autodidact

So, I picked up a cheap Raleigh Technium 440 about 2 or 3 weeks ago just out of curiosity, to see if I was really interested in this cycling thing. After about 100 miles I decided I was hooked. I love the freedom, I love the challenge of the climbs and of course the speed on the downhills

Since the Raleigh was kind of old and the previous owner didn't take especially good care of it, I decided that if I'm going to stick with this I want a better bike. Being on a tight budget I immediately went to my local Craigslist and found this beauty.



My new Scott Speedster S50. I've only taken her on a short ride so far due to inclimate weather but I think I'm in love. It's a lot more bike than the Raleigh but its also noticeably lighter. The integrated shifters are just cool and fun to use compared to the down tubes I was using. And this thing is fast, I hit 40MPH going downhill yesterday without that much peddling. The only downside is that it's a 56cm frame, I'm supposed to ride a 52cm but with the saddle lowered all the way I have great extension while pedaling without locking out my knees.

To make it even sweeter: the guy I bought it from helped me tune it, included a multi-tool, spare tube, patch kit, saddle bag, and a Cateye Strada Cadence computer with all the sensors and whatnot already hooked up.

To top it all off, after selling my Raleigh that morning for cash to put towards the Scott I got the whole package deal for only $175 out of pocket.

Really looking forward to riding this thing til the wheels fall off. Sorry for the rant but I'm pretty stoked

10 Wheels

Nice bike..

JamesRL

Being an old guy, I'd say that your Technium was the first good bike. It wasn't a bad bike at all in its day, light and stiff. I ride old steel and it would be an upgrade for me, but I left Aluminum for steel because of the ride, although a carbon fork helps a great deal. Congrats on the new bike.

zymphad

Good job finding a bike for $175 out of pocket. I finished building my bike yesterday. So I too am happy about bike. Looks great, Scott is a good company.

Looks like a 8spd Shimano 2300 setup? I had that, it worked well. Have fun with it.

Don't let the upgrade bug catch you, in a few months you'll be scrounging ways to get a carbon with Ultrega

Lazyass

Nice bike, but you should have held out until you found one in the proper size. I can imagine what your positioning looks like on that thing. Your bars are higher than the saddle.

zymphad

I was wondering the same thing. Was asking myself, did he know how to size a bike to purchase one? Eh if he loves it, no reason to fret until he looks for his next bike.

TexMac

He'll have to make sure he doesn't crash his "jewels"

TexMac

Nice bike esp the colors and Scott's do have a good reputation. Enjoy your bike as much as you can and be safe.

zymphad

The dude you got it from was really nice. I spent $50 on for my tire puncture kit and pack for example and don't have a bike computer. Stand up guy, he must have just been interested in making sure someone continues to enjoy cycling and the sport on this bike. Though I would have waited for a 52. But a great deal nonetheless.

dtrain

Bike looks great, but keep your eyes open for a [strike] 55 or 56[/strike] 52 or 53.

zymphad

Haha, he said he needs a 52 and he just bought a 56.

autodidact

In all honesty, I underestimated how much difference that 4cm makes in frames but I'm doing my best to compensate. The used market around here is mostly older bikes and I wanted something more recent. I'm sure if it becomes too much of a problem I can flip or trade for something different. I imagine my positioning isnt the greatest but hey, I'm not a competitive racer or anything. I'm just a guy that likes to bike and needs to lose some weight

Wanderer

Just ride, enjoy, and keep your eyes peeled for the correct size. Then is the time to trade.

Meanwhile, you do have a nice bike.

eja_ bottecchia

Exactly.

Congratulations on your new baby and on your newly found passion.

dtrain

...needed more coffee. Should have wrote 52-53.

autodidact

a quick google search turned up how to adjust the bike and remove some spacers to lower the handle bars so I'm working on that righ now, also just raised the saddle a little bit I think I have a little more play in it than I first thought

Wanderer

Yo can also add a shorter stem, if the reach is uncomfortably long.

dvdslw

Nice bike, I have a Scott mtb that is a blast to ride. Good quality and good looking. Welcome to the club and put some miles on that thing! It appears there's some room to get the bars lower, maybe a thinner style seat to raise it a bit, and why not some clipless shoes/pedals which for me made my seat go up a tad? With some tweaking I think you'll be just fine.

autodidact

Alright, hows this looking? I understand its not super sexy but i'm working with what I got. I moved the saddle up a bit and lowered the handlebars by 2 spacers. I just rode it around the block and it actually felt a lot more comfortable and faster, my positions definitely lower. I feel like I want the handlebars to tilt down a bit but I'm not sure if that's going to add a lot of unnecessary wrist strain.

cannondale125

You need to level your saddle out. Nice bike

dtrain

Is that blue an exposed headset bearing? You might have to redo that with the second 'small' spacer on top and the Scott labeled one below the stem. See how it flares out at the bottom? I think that's to properly cover the bearing.

Gramin

Drive side, remove bag, level saddle, white tape (or all black saddle)... oh wait... this isn't HrN. Dammit...

But seriously, nice bike! And since your saddle isn't level, I'm assuming you didn't go get a pro fit? I think you should seriously consider spending the money to get a proper fit on the bike. Usually the fit is good for a year, so you'll be able to take her back and get her fine tuned. Just my $0.02.

Bottom line... great bike... ride her like you stole her.

dtrain

The fitter should say, 'Yikes, that's too big for you.' So we just saved him $$$.

cannondale125

Great eye dtrain! I didn't even see the spacer. )

Long Tom

Yeah, saddle should be level, which will FEEL like it's tilted back slightly.

Fitting your body to a bike is an ongoing process. Really the only thing to be careful of, but it's a biggie, is dont start up a knee over-use injury in the early going via the combo of unbridled enthusiasm and poor fit. To that end, err towards having the saddle UP and BACK at first. A decent way to establish the height part is with flat pedals on the bike and your heel on the pedal your leg should fully extend. Then with your foot normally positioned on the pedal you'll have roughly the right extension. Fore-aft saddle position is harder to nail. On a frame that's a size too big for you you are probably ok. Anyway my point is, all the other fitting stuff is about comfort; but saddle position relative to the cranks is about knee health. I did my early miles (last spring) on a poorly-fitting mountain bike and set off an issue in one knee that I still deal with a bit. To be avoided.