Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Gravity Liberty 1 from BD - Pics and after thoughts

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Gravity Liberty 1 from BD - Pics and after thoughts

Old 08-02-11, 07:37 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Madison, AL
Posts: 693

Bikes: 2010 Felt DA, 2012/6 Felt F5, 2015 Felt AR FRD

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
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.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
IMAG0089.jpg (94.7 KB, 206 views)
File Type: jpg
IMAG0091.jpg (97.5 KB, 108 views)
File Type: jpg
IMAG0092.jpg (89.0 KB, 99 views)
File Type: jpg
IMAG0093.jpg (99.6 KB, 105 views)
File Type: jpg
IMAG0094.jpg (97.9 KB, 110 views)
File Type: jpg
IMAG0099.jpg (91.8 KB, 101 views)

Last edited by KBentley57; 05-28-14 at 12:31 PM. Reason: New info
KBentley57 is offline  
Old 08-02-11, 07:55 PM
  #2  
Mostly Harmless
 
rjones28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Chittenango, NY
Posts: 56,470

Bikes: Have two wheels

Mentioned: 169 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13638 Post(s)
Liked 4,446 Times in 2,468 Posts
Well done.

Maybe the new bike will inspire your wife to boost her mileage.
__________________
Originally Posted by patentcad
If this thread doesn't go 10 pages I'm quitting BF.
rjones28 is online now  
Old 08-02-11, 08:03 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
volosong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: North Idaho
Posts: 2,809

Bikes: n + 1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 15 Posts
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.
volosong is offline  
Old 08-02-11, 08:20 PM
  #4  
RT
The Weird Beard
 
RT's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: COS
Posts: 8,554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
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.
RT is offline  
Old 08-04-11, 10:10 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Madison, AL
Posts: 693

Bikes: 2010 Felt DA, 2012/6 Felt F5, 2015 Felt AR FRD

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
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.
KBentley57 is offline  
Old 08-04-11, 12:28 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: N.W.Ohio
Posts: 1,205
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
nice looking bike.
freedomrider1 is offline  
Old 08-04-11, 12:50 PM
  #7  
The Rock Cycle
 
eofelis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Western Colorado
Posts: 1,691

Bikes: Salsa Vaya Ti, Specialized Ruby, Gunnar Sport, Motobecane Fantom CXX, Jamis Dragon, Novara Randonee x2

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 16 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by KBentley57
Now, if I can get her to go down hill without riding the brakes the whole time..lol With time I suppose.
My bf is glad that I take it easy on the big descents, even if I feather the brakes the whole way down. He makes sure the brake pads on my bikes are always in top shape.

Tell her that I said it looks like a very nice bike!
__________________
Gunnar Sport
Specialized Ruby
Salsa Vaya Ti
Novara Randonee x2
Motobecane Fantom CXX
Jamis Dakar XCR
eofelis is offline  
Old 11-09-11, 12:59 PM
  #8  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
any estimation on how heavy this bike is from the factory?
craigslist626 is offline  
Old 08-26-13, 06:46 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Madison, AL
Posts: 693

Bikes: 2010 Felt DA, 2012/6 Felt F5, 2015 Felt AR FRD

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
its been a long time, but for anyone still wondering its heavy. probably close to 30 lbs as it rides.
KBentley57 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
francophile
Classic and Vintage Sales
7
05-17-16 07:42 PM
Nishiki10
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
8
05-05-14 03:53 PM
Valvefloater
Classic & Vintage
16
11-04-13 02:07 PM
photoglisa
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
29
08-17-13 06:58 PM
hiltonhead
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
7
08-15-11 10:55 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.