Congradulations, Michael.
Sounds like a decent bike.
Some of your sizing concerns were addressed earlier in this thread - how high the seatpost should be, etc. From the craigslist pic it did look like it was set pretty high, and the seat was set far back. You'll probably want to move it forward and down at the bike shop - they should be able to help you get it dialed in.
If you're not comfortable with the drops, you can replace them with more mountain bike style flat bars. I've noticed that most people who aren't familiar with road bikes grip the bars right down in the drops - which is really only optimal when you're going super fast, or down a hill. Most of my riding is done with my hands on top, or around the brake hoods - this is the most comfortable and upright position. Again, they should be able to help you have everything adjusted to fit at the bike shop. A proper fit will be very important to enjoying the bike.
As for the road - make sure you do shoulder checks when turning, watch out for people opening their car doors...it's mostly common sense.
the IHM guide to bicycles(?)
Moderators: Captain Hate, jon abbey
looks sweet, i'm jealous.
does the stem holding the handlebars go up like the one in the pic? that would help make your posture not too extreme. and yeah you'll need to get used to it, but first have someone assure you that it's adjusted properly for you.
here's what i have, but with mountain-style handlebars
does the stem holding the handlebars go up like the one in the pic? that would help make your posture not too extreme. and yeah you'll need to get used to it, but first have someone assure you that it's adjusted properly for you.
here's what i have, but with mountain-style handlebars
If you're used to mountain / cruiser bikes, you're going to feel weird riding a road bike at first. It's like going from wearing combat boots to sneakers.
Judging from the picture you posted, the bike looks as if it might have been intended for a sport called cyclocross, which is like a mix betweeen road and offroad racing. This is good, it means that the frame geometry is slightly more relaxed than on a road racer (less twitchy), and the frame will be built a little sturdier too (not going to break if you go off of a curb).
Go to the shop with that thing right away, though, have them fit you properly and look the thing over, it looks as if it could use a little tuneup before you get motoring on it.
Rules of the road:
1. you have a right to be on any public road not specifically reserved for motor vehicles (don't ride on the freeway).
2. You are obliged to ride as close to the right of the road as you feel is safe.
3. You're probably legally obliged to signal turns (stick your hand out in the direction you want to turn), unless you feel that doing so constitutes a direct threat to your safety (check your state's laws on this).
Basic riding stuff:
stay a couple of feet off of the curb, and well out of the way of parked cars (doors open suddenly.). Doing this makes it hard for a motorist to not notice you, or, in some cases "not notice you", and squeeze you off the road.
Don't waver or swerve, ride in a straight line when you're riding straight, and hand-signal your turns. Before turning, look over your shoulder to make sure you're not going to cut someone off.
When you pull up to a stoplight, pull all the way to the front of traffic, and stay off of the curb. anticipate the light turning green, and accelerate just forcefully enough to keep yourself ahead of the car immediately behind you until you're through the intersection. This keeps people behind you from getting confused about whether they should try to crush you to death by making a right turn on top of you.
keep your attention focused on what's happening in front of you, not what's off to the side or behind you.
Basically, use the road politely, assertively, and predictably, and you won't have any problems. Just in case, though, I prefer Limar brand helmets, though I think that cheap, tough BMX helmets can work fine too, and they have more youthful flair.
But yeah, overall, have a blast, and feel free to keep asking questions. Also: post pictures of the bike once it's all cleaned up.
Judging from the picture you posted, the bike looks as if it might have been intended for a sport called cyclocross, which is like a mix betweeen road and offroad racing. This is good, it means that the frame geometry is slightly more relaxed than on a road racer (less twitchy), and the frame will be built a little sturdier too (not going to break if you go off of a curb).
Go to the shop with that thing right away, though, have them fit you properly and look the thing over, it looks as if it could use a little tuneup before you get motoring on it.
Rules of the road:
1. you have a right to be on any public road not specifically reserved for motor vehicles (don't ride on the freeway).
