diddlydood

I'm coming very close to getting this bike. I believe it is the same bike as the Nashbar Flat Bar Road bike.

The bike I am replacing had a basket where I stored my water bottle and phone and plastic baggies in case it started raining. I would put the phone in the basket and wear the earbuds and listen to music/pod casts, etc. Basket came in handy also if I needed to stop at store for a few things since grocery store about a mile away from home.

But I'm thinking this bike will be a much better riding bike than what I had (hand me down from family member) and so I will give up the basket.

This new bike does not have a place for a water bottle. The description says it does but I'm thinking if it is like the Nashbar, it won't.

How can I carry both water (no pre-drilled holes in frame) and my phone for music during longer rides?

Thanks for any advice and suggestions.

Cheddarpecker

I think for just a little more you could get a bike with braze ons.

And a Freehub.

diddlydood

Thanks. I'll have to google what those are. :-)

While I was looking up braze-on I found this video which looks easy enough also so that may be an option.

Cheddarpecker

Also for some reason, when I see decals on the frame highlighting the component manufacturer or the antiquated brake design, it just screams cheese.

diddlydood

That's ok. I'm not out to impress anyone but to enjoy a nice ride. It's in my budget so I can't be too picky with all the bells and whistles and non-discreet decals. This is the same bike as the Nashbar bike with no decals but Nashbar bike is 100.00 more expensive so I guess people will just have to laugh at me and my new cheesy bike.

But if you'd like to donate a couple hundred dollars to me, I might could find something better and more pleasing to others' eyes. :-)

RonH

What bike are you getting? If you can give the manufacturer and model we can answer your questions.

diddlydood

SE Monterey 24 ST Bike - Womens (pic in first post). It's the same as Women's Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike.

joejack951

Do you have to have a step through frame? This Nashbar bike will come to $250 after the 25% discount: Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike

With a standard frame you can easily fit two bottle cages or one cage and a bag for your stuff.

diddlydood

Now that's an idea. I just always thought it was a man's bike with the bar. This bike is 50.00 cheaper than the women's Nashbar bike for some reason. I wonder how much weight that bar adds to the bike. I'll have to look more into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

joejack951

There is little to distinguish most 'men's' bikes from most 'women's' bikes. Color is the probably the biggest differentiator. If you don't mind the color and are flexible enough enough to swing your leg over a normal top tube, there is no reason to not consider that bike. The SE Racing model you are after has a top tube but it is located much closer to the downtube to provide step-thru clearance. This does one of two things: at the same weight, the SE frame will be much less stiff, or at the same stiffness, the SE frame will be heavier.

Cheddarpecker

Aesthetics aside, they usually only plaster Shimano on the side of one if it's bottom grade components underneath, like a freewheel. Spec sheet specifies a freewheel. They've propelled people since the dinosaurs roamed, but there's better options in that price range. If you want two bottle cages, then I'd imagine you plan on spending some time on it. The other poster's suggestion is nicely equipped for the price, and not much more than you were looking at to get a decent, modern bike.

I've done without plenty, attached bottle cages with hose clamps, and built what I could with what I had. Every ride is a learning experience which brings me closer to buying the right kind of bike for my application. I've priced myself right out of my budget by a good $100, but I won't settle for less when I do spend the money. Until then, I'll make do with older entry level stuff that fits close enough.

The end result should be something you're happy with, and to hell with what other people think. I just wanted to point out that little bit about advertising and freewheels. Note the lack of advertising on the other bike and the freehub on the spec sheet.

10 Wheels

Carry Two behind your seat

fietsbob

rear rack / front basket/rack*, handlebar phone holders
water bottle can use rubber/velcro strap mounts.. Attach a Water Bottle - Twofish Unlimited

* bike shops help with selection & installing them.

SloButWide 

If you're sure you want a bike with no eyelets (holes), Wald makes baskets that attach to the front axle and handlebars, such as the Wald 198. You can add a bungie cord down the middle and it will hold a water bottle upright.

RonH

The specs on the manufacturers page says there is one water bottle mount.
The phone you can mount to the stem. If its a smartphone you can use one of these.




Don't wear earbuds. You want to hear what's behind you and around you whether you're on the road or a bike trail.

diddlydood

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I keep changing my mind on which bike to get. Everyone has opinions and good points to consider and it seems like I always come back to the Nashbar bike. The Nashbar bike is the exact same as the SE bike I posted. I was only getting the SE bike because it was cheaper. I'm not crazy about Nashbar's bike color but that's the least of my concerns. At least it's not bright lime green. I prefer just a black bike but green is fine.

The Nashbar, with the bar across, was a good option in 3 ways....already came with holes in frame for water bottle holder, comes in larger sizes and is cheaper then the women's model for some odd reason. I like to carry a thermos type container because I fill it with ice and the water stays colder.

To be honest, I purchased the Nashbar 15" women's model late May of this year. The bike shop assembled it for me and I rode it home. It was just too small but what they recommended. I sold it on Craigslist because too much expense to return.

Now I'm ready to purchase another. I loved the Nashbar...so much better than my old bike....smoother riding and gears changed smoothly. It was a nice ride and I felt I could cover more miles than riding what I had. I had an old rusty mountain or cruiser type bike that needs to be retired.

