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I decided to buy a bicycle.

Metalhead

Video game and movie addict.
V.I.P Member
So, what questions should I ask the guys at the shop if I wanted to find something for bike trails that could handle a fairly large guy like myself without breaking down?

Everybody I know agrees that having a bike is a great idea for me. The only person who does not want me to have a bicycle is my mother - go figure.
 
find something for bike trails that could handle a fairly large guy like myself without breaking down?

What you should ask them is pretty much exactly this line.

It also couldnt hurt to check out the models they recommend, and then head on over to Youtube or whatever and see if you cant find some reviews of the bike model in question.
 
What kind of city do you live in?
Where do you intend to ride it?
  • on-road,
  • off-road,
  • both,
  • mountainous...?
Your weight & inseam will be important, as well as any expected cargo load.

I still have my 1982 Schwinn Sidewinder.
It was considered a mountain bike at the time but would be considered a "gravel" bike by today's standards. I put drop bars on it* because I use it mostly as a road bike, paved & unpaved.

Drop bars are not a good choice for balance if you want to do more aggressive mountain riding.

*No one I knew did that configuration at the time. I called it the "argali" style because the handlebars reminded me of the horns on the world's tallest mountain sheep.
 
If you're just starting out, you don't have to buy something expensive and fancy. Just go to a big box store and pull them down from the racks and sit on them. Find one that feels pretty good, and there you go. Maybe get a different seat if that one kills your bum. But otherwise, I think a bike is a bike.
 
If you're just starting out, you don't have to buy something expensive and fancy.
I partly agree, if you are going to stay on paved road. Store bikes should also give their weight limits. If you are close to their weight limits and/or you will be riding off-road/more aggressively, then you will want to go to a cyclery, instead.
 
If you're just starting out, you don't have to buy something expensive and fancy. Just go to a big box store and pull them down from the racks and sit on them. Find one that feels pretty good, and there you go. Maybe get a different seat if that one kills your bum. But otherwise, I think a bike is a bike.
It's a fair point. I would not buy a cheap import unless I was planning to donate it to a charity, which is a great thing to do. I used to work as a bike technician. Years ago. You do get what you pay for. Both trek and specialized are good brands, or they were.

A trail bike or a downhill bike is a whole different type than a cruiser for city streets, they are more expensive. Two modern features I know about are disc brakes and suspension, both add to cost. Full suspension is nice, but pricey. Disc brakes are fantastic and needed for downhill, I've not heard whether they are durable.

It could be a fun outing to go and see. You may be allowed to rent or "demo" a few, if it's a larger shop. It usually requires a deposit.

I'm not much interested in trail riding or downhill myself, so I am building a light rigid frame with a 12 speed setup and old fashioned brakes. I'm going to be mostly on pavement, with no jumps or any of that. Oh you need lights nowadays and maybe a helmet too. I would get a regular bicycle helmet, not a motorcycle one
 
Any bike shop worth your while will be able to explain features and perhaps let you try some out. The most robust road bikes are the touring bikes, made to carry loads for distance. Other things to consider are the equipment for the riding that you plan. Hilly, and you may want a granny gear. Talk to the dealer about the derailleurs and shifters you want. My preference are bar-end shifters. Goes at the ends of your handlebars and are robust. I've used twist-grip shifters, but with maintenance issues gave those up. Good equipment is from SRAM or Shimano. Start out using pedals with toe clips, and if you like them you can graduate to clipless pedals which lock your feet in the pedals. Standard rim brakes are fine, though a common option is disk brakes which offer good stopping power in wet conditions.

Do not forget a helmet and bike shoes which offer a stiffer sole for better efficiency. Then, if you ride distance, bottle cage(s) for hydration is a must.

In the past two decades, recumbent bikes have become sophisticated. Those are where you are leaning back with feet forward. The only disadvantage with these is that you can't use your weight when climbing and it is all muscle power. They come as both two wheeled and as trikes. The safest recumbent trikes are tadpole trikes with two wheels forward and a singlr rear drive wheel. Recumbents are generally pricy.

I ride trails and rural roads and have a recumbent trike, an ICE Sprint, and i love it. ICE and CatTrike both have great models. CatTrike is the most bang for the buck, I think. Here is a pic of my spouse on her CatTrike 559, a super nice model.
 

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I still have my 1982 Schwinn Sidewinder.
It was considered a mountain bike at the time but would be considered a "gravel" bike by today's standards. I put drop bars on it* because I use it mostly as a road bike, paved & unpaved.
Here is mine...
Argali Bike
full
 
I still have my 1982 Schwinn Sidewinder.
It was considered a mountain bike at the time but would be considered a "gravel" bike by today's standards. I put drop bars on it* because I use it mostly as a road bike, paved & unpaved.

Interesting to see how this Schwinn model has evolved over the years. But in comparing yours and the present model, I think I would have preferred yours to customize. :cool:
 
I don't know if you're going to be doing mountain/gravel stuff, but I favor the old "roadster" bicycle (rod brakes & all.) They aren't fast or agile but they handle well enough for town and are built to be ridden off the road as well.

They're fun to customize. I'm backdating a 1966 model to have the specs of a 1940s one as they were commonly ridden in England during WWII. They are very interesting machines and built to work well for all sizes of people.

