Bike to big, can I still ride comfortably?

[wwiding]

Hi guys, I just traded an old ps2 I had laying around for two bikes, one is a 1940's bf goodrich Schwinn that needs some work, and the other is a Schwinn Le Tour. When I stand next to the Le Tour, the seat is about and inch higher then my waist. I don't have tires for it yet so I haven't sat on it yet. But, since I got it for pretty much nothing, I figured I'd use it until I could find some one in my area to trade for a smaller one of equal quality. I'm only 5' 6, and I've always had trouble finding road bikes that fit me comfortably. Any way, what can I do to make the rid as comfortable as possible until I can trade it? And where can I buy tubes, tires, and brake lines fairly inexpensively? I'd like to just buy it all as a set, under $40 bucks if I can. Thanks for any help you guys can provide, I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum.

The title should say, too big, not to big. Oh well, I've been up all night, my brain isn't working very well.

 

[davereo]

You could ride a bike that is too large if you want to. Just not safely. I would suggest you try and sell the bike on craigs list or ebay. You can get tires and tubes along with brake lines at walmart for about 30 or 40 bucks if you want to sell the bike complete.

 

[wwiding]

Originally Posted by davereo .

You could ride a bike that is too large if you want to. Just not safely. I would suggest you try and sell the bike on craigs list or ebay. You can get tires and tubes along with brake lines at walmart for about 30 or 40 bucks if you want to sell the bike complete.

Yeah I figured it wouldn't be too safe, of all the bikes the guy had this one needed the least work though. I'll post it on craigslist for trade and see what I can get. Thanks for the advice and quick response.

 

[Steve_A]

See if you can straddle the bike, standing up with your feet on the ground, comfortably. That would be the first test of whether you can ride the bike. I'd say that if you can't do that, you shouldn't try to ride it. If you can straddle it, you can adjust the saddle up or down to suit yourself. In addition to Walmart, see if you have a Performance bike shop near you, they also have very reasonable tires and other parts, and can do mechanical work if you want. Their website will have even better bargains.

 

[wwiding]

Hey thanks for the responses guys, I just emailed the guy I traded to. He's got a smaller three speed Schwinn Collegiate that fits me pretty well. Might need to do more work on it though. When I get home I'll try to straddle the bike and see if I can.

 

[wwiding]

I traded it for a smaller Schwinn Collegiate 10 speed.

 

[Steve_A]

Good for you. Post back if we can help with the Schwinn.

 

[wwiding]

Well, a friend of mine gave me some old frames yesterday. A Schwinn(not sure what kind), a Fuji 12 speed, and some old road bike that I can't identify. The cassette on the Schwinn I'm rebuilding wont even turn, so I'm thinking about taking the rear wheel from the Fuji and using it on the Schwinn if I can. I could also use the pedals and chain ring off of the Fuji if I need/can. I kind of like the Fuji, But I think it needs more work than the Schwinn. Will the Schwinn's rear derailleur handle a twelve speed cassette? I know I'll have to make some adjustments and stuff, but if I can at least get around on it... I found a bike co-op near my brothers house, so maybe when I stay with him I'll go there and do some work on my bike. I now have $70 in my budget for parts/tools, but I'd like to keep with the original $40. I'm usually pretty strict with my money and don't want to dump a whole lot into the bike unless I really need to. Thanks for the help guys. My Internet isn't working right now, but I'll try to post some pics some time. Maybe I could sell the other frames and use the money for parts?