Mountain Biking - Changed my mind. I got a deal on a sick new toys r us bike!

Okay. So I lied?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/Roasted/DSCN4456.jpg

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Oh, I was mistaken. The Boulder SE is a 2004. Whoever was on my other thread mentioning LBS in King of Prussia... KOP is about an hour and a half away... and I REALLY don't want to drive out there just to browse, and possibly be let down as I was at Bike Line. To be honest, the amount of gas my car would eat on the way out there, then back, I would of been better off spending 300 on a bike from a local LBS anyway.

To make a long story short, I messed up my torque converter, which gave me a choice. Spend 600 to fix it, or unplug the overdrive from the engine block. I chose to unplug the overdrive. The downside to that is, I'm running a 3 straight gear automatic transmission. Now, you take a 3.3 liter 6 cylinder, which wasn't ever an efficient engine in the first place, put it on the highway at 70 mph, you're sucking in more gas than an Excursion does on city driving.

Congrats on the new bike. I'm sure you will be much happier with this one in the long run.

Congrats on the new bike. I'm sure you will be much happier with this one in the long run.

I'm actually really pissed off... I have to work all night tonight, and all day/night tomorrow... WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO TAKE IT FOR THE REAL TEST?!?! :( :mad:

I must thank everyone who helped in this decision. :D

LOL, that seems to happen to us all. If it isn't work it's rain. Unfortunately we have to spend some time at work to be able to buy our toys. There will never be enough time to do the things we want to do, thats just the way it is. :(

Now all you need to do is save up enough money to buy a comfortable seat and you will have the ultimate bike. Look into buying a Brooks saddle. You will be amazed at how uncomfortable that seat is after you try something else.

Maybe a set of pedals is also in your upgrade future. I think those are plastic. No? Alloy pedals are cheap and much better. Most of all just go ride and enjoy. That is an awesome looking bike.

Second on the congrats. A few suggestions however if you intend to do any kind of offroad riding.


Don't forget to take the bike back for a post-break-in period tuneup. Most shops offer to do this readjustment for free. Cables stretch, headsets can become loose things wear in and sometimes they'll need to be readjusted right away. Also ask the shop to show you some basic upkeep and adjustment skills so you can do them yourself should the need arise.
Remove that kickstand. If you're just riding it on pavement and commuting, it should be fine but on the trails, it poses a potential hazard. Plus when you're in dirt, a kickstand is useless for standing up a bike reliably anyways.
Remove the reflectors. They will most likely break and fall off by themselves anyways and it's better that you get rid of them now in a controlled fashion lest they become trail litter. If you intend to ride at night, you will want to get proper lighting (front headlamp and rear blinkie at the minimum). Reflectors are no substitute for proper visibility enhancement aides and serve no useful additional purpose when your biked is equipped with proper lighting.
Remove the plastic "dork-disc" between the cogs and the spokes. These things were originally meant to protect you from overshifting your derailleur into your spokes. A properly tuned derailleur shouldn't do that. The plastic discs will usually crack and break and stand to do more damage than they were ever intended to prevent. You can remove them with a pair of snips. Just cut from opposite directions towards the center and pull the two halves away.
Budget a little for at least minimum protection... things like a helmet, gloves and sunglasses.
Budget for some essentials of riding such as a pump, spare tube/patchkit, mini-tool, water-bottle/hydration-pack and something to carry it in such as a saddlebag (if you got a CamelBak or some other hydration-pack that has a good amount of storage room, you should be fine).


If you search through this forum heavily enough, you should be able to find other useful tips.

You got that from toys-r-us?! Wow great find, how much was it?

Second on the congrats. A few suggestions however if you intend to do any kind of offroad riding.


