Hybrid Help?

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 01:25:20 -0600, geemike wrote
(in article ):

Good point. Haven't yet found any spandex yet to fit this potato
body of mine. Know of a source? If not I think that's an
underserved market. There's got to be plenty of fat people trying
to lose weight on a bike.

We've done pretty well with Performance. They aren't the best shorts on the
market but their sizes actually work for those of us trying to lose "potato
bodies"

Spence

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 01:25:20 -0600, geemike wrote
(in article ):

No, I really enjoy cornering agressively, and do so often.

Then be sure to try some of the more standard road bikes; the handling will
be considerably different with say a Pilot as versus say a 2300.

Spence

I was using the gearing analyzer at http://www.arachnoid.com/bike/
and I was using a easy 60rpm cadence as a test point. Of course there is a
possiblity the analyzer is in error though.
But when I was watching my bicycle computer while riding Saturday, it seemed
to match up OK with the results I got for a 48/14 gear combination on a
slight downhill section.
I felt that I needed some more gears to upshift into on that run.

The Raleigh website is in error too, the SC30 page shows a 13-14 cassette,
the spec's page shows a 11-34t gearing, but the real actual physical bike
has a 14-34t cassette on it. The chainrings tooth count out as they show
48-38-28. I'll have to call them and complain about it, maybe they'll do
something posituve about it. maybe the factory put the wrong parts on it, or
the website is in error.

"araby" wrote in message
news

"Earl Bollinger" wrote in message
...
In my opinion, as far as I can tell, most of the hybrids have mountain
bike
gearing, or close to it.
Thus you run out of gears trying to upshift as you go faster on those
easy
downhill stretches anyway.
In this case going faster than about 15 to 17mph (depending on the
bike) has
you pedaling like crazy, so you start coasting instead.
I wound up riding a bunch of different bikes, from Specialized,
Cannondale,
Trek, etc. I sorta liked the Cannondale BadBoy the most (Trek's
7200-7300
were really nice too) but it had the Mountain Bike gearing, which sucks
on
the road, and it cost a lot more than I expected, especially since I
would
have to modify it anyway. Then you have the problem of everyone wanting
to
steal it too.
I am older, big, fat guy, plus I have a bad back as well. Also I have
problems with my hands geting too numb after a while, detracting from
the
overall fun of it.
I wound up buying a Raliegh SC30 comfort bike amazingly enough, to use
over
my Diamondback MTB just for some of those reasons. Higher riding
position,
less pressure on my hands causing numbness. Suspension and a larger
seat for
more comfortabe riding. All those other features looked like too much
marketing hype to me (carbon fibre, zertz inserts, ultra light frames).
The
vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140
pounds tops, thus a ultralight frame will likely break on me.
It also has a fully adjustable stem, so I can adjust the handlebars
most
anyway want to, and it is easy to replace with a straight bar as well.

Unfortunately I thought the SC-30 had something like the Shimano
Megarange
cassette (as their internet specs stated it) with 11 to 34 teeth
sprockets,
instead, in reality, it has the more common sprockets 14 to 34 teeth.
So it
tops out at about 16 mph on those downhill stretches, but since my old
MTB
tops out at about 12-13mph this is still a improvement.

I think you should check your math -or gearing. According to my calcs,
assuming a 48/13 top gear ratio (SC30 on Raleigh website) this gives 96
gear inches. If you spin at say 100rpm -fastish but lot excessive, this
translates to 28.6 mph. I would think that 96" is just about right for the
bike.
Conversely your 16 mph will be attained with approx 55 rpm which is a
very low cadence.

Regards,

Roy

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:00:48 -0600, Earl Bollinger wrote:

Also get down there on your knees and count the sprocket teeth and see what
they really have there, the specs may be in error.

cassettes are relatively cheap and simple to replace with the appropriate
gearing. A decent LBS might not even charge for it, if you're getting a
new bike.

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:07:43 -0500, "araby" wrote:

I think you should check your math -or gearing. According to my calcs,
assuming a 48/13 top gear ratio (SC30 on Raleigh website) this gives 96 gear
inches. If you spin at say 100rpm -fastish but lot excessive, this
translates to 28.6 mph. I would think that 96" is just about right for the
bike.
Conversely your 16 mph will be attained with approx 55 rpm which is a very
low cadence.

