Hi everyone,
The last time I routinely rode a bike, I was probably 12. Now here I am, some 27 years later, and I've decided to do a sprint-distance triathlon. To that end, I dragged out my old Schwinn Worldsport 10-speed that I bought before college. Got it all cleaned up, new tires, and went out on my first ride, and almost immediately remembered why it's been in storage for 20 years. Because I was never comfortable riding it- I don't like leaning forward to ride, I don't like hand brakes, and I don't like gears. Also it made my hands and shoulders hurt. So, now I don't know what to do. Is my sprint-distance triathlon doomed? What I would really like would be to have the kind of bike I has as a kid- the kind where you stepped down on the pedals to brake, and if you wanted to pick up speed, you pedalled faster or stood up. Is that crazy? Do they make such a thing for adults? And would it work for the triathlon? Sprint-distance is 12 miles, which doesn't seem like it should be too hard. or it didn't seem like it, before I tried. Any help would be appreciated, as I don't even know the right name for what I want. Thanks!

Hi & welcome to the forums. What you are describing as a kid is a coaster brake bike, 1 speed & use the pedals to brake by pedaling backward. Fixed geared bikes work on the same principle but minus the coaster brake hub but you still use the pedals to brake by going backward or you could add hand brakes. I would not recommend a fixed gear for someone that has been off the bike for so long. Nor would I recommend a fixed gear for any triathlon unless it's all flat & you are running a really tall gear.

I would look into getting a new bike or having your existing bike fitted better. It sounds as if that bike was never a good fit for you to begin with hence your frustration. You can have the stem replaced with one that would keep you more upright but that will affect your performance unless this event is just for fun only then who cares, right? As for gears I assume your bike has stem or down-tube shifters which can be really frustrating for some people. Todays bikes are outfitted with indexed shifting on the handlebars which make shifting much easier & less confusing.

You could go the route of a new bike which I think is the best for you. Go to your LBS tell them your needs & comfort level & get properly fitted for a new bike. They might even have a used bike that they could swap out components with to fit you better. If being on drop bars is still not in your plans you could go with a flat-bar road bike. With the proper stem height & length you could be sitting in an upright position.

It sounds like your really interested in getting back in the saddle, you just need the right bike.

Hi,
Thanks for your response. I think you're right about the gears. I googled them, and it looks like I have exactly the ones you said. And I am basically doing the tri for fun, though I want to do as well as possible- but for this first one, my main concern is finishing, and not being dead last. So I guess more upright might be okay. Someone else I know suggested a hybrid bike- does that sound right? And can I get one with flat bars like you said?

Oh, and if anyone is in the San Fernando Valley area, could you tell me where is the best place to go looking for a bike, that has really knowledgeable sales staff? I'm also not looking to spend a ton of money yet because I figure this is something of a test.

A hybrid bike would most certainly fit your desired needs. Most are outfitted stock with flat bars & come with 28 or 32mm tires which will roll quite nice for you & can easily be adjusted to fit your comfort needs. Let us know how you do on your sprint-tri, sounds like fun.