy low hanging tree limb. that, or rig something up to lift the rear wheel off of the ground while still enabling you to spin the pedals as you are adjusting the derailleurs. i did some rather creative things before i broke down and bought a workstand, so use your imagination :-)

and don't fret!

Yup, it looks like you are right carrihound and nightc1. I printed out the easy instructions from the Sheldon Brown website and I am giving it a shot right now. It may take me a little longer as my son has decided to play with the water hose - I always end up wet when he does that. Oh well, better than him trying to "help" me.

No workstand here so I have the bike rigged in a tree with rope going everywhere to stabilize it - the neighbor is looking at me as if I have lost what little sense I had left.

Oh by the way, I adjusted the handle bar, seat and everything else I could think of and my elbow is still giving me problems. So, I am thinking it may be something unrelated to the bike. I am temporairly wearing a brace thingie on it. I won't go to the doc for fear of hearing those dreaded words "you can't ride your bike for a while".

Today I had a van pull out right in front of me while going down a steep hill. It scared me pretty bad and I had to swerve into the oncoming lane (no cars coming), but here is the unusual part; the lady that pulled out turned her van around and stopped me. She aplologized profusely and wanted to make sure I was ok. So there ARE some nice people out there; they are just not used to us.

Jane

Hey, I wanna join the club!

I'm a relative bike newbie (had a crappy dept store mountain bike about 10 years ago), but recently bought a Trek 7100 for fitness and so I could ride around with my little girl (she was begging for a little kid's Trek while we were at the bike shop, so when she outgrows her My Little Pony 16"-er she might have a Trek too).

I might commute to work in the future, but right now my extra 40 pounds of weight and the bad hills around here (Birmingham, AL) do not make it a reasonable idea.

Go Jane Go! good luck with the repairs.

And WAY TO BE an ambassador for the sport in your encouter with that motorist!

Welcome shavenyak :-)

Jane, I'm really surprised the bike shop refused to work on your bike.  I think that is rude and the reason they gave is totally lame.  The upside I guess is that you get to learn bike maintenance.  Most of the routine stuff is very doable but certain thing require special tools.  I used to do all of my own maintenance but I got lazy and now I just to the basics.  Good luck.

Hi Charlotte,

Having several different ways to exercise keeps us from becoming bored.  I wouldn't like to have only one way to exercise.  Some of our walks are now fast walks with our dogs on local mountain bike trails at the nearby state park. Great fun, varied terrain, lots of wildlife, and the cross country hiking burns some cals.

We are always looking for new ways to burn some cals., but we are really loving the cycling.

Norman

shavenyak, hey welcome to this group.   Between this thread and the learning to run thread that's the majority of my posting on this site now.

I think you left something out though... the traffic is a nightmare down where you are.  Even with backroads and stuff I can't imagine bicycle commuting where you live.

....


Today, I've got my usual Thursday ride ... but having it on Friday since I had some financial business to tend to yesterday.   I think I'm going to push for just 20 miles instead of the 30 but up the intensity something serious.  Maybe 19mph average?   If I could learn to push myself more I could more easily give commuting another try despite how hot it's getting.

....

Jane, I just adjust... then lift my bike with one hand and then pedal.  You, like myself, probably have a kickstand.  It should only take the majority of one revolution to see a problem.

The pics on the parktool website are pretty fantastic.  I did a whole front deraileur reset on my bike today since i'm into the hundreds of miles now and like any new bike the cable stretched some.  It seemed the deraileur was set a bit high as well.. so I disassembled it, moved it down, retentioned the cable several times, and got it dialed in.   Which is good since I'm about to change right now and go for a ride!

So I finally got back on my bike this morning, it had felt like ages but more like 6 days.  I put in a hard, fast paced 50 miles, averaged about 17.9 mph.  Although I haven't been putting the training time in on my bike, I have been running about 5 times a week and I saw a payoff today in speed!  My husband recommended a road he takes out to his fire yard in the middle of nowhere that is continuous rolling hills.  I kinda liked having a small downhill after each climb but towards the end the view of hills one after the other started to mess with my mind.  I had to repeat my new favorite cycling mantra in order to maintain my pace, "circle, circle, circle"

Jane: So sorry about the poor service you recieved from the bike shop.  It sounds like you have found a lifelong hobby and I believe this shop has just lost the loyalty of a potential customer. 

Question for all of you:  My lower back tends to get fatigued by about 35-40 miles.  It feels like if I had aerobars it would help aleviate some of this because I could "lay" out flat but my brain tells me it might make it worse because I would be in a lower position.  Have any of you ridden with them and do you think this would help or hinder. 

pozesara, i've never used aero bars, so i can't much comment on whether they'd relieve your lower back. if an upright position is creating an impact zone in your lower back (transferring impact from the bike up into your lower back), a more leaned over position might take your lower spine out of the direct firing line. maybe. depending on the source of your soreness/fatigue, a more stretched out position could offer relief or it could accelerate the onset of fatigue. any chance you can buy or borrow some to test and return them if they don't help?

I'll have to check into borrowing some from somebody, good idea Carri!  My husband has a triathlon set up on his bike but it is a 63 cm frame (HUGE!) and his shifters are mounted on the end so I don't think I can just use his. 

I think the fatigue is more plain old muscle fatigue rather than impact transferring from the bike.  It seems to be helped if I go into aero position at the bottome of my handlebars but then my sholders and arms get fatigued.  Maybe I just need a little more endurance! ;)  If anyone else has an opinion, please do share.

changing positions frequently can help with fatigue. i find some days i just have to stop and stretch during long rides to loosen up my back. building endurance will help too.

63 is a large frame! maybe he's got a smaller tri-friend who has an old pair without bar end shifters or something. or find a cheap set on craigslist. i'd bet if you need to buy a set from a store that you can return them within 30 or maybe even 90 days if they don't work for you. REI has a great 100% satisfaction guarantee policy, making stuff highly returnable.

I did it! The derailleurs were out of alignment. It really made a difference. I have come to the conclusion that derailleurs are sensitive "creatures" with a mind of their own.

I put in 25 miles today which is a lot for me. I am going to take tomorrow off. I have been riding every morning and every night for the past week and my legs are screaming at me to take a break. Of course, I say that now but tomorrow morning I will probably not be able to stay off the bike. I think some of my friends are getting tired of listening to me go on and on about my bike and how much I love it.

My next investment will definitely be a different seat - I can't hardly sit down, lol.

Jane

Yay Jane! Great work!! Derailleurs are sensitive beasts, but they'll serve you well if you keep them happy.

Congrats on the derailer tuning. I am glad to hear that you were able to fix it.

Most certainly couldn't have done it without you guys. Next step is to disassemble the whole bike and put it back together again..... nah, just kidding.