Black Angel

HI. great site. I am rapidly becoming a avid biker. with the new purchase opf a used fuji silhouette, I am now faced with changes to my rides, namely

1: I owned a cannondale H400. my favorite bike ever. It had an easier first gear for steep hills. the fuji is harder in first gear? can I swap out the gears?

2: the ride on my silhouette, is a little more cramped. is there a seat post, or handlebars, the can extend the reach a little to be more like my old cannondale?

3: I have some thin smaller tires. would some cyclocross tires be better? I do hit an occasional pothole.


Thanks! I'll be learning a lot here!


P (the black angel. named after my fuji silhouette)

Pat

1) Gears. Well I have not looked at the stats for the Fuji and the Dale. But it is a simple thing to change out the rear cluster and put in one with bigger cogs. That will give you lower gears. The other way to get lower gears is to fool with the chain rings (those big rings up by the crank). You can go with a triple but that means changing shifters, derailers, bottom brackets etc and that comes to some $$$.

2) Extending the reach is easy. All you have to do is put a longer stem on. The stem is the thingee that holds the handle bars. You just get one that is longer so your handle bars are farther away from you.

3) I am not sure of your tires size. Tires on road bikes seem to be 23 mm right now. Even going to 25 mm tires will make a noticeable difference and you might even be able to put on 28 mm tires. I don't think cyclecross tires would work. The clearance of the parts on the fuji probably would not allow that large a tire, but I have never tried it.

slowandsteady

1. Yes, you can change out the cassette or the front chainrings. They go by how many teeth each cog has. For example, on a double chainring it is common to have 39t small ring and a 53t big ring in front. 11-23t in back is common for 10 speed. You could have just about anything. The small ring in front is an easy gear. The large rings in back are the easy gears. If you want an easier gear, go for a smaller(i.e. less teeth) ring in front, or larger(more teeth) in back.
2. It really depends on what "cramped" means. You could buy a longer stem or put the seat farther back. The stem has to do with your reach(arms). The seat fore/aft position has to do with your thigh length and relative position of your knee over the pedal spindle. I would get a professional fitting before you start messing with stuff and making purchases. You never want to compensate for a reach problem with a saddle position change, and vice versa.
3.Hitting potholes is likely to damage your wheels. This is highly dependent upon the wheels and the pothole, and if you cushion the blow by standing and flexing your arms and legs, or if you just "thud" sit over the pothole. Some people prefer to bunny hop over them. I haven't mastered that art yet, but if done properly, it is less damaging than hitting a deep pothole. Cyclocross tires won't do much to help beyond a tiny improvement in cushioning. They will also slow you down. And as the previous poster said, there may not be enough clearance. Just stop hitting potholes. If they are unavoidable,(some roads in PA & NJ should be considered off-roading) then you may need wheels with more spokes or spokes in a different configuration, or your wheels may be just fine. Your body weight also factors into this. If you are 280 lbs, you need sturdy wheels. If you are 120, you probably won't have any problems. I don't know what you currently have.

capejohn

Leave you bike alone and ride.

Black Angel

Thanks yoda.

"exsisto quietis neque nec narro"

Black Angel

thanks. I just got a new set of gears and I am going to also swap out the shifters.
I am looking for a longer stem, and now the only thing I am wondering about is whether or not a carbon fork will make much difference. and any other weight-lessening modifications. I'll post a list of all my components, and hopefully some kind soul might help me critique them. I am a lowly bicycle caveman, just learning.


Thanks a lot!

Black Angel

My components set is:
Frame Aluminum, Altair 2
Fork Aluminum
Headset Integrated
Rims/Wheels Alex A-Class
Hubs Alex A Class
Spokes 14g stainless-steel
Tires Kenda Kontender, 700 x 26c
Crankset RPM
Chainwheel 52/42/30
Bottom Bracket Sealed-cartridge bearings
Chain KMC Z9000
Front Derailleur Shimano
Rear Derailleur Shimano Tiagra
Rear Cogs Shimano, 9-speed: 12-25
Shifters Shimano Rapidfire SL-R440
Handlebars Double-butted aluminum
Tape/Grips Fuji high-density foam
Stem Ritchey
Brake Levers Tektro aluminum
Brakes Tektro Mini-V with power modulators
Pedals Wellgo WPD-919 clipless
Saddle Fuji Ultralite Racing
Seat Post Ritchey Comp
Seat Binder Aluminum, quick-release


Anything I can do other than my gear and shifter changes to make it easisr to climb steep hills and make it lighter?

thanks.
Bike caveman

slowandsteady

1. Generally speaking, changing your wheelset is the easiest way to reduce weight.
2. The answer to your climbing question: Technique. Spinning up the hills is the most efficient way to climb. Also get your gluts/hams into the action. Pull backward on the pedals as you spin. Do hill repeats.

CastIron

You want to conquer hills easier then ride up them more. The bike is only a tool for your body. It really is that simple.

Black Angel

Some of these replies are comical in nature.
With all due respect, I did not ask for alpha male warrior ethical mind over matter training.
I am already a master of that.
I asked for technical information about my bike.

Please refrain from your little cosmic warrior diatribes, Ok? I live there. it's hard to take seriously in a bike forum.

and to all who helped, thank you.