2. You are obliged to ride as close to the right of the road as you feel is safe.
3. You're probably legally obliged to signal turns (stick your hand out in the direction you want to turn), unless you feel that doing so constitutes a direct threat to your safety (check your state's laws on this).
Basic riding stuff:
stay a couple of feet off of the curb, and well out of the way of parked cars (doors open suddenly.). Doing this makes it hard for a motorist to not notice you, or, in some cases "not notice you", and squeeze you off the road.
Don't waver or swerve, ride in a straight line when you're riding straight, and hand-signal your turns. Before turning, look over your shoulder to make sure you're not going to cut someone off.
When you pull up to a stoplight, pull all the way to the front of traffic, and stay off of the curb. anticipate the light turning green, and accelerate just forcefully enough to keep yourself ahead of the car immediately behind you until you're through the intersection. This keeps people behind you from getting confused about whether they should try to crush you to death by making a right turn on top of you.
keep your attention focused on what's happening in front of you, not what's off to the side or behind you.
Basically, use the road politely, assertively, and predictably, and you won't have any problems. Just in case, though, I prefer Limar brand helmets, though I think that cheap, tough BMX helmets can work fine too, and they have more youthful flair.
But yeah, overall, have a blast, and feel free to keep asking questions. Also: post pictures of the bike once it's all cleaned up.
update:
no camera, will work on that
took the bike to sopo today, got it fixed up. they were real cool, actually met a guy who goes to my school there, he showed me how to put it up on a repair stand, inflated the tires, lowered the seat, took off some old odometer thing off the bike, explained the gearing system (not entirely sure how to operate it still), realigned my wheels
apparantly the stem on the fork is pretty stiff... took it apart, & he explained the grease on the ball bearings was just dried, & would need to come deal w/ that (next week)... takes about an hour i guess. he said the front fork should swing quite easily back & forth if you just push it & align by itself while youre riding.
after lowering the seat down to something acceptable, took it out for a test ride at home, worked pretty well. fucked around w/ the gears, but its not quite second nature yet.
still in the market for a helmet & bike lock. also will prolly look into putting on new pedals & a new seat next time im at sopo
no camera, will work on that
took the bike to sopo today, got it fixed up. they were real cool, actually met a guy who goes to my school there, he showed me how to put it up on a repair stand, inflated the tires, lowered the seat, took off some old odometer thing off the bike, explained the gearing system (not entirely sure how to operate it still), realigned my wheels
apparantly the stem on the fork is pretty stiff... took it apart, & he explained the grease on the ball bearings was just dried, & would need to come deal w/ that (next week)... takes about an hour i guess. he said the front fork should swing quite easily back & forth if you just push it & align by itself while youre riding.
after lowering the seat down to something acceptable, took it out for a test ride at home, worked pretty well. fucked around w/ the gears, but its not quite second nature yet.
still in the market for a helmet & bike lock. also will prolly look into putting on new pedals & a new seat next time im at sopo
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user_19
Cool, man. Sopo sounds like the bike co-op here. I like the hands-on method of showing you how to fix your bike and encouraging you to do it yourself rather than just handing over money for a service.
You'll figure out the gears pretty fast.
I recommend one of these locks:
I've been using one for years. Fits nicely into the back pocket.
I don't know if I could recommend a helmet. You have to see which fits your head the best. I find that BMX helmets are great for winter, but too hot in the summer for me.
You'll figure out the gears pretty fast.
I recommend one of these locks:
I've been using one for years. Fits nicely into the back pocket.
I don't know if I could recommend a helmet. You have to see which fits your head the best. I find that BMX helmets are great for winter, but too hot in the summer for me.
Pocket locks are okay, but they stretch your pants a little bit, thus wearing out the seat of your pants a little more quickly than usual, and in a lopsided pattern, too. Also, they're teeny, so you'll need to get bolt-on wheel skewers (the things that sttach your wheels to your frame), otherwise people'll steal your wheels.
