Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Newbie Athena looking for a new set of wheels

So hi, hi, I'm a new bicycle convert looking for a new set of wheels that would do me some good in the 'hood, where my 'hood consists of small mountains and horrible hills that know no end; I live in Asheville, nestled inbetween 394484 mountains. I'm a 6'0" college girl that generally weighs about 210lbs, sans diet and exercise, and have recently given up my car(!) so I can ride to school and the bar.

I got a 12-speed Peugeot, and foolishly thought I'd be able to power up the hills around here with ease; I've got pretty hefty thigh muscles from Roller Derby, even though they've been unused for about 6 months since I broke my foot in a tequila-and-skates incident. BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.

So, I come to you guys'n gals asking for advice; what kind of roady-type bike should I get that would eat the hills up? Have you had any good experience with some? Horrible experience with others? Why do most commuter bikes consist of 3-to-8 speeds? That is preposterous!

So my price bracket consists of: heller dirt cheap! I am ridiculously poor, ie, college student, so, $700 is my absolute most expensive.

thanks!
-aja

It's illegal to drink and ride! If you hurt yourself playing tequila derby, you'll surely hurt yourself playing Tour de Tequila!:(

That was not the intention, and am quite aware of the laws. Was just attempting some poor humor. Must've been really poor to not've been funny to you.

OK _ you are a seriously interesting person if you do roller derby! How cool is that?? OK... wait I digress... Bikes.. I love mine - Specialized Dolce Elite - it's womens specific so it fits a lot of women better than a mans bike - but you are pretty tall! So perhaps it may not work. So go to a really good Local bike Shop and test drive. What I do hear - is that for $850 you get an ok bike but for 1100 ish you get a set of components that are up one level and do make a difference. Hard to say - I love my bike - and love the way the gears shift (Shimano 105 gears). It's smooth - not like when I was a kid. Also having 3 rings - gives me chance to use the granny gear (real easy) to get up hills. So go forth - also come back with some top choices - and see what the gang here says for best bike of your bunch! Also your price range is impt. Maybe you are in a lower price bracket or perhaps higher... Good info for the gang here to help you.

OH and lay lo on the Tequila you are in training now!

Ah yeah, pricing. I can afford at the most expensive $700. I know bikes can be *much* more expensive, but I just don't have the income for it. School doesn't pay!

Find a variety of LBSs and go forth and test ride. Find a bike you're happy with, be it mtb, hybrid, or road, and buy it. More $$$ doesn't always equal better. And just because one bike is less expensive than another bike doesn't mean the less-expensive bike is cheap (lower quality). And if you can get, say, a hybrid for $350 or so, that's that much more money you can put into the add-ons a college student will need--lights front and rear, perhaps a computer, a good lock, a rack (or two), perhaps panniers so that you don't always have to lug around the backpack (they'll be convenient for shopping, too). You don't always have to go for The Big-Name Bike, either. From my perspective, anyway, it's false economy to choose the T--- hybrid that's virtually identical to the G---- hybrid when the T--- hybrid is going to run about $150 more, and all that $150 or so will get you is the T--- name.

Go here http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/ and compare the gearing of the bikes you're considering.

If you like the peugeot except the gearing you can have your LBS swap the cranks for a compact crank and the freewheel for a wider range mountain bike freewheel.

If you like the peugeot except the gearing you can have your LBS swap the cranks for a compact crank and the freewheel for a wider range mountain bike freewheel.

That would be the most economical solution. +1 CM

Just what I was going to say; none of my bikes have stock gearing anymore, I change them to fit my needs. If you like the bike you have, just change the gearing, should be able to do that for less than even a used bike.

I'm with you on the fun of getting around a college town on the bike for many purposes!
I see you are interested in a road bike and you are not _that_ heavy, just pretty tall for a woman.
Most bikes that don't use ultra low spoke count racing wheels will be functional for you, but fit will be the issue so I agree with the others: go ride at the LBSs.
Since you will be learning shifting on some major hills, spend some time learning not to mash up the hills. (Mash==pushing down really hard on the pedals.) Learn to pedal faster and gently shift down as you feel more resistance. (before you really need it) When I started up hills, I used my monster legs to mash and managed to damage my rear derailleur, throw off chains, etc.
Have fun and welcome to the forum.

Hi, I can't give you any bike advice, as I am not of the technical bike mind. What I do offer though, is to remind those who are lending advice to take the young derby princess serious when she says she lives in a hilly town:eek:

I think that some people read that and think "yeah, yeah, I live with hills too". I come to Asheville a couple times a year to eat, drink and be merry (and to Mtn Bike) and I can attest to the fact this is not a city with hills. This is a Mountain with a city on it.

I think the advice to demo is the best. Go to your LBS(s) and tell them you have $600 burning a hole in your pocket (save the extra $100 to upgrade). If they will do a rental against purchase, ride the demos up to the streets above the tunnel. If the bike and you can do that, that is the bike for you.

