Any cyclists?

[bucket]

I'm looking at getting a bike and am seeking advice on what to look for. I used to bike a lot but only used a beach cruiser to get around. I was travelling 2-4 miles a couple times on a good week. Now I'm near a 17 mile, flat, paved trail and I think I'll want to go more than 2 miles at a time. As a newb, what's a good cheap bike to seek out on Facebook marketplace or a used bike shop? I'm looking at spending $200-$300.

Specialized Sirrus or Kona Dew or whatever Trek’s equivalent model is called would be great for something like this.

Trek Dual Sport 2?

[IPA4Me]

Roadie going in the shop tomorrow for the spring tuneup and an overhaul. Time for new spinning parts before a summer of hills across Kentucky.

[mocat]

Roadie going in the shop tomorrow for the spring tuneup and an overhaul. Time for new spinning parts before a summer of hills across Kentucky.

Hell yeah m8

[bucket]

I got a Specialized Sirrus 1.0 today. It was advertised as a 2.0 so I was disappointed to learn it was only a 1.0. Decided to get it anyway because it felt good and it looked damn near new. Thank you for the help Sandstone and mocat.

[IPA4Me]

Roadie going in the shop tomorrow for the spring tuneup and an overhaul. Time for new spinning parts before a summer of hills across Kentucky.

The mechanic tried to get me to buy a new bike.

"You are putting $500 into a 12 year old bike. You should just buy a new one for $1500."

No, I'm spending less money to ride a bike with geometry that fits my body perfectly. Put on the new spinning parts, wrench man.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

I got a Specialized Sirrus 1.0 today. It was advertised as a 2.0 so I was disappointed to learn it was only a 1.0. Decided to get it anyway because it felt good and it looked damn near new. Thank you for the help Sandstone and mocat.

enjoy! should be a good ride for you

[Sandstone Outcropping]

I know this thread is primarily about your personal cycling activities but I stumbled across this YouTube channel a few days ago and this is really fascinating. This couple is attempting to cycle from the northern border of Alaska to the tip of South America. In the first year, they made it to Mexico. Some incredible scenery as well as some conditions that look really miserable and scary.

https://youtu.be/LE-Z9ihEeac?feature=shared

[pissclams]

I know this thread is primarily about your personal cycling activities but I stumbled across this YouTube channel a few days ago and this is really fascinating. This couple is attempting to cycle from the northern border of Alaska to the tip of South America. In the first year, they made it to Mexico. Some incredible scenery as well as some conditions that look really miserable and scary.

https://youtu.be/LE-Z9ihEeac?feature=shared

i honestly can’t imagine attempting this without getting killed in some way, shape, or form.  probably by getting hit by a car.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

I know this thread is primarily about your personal cycling activities but I stumbled across this YouTube channel a few days ago and this is really fascinating. This couple is attempting to cycle from the northern border of Alaska to the tip of South America. In the first year, they made it to Mexico. Some incredible scenery as well as some conditions that look really miserable and scary.

https://youtu.be/LE-Z9ihEeac?feature=shared

i honestly can’t imagine attempting this without getting killed in some way, shape, or form.  probably by getting hit by a car.

From the portions I watched, I agree that getting run down by a car would be the #1 threat to life. Probably hypothermia, dehydration and falling off your bike and bleeding to death in the forest 100 miles from help would be close behind.

[IPA4Me]

Roadie is back from the shop. Went out for a short spin last night. Looking forward to many miles as it warms up this spring.

