DoshKel

I bought this bike maybe 1 1/2 years ago because I have never had a car. So... I ride it everywhere. It is my main transportation around my town... and I love commuting .

But, I haven't done anything to it since buying it. I haven't adjusted the seat, bars, stem or whatever. It cost me $90 flat as well. I thought it was a pretty good deal.

So can someone help me out with what I should fix? Should the seat be higher, bars be lower, bike be trashed and I should go out and buy a new one ?

Are the pictures too crappy for any advice to be given?

Any sort of advice would help .

Thanks a lot.

Pictures:

mrkott3r

hows your knees? I dont thinkt the seat is high enough but im a newb

DRLski

lol, I needed a good laugh tonight...thanks

DoshKel

My knees feel pretty good . I also should of put out my stats maybe. Here they are:

18
Male
5'10
140 something pounds (useful?)

Clothes I ride in (usually):
Jeans
Shirt
Sweatshirt
Fancy Deisel shoes
Backpack



DRL: Thanks for your insight. Very helpful indeed.

mrkott3r

I would probably buy a new seat

sprcoop

No way to even guess at seat height unless we have a pic of you on the bike with pedals at bottom and 9 o'clock. And at best that would be a guess. No way to get fitted for a bike over the Internet. For best power and knee comfort a "slight" knee bend at the bottom of your natural stroke works. It is usually a personal preference thing. If you raise it, raise the bars the same amount for comfort. If that seat doesn't bother you I would not change it. The bars look like a good height for a commuter. Just make sure all the mechanical (especially the brakes) are in good order. I would have to say ride it into the ground but don't put a bunch of money into it unless it is an emotional attachment thing.

Rick G

the only thing I can tell ya is put a picture of you on the bike.just like sprcoop says.then and only then can anybody tell ya what to do.

cooker

First of all, don't let anybody put you down for asking these questions....while you may not have educated yourself about bike fit up til now, you sound like you ride a lot more than some of us, maybe many of us, so you have the heart of a heroic cyclist.

I strongly advise you to have an immediate tune up and safety check at a local bike store to ensure your brakes are properly adjusted and nothing is about to fall apart...they can check your fit too..but there are a few things you could do in the meanwhile.

Stand straddling the bike in shoes and check the clearance between your groin or the crothc of your pants, and the crossbar (top tube). That gives an approximate idea if the bike is about the right size for you. There should be 1-2 inches clearance.

When you sit on the seat, your leg should be almost straight when the pedal is in the lowest position. I find that if I drop my heel I can straighten my leg. Or, put your heel itself on the pedal and then see if you can straighten your leg. If the seat is too high your butt will rock from side to side as you pedal (extra effort, and chafing) and if it's too low you will work too hard or strain your knees.

Most people keep the seat fairly level, and slightly higher than the handlebars, so that you end up leaning forward quite a bit, which improves aerodynamics. If the seat is tilted forward like yours, you may always be sliding forward and having to push back on the handlebars, making your arms do extra work.

Most road bikers don't need a comfy sprung seat...that's more for hybrid or comfort bikes, where you sit more upright with more weight on your seat. On a road bike you are leaning forward and your upper body is partly supported by your legs, like a diver poised in a crouch before a dive. However if you like it, keep it.

Your handlebar tilt looks pretty good...I assume you mainly keep your hands up top on the brake hoods? If you wanted to race and sometimes move your hands down to the lower drops for even better aerodynamics, you might tilt the handlebars very slightly forward so the drops are more level with the ground and a little closer to your body. However most of us keep our hands up top most of the time.

Keep up the good biking, ignore the flak you may get from others in the thread, and get that bike looked over by a pro ASAP.

cooker

Also I can't see the brand name or anything. Can you post whatever is written on the frame and components? It is probably an older steel frame, out of date for racing or high fashion, but much beloved by old school riders as a traditional material that is durable, flexible, repairable and has a nostalgic cachet. Definitely DO NOT trash it until you know what you have. Lots of us ride old steel relics and are very happy with them, and a few of them are worth something to collectors.

worker4youth

First thing you should do is add straps to your toe clips, or take them off.

af895

Howdy DoshKel!

Do you know your inseam length? The distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the "sit bones" (or the top of your saddle) should be 0.883 of your inseam - as a rough guideline. See this page for bike fit guidelines: https://www.coloradocyclist.com/BikeFit/index.cfm

For bike maintenance tips, Park Tools has an awesome website with free advice. https://www.parktool.com/repair/
There may be a section on general tune-up - I'm afraid I'm hitting the hay so I can't look for it.

BTW: is your bike a Puch? I've heard great things about Puchs.

urban_assault

It's a Puch.


You need to lube the chain too.

DannoXYZ 

At 5'10", you'd want to raise that seat about 4-5" !!! Yeah, heel on the pedal with straight-legs is a simple way to set saddle-height.

Take off those "safety levers", they should be re-named "suicide levers"...

Serpico

sweet

is that steel Puch

DoshKel

Hey everyone.

Thanks a lot for all your information and advice you guys. You especially cooker. Very good post .

Yes it is a Puch. Not sure what year (I think someone said '60s on here before). It is also a 53 cm frame, and the guy I bought it from said that would fit me alright.

I am going down to my LBS tomorrow to have them check it out, change anything that might be wrong, and give me some tips. I did raise the seat tonight, but my digital camera just broke () so I can't take pictures right now. My legs are pretty much completely straight now when I put the pedals in the lower position. It feels a lot better when riding also . I do keep my hands on the brake hoods pretty much all the time as well.

I don't know about my inseam, so i'll have the guys i'm going to look at that. Thanks for letting me know about it. Also... thanks for those links af895. I'll look at them.

And Danno: WHat are "safety levers" heh?