Asheville is an incredibly bike friendly city. You should have no problem finding what you need.

Have fun. You are so lucky to be young and in the one of the coolest cities in the county. And you have that whole "derby" thing going on too.

Good Luck,
Jay

two words of advice: triple crank

The compact is some kinda lame weight weenie mono buttocked substitute for a real triple, while simultaneously being not as good as a regular double

Even though you are tall you may still find a better fit in a women specific bike as tall women often have most of their hight in their legs as opposed to men to tend to have longer torsos.

two words of advice: triple crank

The compact is some kinda lame weight weenie mono buttocked substitute for a real triple, while simultaneously being not as good as a regular double.

A compact double matched to a MTB cassette works fine on mountain roads, without the adjustment hassles of a triple.

From your desciption it sounds like you need more utility than pure speed. If utiliy is your thing than a nice hybid like the Trek FX series will get you a good amount of gear range and the ability to add a rack and fenders to you can carry your books and not end up with road grit up your back. I've been using the Axiom Appalachian Bag (saddle bags) that I bought for under $30 that I've been using on my daily commute for 1.5 years. Cheap, and with a little extra water protection spray they have stayed dry on the inside even with some terrential rain. I see lots of folks who don't like the way tripples shift, but both my hybrid and my road bikes are triples, and have zero problems with shifting. I almost always ride in the front middle gear, but on some steep hills I sure am happy to have that granny gear available. The taller gears I generally don't get to use much unless I go down a big hill, but I live in a pretty flat area so not many hills to go up or down.

For bike fit you are probably beyond the size of most Womens models. Do try to see if any of them fit, but if not try a few different bikes. There is not right or wrong when it comes to bikes and fitting your body. Some just are going to work better for you than others. My sister is 6' 3 and she ended up with a Raleigh Passage series. She tried some Gary Fisher bikes as well, but the Raleigh fit her best. My bother in-law and I are 6'4" and 6'2.3" respectively and we both found the Gary Fishers to fit us better. Its like trying on shoes, you just have to put them on and try to see how it feels.

Happy riding,
André

That was not the intention, and am quite aware of the laws. Was just attempting some poor humor. Must've been really poor to not've been funny to you.

Mr. Beanz was attempting humor:roflmao2:

For bike fit you are probably beyond the size of most Womens models. Do try to see if any of them fit, but if not try a few different bikes. There is not right or wrong when it comes to bikes and fitting your body. Some just are going to work better for you than others.



That is a posibility. But remember, it is not just frame geometry. As I understand it, the brake levers/shifters on a WSD have a shorter reach that many women like / need. If you find a non-WSD bike that you like (fits you well), perhaps you could ask the LBS to switch the brake levers / shifter to a shorter reach (WSD) ??

That was not the intention, and am quite aware of the laws. Was just attempting some poor humor. Must've been really poor to not've been funny to you.


I can not give you bike advise but i can say that that was the very funny to me!!! I am still smiling.

Good luck on your trek. (small t)

Welcome aboard!! Know a few people in Asheville, decent swing dancing scene from what I hear.

My roadie is a Nishiki and originally a 12 speed as well. Depending how cheap you want to be this is what I did and would do it again in a heartbeat:

- Call around to a few lbs and see if they have a used triple crank - should run you $25.
- They'll probably have to swap out the bb ($25) and will let you know what the smallest chainring on front can be. Your front derailer *should* be able to handle the triple and if not see if they have a front derailer in the used parts bin ($10)
- Have them put an 8 speed mtb range in the back with a top gear of 32 or 34 teeth. May be either a cassette or freewheel depending on the rear hub. ($20-$30)
- You'll probably need a new rear derailer to handle the extra gearing - also ask to see if they have one in the parts bin. ($10-$15)

If your shifters can't handle the 8 speeds in the back ask for a friction mount shifters which usually go up to 9 speeds. ($15)

So for around $150 you'll be riding a road bike with a really wide range of gears. You *could* go the compact double route. When the lbs who did the above job on my roadie he really didn't want to go to the triple because he said I probably would never need it. I still need that granny gear on some of the hills and am always glad for it!

yeah, I have seen that locally most of the shops only carry T--- and S---------- names, because generally this town is super trendy and can afford name-brand bikes, so I think I'm going to get screwed on the price no matter what I do.

Asheville is a very nice place to live. It is one of the places that we are thinking about moving to someday. We have known numerous people that live in in and around Asheville over the years, and always find a reason to come visit them whenever we are in the general area.

I agree with the other people that think that you should take your current bike to a decent bike shop, and have them put a new set of cogs/cranks on the front that will give you easier gears. The easiest and cheapest way to go would be to put a compact crank on there, so that you can use your current derailures and shifters. You could also put a triple-crank on the front, but that would also require you to get a new front derailure and shifter.