Regards,

Roy

I noticed the same thing, him siting a 52-12 getting about 21mph. Well
that would be at a cadence of 61. The other good one was "The
vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

For the Op, remember that the advice on these forums is free and often
what you get for free is worth nothing. So, remember to do your own
follow up research. I can tell you this, The advice you get from Mike
Jacoubowsky will be thoughtful and helpful. Mike doesn't sell online
and I don't believe that he posts for selfish reasons.

The bike you are considering is not a hybrid, but that is fine. I
think with a proper setup, you will find a road bike will suit your
needs better, as you ride more.

What you want, is a bike that inspires you to ride. I got back into
riding three years ago, after not riding for about 25 years. The first
year back, I replaced tubes, tires, and saddle on my then 26 year old
French 10-speed. I then rode that bike a little over 700 miles. After
getting back into reasonable shape, my usual ride was 14 miles. The
following year[2003] I stuck some money into upgrading the "Champion
Du Monde". In July I was having recurring problems with the headset
loosening. I took it back to the LBS and almost on a whim,helped by a
big sale, I bought a new 2002 LeMond Tourmalet. At that time I had 599
miles on the Champ. The new bike inspired me to ride and I finished
'03 with 2086 miles. Up until that point, my LBS had been doing all my
work.
I wanted the Tourmalet to be the best it could be, that I could
afford, personalized and I wanted to learn about doing my own work. I
shopped around, bought a few things on Ebay I ended up upgrading
everything on the bike, except the fork, headset, and brake calipers.
Everyhing component wise, other than the cassette and pedals was
changed to Dura-Ace 9-speed triple. I already had the Ultegra SPD-SL
pedals and the Ultegra 14-25 cassette. The bars and seatpost were
changed to Easton carbon fiber, and I had a set of wheels handbuilt by
Peter a Vecchio's.
None of the upgrades were necessary, but they taught me a lot about my
bike and now, even more than before, the bike sreams "RIDE ME". I rode
3174 miles in 2004, with my ride average being 20 miles.

Don't let anyone tell you, that your old bike is good enough, if you
don't think so. As I believe someone else mentioned, allow in the
budget for a good saddle, some riding clothes,a computer
w/cadence[Cateye Astrale 8], and eventually clipless pedals with the
necessary shoes. The clothes aren't necessary, but as you ride more,
they will improve the overall experience. Of course that is my
opinion.
Riding is some much fun, it's good for you, and compared to many other
hobbies, and interests, it is not that expensive. It can be, but
doesn't have to be.


Life is Good!
Jeff

"The vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

It isn't when you go to the bike shop looking for apparel and special
clothes and the shops only have those sizes on hand, and they are reluctant
to order "big" sizes for you as if it doesn't fit, then they are stuck with
the item(s).
It's really irritating to see a jersey marked XXXL and it really is for a
5'9" skinny person.
Or riding shorts with a 30 inch waist marked as being XL.
Then there are the shoes, when is the last time any bike shop ever had real
American size 12 shoe in stock?
I wind up having to mail order everything and hope for the best as the
returns are a real hassle.
Obviously the companies aren't putting out a lot of stuff that would work
for "bigger" people, including the road bikes.
It makes you wonder as to how well or long would a road bike would hold up
under a big person.
But then maybe big people aren't supposed to ride.
Of course there are a few gems every now and then that show up.




"Jeff Starr" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:07:43 -0500, "araby" wrote:

I think you should check your math -or gearing. According to my calcs,
assuming a 48/13 top gear ratio (SC30 on Raleigh website) this gives 96
gear
inches. If you spin at say 100rpm -fastish but lot excessive, this
translates to 28.6 mph. I would think that 96" is just about right for the
bike.
Conversely your 16 mph will be attained with approx 55 rpm which is a
very
low cadence.

