Advice needed about new bike

[caitlin]

Hi there. A couple of days ago I purchased a Marin San Anselmo (a hybrid, "city" bike). I've been riding it to and from work (10 mins each way) and have found I get a tightening in my lower back and possibly the middle as well. I'm not sure if this is due to the type of work I do (market research, sitting in chair for 6 hrs) or the bike itself. I can't remember if I had this problem with my last bike (a mountain bike). The bike is reasonably upright, this may be the problem. The seat is raised to about 10 centimetres and I can almost stand on the ball of my foot. Is this the right height? I'm 5"2 (157cms) and the bike is a size 15.5. If I put the seat down any further, I feel like my knees are coming up too high, I'm quite conscious of the movement of my knees and legs, possibly because of the bike position. If the bike is causing the problem, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could do about it? Also, I've found the bike is quite slow going up hills. I've tried it on two different gears; 6 and 2, 3, or 4 (can't remember which sorry!). Having it in 6th gear seems to give it a bit more grip going uphill, but it's still slower than I would like. Also, the design of the bike doesn't allow me to stand up and pedal like my previous bike did. I also need lights and am wondering which kind would be the best to get? I often ride at night, anytime between 6pm-5am, so need to be seen easily. My bum also gets a bit sore on the seat and I slide forward, I can't seem to sit back on it. Would seat suspension help with the seat and back problems? I also have lock-out suspension, but am not using it (I think it would be quicker without).
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ishiwata]

re: saddle height - your knees should be almost fully extended when you're at the bottom of your pedal stroke. people generally set their saddle height too low.

re: suspended seat - i don't think it will help with your back problems. it might help with the sore bottom, but for long rides you're going to want a properly shaped saddle.

i think the bike you bought has a threadless headset, which does not allow for much adjustment in the height of your handlebar.. however, there may be spacers on the stem which you could remove and raise it a small amount. Higher handlebars often help with back problems..

Also, the design of the bike doesn't allow me to stand up and pedal like my previous bike did.

how so? It sounds like the bike is not properly fit for you. The dealer should be willing to help make adjustments to get it to fit. On most new bikes, you can adjust the saddle height, but not much else. A little in the handlebars, maybe, but not as much as you would with the "obsolete" (yet superior) quill-type stems. (Pardon the soapbox moment) If you're feeling crowded in on the bike, a longer stem should also help.

Also, I've found the bike is quite slow going up hills. I've tried it on two different gears; 6 and 2, 3, or 4 (can't remember which sorry!).

does the bike have front and rear derailleurs? it should. For climbing, you'll probably want to get into the smallest of the chainrings (the front gears), and one of the biggest of the rear. The lowest gear (easiest) is the combination of the smallest front gear and biggest rear.

I also need lights and am wondering which kind would be the best to get?

if you're mainly concerned about being seen (as opposed to seeing in the dark) you should be okay with an LED setup. Generally, the more LEDs, the brighter and better. If you want to be able to see in the dark, you'll need a more expensive system, i.e. niterider - but start with LEDs because you're probably going to want those anyway (makes no sense to ride with a niterider on a brightly lit city street..)