(Part 2) Top products from r/whichbike

First of all, know your bike size. I like Surly's rough guide, and they suggest you'd need about a 52 to 56 cm/medium sized bike as measured horizontally from the head tube (where the front wheel forks rotate) to the seat tube. Mountain bikes often measure the seat tube instead, so you'd be looking at a 17 to 19 inch mountain bike. This pretty much rules out the Fuji, which is too big, and the Trek, Giant OCR, and the Jamis, which are too small.

Since you're going to school, have you considered how you're going to carry your books or laptop? If you feel comfortable with a backpack, then great! but if not, a rack like the Trek has might be a good investment.

You'll also need to maintain this bike well, so get a nice chain cleaner and some dry lubricant. You don't want to one day find the chain falling off when your all the gear teeth are ground off!

Also, get a bike lock and learn how to lock up your bike! I'm not sure what is worse: losing your bike, or losing the wheels because you didn't lock it up right.

The front suspension on the Raleigh is cool, but a good "fitness hybrid" like the Jamis would be just as comfortable on the street and more fun to ride, too.

Do you ever plan on longer rides? In that case, the better aerodynamics of the Giant's drop bars would come in handy.

If you think you can handle the hills without changing gear, then a fixie like the Fuji would be the easiest to maintain and the lightest. No derailleurs or shifters to worry about!

You could certainly get the Giant Escape, but you can certainly find a better used bike. It's "Tourney" derailleurs are Shimano's light-duty components. For comparison, the Giant OCR has better "Sora" components for less money because it's used.

TL;DR: Keep looking. If you absolutely had to take one of these bikes, take the bike that would most likely fit, the Raleigh, and use the money saved to get a rack for your books, a cleaning kit, and a good bike lock.

If you know the shop guys, they might do it for free if you bring 'em a six pack. If you buy the brake from a shop, they might install it for you.

Honestly, though, installing brakes is pretty simple - you remove the bolt and washer, slide the pin in through the hole in the fork, and then put the washer and bolt back on. Tighten it down. The rest of it's just getting the cable tension and pad placement right, which you'll need to deal with on your own some day anyway.

The lever, on the other hand, depends on what sort you're going with. There are basically three options (I'm linking Amazon, but that's just because it was easy for me to search; you may find better deals than what I'm linking to, I just want to be clear about the sorts of levers I'm talking about - and furthermore, the ones I link might not even match the bar diameter for the bike in question):

• Bar-end levers pretty much only work on bullhorns. I believe that some will work fine with chop'n'flop bars and some will not.
  
  
• Road levers will look a bit goofy mounted on bullhorns, but will totally work.
  
  
• Mountain-style levers - be careful that you're picking up some that will fit road bars, and be careful that they have the right amount of "pull" (this will be dependent on the set of brakes that you have).
  
  If the bike comes with a brake, I'd try mounting that on the front first; if it works, you've saved yourself some money, and if it doesn't, you may gain some knowledge about what in particular you need (possibly, for example, you can get by with just getting a different center pin).

> Mundo V4 Lux

Great. You should also look into the Surly Big Dummy and Xtracycle Edgerunner. Both of those are very similar to the Yuba but are probably a bit more expensive out of your price range. But just know you have choices.

Xtracycle also has a bolt-on cargo extension that attaches to pretty much any bike and converts it into a cargo bike for about $500 including accessories. They ceased production of their old freeradical 2 years ago and should be releasing the new version leap this year. I have a freeradical and it's nice to be able to switch back and forth between cargo bike and touring bike, although the process takes me about 2 beers (3 hours) and costs about $25 in rear brake and derailleur cables each time i switch.

Cargo bikes are great, and you will enjoy. The only thing that sucks is transporting them. Forget putting them on the bus or on a trunk-mounted car rack. Finding a roof rack tray that can handle the length has been hard but I'm 99% sure that the Thule 598 Criterium Upright Rooftop Bicycle Carrier is just long enough for a cargo bike. I own one but don't have my freeradical installed now to confirm; everything works on paper though. Any tandem or recumbent tray will work but those are hella expensive (like $300-$500).

Good luck!

I built up a Disc Trucker last spring. I stuck closely to Surly's build in the gearing department as it mainly is a touring bike. I went 9-speed because the chains are a touch more durable and when you get into 10-speed, Shimano's road and mountain offerings start having some incompatibilities. With a 9-speed drivetrain, you can mix and match road and mountain to whatever extent you like.

I actually have two different gearing setups. One for true touring with a mountain rear derailleur and an 11-34 cassette and another with a road rear derailleur and a 12-26 cassette.