SDRider

Your knee should be slightly bent at the lowest point of pedal revolution with the ball of your foot over the center of the pedal. If you are rocking your hips while pedaling then your seat is too high.

And yes, those pictures do suck.

DoshKel

Alright... I just spent about 3 hours messing around with my bike a little so that it feels a lot better when riding. And it worked!

I rode it around for awhile after the changes, and it feels a lot better to me. I am very happy with myself. This is my first ever bike mechanic/bike fix-up type thing, so I am happy at myself for at least keeping the bike so it rides, and also for making it feel better to me. I did a couple things like:

- Take the back brake off that would sometimes blow out mid-stop.
- Take off my ripped up, ugly bar grips. I like the steel look anyways. I'll probably keep it like this.
- Take off my gears completely because they would lock up mid-ride and that would result in me flipping over the bars because it was so sudden. Not good.
- Dropped the front brake on my bars.
- Dropped the bars.
- Raised the seat so my leg is straight when in the very lowest postion with my pedals.
- Took off some unnecessary items.
- Tightend up everything.

Tomorrow I will:
- Get new brakes.
- Get new shifters.
- Maybe get new tires/rims all together. (newer and better looking ones)
- Maybe new bars and stem completely. (new/better looking again)
- New clip on pedals OR new pedals and some straps for my pedal harnesses.

- And last... a paint job (I don't know though).

So I guess basically replace everything except for my frame heh. Sound like a plan? I hope... because I am really excited .

Here are the photos: (click to make bigger) (sorry about quality again)





A lot of you will probably laugh at whatever I did. So... sorry about my newbie work

I am happy though .

DannoXYZ 

Good job! Moving the brake-lever down on the bars was a good idea. That way you can reach it when you're in the drops as well. Here's what suicide-bars are:



When you do a quick stop with your hands on the tops of the bars, the only thing holding you on against the deceleration forces is your thumbs! So if a car pulls out of a driveway or something pops up in front of you and you grab those things, you're still gonna hit it! Except that it's you that hits it instead of your bike, which had stopped and you flew over the bars breaking your thumbs in the process...

You might want to set up a spreadsheet and total the costs of upgrades. Replacing all the parts except for the frame by buying new components really isn't cost-effective. You can usually pick up a new bike with those parts for about 1/2-1/3rd the cost. Or even used, buying a 2-4 year-old bike with the same parts will end up being only 1/4-1/5th the cost.

MichaelW

You need to retain some flex in your knee at the 6:00 pedal position. Setup for a straigh knee when your HEEL is on the pedal but cycle with the BALL of your foot is position (ie using toe clips). This will provide enough flex to prevemt knee injury.
Once your saddle is right, you can think about lowering your bars. Find a position which balances low centre of gravity and aerodynamics with comfort, urban convenience and all-round visibility.

Fit a luggage rack and fenders to make your into a clean grocery carrier.

DoshKel

I see. I really want to ride a vintage bike though, so do you think buying a new vintage with better parts would be just as good?

I also have a certain taste in bikes that some of my buddies think is odd. I REALLY like the look of these specific track bars (don't know the exact name ). Example: (top right box... but I would have them withoput grip)



And I really like the minimalistic set-up I have seen some bikes with (one brake, single-colored frame, matching rims, clips... ect.)

Is this a realistic bike to have?

DXchulo

Those are cowhorn bars.

You sound like a good candidate for a fixed gear. Check out the fixed gear forum. Basically what that means is you ride in the same gear all the time and you can't coast. You won't have to mess with derailleurs or any of that crap, and bike maintenance will be a breeze. You'll need a new back wheel and maybe a new crank, but it will turn out a lot cheaper than what you have in mind now.

If you want to go even cheaper than that you can go singlespeed. Just take your rear derailleur off and shorten your chain. You'll be able to coast that way, so maybe it's less manly, but it's still fun. I turned my old 70s bike into a singlespeed last weekend and I'm really enjoying it.

DoshKel

OH my.

That is EXACTLY what I want (a fixed bike). I am in heaven right now because of the picture thread . So... would I have to buy a new frame to do such a thing, or can I completely convert my bike?

Maybe I should ask there though? Is it possible to move this thread? Would that even be right?

Thanks so much .

*runs to fixed forum again*

Grasschopper

You can convert and there are fairly inexpensive kits that come with most everything you need for the rear end. If you want it to look all sexy you will need a new wheel and a new crank but if you are on a budget you don't need to bother with that stuff. Also, if you decide you want a new bike there are a BUNCH of cheap but good quality full up fixed gear bikes for sale these days. One favorite here is IRO where you can get a complete bike for $550-$650. My LBS also has a Specialized Langster which they have marked $595.

DoshKel

Thanks for your links and information Grasschopper .

I am sure that I have to stay in the $300 - $350 range and no higher. That Mark V in the first link is amazing looking though. I would paint that thing green (is it possible to pain a totally different color?) and be set for a long time .

Also... would it be completely idiotic of me to ride brakeless? I really like the look that brakeless gives, but I also want to stay alive long enough to enjoy a new fixed bike heh.

Are the bikes lacking brake systems track specific?

I wish there was a functional track around here . That would be awesome.

Grasschopper

Well hardcore fixe riders will say go brakeless...I think it is nuts but I ride geared bikes so.... Seems like many fixie riders have just a front brake and to me it just seems smart to me. I don't know anything about custom options from IRO just that a lot of guys over in the fixie forum talk about them a lot. Real track bikes have higher BBs to help prevent your pedal from hitting the ground/track when in a tight turn...or while you go straight on the banks (effectily a lean).

I really should shut up on this topic as there are many here that know more than me about Fixed or SS bikes. Get yourself to the other forum and I believe you will get all the answers you seek.