road1bike

I went to REI today to look at bar ends. the clerk told me to bring my bike in, he wanted to fit me on the bike no charge. Seat height, fore and aft, handle bar height and reach. He thought if I was properly fit on the bike I might not need ends.

I am amazed that this was not done for me by the LBS that I purchased the bike from. I'll report back afterwards.

xoxoxoxoLive

REI is an AWESOME place to shop, the one back in Cary NC. was just as nice. A proper fit makes (ALL) the difference in the world.

road1bike

Made it to REI this morning. They lowered the seat about an inch, the seat was mounted all the way aft, they moved it about a little more than half way. I had ergon grips installed no charge, cat eye wireless computer installed no charge, Trued my front wheel $12. Topeak x-tool, /giro superfit gloves. Guess I got excited.

xoxoxoxoLive

REI is awesome, they did a good bit of adjusting, and all the extras ... I would say you had a good day.. can not wait for a ride report..

road1bike

11.5 miles this morning. bike rides like a dream. Hands numb at the two mile mark. Still adjusting the Bar ends, gloves made no difference.

xoxoxoxoLive

I had the hand numbing thing with mine also, but just a little. Lifted my hands off the grips for a few seconds every so often, problem solved, glad your enjoying the bike more now.

road1bike

Set out on a 20 mile ride today. Adjusted the bar ends as i went along. That helped. Wore my old gloves instead of the new ones help even more, I really don't see the difference between bike gloves and padded workout gloves. Wire less cat eye stopped working mid way through the ride. I never had that problem with the wired one. Guess I'll take the old one off of the Sedona.

Met a couple of road bikers that invited me to ride with them. I held my own for awhile avg. speed 15mph. the last six miles I started sucking, told them to go ahead because I did not want to slow them down. They would not leave! their motto is "we never leave a rider" They invited me to ride with them again.

They liked the bike, told me to take the fender, kick stand etc. off. It became a moot point because with about 3 miles left I lost a screw out of the rear fender and it rattled all the way home.

Went to the auto parts store and realized that a multi tool was nine dollars instead of the 17 REI charged.

End of the day I got my twenty miles in, met some nice people, and realized I jus need to KISS>

xoxoxoxoLive

AWESOME ride report, can not believe you were hanging with them. Took my FX out and worked on my cadence, trying to keep it at 80. That makes me going around 14.5 MPH, much better than I've ever done. And am so glad I switched those 25's for 32's.. The ride is much smoother, and can hit the sidewalks when needed. I would keep the kickstand on, and the fenders.

road1bike

Took the fenders off, will leave the kickstand, I noticed the wheels hit hard whenever I go over a little bump. Is that a function of the wheels or tires? Can I put 32's on the existing wheels?

xoxoxoxoLive

How much air pressure are you running ? You should already have these : Giant S-X3 w/ Reflective Sidewalls, 700x32 & there nice tires.

krobinson103

Saw one of those second hand for $200 in great shape. Nice bike but I couldn't find a reason to need it when I already have a perfectly good mtb and a flat bar roadie.

Crankykentucky

I have these tires on my Escape 3 and have come to appreciate them. I was told to juice them up to maximum pressure for road work. I was at my LBS the other day and they let me ride a new Escape RX-1. Nice bike, but I am not sure about the tires. I actually wonder if the 700x32's are better for a bigger rider (238)?
The owner of the shop also said he likes the steel forks on the Escape line over anything else.

Learning a lot, so I might have to start taking notes...

road1bike

Yes, that's what I noticed after I posted . It already has 32's. That's what I get for posting at 2:30 am. I run 65 PSI per the dealer. I think coming from the sedona where I could run over everything, I'm a little scared to run over anything. It just seems like the bike hits hard when I come over the lip of the curb or just breaks in the sidewalk.

I feel reel good today after the 20 mile ride yesterday. 5/11/13 there is a 35 mile ride in my city. If I can get in two more long rides this weekend, I might try it.

I need to get a tool kit or something, I'm afraid of getting a flat. what's the minimum I should be carrying? Multi tool, tire lever, tube, anything else? thanks.

xoxoxoxoLive

A couple tire levers, spare tube, pump, or CO2 bottle's with nozzle, multi-tool for adjusting things. You can take a patch kit, if you expect more than one flat on a ride. Has happened to me..

xoxoxoxoLive

That's a bike multi-tool :

road1bike

21.5 miles today.

xoxoxoxoLive

Zero here, hasn't stopped raining in four days..

road1bike

Yes my daughter lives in St. Mary's Ga. Told me the weather has been terrible.

TomCat_Ford

You have fenders, don't you? At least with fenders, most of the road dirt will stay off from you and your bike.

xoxoxoxoLive

Not on the Trek.. LOL But I did ride it in the rain, after the LBS changed the rear cassette & installed the Bontrager tires. To much work cleaning it though... Have rode it twice more at night during rain breaks, last night for about 30 minutes. Yes I miss the Giant.

TomCat_Ford

Isn't this thread titled "Giant Escape City"? Why are we talking about Treks here?

xoxoxoxoLive

(laughing)

road1bike

20 miles today, the more I ride the more I like this bike. Got rid of the fenders.

xoxoxoxoLive

Awesome riding, finally took mine for a ride today. Going again around dark. Probably will not be 20 miles though..

road1bike

Cucamonga challenge this saturday. 34 miles. If I do it it will be my longest ride yet.