A bike for my wife on our wedding anniversary

[Nick Gatel]

Joyce doesn't think appliances and practical things are appropriate for things like anniversary, Valentine, birthday, or Christmas gifts. So I took a long shot and bought her a bike as an anniversary gift, which was September 7th. As long as I was going out on the proverbial limb, I got one for me too :)

REI Novara Safari

After a month of research, I upgraded both bikes.

Still trying figure out my clothing, but will probably mostly stick with the stuff I backpack with.

[Greg Mihalik]

Add a shock seatpost to the upgrade list –

Various brands range from $35 and up. Personally, I'd spend $100.

Road versions have about 1 inch of travel. Mtb have maybe 2".
Some are seattube specific. Some are 27.5 and come with shims.
I like dual bolt attachments because them make it easier to dial in the saddle angle.

They really smooth out large chip-seal, expansion cracks, crappy asphalt, etc.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I've been reading "Just Ride," by Grant Petersen who is the founder of Rivendell Bicycle Works. He gives good practical advice and doesn't think much of fancy gear and clothing. I agree.

The wicking, breatable, wind and water resistant clothing that works for hiking will work on bikes too. I do like padded shorts and I wear the baggy mountain bike style that has a padded liner. Bike tops come with drop tails and longer sleeves which may help. But there's no need to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe.

Shock absorber seat posts suck. They remind me of shock absorbing trekking poles, robbing power and lending a feeling of unpredictability. Get a good relatively firm seat and put the padding in your pants. Max Dilthey taught me that and he is 100% correct. Learn to ride properly, using your legs and body english to handle the bumps. Just paying attention goes a long way.

I like lights for safety. Get a comfortable helmet and wear it. Good tires help.

Like UL hiking, keep the toys and gadgets under control. The weight counts.

[James Couch]

>>Shock absorber seat posts suck.

Agreed! On rod bikes they really are a poor answer to the problem of too cheap, too narrow and too high pressure tires. Good quality wide tires and lower pressures are the answer to bad roads.

They are very popular with tandem riders for the stoker, who cannot always see and react to bumps (communication is the real solution here) My wife decided she wanted one. Worked ok for short trips, but during a longer multiday tour the changing seat height caused her to have terrible problems with sciatica. It took us a while to figure out what the problem was. Insult was added to injury when the (expensive) post broke on a later trip.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Shock absorber seat posts are a marketing gimmic, found on "comfort" bikes designed for those with no riding technique and usually mated with a seat the size of a Texas county. Think of a potential buyer who is not athletic and timid. They feel good on the test ride and help make the sale but are a miserable excuse for a seat system 5 miles into a ride. Fortunately they are easy to swap out.

I bought a Trek Navigator 50 in a thrift store for $35 and it had a shock absorber post and monster seat with springs. I was able to find good replacements at my local recycled bike shop and took two pounds off the weight of the bike. Other than that it is a fat tire bike with inexpensive components and an upright posture. Works great on gravel trails.

Wide tires are more effective, as are riding techniques like lifting your front tire and getting your buff off the saddle and using your legs and arms to manage the terrain.

[Will Elliott]

Gypsybytrade.wordpress.com

Salsacycles.com

Revelatedesigns.com

Have fun,

[Author]

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