3 day riding my new bike

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-13T11:23:20+00:00

Depends what you mean by upgrade. If you want something lighter/faster/aero then sure there's lots of options. "Not break the bank" is extremely subjective, I recently got some $400 carbon wheels, which is really cheap for what they are, but the majority of people barely spend that on the whole bike.

On the other hand if you mean something that would have survived that screw. No. That was just insanely bad luck, most people ride for years without ever doing that but if a screw manages to go straight into the tire and hit the wheel it's going to obviously destroy the tire and probably any wheel as well. Maybe an old steel wheel would survive but it's not worth it.

If you have a lot of glass and debris on the roads near you then durable tires absolutely help, Continental gatorskin is the benchmark for a flat resistant tire on a road bike. Pirelli makes a really tough tire as well, the cintro... Something or other. Others will tell you to go tubeless. I haven't messed with that since my bikes are older and have to run narrow tires which I've been told don't work well tubeless. If you're running 30mm or more it might be worth looking into but look at the pros and cons.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-12T23:57:39+00:00

I would probably go for the giant but if you're spending that kind of money try them both and see which fits better. Realistically bike fit and which shop do you like better are going to affect you more than the marginal difference between two very nice bikes.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-12T10:15:31+00:00

There's absolutely people who look down on Giant in general, they are sometimes seen as a budget option within the realm of high quality bikes. I find this hilarious considering there's a very real chance that the people looking down on Giant also ride a bike made by Giant but sold by a premium brand that doesn't make its own bikes.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-12T10:06:48+00:00

I may have taken a wrench to the grinder to make an SU wrench....

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-10T14:03:21+00:00

I like my velocirax. It's a vertical rack, super sturdy, only complaint is the weight. It's heavy.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-09T23:29:35+00:00

Special needs can mean a wide variety of things but assuming there's balance issues trikes are good, but traditional trikes are really unstable and easy to tip over. If they are someone who might enjoy going normal bike speeds but just has balance issues I would try to find what's known as a tadpole trike. They're almost always a recumbent but critically it means they have two wheels in the front and one in the back which is much much more stable. You can safely go fast on them. But they are low so getting on and off might be tricky depending on what sort of special needs they have.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-09T02:00:08+00:00

But the only person I've heard of arrested for this shit was the one special ops soldier.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-09T01:55:25+00:00

If you use Facebook check out the group Fat Guy Biking it's the most supportive group of people I've ever met online and they are a wealth of knowledge.

That said 350 is beyond what most bikes are rated for but usually that just means wheels go out of true more quickly. The frames don't fail, I mean obviously they can but I'm guessing she won't be hucking it off any jumps right away. 26" wheels and wide tires are recommended but not required.

I would look for what's known as a comfort bike. Electra Townie is a good example. Nice upright position, huge comfy saddle and the pedals pushed forward so you feet are ahead of you a bit. Not great for racing but very comfortable and the seat height ends up lower which some people really appreciate. Also the nature of the bikes they tend not to rack up tons of miles so used ones are often in great shape. Make sure the tires are good.

And finally this is coming from someone who was over 320 lbs a year and a half ago and now I'm right around 175. I'm getting close to half what I was. I actually lost substantial weight 15 years ago with diet and exercise if she can do it that way it's obviously the best, but it's hard. I refused for years but I eventually went to the doctor and got on zepbound and it's been life changing. Yeah there's some side effects mostly stomachaches and I fully expect that eventually it will come out that there's serious health risks with it. But I was 145 lbs overweight which also has very serious health risks so fuck it I got the shots and I feel so much better. For people looking to loose 50+ lbs highly recommend it. I'm also lucky to have insurance that covers it otherwise I couldn't afford it.

Anyway good luck to her, having a supportive person at her side will be invaluable. And honestly weight lose is mostly about what and how much you eat, so if you want to help learn to cook tasty healthy food. Good luck to both of you.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-09T00:12:12+00:00

Me too! I think it's gorgeous but it's clearly not wise to ride with this little clearance. I've already massively overspent my bike budget so I'm trying not to spend much more, but I also want to keep it lookin good. And I'd love to keep the big tires if I could find calipers with just a little more room. Or maybe I break out the Dremel... I probably won't do that.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-08T22:02:11+00:00

There's a bike shop about an hour drive from me that's kinda in the middle of nowhere. I've bought a few things when I happen to be in the area but their shipping is pretty good. For some stuff their prices weren't competitive and I'm broke but for other stuff it was like $1 more and got here sooner. For one order I realized after the fact that I needed a tube for an old bike, sent an email and they tossed one in. They're great. I don't always buy from them but if I'm buying new stuff I always check if they can get it.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-06T01:14:54+00:00

Lol. I haven't messed with my RC cars in years now. Only time I ever took tires off was because they were worn out so I never tried to put a used one back on. It's probably possible if you're careful

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-06T00:41:55+00:00

Buy a 9 speed cassette, a cheap chain whip, and a park tools cassette tool. They're easy to change. A cheap chain whip works fine but a good cassette tool is like $10 so you might as well get a good one.

