Old 05-14-08, 08:32 AM
  #3  
Torrilin
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Madison, WI
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Upright like a Raleigh 3 speed, or upright like a 1970s road bike?

How much weight do you usually carry? I'd usually end up with at least 20lbs of books and notebooks in college, often more like 45lbs. Damn physics and calc textbooks... Groceries for just me were much lighter, in the 15lb range. The amount of weight you haul affects the kind of bike you want.

Every place I've lived in has "some hills". As a teen, "some hills" meant "there's a 15% grade to get back home and most other stuff isn't more than 5%". In Madison, "some hills" means "mostly gentle climbs and one 5% grade". I find it helps to know what how many gear inches are on the gears I use most often, since then I can judge how well a bike fits my needs. For me, 50-60 gear inches is a nice happy gear for flat ground. If I'm hauling a lot of weight, I want lower. If I'm climbing a steep hill, I want lower.

What kinds of reliability problems have you had? That might affect which sorts of bikes suit your needs.
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