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| *Vultures Knob>>>Bicycle Shop |
Question about my bike choices.? |
I have been doing my research. I have also had some good advice here about where to shop and what sort of sizing and type of bike to look for. I was surprised to find that you can get a few good brand names much cheaper than the overpriced $400-700 for some dept. store bikes. I was displeased with the snooty sales approach in a local bike store. They sell Trek and Diamondback and have a lot of $400-$1000 bikes. Then, I found a man who runs a small shop out of a double garage. He is said to have a good reputation locally for several years. He does all the assembly and repairs himself. He only sells Giant and a couple of Norco. He has mainly mountain and hybrid and only 26" wheels. He has about 25-30 different bikes. He can order other Giant models in if I want. If the main Giant (or any other bike manufacturer) website lists the store under their "dealer" section, it's pretty likely the garage is a licensed dealer ... which means he's bound to honor any warranty stuff that comes up. He also sounds like the type that will tell you - straight out - if he can't do the work, and that he will arrange for it to be done where he KNOWS the job will be done right. (By the way - I checked one of our local stores that went out of business. All three main manufacturer websites - Trek, Cannondale, and Felt - that had them listed as a dealer had the store name off the list in less than three calendar days ... which is saying something, since two of those days were a Saturday and a Sunday.) As to size - the 'correct' fit, according to most experts, is to have the knee slightly bent at about a 10 degree angle when the rider is seated and the foot is on the pedal at the lowest point of its travel. The foot should be making contact with the pedal at the ball, not the arch. On the other hand, what makes a fit 'right' is the overall comfort of the rider. If you're riding to better your own fitness level, and you're as in need of it as you make yourself sound, I can understand your 'flat foot on ground' approach. All we're saying is that as you get better, you'll probably find you need to sit a little taller ... which can be achieved by a longer seatpost, probably. You might have to jiggle with the stem (the part that actually grabs the handlebars) length and the actual seat location (forward or back, or a slight tilt) to get back to being comfortable. All that being said - go with the garage. You could ask him; he's probably an ex-mechanic for a shop, or simply someone who's retired from the bike shop business. Either way, he sounds like he knows his stuff ... and is honest enough to tell you when he doesn't know. How can you lose? Personally, I'm not sold that your fit is correct. I've never told anyone that buying a larger bicycle will help reduce fatigue. I'd investigate alittle more. I'd also just be sure that this place is a licensed Giant dealer and not just someone who orders bikes through an arrangement with another shop. this will make service and warranty issues problematic. Excellent work, RF! First, if the garage guy is listed on the Giant website, he is an official dealer. All warranties would be honored through him. You really shouldn't need to take the 90 minute trip. Garage guy has all the info you need, and can set up bikes that approximate any other style available that he doesn't stock but can get. I doubt you would learn anything new after 3 hrs of driving. Also, if you really like the smaller fit bike, ask garage guy about adjusting the seatpost and stem to get the fit better once you get used to riding the bike. He might be able to swap out components rather cheaply that will give you a good range of adjustment. You'll find that, as you become more physically fit, the larger fit bike will in fact help you ride more comfortably and efficiently - I wrote that last sentence since you posted the additional info in response to JayPs comments, which were right on the money, by the way. you're quite lucky to have a helpful retailer/mechanic close by. One of the joys of cycling is maintaining your own machine. With a local little guy like you've found, they are often very helpful in explaining and demonstrating repairs. If you develop a friendly relationship with him, you could learn enough maintinance to do your own repairs, using him as your parts resource. I learned half of what I know from hanging around bike shops through the years. |
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