[mocat]

if you are man enough to ride a bike with a stepover top tube, this is a really well-spec'd commuter (steel frame, 1x drivetrain, hydro disc brakes, rack & fender mounts, etc) in the $400-500 sweet spot. i would switch out the knobbies for a puncture proof road tread, get a wald basket on the front, dynamo hub to power a headlight, and you have a perfect commuter. next step is to start wearing scarves and designer sunglasses. imagine wading through a forest of european women throwing themselves at you while the world cup is in town as you roll up to the coffee shop / art gallery / loafer store on your way to the yacht club.
size medium frame, so you should ideally be under 5'-9" or so, which obviously tracks with the yacht club membership.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/749690373928405/

[IPA4Me]

Add-on battery power for the rear wheel and a grocery wagon. Fully embrace the life.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Did 22 miles on gravel and dirt roads. Skirted a “road closed” sign and found an awesome iron truss bridge after riding thru some grass and mud. Very fun ride with perfect weather.

[Catchacold]

Skirted a “road closed” sign

 

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Did a 34 mile ride this morning. Felt good. Anyone have recommendations for a new saddle? My current one causes my right leg and my junk to get numb and tingly after about 25 miles.

[Katpappy]

Did a 34 mile ride this morning. Felt good. Anyone have recommendations for a new saddle? My current one causes my right leg and my junk to get numb and tingly after about 25 miles.

Simple answer, don't ride more than 25 miles.   

[Skipper44]

my teenage son wants a fixie, any thoughts on this other than it is a hpoa

https://www.statebicycle.com/products/6061-black-label-v3-purple-white


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sandstone Outcropping]

my teenage son wants a fixie, any thoughts on this other than it is a hpoa

https://www.statebicycle.com/products/6061-black-label-v3-purple-white


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Never ridden a fixie before. They look awesome but it seems like unless surfaces are very  flat where you live the inconvenience of not being able to shift gears would soon outweigh the aesthetic joy of owning a fixie.

[mocat]

Seems perfect for a college student on a flat ish campus, although that's too much coin for a bike with no brakes or drivetrain, imo. I've seen used ones on fb for $200 tho

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Hoping to do some longer gravel rides. Just picked up a used Specialized Tricross on FB marketplace. Needs some adjustments to the saddle, etc. Will post pictures soon.

Edit:

[Sandstone Outcropping]

gE cyclists, what cyclometer / cycling apps do you use and recommend. Currently, I just use the free version of Strava which seems to do okay in terms of tracking total mileage and average speed. I wouldn't mind being able to look down and see my current speed from time to time. I don't think I need any complicate navigation features at this time.

[mocat]

nice bike m8! the free strava app doesn't provide current speed?
when i started cycling, after a while i got tired of using my phone and got a garmin which rules big time. the phone is still the easiest for more extensive perusing of maps, because it's a bigger screen. but the garmin does great with directions and having a map available at a glance for quick reference.
i'm sure you could also find an inexpensive cyclometer on FB marketplace that will simply and reliably track your speed and mileage.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

nice bike m8! the free strava app doesn't provide current speed?
when i started cycling, after a while i got tired of using my phone and got a garmin which rules big time. the phone is still the easiest for more extensive perusing of maps, because it's a bigger screen. but the garmin does great with directions and having a map available at a glance for quick reference.
i'm sure you could also find an inexpensive cyclometer on FB marketplace that will simply and reliably track your speed and mileage.

This is dumb but I'm not sure if it provides current speed -- I just push start at the beginning of my ride and zip it into a pocket. Maybe if I mounted it on my handlebars and left the app open during the ride it would display the speed. They have evolved a ton from the last one that I owned 22 years ago.

Also, I'm been pleasantly surprised by how much softer the ride is with the tires on the Tricross vs the somewhat more narrow/hard tires on my Kona Dew. Feels much more secure on fast downhills.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Went ahead and got a Garmin Forerunner 165 from the nice folks at Manhattan Running Company. It feeds HR and GPS data into Strava and Apple Health so I think it will do everything I need for tracking cycling, runs, and workouts in the gym. It is telling me that I need 59 hrs of recovery and 9hrs of sleep at night after I did a 5K jog. It must be sensing that I'm in really bad condition right now.

[mocat]

Just about anywhere i ride in kc, i average like 40-50 feet per mile of climbing. It's really hard to get 100 feet per mile with no mountains, but by god I've nearly done it