JusticeZero

Getting some money in a couple days, and putting it toward bikes for the fiancee and step-daughter-to-be, so we can do some commuting, around town, and touring with them. Mostly on the road, some MUP where required (ie, the one along the freeway), with a little bit of dirt. We are in hilly terrain, and have ice and snow in the winter.
The fiancee (Athena, 5'2" with a 28" inseam) was interested in an R510 or 520 with a stepthrough frame. She prefers the 510, and the stepthrough frame is a must.
The daughter (5'4" 125# 30" inseam) is looking at a Redline Conquest Sport.

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on those that might be less than apparent from looking at them? Tips on how to set them up?
In spite of my concerns, the fiancee prefers flatbars with bar ends, and the daughter is waffling between the same or drops; the LBS has no touring, moustache, or I bar equipped bikes to show them. Fiancee also wants a wide seat and believes she has wide sit bones; I don't know how to figure that out.

BarracksSi

She's your fiancee and you don't know how her butt is shaped?? Are you SURE that you're marrying her?



Snarky comments aside...

Those are two very different bikes, aren't they? But hey, for different people, they're cool.

The Conquest will let your stepdaughter-to-be ride it as either a flatbar or drop bar bike since it's got the extra brake levers on top. That's obvious, though. If she really wants to, and if she rides in the snow and crap enough to wear out the rims, she can take the opportunity to upgrade to disc brakes and compatible wheels.

What questions do you have about setup? Are you getting them through a bike shop or somewhere else? I suppose I could say that if I were getting a bike from *-Mart or via mail order, I'd check and adjust the brakes and drivetrain, set the seat height and bar angle, and leave it at that. If the wheels needed to be trued, I could at least straighten them myself if they're not awful.

On a practical note, can fenders be attached to these bikes? It looks like they can, although I'd try to check the fork crown and rear dropouts of the 520 to be sure. It seems like fenders won't matter if they don't want to ride while it's raining or snowing, but if it's sunny again and there's still water and sludge on the roads, fenders will keep it off of them and their bikes.

Here's an older thread asking about the Conquest Sport, but there isn't much info:
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/294976-redline-conquest-sport.html

JusticeZero

I do know that one of my concerns is that i'm not sure how viable the 510 would be for TOURING, like she wants to do. But, I don't really know how to put that into words.

BarracksSi

Well...

How long of touring rides are you thinking?

It's slow and heavy. It'll be GREAT for building her strength and making her legs bigger.

The very upright riding position will put her into the wind, making her work harder. The suspension seatpost, while comfortable (I still have one, although I don't ride it), might affect her knees over long rides. The suspension fork adds comfort as well, but will rob efficiency -- which actually might not matter much if you're not trying to go fast. The fat tires give a more compliant ride, and look like they have little enough tread to roll well, but will be heavier to push. The squishy saddle will also end up squishing more of her soft tissue, causing more discomfort over longer distances (although it'll serve fine until she's used to riding a lot).

Everything about that 520 says to me, "riding in the park with your kids". I don't see a way to attach a rear rack (if you're "touring" by BF standards, you're carrying a lot of stuff). By contrast, this bike from Cannondale illustrates what would be good for a bike that you'd take on the road for weeks at a time.

JusticeZero

One destination that has come up recently as a desired place to ride to is 221 miles each way over mountains to reach. THAT kind of touring. Top speed, however, is not as major of a concern. My budget is 'absolutely, positively, no more than $1000 after extras which must include extra tires (carbide studded), fenders if possible, lights, a U-lock, and a rack of some sort.'

JusticeZero

Her reasoning for not wanting anything but a stepthrough bike is that she has never been on a bike that was small enough to not rack her when she came out of the saddle. ow! But i'm not sure how to address that?.

BarracksSi

More and more bikes, especially in their smaller sizes, have frames with a sloping top tube that'll have the same sort of clearance that she's looking for.

For me, the best reason for a step-through frame is to avoid swinging a leg over a bunch of stuff on a rack basket.

Is your $1000 budget for both bikes and accessories?

RepWI

I would take your future wife to a couple of quality bike shops that know a bit about touring. Let them do what they know how and guide her to an understanding of what she might really need. The kid? Get her the best bike you can, but she will soon outgrow it anyway.

I think a reality check is in order, but you can't be the one to push it. Let the LBS do it.

BarracksSi

^^^ Not sure how many bike shops there are in lil' ol' Palmer, AK, but at least there seems to be a few down in Anchorage. Might be worth taking a day trip there down Hwy 1 and hitting as many as you can.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.us/
https://speedwaycyclesak.com/
https://paramountcyclesak.com/pages/bikes.html
https://www.alaskabicycleshop.com/

Not saying that they'll actually carry cheap enough bikes, but surely they'll help explain why touring bikes are better than that Redline 510 comfort bike when it comes to touring long distances.

Cave

No problems with flat bars and bar ends - most people tour on MTBs or hybrids, not specific road tourers.

If her problem with diamond-frame bikes is the standover height, get her to try some small-frame sloping top tube bikes. Watch out for front wheel toe overlap; a 26" wheel may be better than a 700c.

I'd want to go up a step or two on the components on the bike - preferably deore or X5 - but Alivio front derailleur should be OK. Anything cheaper will be hard to keep in adjustment. The wheels will be crappy no matter what; again 26" wheels are preferable as they will be stronger. At least get the bike shop to tension and true the wheels at your 1st service, cost will be about $20 a wheel unless you negotiate it in as part of a package when you buy the bike.

I'm not sure what you have locally, but as I suggested on the other thread a Kona Smoke is a sensible budget bike that at least has attachments for mudguards and racks - although the components aren't great, and I don't think they still make it in 26", which is what I liked about it - a 26"-wheel hybrid bike.