Regards,

Roy

I noticed the same thing, him siting a 52-12 getting about 21mph. Well
that would be at a cadence of 61. The other good one was "The
vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

For the Op, remember that the advice on these forums is free and often
what you get for free is worth nothing. So, remember to do your own
follow up research. I can tell you this, The advice you get from Mike
Jacoubowsky will be thoughtful and helpful. Mike doesn't sell online
and I don't believe that he posts for selfish reasons.

The bike you are considering is not a hybrid, but that is fine. I
think with a proper setup, you will find a road bike will suit your
needs better, as you ride more.

What you want, is a bike that inspires you to ride. I got back into
riding three years ago, after not riding for about 25 years. The first
year back, I replaced tubes, tires, and saddle on my then 26 year old
French 10-speed. I then rode that bike a little over 700 miles. After
getting back into reasonable shape, my usual ride was 14 miles. The
following year[2003] I stuck some money into upgrading the "Champion
Du Monde". In July I was having recurring problems with the headset
loosening. I took it back to the LBS and almost on a whim,helped by a
big sale, I bought a new 2002 LeMond Tourmalet. At that time I had 599
miles on the Champ. The new bike inspired me to ride and I finished
'03 with 2086 miles. Up until that point, my LBS had been doing all my
work.
I wanted the Tourmalet to be the best it could be, that I could
afford, personalized and I wanted to learn about doing my own work. I
shopped around, bought a few things on Ebay I ended up upgrading
everything on the bike, except the fork, headset, and brake calipers.
Everyhing component wise, other than the cassette and pedals was
changed to Dura-Ace 9-speed triple. I already had the Ultegra SPD-SL
pedals and the Ultegra 14-25 cassette. The bars and seatpost were
changed to Easton carbon fiber, and I had a set of wheels handbuilt by
Peter a Vecchio's.
None of the upgrades were necessary, but they taught me a lot about my
bike and now, even more than before, the bike sreams "RIDE ME". I rode
3174 miles in 2004, with my ride average being 20 miles.

Don't let anyone tell you, that your old bike is good enough, if you
don't think so. As I believe someone else mentioned, allow in the
budget for a good saddle, some riding clothes,a computer
w/cadence[Cateye Astrale 8], and eventually clipless pedals with the
necessary shoes. The clothes aren't necessary, but as you ride more,
they will improve the overall experience. Of course that is my
opinion.
Riding is some much fun, it's good for you, and compared to many other
hobbies, and interests, it is not that expensive. It can be, but
doesn't have to be.


Life is Good!
Jeff

"Earl Bollinger" wrote in message
...
"The vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5"
in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention
wrong.

It isn't when you go to the bike shop looking for apparel and
special clothes and the shops only have those sizes on hand, and
they are reluctant to order "big" sizes for you as if it doesn't
fit, then they are stuck with the item(s).
It's really irritating to see a jersey marked XXXL and it really
is for a 5'9" skinny person.
Or riding shorts with a 30 inch waist marked as being XL.
Then there are the shoes, when is the last time any bike shop
ever had real

Like I said, if there isn't a web site offering bike wear for the
obese there should be one. It's damned embarassing to go to the
bike store to try to find spandex stuff when all the help is,
well, "intimidatingly fit". It would be cool if you could pop off
some measurements to an online shop with a reasonable chance of
success of having them fill the order.

American size 12 shoe in stock?

That's my next problem, where to find a 9.5 EEE bike shoe.
Haven't looked yet. Anyone have any suggestions?


Finally, I want to thank those who have responded to this thread.
No one has come out and screamed that the Trek Pilot 2.1 is likely
to be a poor value or is unlikely to stand up to the riding I will
do.
This would be my fourth bike purchase from this bike shop, so I
can wiggle a bit of a discount out of them. If it seems to fit me
well, I think I'll buy it.

Mike G

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 00:25:20 -0700, "geemike"
wrote:
Good point. Haven't yet found any spandex yet to fit this potato
body of mine. Know of a source? If not I think that's an
underserved market. There's got to be plenty of fat people trying
to lose weight on a bike.

Performance house brand, or Voler (velowear.com), have big sizes. I
like bibs -- the waistband doesn't roll down.