With the 15" bike, I felt like a adult on a kid's bike and wondered how much bigger a 17" would be. Would it be that much difference? I thought well maybe a 19" might do the trick. On the 15", my knees about touched the handlebars when pedaling.

I'm 5'5 1/2" w/30.5 inseam. Anyone know if a 19" in Nashbar would be too big or could I make that fit me? I'd just prefer to go a little bigger and adjust than smaller and adjust.

I don't need 2 water bottle holders. I'm happy with just 1 and looks like I have some nice options posted here even if getting a bike with no bar. Bike path I'd be mostly riding does have water fountains scattered here and there. Thanks again for all suggestions.

My old bike has a removable basket, but it wouldn't fit on the Nashbar because there wasn't enough room between the handlebars and front wheel. There isn't that much space for a basket at all unfortunately. I'd probably need to get something like that black carrier case posted above.

Any recs on which phone carrier to get? I have a Note 5 with an Otterbox Commuter case on it and want it secure but yet I want to be able to ride and listen/look at the phone at same time

Anyway, I was ready to just purchase the Nashbar with bar across last night while they had the 25% off sale but wasn't sure about the size. I'll just have to wait for the next 25% off sale to come around. That sale expired at midnight and they were closed so couldn't ask about size.

Thanks again for the suggestions and advice. I'm the type of person to research things to death before deciding.

RonH

Have you visited a few bike shops to see what's available? They'll make sure you get the correct size and they can help with all the other questions you have about carrying various items.

Maelochs

Returning as bike to Nashbar shouldn't be hard---as far as I know they will take any product back at any time for any reason and just charge a restocking fee---they will pay shipping.

Visit a local big box store (Wal-Mart, or something equally bad) and test-fit a couple bikes.

I think the Nashbar flat-bar has eyelets for racks, so you can carry some gear in the back and get a smaller handlebar bag.

Phone mounts --- PLEASE don't look at your phone while riding. it is your own business if you want to crash and hurt yourself, but you might hit someone else.

diddlydood

Yes I have looked. I think bike shops are for more serious riders. Lowest price I could find on even a cruiser was $500.00. The road type bikes were closer to 1,000 at my LBSs so that's why I decided on ordering a step up from big box from Bikesdirect, Nashbar, Performance and those type places.

I tried looking on Craigslist also but my neck of the woods rarely has new posts for bikes at all so limited there also.

diddlydood

The thing is with returning my Nashbar bike, is I paid 50.00 to have it assembled at the bike shop. I wouldn't know how to dis-assemble it so would have to pay probably another 50.00 to have them take it apart. I called Nashbar and they said I'd have to pay for return shipping and if I did an exchange, they would pay for shipping of new bike. That was too much hassle and costs so I sold it on Craigslist and only took a 15.00 loss overall including cost of assembly.

I'm so confused by sizing. Different bikes size differently. For example, I just can't go to Wal-mart and sit on a 28" Schwinn and know what to get on the Nashbar bike. Does Walmart have a similar bike that is similarly sized as Nashbar's?

What I thought about yesterday is going to this one bike shop 30 miles away from my home that sells SE bikes. Maybe they have one similar to the Nashbar there. Maybe one that is sized the same and try that one out.

The Nashbar road bike sizing chart means nothing to me. I just want a simple chart that says if your inseam is this and height is this then you can get this sized bike or this sized bike and be fine after adjustments. I've had bikes all my life but never has it been this complicated. lol Originally, I was just going to Wal-mart or Target and grabbing one but people here made them seem like such junk so I altered my thinking in another direction.

As far as looking at my phone, I meant glancing at timer, clock or Fitbit steps. I tie my Fitbit to my shoe strings.

Thanks for the suggestions.

RichSPK

This seems to be the bike: 2015 Monterey 24sp Step-Through | SEBikes.com

In addition to a water bottle mount, it looks like it has braze-ons for a rear rack. You could mount wire baskets to a rack, bungee stuff to the top of the rack, mount a rack-top bag, or panniers. Verify with your dealer, first, that it actually does have rack mounts; the pictures may be misleading.

Also, if you buy some cycling jerseys, they have pockets on the back that are great for holding water bottles, phones, and other stuff.

Edit: not braze-ons, technically, but threaded holes.

Maelochs

Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike

Go to the Nashbar flatbar roadbike page and look just to the right of the box marked "Save to Wish List" and you will see a link marked "Sizing Chart."

diddlydood

Thanks so much for looking at it for me!!! I appreciate the suggestions.

njkayaker

Braze-ons.

diddlydood

Yes, I've seen that chart but it is confusing to me. I just want a chart that tells me what size I would need according to my height and inseam. I have no idea what all that sizing of parts means to me and fitting myself to either a 17" bike or 19" bike. It would be nice to have a chart that says according to your height of 5'5 1/2" and inseam of 30 1/2", you could fit either on a XXXX or XXXX sized bike with adjustments. If I could adjust a 19" bike to fit me, I'd prefer the larger sized than the 17" since the 15" seemed so small for me.