Loopy, I never appreciated BMX helmets until I lived in Chicago. I bikekd through the winters wearing helmet - scarf - skullcap, something you definitely can't do with some well-fitting racey helmet. With those, there's barely room for the tastefully retro cycling cap worn to show casual distaste for, yet accomodation to, the fancy helmet atop it.
and hey, gears are easy. Wait, you have bar-end shifters. Never mind, get used to swerving wildly when you try to shift. Oh, hold on, you have a touring bike, not a cyclocross bike, I amend my previous comment. Same basic idea (really sturdy road bike) applied to a different end. if you don't want to bother with gears while you're getting used to tooling around town, just leave it in the middle chainring on the front and in the middle of the sprockets in back. that should give you an easy pedaling gear for town.
If you want to get fancy with your set-up, you could use old-style thumb shifters (like what old mountain bikes had) up next to the stem on your handlebars. It would be a less crash-inducing setup, and most shops sell those things for like, 5-10 dollars.
bikes bikes bikes
Loopy, I never appreciated BMX helmets until I lived in Chicago. I bikekd through the winters wearing helmet - scarf - skullcap, something you definitely can't do with some well-fitting racey helmet. With those, there's barely room for the tastefully retro cycling cap worn to show casual distaste for, yet accomodation to, the fancy helmet atop it.
and hey, gears are easy. Wait, you have bar-end shifters. Never mind, get used to swerving wildly when you try to shift. Oh, hold on, you have a touring bike, not a cyclocross bike, I amend my previous comment. Same basic idea (really sturdy road bike) applied to a different end. if you don't want to bother with gears while you're getting used to tooling around town, just leave it in the middle chainring on the front and in the middle of the sprockets in back. that should give you an easy pedaling gear for town.
If you want to get fancy with your set-up, you could use old-style thumb shifters (like what old mountain bikes had) up next to the stem on your handlebars. It would be a less crash-inducing setup, and most shops sell those things for like, 5-10 dollars.
bikes bikes bikes
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user_19
It's true pocket locks wear out your pants. I have a chain lock too, but usually opt for the convenience of the mini unless I'm leaving my bike outside somewhere sketchy for a long period of time.
I've only ever had a BMX helmet. My boss requires us to wear helmets, but in the summer I usually just strapped it to my bag in case I had to stop by the depot. This summer I'm going to look around for a tasteful road helmet in a solid colour like black, and yeah, probably wear a cycling hat underneath.
I think downtube shifters are the way to go for road bikes. Bar-ends are, like you said, awkward for steering, and the fancy shifters in the brakes I could see getting broken too easily in a crash. With downtube shifters you really just have to reach down for a moment in anticipation of a hill.
I have a pretty great (if challenging) ride to school these days, that takes me across the entire city, through the woods, and along the oceanfront. I despise the days when it rains so heavily that I resort to the bus. My bike ride is a wonderful bookend to my day, and keeps me so happy.
My best friend is in Egypt right now - he's on a year long bike tour from Istanbul to Paris. Needless to say, I'm extraordinarily jealous.
I've only ever had a BMX helmet. My boss requires us to wear helmets, but in the summer I usually just strapped it to my bag in case I had to stop by the depot. This summer I'm going to look around for a tasteful road helmet in a solid colour like black, and yeah, probably wear a cycling hat underneath.
I think downtube shifters are the way to go for road bikes. Bar-ends are, like you said, awkward for steering, and the fancy shifters in the brakes I could see getting broken too easily in a crash. With downtube shifters you really just have to reach down for a moment in anticipation of a hill.
I have a pretty great (if challenging) ride to school these days, that takes me across the entire city, through the woods, and along the oceanfront. I despise the days when it rains so heavily that I resort to the bus. My bike ride is a wonderful bookend to my day, and keeps me so happy.
My best friend is in Egypt right now - he's on a year long bike tour from Istanbul to Paris. Needless to say, I'm extraordinarily jealous.
Don't know what you consider tasteful, but there's a new-ish helmet by Bell that doesn't look too bad. I believe it's called the Metropolis, then they also make a more simple version (and thus more affordable), but I don't remember the name.
edit: realized there's such a thing as google and searched.
here's the metropolis. visor can be taken off too, I believe.
and here's the more affordable Citi.
