Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - We've joined the club

My fiancee and I bit the bullet last night and bought a pair of bikes and a number of accessories. I would like to thank everyone here who helped me make the decision, not only by replying to my previous thread, but also from the other threads I read through.

What did we end up with?
I got a 19" 2009 Hardrock Sport since I wanted the lockout suspension.
She ended up with a 17" 2009 Hardrock.

We also purchased street tires for both bikes, water bottles and racks, helmets, a rack and bag for mine since I'll be commuting, computers, floor pump, CO2 quickchange filler, spare tubes, chain lube, tire tools and patch kits.

We also ended up putting different seats on them, my fiancee wanted a cruiser style since she liked its comfort more and i ended getting one with just a bit more padding than the stock one. We realize these may change fairly quickly once we get to riding regular.

No pictures yet since my bike had to be ordered and they were out of stock on the tires and they had to be ordered. Hopefully this time next week all will be in and rolling.

Any suggestions on anything else we might need? Of course hopefully not a lot right away since we dropped quite a bit on all this last night.

Sokme padded shorts would be a good investment. Lycra is best, and if you have modesty issues, you can always put on a pair of loose shorts or pants over them.

If you're going to be commuting, get lights, too. Ninja cycling in the dark or near dark is suicidal.

You mention tire tools but another good-to-have item is a multi-tool for bikes. You can get away with a few metric wrenches and a swiss army knife.

Oh, and pictures are mandatory! Please post when your new ride is delivered. :)

My fiancee and I bit the bullet last night and bought a pair of bikes and a number of accessories. I would like to thank everyone here who helped me make the decision, not only by replying to my previous thread, but also from the other threads I read through.

What did we end up with?
I got a 19" 2009 Hardrock Sport since I wanted the lockout suspension.
She ended up with a 17" 2009 Hardrock.

We also purchased street tires for both bikes, water bottles and racks, helmets, a rack and bag for mine since I'll be commuting, computers, floor pump, CO2 quickchange filler, spare tubes, chain lube, tire tools and patch kits.

We also ended up putting different seats on them, my fiancee wanted a cruiser style since she liked its comfort more and i ended getting one with just a bit more padding than the stock one. We realize these may change fairly quickly once we get to riding regular.

No pictures yet since my bike had to be ordered and they were out of stock on the tires and they had to be ordered. Hopefully this time next week all will be in and rolling.

Any suggestions on anything else we might need? Of course hopefully not a lot right away since we dropped quite a bit on all this last night.


I'd take that CO2 filler back and trade it for a frame pump. Sure it might take you longer to get back on the road but you'll love it after you've run out of O2 cartridges and your SOL on the side of the road. Unless you have a fancy O2 filler that is a combo hand pump/inflator

Are there any other problems with the CO2 charger, other than the need for cartridges? I keep a number of cartridges at the house for other projects (paintball, homebrew portable kegging system) that are identical to this one, so running out of cartridges should not be an issue.

Using CO2 versus a frame pump is mostly personal preference. Having said that, I prefer frame pumps as well. Why?


The frame pump never runs out of air, or is empty. It just works.
You can fix 3+ flats on the same ride with a frame pump. It is rare, but you CAN , and I HAVE had that many flats on a single ride. It happens at least once per year to me, because of where I live. If there is a lot of stuff in the road that day, you and your wife can easily double-down on the number of flats that you both will have to repair.
When your fingers are cold, and you are tired, I and many other people I know can easily screw up putting another cartridge into the unit, such that all the gas spurts out uncontrollably out before we re-fill the tire. This is especially bad if you are on your last cartridge.


Still, I sometimes take a CO2 system with me on group roadie rides. They don't like to stop long for flats, and it often helps if everyone brings CO2 to cover our bases.

I agree with Tom, that bike shorts make a giant difference. It is not that big a deal if you are doing shorter rides, but if you start going more than say an hour at-a-shot, padded bike shorts can make a HUGE difference.

Performance bike has their base-level shorts on sale this week for $23! I usually buy a grade or two above that, because the more expensive ones are made out of thicker and...hide more :rolleyes:. That is a great price, though, and the pad where you hit the seat works great for me.

Give up the home brew it'll make you faster...lol I'd go with the frame pump myself and devinately get some padded shorts.