Don't forget to take the bike back for a post-break-in period tuneup. Most shops offer to do this readjustment for free. Cables stretch, headsets can become loose things wear in and sometimes they'll need to be readjusted right away. Also ask the shop to show you some basic upkeep and adjustment skills so you can do them yourself should the need arise.
Remove that kickstand. If you're just riding it on pavement and commuting, it should be fine but on the trails, it poses a potential hazard. Plus when you're in dirt, a kickstand is useless for standing up a bike reliably anyways.
Remove the reflectors. They will most likely break and fall off by themselves anyways and it's better that you get rid of them now in a controlled fashion lest they become trail litter. If you intend to ride at night, you will want to get proper lighting (front headlamp and rear blinkie at the minimum). Reflectors are no substitute for proper visibility enhancement aides and serve no useful additional purpose when your biked is equipped with proper lighting.
Remove the plastic "dork-disc" between the cogs and the spokes. These things were originally meant to protect you from overshifting your derailleur into your spokes. A properly tuned derailleur shouldn't do that. The plastic discs will usually crack and break and stand to do more damage than they were ever intended to prevent. You can remove them with a pair of snips. Just cut from opposite directions towards the center and pull the two halves away.
Budget a little for at least minimum protection... things like a helmet, gloves and sunglasses.
Budget for some essentials of riding such as a pump, spare tube/patchkit, mini-tool, water-bottle/hydration-pack and something to carry it in such as a saddlebag (if you got a CamelBak or some other hydration-pack that has a good amount of storage room, you should be fine).


If you search through this forum heavily enough, you should be able to find other useful tips.

They told me I have a 60 day period to return the bike free of charge for a tuneup. He mentioned everything you did that they would go over, such as the stretching brakes and whatnot.

The kickstand I will leave for now, mostly because I have a use for it. I have in the past went over jumps on my older wallymart bought and cheap Christmas-gift given bikes and had the weak kickstand drop down and click into place, then when I turn left, bad things happen. If I'm going to do any serious roading, I'll remove it, or maybe use a wire tie and clamp it up... I've got entirely too many scars to show for the mistakes I've made.

I plan to remove the reflectors asap. I got the bike out of the car, put the front wheel back on and rode around for 5 minutes, took pictures, and went to work. I didn't have time to adjust anything to my liking yet.

I didn't notice I had this, but I'll do that. I took it off on my previous bikes too.

I have sunglasses for driving that I use all the time, plus I have bike gloves that I use here at work that would be perfect for what they were originally intended for, bike riding. :)

That bike has 2 slots for either waterbottles or pump kits or whatnot. I plan to get one of each, but that'll have to wait until next paycheck. I walked out of the bike store with 7 bucks in my wallet.

Oh, and the seat I intend to replace in time. Again, I'm short on funds now.

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Also, I've never had a bike with the quick release wheels. Can anyone give me a detailed description of how I tighten these so they don't fall off? :P

Congratulations on your new bike. Have fun with it.

Wow! Thats a nice looking bike! Have fun with it, make sure you buy a helmet and gloves.

Much, much better Roast. Congrats man. You are porbably feeling the same way I did two years ago when I returned my dept store bike and bought the HardRock. How tall are you by the way? Hopefully you got the right sized frame.

Yeah, ditch the plastic guard sitting on the right of the outer chainring. Kickstand, reflectors and pointless stickers should come off too. Most importantly, buy a helmet and some gloves! Just like the HardRock, the first thing on your bike that will go (break) will be the pedals. Dont panic, they are cheap plastic junk anyways. You can get a decent set of platform pedals for $30.

Be careful and have fun! Take some pics on the trail if you get a chance.

If I'm going to do any serious roading, I'll remove it, or maybe use a wire tie and clamp it up... I've got entirely too many scars to show for the mistakes I've made.



Also, I've never had a bike with the quick release wheels. Can anyone give me a detailed description of how I tighten these so they don't fall off? :P
If you decide to any real offroading just remove the thing. It's dead weight that can get you hurt.
http://img224.exs.cx/img224/218/qrhowto7da.jpg

You got that from toys-r-us?! Wow great find, how much was it?

He was kidding.

...this must be your minute. :p

Meh I didn't bother reading everything he had to say, like I always say: Im very lazy :D

With vehicles, the next year always has something more in store. Now we see GM rolling out with OnStar, side curtain airbags, etc.