I might have to check these out. my current helmet is quite frightening-looking.
edit: realized there's such a thing as google and searched.
here's the metropolis. visor can be taken off too, I believe.
and here's the more affordable Citi.
I might have to check these out. my current helmet is quite frightening-looking.
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user_19
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user_19
That won't be too much to replace, although you should also have them check out the brake cables, as such things are often not in top shape on a bike that has been sitting around in a garage for a while - and you don't want them snapping when you're bombing a hill.
All this talk of bikes on a rainy day has me feeling all couped up. Maybe I'll watch Breaking Away later...
All this talk of bikes on a rainy day has me feeling all couped up. Maybe I'll watch Breaking Away later...
4/17 update:
back to sopo for me. dude helping me today was cool, though really he did everything himself & i just watched. but i think its cuz he said hed never worked on a bike like mine before, so he was figuring it out as he went along. (though he did say he bought one just like mine, so he wanted to figure out how to work it)
first, replaced the broken derailer cable, sorta got a feeling of how that worked, might be able to do it on my own in the future.
then worked on the headset to grease it up. the bearings kept falling out of their cages, but after the whole thing was done, the fork swings so freely now!
adjusted both breaks a bit. however, when i took my front wheel off via quick release taking my bike back home, that seemed to loosen the front break & i spent an hour basically at home figuring out how to tighten it back up again, even though i watched the dude do it for me
he kept complimenting the bike & the components. told me that ppl may try to steal the handlebars, so the place to put a wrench in the top, he said i should think about dripping hot wax in there as a quick/cheap deterrent. mentioned locking up the back tire in particular as itd cost more to replace.
i wanted to get some new pedals, but he said that nothing they had was really worth putting on my bike, but he told me to be wary of bike shops trying to upsell me something i dont need. so ill check that out soon i guess
still havent bought a lock or helmet yet. i guess ill get myself a mini u-lock. will (or anybody), whats the deal w/ the bolt-on skewers? why do i need those?
back to sopo for me. dude helping me today was cool, though really he did everything himself & i just watched. but i think its cuz he said hed never worked on a bike like mine before, so he was figuring it out as he went along. (though he did say he bought one just like mine, so he wanted to figure out how to work it)
first, replaced the broken derailer cable, sorta got a feeling of how that worked, might be able to do it on my own in the future.
then worked on the headset to grease it up. the bearings kept falling out of their cages, but after the whole thing was done, the fork swings so freely now!
adjusted both breaks a bit. however, when i took my front wheel off via quick release taking my bike back home, that seemed to loosen the front break & i spent an hour basically at home figuring out how to tighten it back up again, even though i watched the dude do it for me
he kept complimenting the bike & the components. told me that ppl may try to steal the handlebars, so the place to put a wrench in the top, he said i should think about dripping hot wax in there as a quick/cheap deterrent. mentioned locking up the back tire in particular as itd cost more to replace.
i wanted to get some new pedals, but he said that nothing they had was really worth putting on my bike, but he told me to be wary of bike shops trying to upsell me something i dont need. so ill check that out soon i guess
still havent bought a lock or helmet yet. i guess ill get myself a mini u-lock. will (or anybody), whats the deal w/ the bolt-on skewers? why do i need those?
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user_19
Sounds like that shop is working out for you.
The wax tip is a good one, although I personally don't know anyone who has had their handlebars stolen - seatposts for sure.
Bolt on skewers replace the quick release mechanism on wheels. Anybody can jack a quick release wheel in two seconds without any tools, whereas with bolt on skewers they would at least need a wrench. Of course, if you're leaving your bike outside a bar for a long time in a sketchy area, it's a good idea to take the front wheel off and lock the frame and both wheels up all together (with a pole or rack).
The wax tip is a good one, although I personally don't know anyone who has had their handlebars stolen - seatposts for sure.
