Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Upgrading my bike and where to start?

Hey guys and gals, so I pulled the trigger on a Trek Navigator 2.0 about 2 weeks ago now, and I love the bike. I see all the shiny things I can add to it and I just wondered where the best place to start might be to beef the thing up.

Any input is much appreciated.

Put some miles on it and you will soon know.

I guess we would need to know the type of riding that you do. Typically, the first things you want to add to the bike would be a mini pump and a seat wedge containing a spare inner tube, patch kit, tire levers, multi tool, and a $1 bill. Why a dollar? The material that dollar bills are made of makes a perfect tire boot in the event you slash your tire. Fold the dollar up tight and place it on the inside of the tire against the slashed case, then remount and inflate your tube. It should get you home.

Or swap that one dollar out for a twenty so you have cab fare. Remember the golden rule of bicycling. You will only break down when you have no cellular coverage.

Ok, that is a good idea on the bag. Right now, I'm just doing my best to get a couple of miles in everyday. Down the road I want to be able to to the 18 mile (round trip) commute between my house and office.

Then it's defiantly a good idea to start with some means of repairing a flat tire. Other neat do-dads: a cycle computer to track your mileage and speed, a rear blinking light like the Planet Bike Super Flash, and a headlight!

Spending other people's money is awesome :D!!!

I guess we would need to know the type of riding that you do. Typically, the first things you want to add to the bike would be a mini pump and a seat wedge containing a spare inner tube, patch kit, tire levers, multi tool, and a $1 bill. Why a dollar? The material that dollar bills are made of makes a perfect tire boot in the event you slash your tire. Fold the dollar up tight and place it on the inside of the tire against the slashed case, then remount and inflate your tube. It should get you home.

Or swap that one dollar out for a twenty so you have cab fare. Remember the golden rule of bicycling. You will only break down when you have no cellular coverage.

If the cell phone isn't getting coverage, how are you going to call a cab? A piece of Tyvek about 10cm square will do the same job, if you know someone doing some building ask for a small piece of the house wrap, it works just as well.

Where's the pictures? Everyone keeps saying they are getting new bikes but not providing pictures. Let's see the new ride!!

Possibly a better seat. Some of the stock seats that come with new bikes are not usually comfortable on long rides. Water bottle cages if it doesn't already have them.

I'll get a pic up in a bit :) The seat is pretty good, but I'm finding that any discomfort seems to be caused by wardrobe, which is another issue I'm looking to address soon. What do you guys think about clip-in pedals?

What do you guys think about clip-in pedals?

Depends on what you are doing. I like them for long rides and training type rides. Trips to the store or my commute I don't like them as much. Set them loose at first until you get the hang of it.

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A530-Dual-Platform-Pedal/dp/B001MZ2AGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1297896714&sr=1-1

Although I agree with everyone in the thread, you MUST get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/M-Wave-650088-0-Bicycle-Security-Flag/dp/B001NGF5AK/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1297898224&sr=1-1

I'm thinking that you should first learn how to fix a flat and buy a flat kit, with some way to carry it!
Then a water bottle and cage.

Then go ride the bike! Go have fun. There is plenty of time to buy bike swag.
If you do things this way, you will not buy a lot of stuff that looks/sounds great, but rarely is.

Just ride.

Ride it, have them eadjust the rear wheel spoke tension at about 200 miles or you WILL be forced to upgrade ther rear wheel real soon!:D

Don't let them yank your chain with a simple true of the wheel, check and adejust the "tension" for miles and miles of happiness or get screwed, your choice.:D

Ride then add as needed. That being said, I'd add some water bottles & cages and some sort of saddle bag that will hold a patch kit, multi-tool, wallet and cell phone.

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A530-Dual-Platform-Pedal/dp/B001MZ2AGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1297896714&sr=1-1

I have that style of pedal on both my bikes. Great for going to the store, and for long rides on the weekend.

has anybody suggested a lock? I go for Kryptonite locks so Superman can't steal my bike but there are other good brands of U locks available.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk209/Kabong30/IMG_0241.jpg
Here's the bike. I'm gonna take a freebie flat fix and basic maintenance class from the LBS and get my kit together. I really appreciate the advice all, I'm gonna keep putting miles on it, and meet needs as they crop up (or as they scream out at me from the shelf LOL).

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk209/Kabong30/IMG_0241.jpg
Here's the bike. I'm gonna take a freebie flat fix and basic maintenance class from the LBS and get my kit together. I really appreciate the advice all, I'm gonna keep putting miles on it, and meet needs as they crop up (or as they scream out at me from the shelf LOL).