Back to the earlier point about high stems. Ride 'em! I put an
adjustable (high) stem on my touring bike, and then went to a Nitto
Technomic last year. I talked daughter #2 into a road bike year
before last, as long as she got the shop to flip the stem up and make
sure she was comfortable. Daughter #1 got herself a touring bike last
fall on clearance; again, the shop (REI this time) flipped the stem,
moved it above the spacers they had left on, and she's comfortable
with her new bike. Both girls seem to like riding their bikes, and
will go with me on longer rides than they used to when they had
mountain bikes or borrowed Mom's hybrid.

Notice the common thread? We got our bikes set up so we're
comfortable on them. We ride them.

Let the "stem police" ride whatever they want. You just have fun.

Pat

Email address works as is.

Well if it helps:
Mad Duck Adventure sells nice Mad Duck logoed Jerseys is big sizes
http://madducksports.com/site/intro.cfm
Aerotech sells special big people sizes of jerseys, shorts, and stuff
http://store.aerotechdesigns.com/index.html
I got lucky and got a big size 47 (size 12-13) pair of road shoes, on sale
cheap at Specialized's web store front
http://www.specialized.com/SBCUSHome...0080&rccmd=atj the road
shoe is really nice and it fits OK too.
Sometimes http://www.bikejerseys.com/ has jerseys that fit, but you have to
look hard as the different brands have different sizes and they only stock
them in big sizes intermittently.
http://www.zyflex.com/store/productD...31&cID=9&sID=6 has big
sizes in from time to time.
These guys have nice wool jerseys too http://www.boure.com/8556.html in
bigger sizes
http://www.performancebike.com/ had a few big shoes that fit me on sale,
plus they had some extra big bib knickers too.
http://www.rocket7.com/ can make up a custom made just for your feet cycling
shoes. These are really nice shoes too.
Well worth the money spent. It's like getting dress shoes custom made in
London, they fit perfectly.
9.5 EEEE is going to be a killer www.rocket7.com may be the only game in
town. I'd look for the "Spinning" or "Mountain Bike" shoes as a possibility.
My first 12 size success was a spinning shoe and mountain bike shoe from
PerformanceBike.com



"geemike" wrote in message
...

"Earl Bollinger" wrote in message
...
"The vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size
and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

It isn't when you go to the bike shop looking for apparel and special
clothes and the shops only have those sizes on hand, and they are
reluctant to order "big" sizes for you as if it doesn't fit, then they
are stuck with the item(s).
It's really irritating to see a jersey marked XXXL and it really is for a
5'9" skinny person.
Or riding shorts with a 30 inch waist marked as being XL.
Then there are the shoes, when is the last time any bike shop ever had
real

Like I said, if there isn't a web site offering bike wear for the obese
there should be one. It's damned embarassing to go to the bike store to
try to find spandex stuff when all the help is, well, "intimidatingly
fit". It would be cool if you could pop off some measurements to an
online shop with a reasonable chance of success of having them fill the
order.

American size 12 shoe in stock?

That's my next problem, where to find a 9.5 EEE bike shoe. Haven't looked
yet. Anyone have any suggestions?


Finally, I want to thank those who have responded to this thread. No one
has come out and screamed that the Trek Pilot 2.1 is likely to be a poor
value or is unlikely to stand up to the riding I will do.
This would be my fourth bike purchase from this bike shop, so I can wiggle
a bit of a discount out of them. If it seems to fit me well, I think I'll
buy it.

Mike G

It isn't when you go to the bike shop looking for apparel and special
clothes and the shops only have those sizes on hand, and they are
reluctant to order "big" sizes for you as if it doesn't fit, then they are
stuck with the item(s).
It's really irritating to see a jersey marked XXXL and it really is for a
5'9" skinny person.
Or riding shorts with a 30 inch waist marked as being XL.
Then there are the shoes, when is the last time any bike shop ever had
real American size 12 shoe in stock?

I dunno about that... we order heavily in larger sizes, and sell quite a
bit. Most jersey manufacturers, it seems, are actually making looser fits
for a given size these days. Shorts are another matter; it is difficult
sometimes to find larger shorts, but not impossible. Shoes? We try to stock
up to size 50 European, which should come out to about a 13-14 American.