Here's relevant parts off my list:

|Part|Model|Other|Notes|
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|Crankset|Shimano Deore M590|175mm arm length|Has the trekking gearing 26/36/48 and Hollowtech because why not.|
|Rear cassette|SRAM PG-950|11-34 for touring, 12-26 for commuting|Yes, as far as casettes go, it's a heavy bugger. But when we're talking about LHTs, who really cares overly much about weight? As a side note, you'd need a mountain derailleur to use the 11-34, but you'd be just fine with the 12-26 for your 105.|
|Shifters|Shimano Dura-Ace 9-speed bar-end||If you're using this for touring, I'd recommend the bar ends. Otherwise, get whatever brifters you like, use a couple of Travel Agents and get some V-brakes.|
|Brake levers|Tektro RL520|Long-pull|Those guys are long pull, so they work with V-brakes and mountain-pull disc brakes. Ergonomics are decent, if a tad too pointy for my tastes.|
|Handlebars|Salsa Bell Lap||No longer being produced, sadly.|
|Saddle|Brooks Champion Flyer||I've put thousands and thousands of miles on this saddle. Love it. It's a little heavy if you're doing light commuting. For daily commuting and touring, though, it's hard to beat.|
|Pedals|Shimano M520||They're pretty low on the totem pole as far as component level, but I've had nary a problem with multiple sets. Clipless that won't break the bank.|
|Chain|SRAM PC-951||It's a cheaper chain more than adequate for commuting and touring.|

All the drivetrain stuff is 9-speed, but you can find the 10-speed equivalents rather easily. In your case, if you're not setting off across the country or across the world on your LHT, I'd say go for a set of brifters. If you want to go 9-speed, I'd look for an older set of Ultegra shifters. For 10-speed, I'd keep it 105 or above...or Rival or above for SRAM. SRAM has a lot more tactile feedback on the shifts while Shimano tends to be smoother. I prefer SRAM, but to each their own. Bar-ends are great and low maintenance, but not being able to shift from the hoods can get a little annoying after a while.

As to online retailers, a lot of parts can be had reasonably from Amazon. I also use Jenson USA. They ship fast, have free shipping on orders above $50, and price match on parts. I use Nashbar occasionally, but their shipping department is woefully slow and I avoid buying from them whenever possible.

Truth is that you can replace almost any component on a bike, they are relatively simple machines. With the right tools disassembling a bike is pretty straightforward. The issue is how much money would an upgrade cost vs the difference you notice.

On this level of bike I would primarily optimize for comfort. The saddle and grips should be comfortable for you for whatever type of riding you prefer. The tire size and tread should match the terrain you ride. For example knobby mountain tires will be noisy and inefficient for street riding, high pressure road tires would be uncomfortable on rough terrain.

For a commuter bike you'll want to accessorize. Get a rack to carry your bag, get lights for night riding, get fenders if it rains a lot where you live.

Performance wise the only thing I would change on a bike like the 7.1FX is the brake pads. At least with my hybrid the pads were miserable, especially in wet weather. They would gather aluminum dust in little holes and scratch my rim. I got these: http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Bicycle-Threaded-Salmon/dp/B000BMT2GU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411934931&sr=8-1&keywords=kool+stop+salmon brakes and I never had to worry about cleaning out the pads again.

If you end up doing a lot of biking (like 500-1000 miles a year), you may want to consider clipless pedals and shoes. This is a pretty common upgrade that makes your pedaling more efficient and will transfer to any newer bike.

There are maintenance items that you will likely have to replace or repair based on wear such as chains (1000 miles, or have wear measured by a chain tool), rear cassettes (should be after like 4-6000 miles if you replaced your chains on time, wheels (whenever spokes start popping and it can't be trued anymore), crankset/chainrings (probably unlikely, but maybe after 10k miles?).

I like to upgrade as things break, replace it with a higher quality component. I feel like this makes more sense financially than repairing something that already functions well.

Bikes you are asking is a bread-and-butter bike @ any LBS. I think you should visit your favorite LBS.

My current "go-to" bike is Momentum bikes (aka Giant.) It's designed for urban/suburban use, relatively inexpensive, and quite useful. Any LBS that sells Giant should be able to get one for you.

http://www.momentum-biking.com/us

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/05/06/giants-spinoff-brand-momentum-wants-you-to-move-happy-with-their-new-cruiser-bikes/

If money/budget is not an issue -

http://www.rivbike.com/Rivendell-Atlantis-p/f-atlantis.htm



> Do I need anything extra if I want to mount the bike onto a car or a bus?

If the bike is step-through, you'd need a cross bar.