How tall are you? Looks like a small bike.

It's a 21" and I'm 6'3. It fits quite well, I think maybe the photo screws with the perspective.

First major upgrade I needed was custom wheels. The stock tires would go flat just by looking at them funny. I'm 270lbs so it's rough on my wheels. Have Sun CR-18 rims (36 hole), DT spokes, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires (very nice), Shimano DH-3N72 dyno in front. Feels rock solid. I don't worry about pinch flats anymore going over those darned railroad tracks. Next month I'll get the Supernova E3 dyno lights for it.
190244190245

I guess its pretty easy to get sucked into buying accessories - at least it was (is) for me.

The water bottle cages were all right, but the metal ones tend to scratch the bottles so eventually I went with plastic ones.

And water bottles! Tried plastic, stainless steel, thermally insulated. They all mildew if not cleaned and washed like any other food impliment and one the waters gone -they`re empty!

So if the ride is more tha a few hours I just buy Gatorade or bottled water and have done with it. A Camelback is OK for 4L of water in cool weather, but on a hot day it just stops the perspiration from evaporating off your back.

And racks, I guess you need a rack if you want to use a bicycle bag. Eventually I decided that the rack / bag combo probably weighed more than what was going in it. We`re not talking touring here so the most I usually bring is a jacket and a change of socks. OK and maybe a spare tube and a tire iron and small pump.

Discovered that all that will fit in a tiny kayak bag that can be rolled to fit the contents, clipped around the rear stays and held against the seatpost with a velcro strap. When its empty, it can be rolled to a ridiculously small size and the strap isn`t needed.

Of course I had to try one of those goodies that measured top speed, distance, average speed, candance etc etc etc. It got boring real fast. Who cares really? I`m not training - I`m supposed to be going out for fun!

A tool kit? The bike gets maintenaince so regularly that the only time I`d consider bringing anything other than a spare tube and tire lever and pump would be if the trip spanned several days - which hardly ever happens. And actually I only bring those so I can bail out someone else if necessary too.

Fenders are very much a necessity in the winter, and something I`d keep on if the bike was a commuter cause I`d have to drive in the rain. But for a recreational bike I`d rather spend the money on ice-cream.

So aside fom the water bottle cages - the only thing I`ve actually found that attaches to a bike and is really usefull is a mount for an iPhone on the handlebars. And thats only because using the GPS capability and the Google mapping functionality makes it a breeze to see where you are relative to where you want to go.

And thats only useful because I often have to drive to addresses that I`ve never been to before.

So the only thing you should really consider a priority besides a light if you drive at night is money for ice-cream. And the best place I`ve found for a light is on the helmet anyway.

On the other hand - some of those accessories do make good paperweights.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk209/Kabong30/IMG_0241.jpg
Here's the bike. I'm gonna take a freebie flat fix and basic maintenance class from the LBS and get my kit together. I really appreciate the advice all, I'm gonna keep putting miles on it, and meet needs as they crop up (or as they scream out at me from the shelf LOL).

Nice looking bike, have fun with it.

^
Thanks, man! :D

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A530-Dual-Platform-Pedal/dp/B001MZ2AGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1297896714&sr=1-1x 2
I have a set of those as well on my hybrid and find them to be great.

Nice bike, so have fun with it. :thumb:

If the cell phone isn't getting coverage, how are you going to call a cab? A piece of Tyvek about 10cm square will do the same job, if you know someone doing some building ask for a small piece of the house wrap, it works just as well.

Walk to the nearest house and ask to use their phone...or send a smoke signal.

Good tip on the Tyvek, but I also like the idea that my tire boot could also buy me a snack if need be.

Just remember to replenish the snack fund... I forgot once...

I have carried small sections of tire as a boot too.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk209/Kabong30/IMG_0241.jpg
Here's the bike. I'm gonna take a freebie flat fix and basic maintenance class from the LBS and get my kit together. I really appreciate the advice all, I'm gonna keep putting miles on it, and meet needs as they crop up (or as they scream out at me from the shelf LOL).