The really big size jerseys don't sell as well as the stuff that fits
somebody 5'10 and 165lbs, but they still sell well. I don't see why a shop
would ignore such a big market. Sorry, couldn't resist.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Earl Bollinger" wrote in message
...
"The vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

It isn't when you go to the bike shop looking for apparel and special
clothes and the shops only have those sizes on hand, and they are
reluctant to order "big" sizes for you as if it doesn't fit, then they are
stuck with the item(s).
It's really irritating to see a jersey marked XXXL and it really is for a
5'9" skinny person.
Or riding shorts with a 30 inch waist marked as being XL.
Then there are the shoes, when is the last time any bike shop ever had
real American size 12 shoe in stock?
I wind up having to mail order everything and hope for the best as the
returns are a real hassle.
Obviously the companies aren't putting out a lot of stuff that would work
for "bigger" people, including the road bikes.
It makes you wonder as to how well or long would a road bike would hold up
under a big person.
But then maybe big people aren't supposed to ride.
Of course there are a few gems every now and then that show up.




"Jeff Starr" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:07:43 -0500, "araby" wrote:

I think you should check your math -or gearing. According to my calcs,
assuming a 48/13 top gear ratio (SC30 on Raleigh website) this gives 96
gear
inches. If you spin at say 100rpm -fastish but lot excessive, this
translates to 28.6 mph. I would think that 96" is just about right for
the
bike.
Conversely your 16 mph will be attained with approx 55 rpm which is a
very
low cadence.

Regards,

Roy

I noticed the same thing, him siting a 52-12 getting about 21mph. Well
that would be at a cadence of 61. The other good one was "The
vast majority of bikes are made for people that are 5'5" in size and
140 pounds tops". That is just plain silly, not to mention wrong.

For the Op, remember that the advice on these forums is free and often
what you get for free is worth nothing. So, remember to do your own
follow up research. I can tell you this, The advice you get from Mike
Jacoubowsky will be thoughtful and helpful. Mike doesn't sell online
and I don't believe that he posts for selfish reasons.

The bike you are considering is not a hybrid, but that is fine. I
think with a proper setup, you will find a road bike will suit your
needs better, as you ride more.

What you want, is a bike that inspires you to ride. I got back into
riding three years ago, after not riding for about 25 years. The first
year back, I replaced tubes, tires, and saddle on my then 26 year old
French 10-speed. I then rode that bike a little over 700 miles. After
getting back into reasonable shape, my usual ride was 14 miles. The
following year[2003] I stuck some money into upgrading the "Champion
Du Monde". In July I was having recurring problems with the headset
loosening. I took it back to the LBS and almost on a whim,helped by a
big sale, I bought a new 2002 LeMond Tourmalet. At that time I had 599
miles on the Champ. The new bike inspired me to ride and I finished
'03 with 2086 miles. Up until that point, my LBS had been doing all my
work.
I wanted the Tourmalet to be the best it could be, that I could
afford, personalized and I wanted to learn about doing my own work. I
shopped around, bought a few things on Ebay I ended up upgrading
everything on the bike, except the fork, headset, and brake calipers.
Everyhing component wise, other than the cassette and pedals was
changed to Dura-Ace 9-speed triple. I already had the Ultegra SPD-SL
pedals and the Ultegra 14-25 cassette. The bars and seatpost were
changed to Easton carbon fiber, and I had a set of wheels handbuilt by
Peter a Vecchio's.
None of the upgrades were necessary, but they taught me a lot about my
bike and now, even more than before, the bike sreams "RIDE ME". I rode
3174 miles in 2004, with my ride average being 20 miles.

Don't let anyone tell you, that your old bike is good enough, if you
don't think so. As I believe someone else mentioned, allow in the
budget for a good saddle, some riding clothes,a computer
w/cadence[Cateye Astrale 8], and eventually clipless pedals with the
necessary shoes. The clothes aren't necessary, but as you ride more,
they will improve the overall experience. Of course that is my
opinion.
Riding is some much fun, it's good for you, and compared to many other
hobbies, and interests, it is not that expensive. It can be, but
doesn't have to be.


Life is Good!
Jeff