New bike
 

All of the other sections are for specific types of bikes and thats my problem. I don't know what type of bike I should get.

I currently own a Trek 4100 and am looking to upgrade.

I basically am using it for traveling to and from class and other activities as well as exercise (daily). I generally travel on the road only although on very rare occasions I'll be on a sidewalk or a small dirt path (generally flattened dirt, not 'off road' per se.

Another important note is that I am about 300lbs and this definately needs to be taken into account because the bike needs to be sturdy.

Finally price is an issue...I would like to keep this bike under 1000 but above 500 (lower than 500 is fine, but I would like a decent quality bike).

If anybody has any suggestions for a type (or model) of bike that I should be looking at then please let me know. It will be very appreciated.

P.S. I was looking at a Gary Fisher Mullet...what is everyone's thoughts on that particular bike as well?

Am I in the wrong section?

I honestly couldn't find another section that I could safely put the question in.

It's just that "New Bike" is kind of a dull title for some...

Understandable...I was just making sure that the lack of interest wasn't because I was being rude by posting here in this section.

The Trek 4100 is a MTB. As the basis for a starting point, can you first describe what you like and dislike about it? Also include in generalities as well as specifics about the bike itself. That is to say, you might wish to state your opinion on the how well it suits or doesn't suit your riding and why. For instance, if the position it puts you in is too upright then you might want to state that. Likewise, if the position is not upright enough then you will want to mention that too. Are the tyres too wide and knobby and thus you feel they're innappropriate for just pavement riding? Does it have suspension and you feel it's robbing you of energy? Do you feel like you're going too slow because the bike is heavy or has unsuitable components for faster riding? do you feel the bike is geared wrong? What do you think of the handling? Too twitchy? Too lax? Etc... etc...

You are in the right place... it's just a Saturday night, not much traffic on here.

In May of 2004 I was in a similar spot. I was 260 and didn't know what to get.
I wound up with a Specialized Sequoia, a touring oriented road bike. The bike had no trouble handling my weight, and with a diet I managed to get down to 185 at the moment. I wound up spending about $800 on it

From the sounds of it, a road bike is right for you... just stay clear of the racing bikes. Visit your local bike shop, do some test rides and pick what feels good.

Best of luck
--nw

Here goes:

I've only really had two bikes (in concept).

My Trek 4100 and before that was a bunch of crapy Target bikes.


The Trek was initially great because it was an upgrade over Chain store brand bikes.

Over time I have run into some problems with several parts of the bike.

Handling:

I think the handling is ok for the 4100, but it could definately be better. On some of the sharper turns I feel like I'm falling and end up making them wider than I should (going into oncoming lanes). On busy roads I just slow down completely and make a minor turn to avoid an accident.

Speed: I am fine with the speed of the 4100...I'm not racing or doing any sort of competative sport.

Energy: With the 4100 I feel like the tires are low on air all the time. This makes me feel like I'm wasting a lot of energy trying to get up hills (I live in a very hilly area). Unfortunately when I check my tires are never low on air and it just feels that way.

Gears: My gears feel like they are going to break everytime I use them. I don't know how to describe this. I feel like they can't handle my weight properly even though they are built for 'heavier duty'.

Hands: My wrists hurt all the time on this Mountain Bike...that is a big concern as it causes me to cut some of my trips short.

Misc: My derailler never seems to be in the right spot :)


I hope this is what you were looking for...if not feel free to ask me to elaborate or speak on something new.

I plan on purchasing the new bike in the fall (late August early Sept).

@nowonder...I'll start looking at some road bikes...I'll also test some down at the LBS (funny how quickly you pick up acronyms on this board :) )

300 lbs! Get a road bike. Make sure its a strong steel frame. Youll go faster then a speeding bullet with a pitbull on its heels down those hills.
Yeah. Good ol Saturday night.

It sounds like you are oversteering the and/or not leaning enough. The front end of most MTBs such as the 4100 do generally have a much more lax steering than say a roadbike so moving to a roadbike-like geometry will fix that but not always. You also have to be confident in your riding abilities to turn by leaning as well as steering.


It does sound like you simply need a little more pressure in your tyres. You might consider swapping out your wider knobbies (if that's what you have) for thinner high-pressure slicks. This is a relatively cheap thing to do and doesn't require a new bike.


Do they make a bad sound or something? Is there a lot of clattering? Is there squeaking noises coming from the drivetrain? It could just be that your drivetrain has gone out of adjustment. You might want to take it to the shop and see what they have to say.


Your bars might be too low causing you to put too much of your weight onto your hands. Have you gotten fitted for the bike? That might help.


See above about drivetrain out of adjustment.


I think some of the things you listed can be attributed to improper bike adjustment and fit. Other things might be solved by simply changing/upgrading your existing components. I'm not necessarily trying to talk you out of buying a new bike but you might want to try a few cheap and easy things first to see if your current bike will work out. This will also give you a better idea of what to look for in another bike. Another thing you'll probably want to do is test ride several different categories of bikes to get a feel for what type of bike you'll most be happy with. Visit many shops and try different brands and types. Keep notes on what you liked or didn't like. You have given yourself plenty of time to gather information so don't rush yourself.

As for the tires...I have them at the maximum recommended pressure.

I have not been fitted for the bike...how would I go about doing that? Should I just walk into the LBS and say I want to be fitted?

I'm liking your last idea about just going around to various shops and testing different bikes. I'm lucky enough to be in a bicycling town (Hilly 100, Little 500, etc) so there are several different bike shops in this small town.

I understand that. But you can get different tyres which will have different max pressures. Since you're also only riding on pavement, you might want thinner less knobby tyres (slicks or semi-slicks). Look for something in a 26x1.5 size or maybe even thinner (26x1.0). You should be able to pick up a pair for around $15 each.


Sure... why not? They may charge a little for it. Ask them to also make recommendations for things like a new stem if needed to bring your handlebars up a little higher, etc...


Explain to them what you've said here. A good shop should be asking you these same questions to try and determine the appropriate bike for you. At least now you have thought out a few of these answers so you can help make the process a bit smoother. BTW, test riding bikes is fun. Enjoy it.

So I'm off to the LBS tommorrow.

Going to ask them how I would go about being 'fitted' for a bike and also give them a description of what I want to do and see what kind of bike they can suggest.

The "Commuter" board would also be appropriate for this question, since that's for people who ride their bike to work/school/etc generally all-around.

But anyway... Hands hurting can be partially helped by more hand positions, if you want to try that get some long bent bar-ends (the short ones add one hand position, the long bent ones add 2). Some people will recommend gloves with padding/gel.

Seat angle will affect how much pressure you put on your hands too. Try angling the seat SLIGHTLY back (if it's too far back it'll start to put pressure on.... :eek: ).

My own advice would be avoid the MTB-ish "hybrid" bikes. That's what I got and I'm not really happy with it... it's basically just a mountain bike with 700-sized tires, which makes it gigantic. Some of the road-bike-ish hybrids (no suspension, thinner tires) might be worth looking at. A lot of the guys in the commuter forum recommend cyclocross bikes, since they're basically heavy-duty road bikes. I don't know any brand names to recommend though.