Kneedown19 said:
Yup, definitely a very quick bike compared to what I'm used to!
What size tyres are you on? 700C-28 or narrower? I upgraded mine to the Conti Gatorskins; 700C-23 and they go really well. They roll wel, yet don't transmit too much vibration back through the bars when on coarse road surfaces.
Kneedown19 said:
I really like the ergonomics of the frame as I can go head down really easy or potter along upright when the girlfriend comes for a ride.
Yes, flat-bar bikes are excellent in that way. That's the main reason why I got the Giant CRX; if I rode a drop-bar race bike with my wife & kids around the park or along the river cycleway, not only would I look silly, but I'd either have to ride painfully slow or sprint ahead and not be part of the ride. The flat bar is great for that, but if I want to go quicker out on the road, then the CRX can handle a 'touring pace' better than a mountain bike with knobbly tyres.
Kneedown19 said:
Only thing I don't like so far is the saddle which is a bit big for my liking. I was thinking of getting a new one until I saw the prices of 'race' saddles!!!
.
You can get race-style saddles without breaking the bank. For example, something like
http://www.cellbikes.com.au/p_739_PRO__Eagle__Road_Bike_Saddle
What I recommend you do, is go to a bike shop where they can offer any saddle on an exchange-if-required basis. Glen Parker Cycles in Nedlands are usually pretty good like that; you buy a saddle, but they'll happily let you change it so something else within a short period as long as the item is unmarked and can be resold with original packaging.
I've got a few saddles, the main one being a
Selle Italia FLX Gel Flow
which cost about $49. It's a good compromise for both road use and parks/cycleways.
Another one I bought not long ago is a
Selle Italia SLR XP, which is fairly light, leather clad and rather 'Spartan'. See:
http://www.nrcycles.com/images/slrxp.jpg
I got the Selle Italia SLR XP for longish road rides, particularly the
www.greatbikeride.com.au coming in late November (see you there eh?).
The SLR XP is really good out on the road, but absolutely awful around the local parks. Why? Quite simple... the roads where cars drive are really quite smooth, but the parks & cycleways have pavement joints, which will give you a very jarring ride with a 'race-style' saddle.
Just recently I bought a Huffy mountain bike for my 12 year old son. The saddle that came with it has a fantastic contour, almost like a San Selle Marco Rolls. I will mount that on the CRX one day and ride it for an hour or so. Who knows, I might even leave it on indefinitely. I'll keep you posted on this one. Interestingly, the Huffy saddle I'm talking about can't be bought separately. I've seen other Huffy saddles in K-Mart, but not the same as the one supplied on the bike I just bought.
Kneedown19 said:
Will probably consider step in pedals at some stage but can't be stuffed with special shoes etc for now.
I've got a set of Shimano M324s, which I quite like.
http://www.cellbikes.com.au/p_85_Shimano__PDM324_SPD_PEDALS__SPDPLATFORM
Sometimes Cell Bikes advertise 'shoe & pedal bundles' at hugely discounted prices, so look out for them! Just make sure you know your correct shoe size before ordering. Going to a LBS might cost a bit more, however you're guaranteed of not making a misteak when you pick the shoe that fits you.
Kneedown19 said:
Paid less than $600 for it brand new too!
That's good, you did well in that respect. Buying a good bike with the intention of keeping it for the long term really makes sense. I've had my CRX for 2 years now and I realise now that it's unlikely to be replaced by anything else. (famous last words).
Have fun on the Blade!