Originally Posted by
newbie_d
This is just a general enquiry really. What do you look for in a bike, and how do you want it to "feel" if you know what I mean?
I just bought a bike (second hand dahon ciao p8) and although I love it for the size and ease of use, I'm still not sure if it feels right to me. I'm only 5'0" (though I like to pretend I'm 5'1" really lol) so I was looking for something small. This one feels like it should be the right size but it's not really due to lots of little niggly things. For example, the handles are slightly too far for me to reach, so I'm grabbing it at a slight stretch, my fingers have to stretch a bit to reach the gears (but I can reach them and use them ok) and I'm not sure if I can get the seat at exactly the right height to feel right, no matter how much I adjust them. I feel like I'm sitting too low in my seat when I'm cycling (learning to) even though it's supposed to be an "upright" bike. It feels weird when cycling, like I'm sinking into the ground a bit.
Is this all normal or do you all have bikes that are like this? It is ok to carry on using it? Should I just get used to this, or try a bit harder to find something that "fits". IE: am I being too fussy or is it ok to feel like this?
This is my first ever bike so I've not really got much to compare against. I am looking into getting a brompton maybe next year, once I've learned to ride properly, (and have saved up a bit!) but not sure if this will be the case with the brompton too.
Anyway, be interested to hear any views/stories on this too..?
My co-worker also bought a Dahon Ciao. She's also your size and did not fit the bike for the same reason. I told her to look into using an Aber Hallo Stem from Thorusa to bring the handlebar closer, but she sold the bike instead. You may want to look into this for yourself.
Ratdog