What many do is carry a spare tube or two, when you get a puncture or flat, note I said when, not if, it's usually cold, dark, wet and your a long way from home or car. An experienced person doing a repair with a spare tube can have it done in about a minute two tops, it takes 5-7 minutes for a glue repair, less with the glueless patches but they are not a permanent repair. Of course if you have a blow out or a valve leak, patches will not help, so you really should carry a spare tube anyway. I have a traditional glue patch kit, and on a nice sunny warm afternoon, I will take my punctured tube and patch it. I then goes back on the shelf with the others. When I replace a tire, I put on a new tube, the old one goes on the spares shelf. This can mean that there are a bunch of spares, when I lived in Toronto we had a nail in the garage, it would hold punctured, unrepaired tubes, until I started running low, and then I could end up doing 3 or 4 at once. Once they were repaired they were folded up and put on a shelf, when one got punctured, it went on the nail and I grabbed one from the shelf. We moved and so has the shelf, but none of the tubes on it are patch free.... If it can't be repaired, I toss it.

It's a 21" and I'm 6'3. It fits quite well, I think maybe the photo screws with the perspective.

Raise your saddle. Your knees will thank you for it.

Your leg should be almost straight when you are at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The way you have it set up now is way too low, especially if you are on a 21" bike.

Don't go throwing a lot of money at the bike to change anything. Factory fresh this bike is about as good as it gets for the money. Put a pump, a patch kit, a spare tube and something to carry them in. Perhaps a rack so that you can carry stuff. Add a computer so that you can track miles and speed if that's important to you. Otherwise just ride the wheels off the bike.

I would also suggest that once you find that you've progressed beyond this bike's capabilities, you look at another bike rather then try to upgrade this one into a better bike. You can keep this one as a commuter/utility bike.

i'm currently riding an old MTB with shocks similar to those (but lower end, i can't lock the shocks).
if you're doing road riding, i'd get rid of the front fork and get one without shocks <--- if you can't lock the shocks from compressing and robbing you of your pedaling power.

just my $.02
it's a pain trying to get up the slightest hill out of the saddle. the shock sucks up all the power i was attempting to put to the pedals.

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A530-Dual-Platform-Pedal/dp/B001MZ2AGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1297896714&sr=1-1

I also have these pedals on my bike. I like that I can clip or not depending on what I am wearing (shoe) or where I am.

Upgrading my bike and where to start?



1) Home floor pump with a gauge
2) A lock

It's a 21" and I'm 6'3. It fits quite well, I think maybe the photo screws with the perspective.

That bike looks too small for me and I'm five seven.

While I will play around with raising the seat I promise it's not too small. Now, I will say that my trunk is long rather than necessarily being long legged so that may make a difference. This is me (from the before/after thread):
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk209/Kabong30/IMG_0237.jpg

I promise it's not too small.

All this fuss has got me curious, what size is the bike? Should be tag on the seattube. ;)

While I will play around with raising the seat I promise it's not too small. Now, I will say that my trunk is long rather than necessarily being long legged so that may make a difference. This is me (from the before/after thread):


Hybrids are sized more like mountain bikes so a 21" is huge. It's the bail off room (2" to 3") that you need while mountain biking that makes the frames smaller. But that also means that you need to raise the saddle more. Here's what seat post looks like for mountain biking

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP0708.jpg

cruising

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1883.jpg

and for a road bike

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1539.jpg

Notice how much post is sticking out on each one. The mountain bikes are 19" which is my size. The road bike is a 58cm (23") and is my size in road bikes. In order to get the proper extension on my leg, I have to have the saddles that high.

Yup, that's 21" which is the biggest they make for that bike. The guy at the shop seemed to think it was fine as well.

http://www.ebicycles.com/custom/content_files/ebicycles-bicycle-sizing-chart-mountain-bikes.pdf

I realize it's not a mountain bike, but it's as close as I could think of.

Also, it's considered a "comfort" bike so the geometry is different. It's supposed to allow you to "sit up" rather than be leaned over. For now this is good because my back would not abide being leaned over for too awfully long.

Yup, that's 21" which is the biggest they make for that bike. The guy at the shop seemed to think it was fine as well.

http://www.ebicycles.com/custom/content_files/ebicycles-bicycle-sizing-chart-mountain-bikes.pdf

I realize it's not a mountain bike, but it's as close as I could think of.

Also, it's considered a "comfort" bike so the geometry is different. It's supposed to allow you to "sit up" rather than be leaned over. For now this is good because my back would not abide being leaned over for too awfully long.

The fit and geometry are only...or at least, mostly... important from the waist (hips, actually) up. From there down to the pedals, everyone's fit is pretty much the same. Your leg should be nearly fully extended with only have a slight bend at the bottom of the downstroke. That doesn't matter if it's bikes like mine, a bike like yours (more feet forward than mine) or recumbents.

cyccommute: You're not fooling me. All three of those bikes fit in the picture. So they must be the same size.

Raised the seat about halfway through my ride tonight. Made a huge difference, thanks for the advice!