What's the main difference between year to year of bicycles? I can't see any airbags or OnStar features on my 2004 Boulder, does that mean my 2005 will have them? :D :D :D :D

What's the main difference between year to year of bicycles? I can't see any airbags or OnStar features on my 2004 Boulder, does that mean my 2005 will have them? :D :D :D :D

Often the airbag is that thing made of foam that you stick on your head. It's all about aftermarket! :D

The main differences from year to year are actually pretty slight. Bikes are built from commonly sourced parts. For instance your Giant has many of the same parts as someone else's Trek. The frames are different of course and there might be some house-brand parts. The changes if they occur will occur in the spec'ing of components and updates to the frame and fork.

The frame designs generally don't change that much from year to year. Bike companies will however redesign the geometry to reposition a model against a different market sometimes but generally they will just update the frame by using better/stronger/lighter materials to build the same design.

The component companies do update their product line as well. Usually with components, there is very slight changes and improvements for a few years and then there's a quantum change that occurs. This is kind of like software in the sense that you will have "dot" releases for a while and then get a major release every few years.

Nice Basset Hound.

Oh, yeah, the bike...good choice on the upgrade dude :)

Excellent bike purchas mi amigos!

I recommend a set of metal pedals when you break those. They shuold cost less then $10 and feel a lot better.
Ehmmm, let's see...

That's about all I've got to say, have fun!

With vehicles, the next year always has something more in store. Now we see GM rolling out with OnStar, side curtain airbags, etc.

What's the main difference between year to year of bicycles? I can't see any airbags or OnStar features on my 2004 Boulder, does that mean my 2005 will have them? :D :D :D :D

I don't think BIG differences occur from year to year. It appears to me that the significant advances in technology seem to change more like every 5-10 years. (if not more.) Look at the late 90's MTB's. A lot more Chromoly frames and things such as flat handlebars, more rigid (existance) forks etc.

Excellent bike purchas mi amigos!

I recommend a set of metal pedals when you break those. They shuold cost less then $10 and feel a lot better.
Ehmmm, let's see...

That's about all I've got to say, have fun!

Believe it or not, that short basset hound shows my big bad proud boxer who's boss in the house. It's quite a sight to see.

Since I'm at work I can't really go outside and check for sure, but I THOUGHT the pedals were made out of the same material as the brake cranks... which are black as well, and I first thought them to be plastic... but the cranks are indeed aluminum, just painted... Perhaps it's true with the pedals, too? I'm not sure, I had steel toe workboots on when I bought the bike, so it's not like I was able to tell that easily... plus I didn't really care to look for that. I was too worried about the rims, brakes, spokes, gear shifter, etc that everyone here told me to look out for. :)

Oh, also...

My front shocks are adjustable. But they aren't adjustable by one main control, they adjust individually.

Is it important that they are at the same rating of resistance? How do I know for sure that they are the same?

And, one other thing......

The handlebars. They seem to push outwards a few inches, maybe about 6-7 inches or so. They don't really push upwards at all, just forward. That's all well and good, but here's my question. Chances are this will never EVER happen and I understand that, but let's just say I completely snap that extending 6-7 inch piece which holds up the handlebars. Is it fairly easy to get that piece replaced?

If you are confused about what I am talking about, to be blunt, it's the actual piece that connects the handlebars to the frame itself.

That piece is called the stem. And if you snap it, i think you are going to have bigger troubles than fixing the bike. Keep in mind this is an entry level bike. Don't go getting crazy with it as it likely won't take a lot of abuse.

Also there is no such thing as a brake cranks. You are probably talking about the crank arms that the pedals screw into. Go here to learn about all things bike (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/). Then come back and ask questions.

Probably best to start here. (http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html)

Also there is no such thing as a brake cranks.

Actually, based on previous posts, I believe Roasted is referring to brake levers.

That piece is called the stem. And if you snap it, i think you are going to have bigger troubles than fixing the bike. Keep in mind this is an entry level bike. Don't go getting crazy with it as it likely won't take a lot of abuse.

Also there is no such thing as a brake cranks. You are probably talking about the crank arms that the pedals screw into. Go here to learn about all things bike (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/). Then come back and ask questions.

