Originally Posted by
emsara
I ride for recreation/fitness. I might consider a different type of bars, but will just wait and see. On my 84 Raleigh Marathon mixte (which will be for sale now!!)
Better make sure the Fuji fits, first.
Originally Posted by
emsara
I was just about ready to consider changing the bars, but had not done so. I'd like to be able to keep my hands on the brake hoods, but I can't work the levers from there. It looks like maybe this bike has suicide levers (why do they call them that?).
Yeah, it does look like that. They're called that because *supposedly* they do not work well, with the user pressing them all the way to the bar and still not getting the brake pads to bite. I think that depends on how well they're set up. I've never had trouble with the suicide levers on my bike. The levers on the Fuji are not aero levers, so you wouldn't be able to ride the hoods unless you change to aero levers. So there's one change you'd want to make. And if you want to shift from there, better make them brifters.
Originally Posted by
emsara
This is probably really stupid, so please don't laugh. Is it possible to add a third chain ring so I have some really low gears? I'm getting older, and the hills are sometimes pretty tough for me. I had been looking at newer bikes that are triples, but of course they are mostly too expensive for me.
I like triples.
The easiest way would be to swap out the crankset for a triple. While you're at it, I would recommend reading up on gearing. Get a copy of
Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Upgrading Your Bike by Frank Berto. He explains gearing and how to achieve the gearing you want; as long as you're going to a triple, you might also want to change out the cogs in the back, to achieve the gears you want.