Bolt on skewers replace the quick release mechanism on wheels. Anybody can jack a quick release wheel in two seconds without any tools, whereas with bolt on skewers they would at least need a wrench. Of course, if you're leaving your bike outside a bar for a long time in a sketchy area, it's a good idea to take the front wheel off and lock the frame and both wheels up all together (with a pole or rack).
oooh more bike stuff:
The well-meaning local co-op: avoid like plague until you personally know how to do all your own maintenance. As a middle-class leftie, I instinctively like the idea of co-operative skills sharing centered around alternative, eco-friendly transportation, but wow, bike co-ops tend to hire their buddies, who tend to have more spirit than experience.
You live in a city that's big enough to support the Good Shop, the small place that has a weird mix of second hand stuff and insanely high-end racing stuff, and that's mostly patronized by thirtysomething cyclists who've been in the game for long enough to have forgotten how awkward it is that they wear spandex off the bike. This place will sort of ignore you as a person and may be a little contemptuous of your bike at first, but they'll fix the hell out of it, and, if you drop by every now and then, you'll wind up being one of the regulars yourself.
basically, the co-op is where you go if you need to buy something you know how to install yourself, or if you know you can get your stuff worked on by the one competent (and thus insanely overworked) mechanic they have. the Good Shop is where you go when you hear a weird creaking noise and the ...middle... of the bike feels a little ...wiggly... or something. they'll be able to figure out that your crankarm bolt worked itself loose, and it's a good thing that you brought it in, otherwise you would have rounded out the join, and blah blah blah. bring the same thing to the co-op, and you'll get, "dude, maybe like, your wheel is flat".
basically, i want to say nice things about bike co-ops, but my general experience with them is that they're not the spot to go to for quality work. of course, i've never been to your co-op. trry some other shops, and if the co-op seems like it's decent, go bananas with it.
As far as securing the different parts of your bike, i'm a little bit "?" about someone stealing your handlebars. I've never ever heard of this happening, handlebars (unless you're riding a brakeless fixed gear) are a pain in the ass to get off of a bike. drip hot wax in the stem quill bolt head if you want.
Remember how you took your wheel off? pretty easy, right? This is why you need bolt-on skewers or a lock that can lock all of your bike down securely. basically, the lever you flip to take the wheels off clamps the wheel to hte dropouts (wheel-clamping spots, i have no idea why they're called "dropouts"). A bolt-on skewer replaces the quick release that you have now, and makes it harder to steal the wheel. i have used 5mm bolt-ons (as in, a 5mm hexagonal wrench is used to loosen the skewer), as well as solid axles with 15mm standard nuts (and for my fancy suzue promax hubs, equally fancy captive-washer track nuts). even though everyone on earth has the wrenches you need to remove the wheels, i've never had a wheel stolen. the only down side is that you have to carry a wrench around if you want to be able to take your wheels off. some unusally daring types who use the 5mm bolt-ons just duct-tape the appropriate wrench to the underside of their seat.
I'm too lazy to go back and check what sort of pedals you have on the bike now, but if you're getting used to riding in trafiic, a big flat pedal is good. bmx pedals are enormous, i think that Primo makes a decent one that's carved out of an aluminum billet. the only catch with metal pedals is that the ridges and pins included to increase traction absolutely KILL when the pedal occasionally swings around and whacks you in the shin. my eyes are watering thinking about it.
One last thing: since you bought a slightly banged-up used bike, it might not be a bad idea to learn how to fix some stuff yourself. Knowing how to fix a flat tire is the biggest thing, beyond that, there's a really good book called "zinn and the art of road bike maintenance" that will give you the scoop on how to keep your bike working. I'd also recommend picking up a decent multi-tool. As long as it has a 5mm allen key (aka "hex key"), you're halfway to a complete cycling toolbox. if stuff on your bike that isn't supposed to move is moving, try tightening it a little bit.
One of the neat things about bikes is that after a few months of casual attention, you can wind up knowing enough about them to be able to maintain your means of transportation. this is a good thing.
