One thing to note: a 15-speed bike does not have 15 usable gear combinations.
So, you have three chain rings (front), and five gears in back. Lets annotate those A-B-C and 1-2-3-4-5. A is the outside largest chain ring, 1 is the outside smallest gear. 1. You never want to use the gear combination A-5 or C-1. Click into those gears with the bike on a stand, look down, and you can see how much stress you are putting on the system with a diagonal selection like that. 2. A typical shift pattern might be: C-5, C-4, B-4, B-3, B-2, A-3 A-2, A-1. There will be variations depending on the number of teeth on the gears and chain rings, but you will have about 8 usable non-redundent gear combinations. Also, note that pushing on the pedals is a good way to kill your knees. The ideal peddling pattern is one where you are applying light force with each leg throughout the 360° cycle. This means that you need a cage or clips that hold your foot to the pedal so you can pull up as well as push down. Make sure the frame + seat position gives you enough height that your leg is pretty much fully extended at the bottom of your pedal stroke. Otherwise you are back to push-push-push rather than push-pull-push-pull. And your knees will hurt and you will be using way too much effort on even short rides and you'll get discouraged and stop riding. When others say to make sure the bike frame fits you, this is what they mean. stan On Sep 17, 2014, at 9:07 PM, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: > Good info, Steve. I'm pretty sure that my son-in-law's is the '85. It > is even that color (brown). > I now know to look on the front badge for a stamped number. If it is > there, that should help me date it also. > > It does have larger tires: 26x1.75 , I believe. > > What does "alloy rims" mean? Good or bad? > > Per your advice, I'm considering this well-reviewed saddle: > http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RLDQBE/ > > Thanks again to all for the input (and Bob W for his link also!) > > On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 7:09 PM, steve harley <[email protected]> wrote: >> on 2014-09-17 11:21 Darren Addy wrote >>> >>> My son-in-law >>> has a late 80s (I think) vintage 15 speed Schwinn Mirada that he will >>> sell me for the price he (just) spent to have it serviced at a local >>> bike shop ($100). >> >> >> it's more of a "town bike" than a mountain bike; in the late 80s those were >> taking a lot of cues from mountain bikes >> >> here are some old catalogs covering that range: >> >> <http://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/MODELS/Mirada.html> >> >> in 85 they said the frame was CroMoly but later on it wasn't; CroMoly might >> indicate a lighter, more comfortable or generally higher-spec bike, but in >> itself it won't matter much to you; the 85 version (non-unicrown fork and >> riser bars) is much more classy looking, IMO >> >> the frame geometry looks a lot like the 85 Rockhopper i am semi-restoring, >> which is remarkably similar to the current Surly Long-Haul Trucker, a very >> desirable touring frame (though usually fitted with drop bars) >> >> the Mirada seems intended for a more upright riding position, which means >> you put more of your weight on the seat, and for me that means i want >> low-pressure balloon tires and/or a sprung saddle to cushion the ride; a >> good butted CroMoly frame can absorb a bit of shock too, but i wouldn't >> expect that from this model >> >> it should be pretty comfortable for someone the right size; fatter tires are >> more comfortable >> >> >>> I'm a bike newbie really. However, it looks like this >>> thing has a really durable frame (saw one that the owner said had >>> taken him thousands of miles: 4th photo on this page - >>> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?page_id=174667 ). I like that >>> it has center pull brakes and has just come out of the shop. >> >> >> thousand of miles aren't at all remarkable for a bike; tens of thousands are >> common, hundreds of thousands are remarkable; if the frame is intact (look >> carefully for cracks at any of the joints, particularly the bottom bracket >> area), then you have the most to worry about the components, especially on a >> budget bike of that age; hopefully the tune-up was done by someone who would >> have pointed out any worries >> >> >>> So, basically, I guess I'm asking if this is a dumb way to spend $100 >>> on a bike or not. What say you? >> >> >> it's an okay price; with some effort, $100 can get you somewhat better on >> Denver Craigslist, and i've thrifted _much_ better for $50; it sounds like >> this will save you the time that would mean, though; do your best to make >> sure it can be made to fit well >> >> >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > > -- > Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs > look like photographs. > ~ Alfred Stieglitz > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