Probably best to start here. (http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html)

Hahaha. I can barely go off of a 3 foot jump with a stunt bike, how in the world would I pull that off with a 26 inch mountain bike? Maybe you guys are just too far advanced ahead of me to understand my level. 95% of my riding will be on pavement. The other 5% will be on basic bike trails that my girlfriend and I will probably both bike together on... mostly just casual stuff. At most, I'll probably just go really fast over repetative tiny bumps, not huge jumps like on X-Games. Curbs might seriously be the biggest this bike ever sees...

I'm just throwing this question out there because I'm trying to just get a better understanding of the bike materials. I probably won't ever snap it. I'll probably have a higher probability of being hit head on by a 747 Delta Airlines Airplane while riding this bike. This confuses me a little, because I figured I could just buy a new stem and whatever the section is called that holds the bearings in the front of the frame... then connect that to the fork and reattach the handlebars, and we're good to go. This is an assumption. If I didn't know for a fact, I wouldn't ask. :P Just messing around with ideas here. :)

You can buy a new stem.

You can buy a new stem.

I know. I believe they had some for sale in the LBS I was at.

The true question is, is it a royal pain in the ass to replace, so tedious that a pro has to do it?

Its easy.

Unscrew the two screws holding the handlebars on.

Remove handlebars.

Unscrew screws connecting stem to steer tube(the tube going up through the headtube)

remove stem.

takes me all of 1 minute to remove/reinstall my stem.

Its easy.

Unscrew the two screws holding the handlebars on.

Remove handlebars.

Unscrew screws connecting stem to steer tube(the tube going up through the headtube)

remove stem.

takes me all of 1 minute to remove/reinstall my stem.

Ahh I gotcha. Ranger just gave me the vibe that it was insanely hard to do. Glad it's all straightened up now.

Okay. So I lied?

Oh, I was mistaken. The Boulder SE is a 2004. Whoever was on my other thread mentioning LBS in King of Prussia... KOP is about an hour and a half away... .


Wow.....Dont I feel like a DuM@$$ !?:eek:
I thought you were a Troll with all the WaL-Mart stuff.....My bad.
Anyway....Where are you located ?? North of KOP like Bucks Co. or west like Lancaster ?
I know all the LBS around here and KOP.
Did you see BEANS in Paoli ?? There are a TON of good, non-chain LBS's around
us if you need hotrod stuff. I like BEANS and Downingtown.
Do a Google on 'mountainbike pennsylvania' and some good stuff comes up........
Or, polish up yer mad sKiLLz and try this www.readingracing.com

Good luck with the new ride !!

I'm from amish country.

Laugh all you want, I know. :(

Lancaster. :(

I'm from amish country.

Laugh all you want, I know. :(

Lancaster. :(

ha haha... I can laff too....so am I !!
My town is under my avatar. Im around Rt. 10 and 30, just past Gap.

Amish rokk, y0 !! They hit it hard on those big black toobed bikes railing 772
faster than LeMond with a 4'x4' chicken crate on the back !!!

ha haha... I can laff too....so am I !!
My town is under my avatar. Im around Rt. 10 and 30, just past Gap.

Amish rokk, y0 !! They hit it hard on those big black toobed bikes railing 772
faster than LeMond with a 4'x4' chicken crate on the back !!!

I'm not familiar with Rt 10... but Rt 30 is within 1/4 mile of my job.

To make a long story short, I messed up my torque converter, which gave me a choice. Spend 600 to fix it, or unplug the overdrive from the engine block. I chose to unplug the overdrive. The downside to that is, I'm running a 3 straight gear automatic transmission. Now, you take a 3.3 liter 6 cylinder, which wasn't ever an efficient engine in the first place, put it on the highway at 70 mph, you're sucking in more gas than an Excursion does on city driving.

At least you arent an idiot like some people that dont know a tire from a torque converter and are at the mercy of the gas station mechanics when it comes to getting it fixed. :rolleyes:

Im sure that a mechanic would charge alot to do that.

At least you arent an idiot like some people that dont know a tire from a torque converter and are at the mercy of the gas station mechanics when it comes to getting it fixed. :rolleyes:

Im sure that a mechanic would charge alot to do that.

Ironically enough, tomorrow I have to do some work on my car to figure out the strange misfiring and laggish acceleration problem that started up randomly on the way to work today...

Back on my last question...