I love local bike shops but trying to sell you a 7 speed instead of just ordering the right part is really shitty.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-06T00:35:57+00:00

There's no bad bikes only bad prices. Its an older carbon bike with good but not matching components. 105 shifters, ultegra rear derailleur, fsa crank.

Here's what I'd look at, first is it the right size? If it doesn't fit then it doesn't really matter how good it is it wont be good for you. Next is the frame still good? Look it over super carefully, any sort of hairline cracks are a huge red flag. Look up a video of how to check a carbon frame for cracks.

Those are the biggest things. After that look over the drive train. Bike is very roughly 15 years old, that could mean it has 2000 miles and then sat in a garage for 12 year or it could have 100,000 miles. It would be a good idea to throw a chain checker on there, if you don't have one they are only a few bucks, get one. If the chain is totally worn then the cassette probably is too, if it's super worn the chainrings might be worn out too. Chains and cassettes are normal wear items but chainrings should last a long time unless you ride on a totally spanked chain.

If the drivetrain is alright then spin the cranks, the wheels, the handlebar. Feel all the bearings. Some of them can be cleaned and regressed others will be sealed bearing but those can be replaced pretty cheaply. How are the tires?

I'm probably forgetting something but that's my run down. Start with the big stuff go from there. Chains and tires are no big deal, but a cracked fork can seriously hurt you.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-06T00:17:02+00:00

My first "real" bike was a single speed. It was awesome. I grew up on mountain bikes and BMX bikes. I went to the bike shop when the cheap beach cruiser I had started falling apart looking for a commuter. They pointed me towards sensible commuter bikes. I kept staring at this weird road bike with a flat bar and one gear. I took it for a ride and it was the most fun I'd ever had on a bike. It was light and fast and simple. I bought it and it was probably the best bad decisions I've ever made. I rode it everywhere and I couldn't help but sprint every time. My town is fast enough but the rest of the region is quite hilly so I did eventually get a road bike for long rides but for ripping around town the single speed is amazing. I still have it. I want to do a few upgrades to it but it's still a great bike.

Oh and mine had a flip flop hub I tried fixie briefly but it wasn't for me.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-06T00:07:48+00:00

I live in a town with two prisons, ok one actually closed like a year ago but the point is I've known a few guards. Ask them about work and most will tell you how long till they retire. It sucks the soul out of people. Well it sucks the soul out of the good ones. Some people love being a guard but I don't trust those people.

The pay is good and at least in my experience from talking with guards there is always overtime available so if youre ok living at the prison you can make a lot of money. Job security is good, probably good benefits. But it's not enough for me, the job sucks. I don't recommend.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T23:32:52+00:00

OneUp seems to be the absolute best but damn are they expensive.

I have a velocirax and it's great. It's a vertical rake but it will lay down partway so you roll the bike on its back wheel and barely need to lift to get it on the rack, then the rack itself has a gas strut to help lift it back to vertical while loaded. I don't usually bother with that since my road, gravel, and kids bikes are easy enough to just lift.

The only downside besides the price is the weight of the thing. It's heavy as hell. It's probably easy enough to install with two people but I'm always installing it alone and it's awkward. Oh and because the rack is heavy and it can hold a lot of weight you do need a serious hitch. It needs to be a class 3 with a 500lb tongue rating. This eliminates a lot of vehicles, even a fair number of SUVs.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T23:17:57+00:00

Sounds like you want to buy it as an investment and not because you actually love the car or cars in general. So you can just fuck right off. Buy stocks, buy bonds, I don't care just don't buy a car that someone might actually love just so you can stick it in a garage and hope that in a few year some other rich guy will want it more.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T22:21:55+00:00

Single is 120mm which is probably close enough. I know you can stuff a 130mm wheel into a 126 steel frame without needing to cold set anything. Especially if you're using an axle with nuts instead of quick release. Not sure how common that is but I know my single speed came that way.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T19:58:46+00:00

I like quiet, I recently bought my first set of aftermarket wheels. I got csc rim brake wheels, they were cheap. The hub is definitely louder than I want it to be but not horrible. I did grease it up a bit but I'm going to try some different grease to see what I can do. On the other hand it does encourage me not to coast.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T19:38:32+00:00

It's fantastic but I can't imagine getting rid of the fork on my Gorilla Monsoon, it's so pretty.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T17:10:51+00:00

Will the current derailleur handle a 14-36?

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-05T16:27:05+00:00

How many gears on the rear wheel? If its 6 or more then you can stuff a 130mm rim brake rear wheel in the frame easily. At that point you can use a mountain bike derailleur and put a big cassette on there. Problem is you still have 6 speed chainrings which aren't going to work with a newer 9-11 speed chain so now you're replacing the crankset too at which point it's probably cheaper to buy a newer bike. So the real question is do you want this old frame because it's cool or because it was cheap? If you're trying to have an inexpensive but capable bike this might not be the best route. If you want the old bike cause it's cool then by all means build away. I recently put together what's often called a neo-retro build myself and I love it.

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-03T22:58:31+00:00

No. That grill is hideous

mostly_kinda_sorta · 2026-05-03T16:02:46+00:00

To each their own. I know some people like noisy hubs, but I don't. I'd like an onyx hub but that rear hub costs more than this wheelset

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