Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
I am enjoying this thread. Congrats on starting to ride to save money! Here is a list of things you should buy
+10000000 No need to go all out and buy stuff until you know exactly what you want.
Originally Posted by
silver19
For the seat issue I think a seat cushion may be good for her, we'll see how she likes it. It almost rained today and we were not prepared for that so thankfully we made it home before it started. I've read that for the rain a couple of fenders should keep you clean at least but I wonder.
I would try cycling shorts before you go with a seat pad. Also, just being on a bike helps. She will get used to some of the discomfort. Personally, I am not a fan of seat cushions - every one O have come across ends up looking horrible and slides around. What kind of bike is she riding?
Originally Posted by
gsa103
The backpack really depends on what style of bike you're riding. On an upright mountain bike, a light backpack is fine for hours. On a road bike where you're leaned forward, the backpack gets uncomfortable quickly. Panniers are fine but expensive, for light loads a quality messenger bag with a secondary strap is quite good.
The biggest thing for me was leaving my shoes at the office. I wear clipless cycling shoes, so not having to carry 3-4lbs (size 13 feet) and the extra bulk meant I could use a small messenger bag instead of a full pannier.
If the ride wasn't 13 miles I might agree with you on the messenger bag for light loads, but schlepping one of those for 26 miles a day seems miserable. You don't have to spend a ton on Panniers. The set I have cost under 70 bucks and I couldn't be happier. It also lets me be flexible if I need to stop on the way home to pick a few things up.
Hey, someone else with size 13s! Man, shoes take up a lot of space when they are that big.
Originally Posted by
silver19
I bought a hybrid Trek bike (upright) and I did not have an issue in the morning but the backpack got bulky quickly and therefore uncomfortable (not to mention that it weighted around 15 pounds between my stuff and her bike lock (I attached mine to my bike).
Her seat is an Oval Concepts 300. The seat is less cushy than mine, and I believe her when she says it hurts because I've ridden her bike and it was not a trip I enjoyed. We wanted to get biking underwear to help us ride but she might need more time with her bike before deciding on any extra support.
On another note, she bought her bike about a year ago and they measured incorrectly. she can barely touch the floor with her tip toes (to my understanding you should be able to stand up over the frame tube without issue). Her seat is at the lowest position and it still about 1, 1.5 inch too tall for her. Is there any workaround for this?
Thank you again
As for the size of bike, if you don't want to go for a new one, she will have to lean it when stopped. I have a bike I have to do that with (and so does my wife, though it is hard finding her a road bike with her at 4'11"). It is more about the reach she has. A good solution would be to go to a different bike shop with her, take the bike, and ask them what they would do. You can look into getting just a different frame and having a shop move all of her old components to a new frame, or if you don't want to go that route, she can also get a shorter stem and shorter cranks. She will still have the stand over issue but things might be a bit more comfortable for her.
Is that her on the seat barely touching the floor, or over the top tube?
A great way to lighten your load would be to make her carry her own lock! I jest. Aren't you the nice boyfriend though. I'm not that nice of a person.