General Cycling Discussion - im new, and i just bought a "concept" bike. (apparently)

hey guys, im new here. i used to ride 20 miles daily back in o5, going 25mph on my mountain bike. when your bike absorbs 1/2 or your momentum you build up calf muscles fast lol.

anyway, in late 05 i had my ankle screw up on me. to where i cant walk well, and i had to be pulled out of school and i have to be homeschooled. my cartalidge is diging a crater in my ankle, causing excrutiating pain to walk far. it probably doesnt help that i have size 14 1/2 feet either....

anyway, having just got my permit (turned 16 on the 7th) i drove my ma to an estate sale. they had a really nice looking bike. im not dumb when it comes to spotting a nice bike...he wants 75 for it... i take it on a test ride, and with the setup of the bike as long as im careful to not put stresss on my ankles, they dont hurt!!

so naturally i bought the bike. best $75 dollars i spent in my opnion. now heres the story i was told. the guys daughter is a pro cyclist for (or that goes to cant remember) MIT so she draggs her father to a bike show at MC Cormic place in chicago. she convinces him to buy this bike that "he rode once" wich it sure looks like.

anyway, back to the bike. its got a 4 speed hub shifter, im pretty sure its a titainum frame for some reason linear brakes scheng shin tires a pretty nice cargo rack and fenders. and its also got the old style handlebars that make you feel like you are driving a bus. anyway, ill try to get some pics up tommrow. i tried to take some tonight but they turned out like crap.

thanks for any info based on my vuage discription! lol :roflmao2:

heres a link to the album

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii274/eltatertoto/new%20bike/

Not to be a party pooper or anything but from what I see the bike is a generic beach-cruiser type bike. Nothing special or "concept" about it.

If you like it though ride the snot out of it and enjoy yourself!

well, i kinda figured that wich is why i put concept in quotes lol. royce union does make decent bikes, from what i remember. but i tried searching the name of the bike and couldnt find anything... its definately a huge step up from the walmart bikes im used to lol.

Nexus is good. Aluminum is not bad but is not titanium.
Groovy bike!

well, i kinda figured that wich is why i put concept in quotes lol. royce union does make decent bikes, from what i remember. but i tried searching the name of the bike and couldnt find anything... its definately a huge step up from the walmart bikes im used to lol.

Well, only if you count Sears as a step up from WalMart.

It also appears that Sears may have discontinued selling them due to the frames breaking in half (http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/bike-full/royce-union/1999-rock-ridge/PRD_349944_95crx.aspx) and being recalled (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml00/00031.html). Sorry to say, but it appears That Royce-Union went the way of Schwinn, Mongoose, Motobecane and even Huffy and are just a name stuck onto basic generic bikes of dubious manufacturing quality. I would not recommend riding it hard, especially off-road.

Nice bike. If it were mine I might look at replacing the handlebars with some mountain bike style risers or even a pair of "northroad" style bars.

How wide is the gear range on that 4 speed hub?

gear range isnt bad, 1st gear could be a little quicker but, all in all its a decent bike. if it does break in 1/2 i can always use the hub to add gears to one of my mb's.

gear range isnt huge, but enough for me.

gear range isnt bad, 1st gear could be a little quicker but, all in all its a decent bike. if it does break in 1/2 i can always use the hub to add gears to one of my mb's.

gear range isnt huge, but enough for me.

Good thinking my man:thumb:

Heck just ride it till it dies. My first "mountain bike" was a 40+lb chromoly mongoose I got from wal-mart for $100. rode that thing for 2 years before it died. Learned how to adjust a derailleur, clean/grease a drivetrain and tons of other little things on it.

well, im pretty much an expery at building bikes lol. i was always buying bikes for $5 at yard sales fixing them and selling them for a profit. at one point i had 15 bikes in my yard lol

The recalled Royce-Union model in the link is not the bike the OP is riding.