billdeebs

Hi all,

This has been a great forum, especially for a Clyde like me.. 6'2", 355 originally, now down to 300 and aiming for 240 by year's end. I've always liked riding and am now ready to get a "real" bike. I've read through tons of posts here and appreciate all the wit, wisdom, and candor. I'm starting with 5-10 mile rides 3 times a week and looking to build from there. All road and ocassionally a paved trail in a Forest Preserve. I found a very nice local shop that has a Trek Multitrack 7500 for $599.00 with lifetime free checkups/service. It has Bontrager SSR Wheelset, that has very few spokes, and I'm a bit nervous about that. I've read that everybody on here recommends lots o' spokes and strong wheels for us beefier sorts of fellas, but will the SSR hold up??? The manager says its very strong and uses some sort of double spoke technology, yadda yadda yadda, but the sales guy recommended I post here to see what your experiences were. So, any help??? I'm looking to purchase this weekend and start riding!

Also, what should I look for when I purchase the bike in terms of making sure it's "right" i.e. setup/etc? I've never purchased a bike that I didn't put together from a beat up cardboard WalMart box with Engrish instructions...

I'm also thinking that in my backup pack I should have: CO2 for inflation, spare tube, allen wrenches/etc. Anything else you guys/gals carry as a safety?


Thanks all, hope to see you on the trail!

John