Gravity Liberty 1 from BD - Pics and after thoughts
#1
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Gravity Liberty 1 from BD - Pics and after thoughts
Hey guys,
I little while ago I asked about the difference between mens and womens bikes, and a few other things. My wife doesn't ride that much - mostly on a small 15 miler every now and again with me, probably limited to less than 75 miles per month. She wanted a new bike, so I turned to BD to see what they had. They do have womens specific bikes, but I didn't think they were were the money, and my wife didn't like them. For the price, I suggested to her the Liberty 1, and she liked it for some reason. I was concerned about the fit, but I went for it anyways.
We ordered the 46.5 cm. She's about 5'5" and it fits like a glove, but more on that later. When I got the bike, there were some adjustments needed. It was kind of fun to build one up though. I tried my hand at truing the wheels (they weren't that bad), moved the front dérailleur up, adjusted the rear dérailleur, and the brakes. It wasn't so out of line that it had to be taken to the shop, but anything more serious I wouldn't have wanted to risk it at my skill level.
The bike fits her just right. It's hard to say anything other than that, but I set her seat height so that her leg is about 160 degrees at the lowest part of the pedal stroke, her knee is directly over the pedal's axle, she has a slight bend in her arms on the hoods, and her back is straight as an arrow at about 45 degrees, just like everything I've read suggests, so I guess it's fine.
Here are some of the pics of the bike:
I ordered a set of nashbar pedals, so I have about 425 in the bike. It shifts good, it stops fine, everything works as expected. The tires are absolute crap! However, I don't think they will ever be ridden in anything but ideal conditions, so they should be fine.
Any comments are welcome, I suppose this thread is for information only, as others may want a bike similar to this one.
Happy Riding!
Edits:
2014/05/28 - Updated links to hub links while i was looking up some more info.
In case anyone is looking for some more info about the components, the hubs are Formula RB-51 and RB-52. They are normal cup and cone bearings that can be serviced. The headset is a VP-A71, which has normal cage bearings that can also be serviced.
I little while ago I asked about the difference between mens and womens bikes, and a few other things. My wife doesn't ride that much - mostly on a small 15 miler every now and again with me, probably limited to less than 75 miles per month. She wanted a new bike, so I turned to BD to see what they had. They do have womens specific bikes, but I didn't think they were were the money, and my wife didn't like them. For the price, I suggested to her the Liberty 1, and she liked it for some reason. I was concerned about the fit, but I went for it anyways.
We ordered the 46.5 cm. She's about 5'5" and it fits like a glove, but more on that later. When I got the bike, there were some adjustments needed. It was kind of fun to build one up though. I tried my hand at truing the wheels (they weren't that bad), moved the front dérailleur up, adjusted the rear dérailleur, and the brakes. It wasn't so out of line that it had to be taken to the shop, but anything more serious I wouldn't have wanted to risk it at my skill level.
The bike fits her just right. It's hard to say anything other than that, but I set her seat height so that her leg is about 160 degrees at the lowest part of the pedal stroke, her knee is directly over the pedal's axle, she has a slight bend in her arms on the hoods, and her back is straight as an arrow at about 45 degrees, just like everything I've read suggests, so I guess it's fine.
Here are some of the pics of the bike:
I ordered a set of nashbar pedals, so I have about 425 in the bike. It shifts good, it stops fine, everything works as expected. The tires are absolute crap! However, I don't think they will ever be ridden in anything but ideal conditions, so they should be fine.
Any comments are welcome, I suppose this thread is for information only, as others may want a bike similar to this one.
Happy Riding!
Edits:
2014/05/28 - Updated links to hub links while i was looking up some more info.
In case anyone is looking for some more info about the components, the hubs are Formula RB-51 and RB-52. They are normal cup and cone bearings that can be serviced. The headset is a VP-A71, which has normal cage bearings that can also be serviced.
Last edited by KBentley57; 05-28-14 at 12:31 PM. Reason: New info
#2
Mostly Harmless
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#3
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Nice looking bike. Yeah, maybe she'll be riding with you more often. Just use the tires until they wear out. It sounds like your wife won't push them to their limit. Good job.
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Own the bike, love it, replaced the crank (there's heavy, then there's heavy), geometry is awesome, fork is solid. Good starter, cheap enough to upgrade.
#5
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Thanks for the comments guys. She loves it too! In fact, we've ridden more already. Now, if I can get her to go down hill without riding the brakes the whole time..lol With time I suppose.
#7
The Rock Cycle
Tell her that I said it looks like a very nice bike!
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its been a long time, but for anyone still wondering its heavy. probably close to 30 lbs as it rides.
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