Originally Posted by
tabriz
Thanks for the replies. I do plan on taking it to a shop for a tune up. It has really been sitting around for 20 years, but I did loan it to someone last year for a few months who took it to a shop to get it working again.
Can most bikes be made to fit most people? What do they do? Do they do things like raise/lower the handlebars? Of course they would raise/lower the seat. Any thoughts on a good new seat to get?
I seem to remember the Sagres came with an Avocet racing saddle. I have Avocets on a number of my bikes, and I think they're nice riding saddles. If it's already had a tune-up, then ignore my previous comment. As to fit, you can raise and lower the saddle and bars yourself. Unless you have grown or shrunk significantly in the past 20 years, your bike should still fit. Raise/lower the saddle until you can almost fully extend your leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke, but not quite. If you have to rock your hips when you're pedaling, it's too high. If you're legs are always bent and you're pedaling like a circus-monkey, it's too low.
If I were you and just getting back into cycling I would start with the bars higher than normal so you can focus on getting comfortable on the road again before getting into a "racing" position. Once you get comfortable riding upright, you can try dropping the bars a bit.