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Sports-Tension-Bicycle-Cross-Bar/dp/B000ELSSZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458854492&sr=8-1&keywords=Adjustable+Bike+Frame+Adapter

https://www.amazon.com/panaracer-GRAVELKING-650B-Aramid-Black/dp/B07QMTPLJH/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=panaracer%2Bgravelking%2B650b%2Bx%2B48&qid=1563755165&s=gateway&sprefix=panaracer%2Bgravelking%2B650&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1

I think I'm gonna try these out. Thanks for the replies. My old tubes will work, yes?

>gravel pathways

You want wide tires for that (>=38mm?), not available on pure 'race'-bikes (very narrow forks to reduce air resistance), they do fit on a cyclo-cross bike.

City-/hybrid-/race-bike + "2 miles on busy city street in the middle of the commute":
A city-bike makes it very easy to look over your shoulder for other traffic, but the wind makes that a bad choice, a hybrid/mtb-model with flat handlebars gives enough 'forward lean' to not have to 'hang on' onto the handlebars, the race-y dropbars give the least wind resistance but are also the most difficult to look around (or further ahead if you get tired).

>Assume rain rain rain and dark dark dark for 2/3 of the year.

Disc brakes work well in rain and a (front-wheel) hub dynamo with fixed lights takes care of the dark.
On (very) dark streets and at high speeds you may want a battery powered 'searchlight intensity' headlight as backup to see where you are going.

>My right leg is about an inch shorter than my left

The 'angle' of your hip joint will be larger, some crank parts can be ordered with different lengths (either ask your LBS or search the web yourself), if you use platform pedals you can (silly but cheap) bolt on a piece of plywood of the correct thickness (on both sides of the same pedal for 'weight' balance), if you use 'clipless' pedals there are filler plates.
DO consult a bicycle knowledgeable sports physician.

>and (c) OMG expensive.

Yup, save your money and buy a cheap-ish sensible model for your all-weather commuting/shopping-bike.
(Some cyclists catch this sickness called "N+1 syndrome", after a few years working out all the problems and increasing your fitness you can always buy a $5000 '200 mile weekend-warrior' model.)

I bought this cheap road bike that should be big enough for you
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FGI99I/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's 63cm road bike. With me being 6'6" I keep the seat post almost all the way down so you should be able to raise it for your height. Hope that helps.

They all come apart. I forgot a chain whip in my post above.

You might take some pictures to make it easier to understand. Also just to be sure we are talking about the same things

Agree with this. I'd recommend two U-locks, Kryptonite, at least Evolution line but preferably one of them NY Fahgettaboutit. That'll cost you over $100 right there.

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-Evolution-Mini-Bike-U-Lock/dp/B000AMPRG0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1372566802&sr=8-9&keywords=kryptonite+fahgettaboudit

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-997986-Black-Fahgettaboudit-U-Lock/dp/B000OZ9VLU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372566802&sr=8-1&keywords=kryptonite+fahgettaboudit

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-NEW-YORK-FAHGETTABOUDIT-FahgettaBoudit/dp/B00629P4M2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1372566802&sr=8-8&keywords=kryptonite+fahgettaboudit

>The budget is about 350-450

Don't get any bike with a front shock. All of these hybrid/comfort bikes come with cheap shit shocks that will break within 200 miles or less.

That Mercier looks pretty good. It will be hard to balance that bike on a roller trainer, but I don't see an issue with putting it on a trainer that retains the rear wheel.

With bikes like the Fuji, if she's fat she will have problems with the lower hand position.

What are your thoughts on This GMC bike or This Titan Fusion bike?

Considering it needs some work and tlc 100-125. You are looking at a minimum of 30 for new tires and tubes, up to about 100 if you go with a tire like gatorskins

Without it being in a ridable condition you are taking a risk that there are other problems.

First, see http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

My advice: Is the saddle actually painful, or does it just look small, relative to the size of your ass? If it is truly painful, how long can you ride before the pain starts? Like any new physical activity, there can initially be some discomfort as your body gets used to doing something it hasn't done before (or in years). Start with shorter rides and build up, and get off the bike and stretch for a minute if you feel discomfort.

I would caution you before running to the store and buying one of the gigantic gel "comfort" seats, something like this for example. I lost a lot of weight cycling (I was pushing 300 lbs. when I started), and I thought this type of seat was the only thing that could carry my wide load. Big mistake. It hurt my ass much worse than the "normal", lightly-padded stock seat that came with my bike. The fat nose can spread your legs further apart than ideal, destroying your form, and causing pain in your hips and knees.

Don't worry about your size: if you are riding casually on roads and bike paths, your saddle frame (the part that connects to the seat tube) isn't going to suddenly "snap" causing you to impale yourself. Padded bike shorts can also help (they aren't just spandex, they have sewn-in padding). Another fat cyclist pro-tip: bike shorts can be warn discretely under mesh athletic shorts until the point in time where you cease to give a fuck what others think about your ass.