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From: reid@Cascade.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Re: Advice 4 Novices
Message-ID: <106@Cascade.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 31-Aug-84 03:11:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: Cascade.106
Posted: Fri Aug 31 03:11:48 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Sep-84 07:59:04 EDT
References: <26700010@uiucuxc.UUCP>
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 74

"Bicyling" magazine is in large part devoted to helping people learn what
bicycle to buy. I recommend strongly that you buy it at your local
news-stand and read it, just to see the ads. The latest version reviews
so-called "city bikes", which are probably too pricey for you.

In the interim, here are some specific answers to your questions.

>what are good bikes to buy? 10 speed? 12 speed? 15 speed? 

Unless you are going to race, climb mountains, or go on camping trips with
50 pounds of gear in panniers, then 10 speeds are plenty. Though it might
sound like heresy, I think that 3 speeds are plenty for commuting to work in
central Indiana.

>since we are both admittedly overweight, and the normal biker appears
>to us to be about 19 and weigh in at about 120 lbs, and the bike looks
>like its made of rather unsubstantial stuff...what about weigt capacities?
>can these things really carry persons who tend more towards the 200 lb
>range?;

I am 6'5" and I weigh 250 pounds. I own 9 bicycles. All of them are more
than strong enough to hold me, though the frame flexes a little more as I
crank up hills than it would if someone smaller were riding it. Weight of
the rider is just not a problem.

>what about those skinny little tires? how prone are they to flats, bending,
>mosalignment and other conditions that would tend to strand one in the
>middle of the toollies?

Well, the really skinny little tires (tubulars) are amazingly prone to
flats, but you are probably only talking about the ordinary skinny tires (1
inch wide) or the not-so-skinny skinny tires (1.25 inches wide). Most bikes
in your probable price range are sold with pretty good tires. I so enjoy the
ride of the ultraskinny tires that I am willing to suffer through the pain
of changing flats a lot, but if I switched for a pair of, say, Specialized
Touring-X 27 x 32 (my favorite indestructible tire) and put a thorn-proof
tube inside it, it would last me several years. Any reputable bike shop will
be happy to put the tires of your choice on a bike you buy from them; this
is one of the reasons you should buy a bike at a bike shop and not at a
department store.

Although you said "tires", you are also asking about wheels. A bicycle wheel
is an unbelievably strong mechanism when treated properly; a
correctly-adjusted aluminum "racing" wheel can support about 900 pounds. If
you weigh 200 pounds and ride your bike down a staircase, you will be
subjecting the wheel to a lot more than 900 pounds of force, but if you stay
on roads, don't hit too many potholes, and learn to steer around road
hazards, your wheels will last a long time. A wheel has to be amazingly far
out of round before you can't ride it any more; it is almost impossible to
get a properly-made wheel to break or bend badly without pushing on it
sideways or drivng a car over it.

>and seats...really, now, are they designed for comfort or for increasing
>the profits of the preparation H people?

The narrow seats that you talk about are designed to minimize chafing
between the seat and your thighs. There exist plenty of wider and
differently-shaped seats for people who want more support. I recommend the
"Selle Royale" and "Avocet Touring II" seats. Avocet also makes a women's
model, with the support points spaced farther apart to match the different
shape of the female pelvic bones. 

Now, about bikes: the competition in low-price bicycles (under $300, say) is
so fierce that almost all of the brands are pretty much equivalent. Look for
a bike with aluminum wheels (steel wheels will not stop in the rain). If you
intend to put your bike into the trunk of a car, look for a quick-release
front wheel. 

Above all, make sure you buy a bike in a size that fits you. If it doesn't
fit you it won't feel good and you won't ride it and you won't get any
exercise.

		Brian Reid
		Stanford