Jphoenix

Years ago I bought a Marin mountain bike, rode it occasionally, now I've just been using at the race track (car racing) as a pit bike. I've now decided to get off the treadmill and start riding to drop a few pounds over the winter and started reading this forum about fit.

I was shocked to learn that my fit should be a 58cm, my bike is a 52cm. I'm 6' and the bike seems to fit ok, but I suspect I'm kidding myself.

I ride pavement only and was planning to ride the mtb with road tires, but now I think I'll buy a beginner road bike, I've seen recommendations for $400 entry bikes like the Vilano and Giordano lines, would I be kidding myself again if I bought a 58cm $400 bike? Will I be disappointed in 6 months and need to buy another, perhaps better bike? Not planning to do long rides, just exercise and weight loss.

berner

It is really amazing how much bike can be bought for $400. For the fitness type riding you are planning to do, such a bike will be fine and will last for years. If ever your biking goals change and you begin to do long rides, that change can be addressed at that time.

due ruote 

Road sizing isn't the same as mtb sizing. Typically mtb frames have proportionally longer top tubes than road frames, so it's normal to size down. This also allows for more seatpost extension and top tube clearance, which might be important if you are doing a lot of trail riding. I am not an expert on mtb sizing, but I would not automatically assume your 52 cm mtb is too small just because you ride a 58 cm road frame (which itself may or may not be ideal, depending on your body proportions and riding style).

That being said, you might be more comfortable on a road frame; I don't know. Try test riding a couple and see what you think.

There is also the option to further road-ify your mtb by fitting it with drop bars, which you can read all about here.

Jphoenix

Thanks for the info guys, makes sense. Also interesting that a 52cm may be a good fit, it certainly feels ok.

thanks for the link to the drop bar thread, very interesting.

CliffordK

I agree, I think MTBs often have quite a bit smaller frames than road bikes, although the sloping top tubes on both makes it a bit more complex to compare one to another.

Marin makes some pretty nice MTB frames, but I think I'd keep the MTB as an MTB, and just get a road bike if you wish.

You mentioned 6' and wanting to loose weight, but not the actual current weight. Somewhere in the mid 200's, you may gravitate towards stouter bikes.

If I was making the choice, I'd skip the Vilano, Giordano, and Denali class bikes.

Either choose a "classic" from the 70's or 80's, or choose a bike with at least 8 speeds in the rear. (8, 16, 24 speeds or more). And get some brake shifters (brifters).

I haven't dealt with them personally, but Bikes Direct has quite a few interesting bikes, often at good prices. Take their "list price" and "discounts" with a grain of salt. They are imaginary numbers. But, look at the bottom line prices.

A good bike shop could also steer you in the right direction, but don't just abuse them then buy online.

Jphoenix

I'm at 210, need to get to 185 to make minimum weight in my race car, I figure a year long project to keep at a stable 185. I walk/run currently but want to get more calorie burn in a shorter daily exercise period, kinda running out of daylight here in the PNW this time of year. Plus all the other drivers ride bikes and do triathlons and it sure seems to work for them.

My target weight is 170, but trying to be realistic as age 59.

CliffordK

So, you could be open to any road bike from a lightweight carbon fiber bike up to classic steel ride. I personally wouldn't choose 16 spoke wheels, but there is no hard fast limit either. In part it depends on how you treat them as far as avoiding debris and road hazards.

There is a large, somewhat diverse group of drop bar cyclocross bikes, touring bikes, and commuters designed for slightly larger tires, and more durability worth considering. They seem to be a bit more expensive than other similar bikes. The frugal mechanics might be able to build one out of a quality hybrid.

You can certainly get exercise on both road bikes and MTBs, but distances, rides, and speeds may be different.

Jphoenix

I bought a planet bike saddle, road tires and spent the last two evenings adjusting the bike, following lots of good fit info here and other sites. I'm getting very comfortable in the bike, zero aches and pains (quads are burning because it's nothing but hills up here on the ridge).

so, I may ride this bike for a while and think about a road bike, as you said, I can get plenty of exercise on either bike.

last issues remaining are getting the shimano Altus rear derailleur adjusted properly, it's skipping gears and I've been watching videos figuring out how it adjusts. Parktool is good. Maybe I should upgrade to a Deore?

next I need to upgrade my brake pads, maybe get a set of the woodchippers, but not sure how they would benefit an mtb, but they do look cool.

fietsbob

want to shed weight? walk more , hills are good, repeat daily.

as to bike fit , shop in person in a professional bike shop ,travel to Seattle or Olympia if you must

to find a lot of brands in various shops to compete for your money...

Jphoenix

Yup, I walk every single day, literally, 1.8 miles, rain or shine around Lake Bonney with plenty of hills. I used to run on my treadmill, but now I ride my bike around Lake Bonney and the hills are killers (in addition to the daily walk with my dog). This morning took the interurban up to 15th street, flat 10 mile ride and stopped at Bonney Lake Bicycles on the way back. I had them adjust my derailleur (works perfectly now) bought a rack for the car, new helmet, new brake pads and drooled over an entry level specialized (Allez?). They told me come back and take it for a test - I would, but I would likely just buy it, so for now, more exercise on the mtb, and if all goes well, I'll buy that specialized from them. I think I can get it cheaper on the web, but I really like those guys, very helpful, so I'll pay the extra $ - likely cost that in shipping and tune up anyhow.

Still adjusting fit and trying different setups with the bars and seat, getting better. Much less knee pain than after running, almost none. Hands a little numb towards the end of the ride, but I think that was seat position, much better after a quick adjustment. Quads are tired now :-)

I'm afraid to ride that specialized, probably have to sell the mtb, or else it will corrode away from lack of use. It's running very nicely now.

Carbonfiberboy 

Really hard to lose weight just by exercising, the problem being that it makes one hungry and thus one eats it back. The best way to lose weight is called portion control, making it a lifestyle choice. That's worked well for me and my wife. We stop eating when we don't feel really hungry any more. If we still feel hungry 1/2 hour later, we might have a piece of fruit. We have a mid-afternoon snack and some protein (no carbs) at bedtime. Smaller portions will, after a couple of weeks, reduce the stomach's demand for more food than your body needs.

Of course one can also exercise. We've found the most successful exercise for weight loss to be, of all things, weight lifting. This is also known as body recomposition. If that link seems too complicated, you can just buy the book: Body By Design Book: Make Your Dream Body A Reality!. We combine that concept with two hour moderate aerobic workouts on the bike, during which we don't eat, and after which we eat protein but very little else.

Semicod

I'm 6'5, 260 and I ride a 56 comfortably.