The well-meaning local co-op: avoid like plague until you personally know how to do all your own maintenance. As a middle-class leftie, I instinctively like the idea of co-operative skills sharing centered around alternative, eco-friendly transportation, but wow, bike co-ops tend to hire their buddies, who tend to have more spirit than experience.
You live in a city that's big enough to support the Good Shop, the small place that has a weird mix of second hand stuff and insanely high-end racing stuff, and that's mostly patronized by thirtysomething cyclists who've been in the game for long enough to have forgotten how awkward it is that they wear spandex off the bike. This place will sort of ignore you as a person and may be a little contemptuous of your bike at first, but they'll fix the hell out of it, and, if you drop by every now and then, you'll wind up being one of the regulars yourself.
basically, the co-op is where you go if you need to buy something you know how to install yourself, or if you know you can get your stuff worked on by the one competent (and thus insanely overworked) mechanic they have. the Good Shop is where you go when you hear a weird creaking noise and the ...middle... of the bike feels a little ...wiggly... or something. they'll be able to figure out that your crankarm bolt worked itself loose, and it's a good thing that you brought it in, otherwise you would have rounded out the join, and blah blah blah. bring the same thing to the co-op, and you'll get, "dude, maybe like, your wheel is flat".
basically, i want to say nice things about bike co-ops, but my general experience with them is that they're not the spot to go to for quality work. of course, i've never been to your co-op. trry some other shops, and if the co-op seems like it's decent, go bananas with it.
As far as securing the different parts of your bike, i'm a little bit "?" about someone stealing your handlebars. I've never ever heard of this happening, handlebars (unless you're riding a brakeless fixed gear) are a pain in the ass to get off of a bike. drip hot wax in the stem quill bolt head if you want.
Remember how you took your wheel off? pretty easy, right? This is why you need bolt-on skewers or a lock that can lock all of your bike down securely. basically, the lever you flip to take the wheels off clamps the wheel to hte dropouts (wheel-clamping spots, i have no idea why they're called "dropouts"). A bolt-on skewer replaces the quick release that you have now, and makes it harder to steal the wheel. i have used 5mm bolt-ons (as in, a 5mm hexagonal wrench is used to loosen the skewer), as well as solid axles with 15mm standard nuts (and for my fancy suzue promax hubs, equally fancy captive-washer track nuts). even though everyone on earth has the wrenches you need to remove the wheels, i've never had a wheel stolen. the only down side is that you have to carry a wrench around if you want to be able to take your wheels off. some unusally daring types who use the 5mm bolt-ons just duct-tape the appropriate wrench to the underside of their seat.
I'm too lazy to go back and check what sort of pedals you have on the bike now, but if you're getting used to riding in trafiic, a big flat pedal is good. bmx pedals are enormous, i think that Primo makes a decent one that's carved out of an aluminum billet. the only catch with metal pedals is that the ridges and pins included to increase traction absolutely KILL when the pedal occasionally swings around and whacks you in the shin. my eyes are watering thinking about it.
One last thing: since you bought a slightly banged-up used bike, it might not be a bad idea to learn how to fix some stuff yourself. Knowing how to fix a flat tire is the biggest thing, beyond that, there's a really good book called "zinn and the art of road bike maintenance" that will give you the scoop on how to keep your bike working. I'd also recommend picking up a decent multi-tool. As long as it has a 5mm allen key (aka "hex key"), you're halfway to a complete cycling toolbox. if stuff on your bike that isn't supposed to move is moving, try tightening it a little bit.
One of the neat things about bikes is that after a few months of casual attention, you can wind up knowing enough about them to be able to maintain your means of transportation. this is a good thing.
while this is all fun to read and geekily enlightening, seems like it might be a little too much information too fast for someone who can't yet steer clear of a lightpost! 
will, what's chicago's Good Shop? i go to rapid transit and boulevard, made it up to uptown once and i'm taking a tune-up class at west town right now.
will, what's chicago's Good Shop? i go to rapid transit and boulevard, made it up to uptown once and i'm taking a tune-up class at west town right now.