I don't use frame pumps because the pumping motion one must make is quite lewd and evokes auto erotic imagery in the minds of anyone watching you spank it by the side of the road. Gentlemen cyclist's like myself use CO2 cartridges because they're more discreet and less likely to attract catcalls and whistles.

I also like the frame pump. I've had the wife run over an object flatting both tires at the same time. It would have cut our ride short if I had been carrying CO2 cause of the wory of any further flats. Plus I've done several rides where CO2 users have had problem, more than one flat and have had to borrow my pump.:D

Plus be careful with the comfort saddle (if it's the big cushy style). They aren't always as comfy as a quality lady's saddle. My wife insistedonthe lycra covered comort adles for years. Finally talked heer into a Lady's design. She was amazed at the difference. A somewhat uncomfrotable 40 mile ride turned into sweet 70 milers!:thumb:

Lady's Specialized Dolce Gel saddle works for her! ($50)
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/albumnumbertwo/sp1.jpg


+1000 on the quality shorts for her! We found some nice shorts for her made by TERRY (women specific brand). Made of nice thick material for support and great comfort construction. A little pricey at $80 (for most newbies) but more than worth it on the bike when you find one can do much longer distances and time on the bike. I actually found some decent $50 shorts and gave up my $100 model so that she would enjoy riding which results in more riding and more interest on her part. Well, that and I like the way they look on her!:roflmao2:
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/SA%20River%20Trail%20Ride/BootyGurl.jpg

Give up the home brew it'll make you faster...lol I'd go with the frame pump myself and devinately get some padded shorts.
Blasphemer! Nothing like good refreshment post-ride.

I like frame pumps for a number of reasons, but CO2 cartridges are good for getting you on your way quick as long as you have enough of them to fill a mtb tire.

but CO2 cartridges are good for getting you on your way quick as long as you have enough of them to fill a mtb tire.

Hunh!? CO2 cartridges come in 2 sizes. I believe they are 12g and 16g for mtb's. Sold at the bike shops anyways. Not sure about paintball style refills at SportMart type stores.

Well, that and I like the way they look on her!:roflmao2:
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/SA%20River%20Trail%20Ride/BootyGurl.jpg

We all do! Gina rocks!

We all do! Gina rocks!

Hmmm, maybe I'll take her to the shop later on to models some bike shorts for me. She doesn't have to know that I haven't got a dime!:D

The Specialized Body Geometry Saddles are pretty comfortable - try to talk her into getting used to the stock saddle before pitching it. You might be very pleasantly surprised.

Don't forget to get a big lock to lock everything up with.....

Welcome!

Sorry, no butt shots!

My only comment is about the saddle choice. I being a big dude thought having a wide comfy saddle was the way to go. Found out the hard way,no way!!! It will chaff the insides of your legs. Get something that is thinner and decent. It may hurt at first, but your butt will adapt. Trust me!!!

Are there any other problems with the CO2 charger, other than the need for cartridges? I keep a number of cartridges at the house for other projects (paintball, homebrew portable kegging system) that are identical to this one, so running out of cartridges should not be an issue.

You may want to make sure your extra cartridges you have laying around are not the kind that have oil in them. The ones for tire inflation are oil-less so they don't gunk up your tubes. They are more expensive for this reason, or so I'm told. I don't know if the oil in the CO2 is for lubricating the parts on paintball, air-rifles, etc. but I was told they have oil and that the bike models don't.

Just something to check before you get oily tubes. Even then I'm not sure it would be such a bad thing.

I carry both the CO2 and a frame pump. I went through a bout of flats last year and bought the frame pump and did not intend to carry the CO2 any longer, and don't you know it, not a flat since, of course that might have something to do with the new tires. A neighbor that used to make her own brew had about 25 CO2 cartridges left over and gave them to me, so I figure I am covered in any event. If I have a flat, I can use the CO2 to get back on the road quickly and if needed, I still have the pump.

As promised, I've included pictures of our new bikes, I managed to take mine around the block today though the weather here is horrid. supposed to be close to 50 tomorrow, though we still have snow on the ground. hopefully we can get out anyway.

Sorry for the crappy quality on the photos, I had to use my phone since the digital is on my desk at work.

Nice bikes! Lower the psi a bit to give you more traction on the snow and go for a ride.