Whitworth wrenches, Fibrax brakes, spare parts, and 28x1.5" tires are going to be a hassle to get. But they are great to ride.

Cycling outfit: literally my regular clothes, and an overcoat & gloves if it's cold out because you will get very cold on a bicycle.

Tools to carry:
  • wrench
  • lighting equipment (batteries, if your bicycle like mine is missing its generator)
  • tire pump on frame
  • pocket knife & screwdriver
  • patch kit & tire cement
  • spare inner tube if you don't have cement
  • Front & rear lighting; white light in front & red on rear.
My bicycle is a Raleigh DL-1 and it's a perpetual pain to keep running, mainly as the prior owner abused it to the point that I am doing more of a salvage operation than a fix-up. (How do you bend an axle? And who leaves a discontinued Brooks B67 saddle in the rain in Boston?) They built them from about 1913 to 1985, I think, and they still make a "Tourist De Luxe" in Holland that's similar. They last for decades with proper care; many 1940s-1950s models are still going strong. This is probably because they weigh about 45 pounds apiece and do not use aluminum or cast iron. It's all drawn steel.

Riding at night--Do not make eye contact with the crackhead in front of CVS when your headlamp battery goes out. Doing so will allow him to steal a portion of your soul. He'll probably sell it and buy more crack.
At night the headlamps are not very good. There is a small wobbly spot of light in front of you and your best hope is to slow up for curves as the lenses on the old battery lanterns aren't that good. However, you will be seen with one. The rear lanterns are actually a lot better, serving as a diffuser and not to see by unless you join the Parthian archer 1910s bike cavalry.

Stopping: If the rims aren't true, you won't stop. You'll make a ton of noise and grind up your brakes but the machine will not stop. So you want to have the rims trued up to make good wheels, then you can ride.

Shifting: You only have three speeds. The drivers behind you in autos will not like any of them, so pull to the shoulder of the road whilst going up a hill and don't forget to smile & wave.

Handlebars: You can change the grips out to the "Old English" grips sold by RBR in California. These are molded from antique "Brittania" grips from the '20s or so. They are rather chunky but they do improve the ride quality. There are no cute grips available for a DL-1.

Fenders: These flapping, clanking, pressed tin atrocities you will want to pull off. They are there for a reason, though; they keep your bicycle dry, keep you dry, and keep people from stealing your bike.

Chainguard: these are sometimes found with an enclosed chaincase. It's a bother to work on but it looks nice & keeps the chain clean. They also are noisy.

Pedals: I'm using the Raleigh rubber-block pedals & they don't even have reflectors added, which is why I added lighting. They grip well as I ride with my regular boots on and don't want to have cycling shoes--and if something happens I want to be able to bail out. It's already tall.

Lighting: I have an Elite dry cell lantern on the front & a NOS Raleigh Rampar tail light. These are not optimal. I'll probably be putting a modern LED in the one up front. But I could not find a light that would fit on the lamp irons other than Elite lanterns (a tin box w a lens) or a vintage kerosene lamp.

These are super adaptable and I suppose you could throw a modern shifter in one; however, I ride mine because it's simple transportation as well as a piece of cycling history. They also look really cool for bicycles.
That said they're remarkably well made. This is mine before I started the upgrades; it looks better now but this is the way that they were originally imported to the USA during the '60s and '70s.

DSC01024.JPG
 
@Gerontius, is that a 3-speed?
My trike is a 3-speed.
Yep. Most of the Sturmey Archer hubs fitted to these things were 3-speed internally geared.
A three-wheeler always looked like an inviting platform to put a small Briggs engine on.

Everyone claims the 3spd is very reliable, but on mine I fear the clutch stripped out due to old age & damage--the prior owner did not take care of the shift cable so it was run for a long time without adjustments. I have to get the chance to go to a cycle shop.
 
A three-wheeler always looked like an inviting platform to put a small Briggs engine on.
I used it for delivering papers. (More cargo & it is more stable on ice.)
Right now, I use it more because my posture on it is better for rehabilitating diastasis recti.
 
I used it for delivering papers. (More cargo & it is more stable on ice.)
Right now, I use it more because my posture on it is better for rehabilitating diastasis recti.

Practical. I wish there were less cars and more cycles out there. The trend with the electric car seemed encouraging when electrics were small and petite but the faster, more powerful ones just--Seriously, cities are for people and not motors, and can country roads have a break too?
 
Yep. Most of the Sturmey Archer hubs fitted to these things were 3-speed internally geared.
A three-wheeler always looked like an inviting platform to put a small Briggs engine on.

Everyone claims the 3spd is very reliable, but on mine I fear the clutch stripped out due to old age & damage--the prior owner did not take care of the shift cable so it was run for a long time without adjustments. I have to get the chance to go to a cycle shop.
Riding at night the only bike mounted light is my strobe flasher on the rear. I use a dive light that I wear. It is made to push the lumens underwater, so in air it is entirely adequate. I like Sturmey Archer hubs. I have their drum brake hubs on the front wheels of my ICE Sprint, recumbent trike (Cornwall). They are bombproof. A careless motorist backed into one wheel and bent the axle. No damage to the hub.
 

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