Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on November 6, 2010 at 10:40am

I don't think you'll find a shop will to buy a non-noncollectable 20 year old bike. If you do your buying and selling on craigslist you should be able to make out okay. Sell you bike for $100, buy a better bike for $200.

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 6, 2010 at 10:51am

Ok. I haven't used craigslist but will check it out. Thanks allot!

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on November 6, 2010 at 12:41pm

There's a used bike shop at Halsted and Irving Park? open after 12 noon and have some decent bikes.
I ride a 1970-ish Schwinn, a 70-ish cruiser and a 1990-ish Trek.
I'm 6'5" so... Just find a bike that fits you and you fit on then start pedaling.

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 6, 2010 at 2:14pm

That's a good idea. I will check it out. I agree that it's just about go ahead and do it. I read this article the other day and it talked about if you ride a bike that is not the correct size it can screw your knees up.

Thanks for the tip.

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on November 6, 2010 at 2:41pm

What about what size bike fits you? Do you know that?

Any shop worth their salt should let you stand over a few bikes to find out what size you're looking for. Though I'd recommend buying a tube or two from them as a thank you.

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 7, 2010 at 2:43am

This is great. Exactly around the prices I was looking for.

Thank you very much!


H3N3 said:

Welcome to the chainlink!
The best option for you or anyone would be to maintain a relationship with a good shop in your neighborhood, but in lieu of knowing what part of town you're in, I'll offer:
I was at West Town Bikes last night and noticed Ciclo Urbano ( http://www.ciclourbanochicago.com/ ) was well stocked with refurbished/reimagined bikes.
By "collectives" I believe Eric was mainly referring to Working Bikes ( http://workingbikes.org ) however for all the good they've done for bicycling in the past, that may not be the best option for you since you'll likely need to put some work into the bike once you buy it to get it working really well (that goes for craigslist too.)
I don't know that any shop really does trade-ins, but you can certainly ask.

Permalink Reply by Lorena Cupcake on November 7, 2010 at 5:28am

My only advice is that if you're not sure what size bike fits you, let bike shop employees help you, but stick to your guns and don't buy a bike that doesn't seem totally fit for you on a test ride, no matter how much anyone swears it's the perfect size for you.

I love bike shop employees and do not think that anyone has ever been anything but well-meaning to me, but I have all sorts of terrible memories of people putting my short ass on 50cm frames and saying "This is perfect for you!" and then wondering why I was falling off of it and impaling myself on the top tube at every stop. When I finally found my bike (a much smaller 44cm frame) it was like magic. Birds sang, angels strummed their harps, fireworks went off. It was magic.

Basically, when you find the right size bike you'll know, and do not let anyone convince you otherwise. I do not want to see you end up on another bike that doesn't fit you.

PS- I am too hangover at the moment to explain how to measure standover height and such to figure out what size bike you should be riding but I am pretty sure Mr. Google could direct you toward the pertinent info

Permalink Reply by Michael Perz on November 7, 2010 at 7:26am

The best thing you could do is call some bike shops that provide an actual fitment service. You don't necessarily need to buy the bike from them, just use it to find out what the best dimensions would be. A lot of people seem to think that a good fit is determined by their ability to straddle any given bike without contacting the top tube, but this is a woefully inaccurate method. Arm and torso length, inseam, thigh length, and other bodily dimensions all factor into this along with the type of riding you will be doing. Once a good baseline frame fit is established it should then be fine tuned by saddle height, angle, fore and aft position as well as handlebar stem length and height, crank arm length, etc.

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 7, 2010 at 7:36pm

I did find good information on google. Hope your hangover wasn't too bad.

Thanks for info.


Lorena Cupcake said:

My only advice is that if you're not sure what size bike fits you, let bike shop employees help you, but stick to your guns and don't buy a bike that doesn't seem totally fit for you on a test ride, no matter how much anyone swears it's the perfect size for you.

I love bike shop employees and do not think that anyone has ever been anything but well-meaning to me, but I have all sorts of terrible memories of people putting my short ass on 50cm frames and saying "This is perfect for you!" and then wondering why I was falling off of it and impaling myself on the top tube at every stop. When I finally found my bike (a much smaller 44cm frame) it was like magic. Birds sang, angels strummed their harps, fireworks went off. It was magic.

Basically, when you find the right size bike you'll know, and do not let anyone convince you otherwise. I do not want to see you end up on another bike that doesn't fit you.

PS- I am too hangover at the moment to explain how to measure standover height and such to figure out what size bike you should be riding but I am pretty sure Mr. Google could direct you toward the pertinent info

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 7, 2010 at 7:41pm

Okay great. Good tip for fitment service.


Michael Perz said:

The best thing you could do is call some bike shops that provide an actual fitment service. You don't necessarily need to buy the bike from them, just use it to find out what the best dimensions would be. A lot of people seem to think that a good fit is determined by their ability to straddle any given bike without contacting the top tube, but this is a woefully inaccurate method. Arm and torso length, inseam, thigh length, and other bodily dimensions all factor into this along with the type of riding you will be doing. Once a good baseline frame fit is established it should then be fine tuned by saddle height, angle, fore and aft position as well as handlebar stem length and height, crank arm length, etc.

Permalink Reply by Missy Hixon on November 8, 2010 at 1:40pm

This through. I will do it. See this is allot to think about.

Thanks!


Duane Waller said:

Standover height has very little to do with true fit. I ride a frame that many would consider "too small" (I'm 6-1 and ride a 57-58cm), but I do not like the feel of being "stretched out" on my bike (which a 60cm frame tends to do). Check this, if you have a lot of time :)

Permalink Reply by Liz on November 8, 2010 at 1:56pm

My commuter and I have the opposite relationship. The standover is a bit higher than I would normally go for, but the effective top tube length is the same as my road bike top tube with a much lower standover height. The road bike is a womens specific model and is proportioned differently than the 1980s touring bike I use as a commuter. Different types of bikes will have a different geometry and fit.

Also keep in mind that swapping stems or raising/lowing them can impact the fit of a bike. If your bike is a off by a small amount getting a longer stem for your current bike may also be an appropriate solution.



Duane Waller said:

Standover height has very little to do with true fit. I ride a frame that many would consider "too small" (I'm 6-1 and ride a 57-58cm), but I do not like the feel of being "stretched out" on my bike (which a 60cm frame tends to do). Check this, if you have a lot of time :)

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