I was browsing around bike parts and stuff, and figured I'd look up stems. Are stems pretty much universal? Or do they have to be built especially for that model bike?

Ironically enough, tomorrow I have to do some work on my car to figure out the strange misfiring and laggish acceleration problem that started up randomly on the way to work today...

Back on my last question...

I was browsing around bike parts and stuff, and figured I'd look up stems. Are stems pretty much universal? Or do they have to be built especially for that model bike?
So long as your looking at 1 1/8" threadless MTB stems and not Road stems they will swap right in

So long as your looking at 1 1/8" threadless MTB stems and not Road stems they will swap right in

Ahh, that's cool. I guess I just have to read up on some threads here, there's more to it than I thought. I sorta thought that each bike has its distinct parts and in order to replace them you have to use parts from a bike 100% identicle to it. Almost like trying to rebuild a 1965 Shelby Mustang GT 500... How do you do it? Well, you can't use parts from a Ferrari Enzo, can you? No. What about a Camaro? No. Oh, how about this old GT500 in the junkyard? Yep. I figured it was something along those lines... I didn't realize they were as universal as seat covers... as long as they fit. :o

what do you mean, road stem? Like, those high speed land-only bikes?

what do you mean, road stem? Like, those high speed land-only bikes?
Yup they have a different clamp diameter at the handlebar end, and generally aren't made to take the shock of being ridden off road

Yup they have a different clamp diameter at the handlebar end, and generally aren't made to take the shock of being ridden off road

So as long as I can find a mountain bike 1 1/8 diameter threadless stem, it'll fit, no questions? Interesting....... very interesting.......

Would it be worthwhile to look into this, and get an upgraded one that's more durable? Or is this a part that's not normally upgraded... :D *not sure*

So as long as I can find a mountain bike 1 1/8 diameter threadless stem, it'll fit, no questions? Interesting....... very interesting.......

Would it be worthwhile to look into this, and get an upgraded one that's more durable? Or is this a part that's not normally upgraded... :D *not sure*
You could do that. I'd look at ones from Thomson and Easton specifically, although Race Face and Truvativ both make excellent stems. Your stocker should be adequately strong however

You could do that. I'd look at ones from Thomson and Easton specifically, although Race Face and Truvativ both make excellent stems. Your stocker should be adequately strong however

If the stock stem isn't worth the upgrade then I'll let it go...But if it'll benefit and be stronger for a couple bucks then I'll look into it, and maybe invest in pedals too... yes, they are plastic. Took a closer look at them this evening. :(

, and maybe invest in pedals too... yes, they are plastic. Took a closer look at them this evening. :(
I use Odyssey Southgates (http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=42089&cat=240&brand=176) on my trail bike and I've never been happier. No fuss no muss. Pins that grip, bearings that run smooth, it's a good thing.
http://img120.exs.cx/img120/5408/odysseysouthgate.jpg

I also have a pair of DK Iron Crosses laying around that served me well until I went to clipless on that bike. Those were some soild pedals, but HEAVY.
http://img8.exs.cx/img8/4465/dk-iron-cross-pedals.jpg

I use Odyssey Southgates (http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=42089&cat=240&brand=176) on my trail bike and I've never been happier. No fuss no muss. Pins that grip, bearings that run smooth, it's a good thing.
http://img120.exs.cx/img120/5408/odysseysouthgate.jpg

I also have a pair of DK Iron Crosses laying around that served me well until I went to clipless on that bike. Those were some soild pedals, but HEAVY.
http://img8.exs.cx/img8/4465/dk-iron-cross-pedals.jpg

Those look pretty nice. I wonder, can I perhaps get these already colored or anything? Be cool to stick with a red theme.

Sorry if I'm dwelling, but if you were in my position, would you worry about the stem being upgraded?

Those look pretty nice. I wonder, can I perhaps get these already colored or anything? Be cool to stick with a red theme.

Sorry if I'm dwelling, but if you were in my position, would you worry about the stem being upgraded?
Honestly, my trail bike is into me for about 2G's and the stem is one of a small handfull of stock parts on it. For someone just starting out I wouldn't throw a lot of bling on the bike. Just solid functional parts