If you want a new bike, then test ride a bunch until you find one that you like the feel of the best. Then, if you can't afford the bike shop's prices, you can look for one on EBAY or Craigslist.

Good luck!

Oh, and check my sig for the under $600 bike thread (and a few others about different types which may be better suited for your riding).

Mr. Beanz was attempting humor:roflmao2:

Yeah but she don't know that!:D...So many are so uptight around her sometimes, figured I'd take my turn!:p

Wow... lots of advice here so far.

If you are thinking of a road bike, but you will be carrying stuff and want easier gears, then you want a touring bike - like a road bike, but, ummm... you can carry stuff and they have easier gears.

Many people think woman's specific bike designs are a marketing ploy... not that there aren't some real differences between men and women, but most WSDs rely on generalities regarding torso-leg-length ratios, and in reality the bikes are just less aggressively laid out, and just about anyone would be more comfortable on them, unless they have gotten used to riding racing style bikes. THen there are special seats for your lady-bits, small models might have smaller brake levers (as someone said above) or extra short cranks. You probably won't need to worry about all that stuff for puny people, and a lot of the other stuff is personal preference.

But I think touring bikes are the cat's meow... if you can find one in your budget that you are comfortable on... A lot of people like the Trek 520; a handful of people where I work ride the specialized tricross, but i don't know if it is easy to set up for carrying luggage.

Good luck! Just make sure you are comfortable on whatever you get... the rest is just details!

Yeah but she don't know that!:D...So many are so uptight around her sometimes, figured I'd take my turn!:p

:roflmao2::roflmao2::roflmao2:

Holy crap asheville has a sweet craigslist, keep an eye on this or post a wanted to buy ad.

http://asheville.craigslist.org/bik/834659382.html

http://asheville.craigslist.org/bik/832710796.html

http://asheville.craigslist.org/bik/830908777.html

http://asheville.craigslist.org/bik/829466230.html

Also muscles used in roller skating and cycling are different. Well, not different but used differently. Give it some time and those quads will adjust and motor you up the hills. Also consider skipping the bar for a month or so to increase your budget if you have to have a new ride. It's amazing how much money you can save when you stop p_ssing it away at a bar. Pick up a bottle and stay home if you have to. Once you get your budget up consider a touring bike, the trek 520 and Surly Long Haul Trucker are excellent choices for a road style touring bike with really low gears.

They have mtb rear chains with these mammoth bottom gears, too. Might see if those are to your liking.
To the person who said that a compact double is sufficient? ---> :roflmao2:
Maybe if you don't mind cutting 3mph off your top speed because you run out of gears at the top end, or don't mind demolishing your knees at a cadence of 30 now and then. I have a triple and a megarange cog and I use all my gears.

Bikes locally I'm looking at:

Trek 7.3 - $670
Trek 7.5 - $700
Trek '08 1.2 Triple - $770

K2 Mach 1.0 @ $590 (rei.com)?

(I'm sensing a trend here, it's not that I particularly like Treks, Liberty Bikes just seem to deal mostly with Treks, or super gwadziety expensive bikes)

road catagory: http://libertybikes.com/itemlist.cfm?category=54
commuter catagory: http://libertybikes.com/itemlist.cfm?category=56

Got any more suggestions from this site, if you've got the time? They're about the only shop willing to work with me at this point; been burned by 2 other cycle shops in the process (boo to that!)

I've been checking Craigslist, but all the leads I've been following have turned out to be duds or too far to travel to get it, and the Peugeot keeps puking parts left and right.

Thanks for the suggestions, and keep'm coming!

Cheapest (least impact): New freewheel/cassette at the rear with a bigger set of cogs
Second Cheapest: Compact Crankset
A little more expensive still: Triple cranks, possible new derailleurs, along with whatever you can do on the cogset, possibly new shifters.

I think the latter will be the most significant change you can find, and you can always try just swapping the freewheel first to see if it helps enough to get you by.

I'm not a big fan in principle of the compact concept, I have a triple on a touring bike and I dig it, and even with the triple there are places with hills that make me want to weep a bit (West Virginia, Eastern Pennsylvania two name just two...) Touring frames will let you pretty easily mount panniers, and run bigger tires if you are so inclined. It won't be quite as quick as a straight up road bike, but quicker than a hybrid and a good, practical middle ground approach, if you do need to buy a new bike after all this.

Take a look over at BikesDirect.com
Having lived 4 years (68-73)in Asheville (17D Edgewood Knoll Apartments)I can attest the area has some serious climbsOO
Aside from moving east to hendersonville, I'd look into lighter wheelsets (trust me, there are a bunch of em up to 210lbs ) either a compact crankset with 46/32 coupled to something with a bailout gear of 28 or better or a triple with the same bail out gears.

Ah yes, Edgewood, the street that has me terrified the most (besides Merrimon).