Just bought my first bike... good deal? How is it supposed to ride?

[trainercb]

I'm looking to get into cycling but know NOTHING about the sport. I was trying to get a decent, cheap bike for my first bike, and I found an early 1990's Specialized Sirrus on CL for $250. I went and looked at it and ended up getting it for $125. Appearance wise, the bike is flawless.

I immediately took it to a bike repair shop where he told me the bike was flawless and that he truly believed it had almost never been ridden. He said the gears (Shimano RX100?? is this good?), brake pads, tires, tubes, chain, everything was perfect. He said almost never does a bike come in that needs no work at all, and it is almost impossible for a 20 year old bike to come and need nothing.

Is $125 a good deal? I did the stand over test and there is 1 to 1.5 inch gap between my pubic bone and the top bar, which I read online is desired. I do not know how far away the handlebars are supposed to be? When I try to turn the bike, the front tire scrapes my shoe. I rode it for about 5 minutes last night when I got home and it was really hurting my knees...maybe I need to adjust the seat? Again, this is my first road bike.

Please give advice!

 

[trainercb]

bump...please help!

 

[kdelong]

Specialized first marketed the Sirius in 1997 as a drop bar bike and then pulled the model after one year and re-designed it as a hybrid which was released in 2003, so you have a fairly rare bike to start out. You got a pretty good deal on it. The component level is on the lower end of Shimano's hierarchy, pretty much in the same spot as Sora or Tiagra is today. It is difficult to believe that the rubber components(tires, tubes, and brake pads) did not need replaced and that the wheels did not need to be trued, and that it did not need a ton of adjustments done. These are the things that typically are needed on a bike that has not been ridden much. It is possible that the guy pulled it out and replaced all of these things and then decided to sell it.

You need to get the bicycle fitted for you. Take it back to your local bike shop and ask for their help in getting the bicycle set up for you. If your knees are hurting, the seat position is the most likely culprit. Your LBS should be able to adjust the bike to you so that nothing hurts except for the week or two of your backside getting used to the saddle. Don't worry about the interference between your front wheel and your toe. This is common on the bikes from this era. You just have to remember not to have you foot in the three o-clock position when you are turning. This is pretty much a non-issue when you are riding because most of your turning is done by leaning the bike. It only becomes an issue during slow speed maneuvering.

Enjoy your new bike and have fun.

 

[trainercb]

Thank you so much for the response! It is reassuring to know it is not unusual for the tire to scrape my foot. The bike really is in good shape. I'm glad I came across it. Now I just have ot figure out the gearing system because it is down under the handlebars, which the LBS guy said was very outdated but pretty cool.