In article <[email hidden]>,
David Phaneuf said:I'm new into biking...and loving it! But the old worn out 3 speed racer I have is a real pain on
my back (no cliche here) as well as my butt! LOL
I want to do bike paths/distance riding to get in shape, but not sure what's the best kind of bike
to buy, and what is a reasonable price range.
Dave
Well, for one thing, if you're riding bike paths and roads ("distance"?) you'll be better off asking
this question in rec.bicycles.misc.
For another, the reasonable price range for bikes that will do what you want is $0-$2000. Seriously.
I own two road bikes: one is a racy Pinarello that I bought for about C$550, and it works great for
short commutes and training/racing. The other is a Mikado touring bike that is marvelous to ride,
one of those bikes that just makes you want to spin the cranks forever. I don't know why. But I got
that bike for $10 from a garage sale, and have put about C$100-200 in upgrades onto it. With the
right fit and adjustments, maybe even your 3-speed will be adequate.
For bike-path riding where back and butt pain is an issue, the best advice I can give you is to go
to a bicycle shop that sells road bikes ("10-speeds"😉 and hybrid/comfort bikes and ask them to fit
you properly. They will get you onto a bicycle that will not hurt you.
As for the pain in the butt, that's a seat issue. Seats are a highly individual thing, and the best
advice is to try a bunch. Hard can be better than soft for many people: I had to switch soft seats
for very narrow, hard seats on two of my bikes (the barely-padded Selle Italia Nitrox just happens
to work really well for my butt). You actually do your sitting on your ischial tuberosities, aka sit
bones. Find out where in your butt they are, and how far apart, and you're most of the way to
finding a good seat.
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club