On 18 Sep 2014, at 03:02, "Stan Halpin" <[email protected]> wrote: > > [...] > > 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.
You also need to consider reach, which is a function of the height of the handlebars and their horizontal distance from the saddle. This and your physical dimensions - back and arm length - determine how stretched or upright is your position on the bike. When you have determined the correct saddle height and position, vary the height and angle of the bars to find the best reach. It's usually best to start with the bars and saddle at the same height, so start there and change the forward/backwardness if you can while keeping them at the same height. One rule of thumb is that the bars should be one cubit plus one hand's breadth from the tip of the saddle, so put your elbow against the front tip of the saddle and hold your arm horizontally with the fingers stretched towards the bars. Put the edge of your other hand against the tip of your fingers; the opposite edge should be more or less aligned with the axis of the handlebar. If that doesn't work, try raising or lowering the bars then repeating the fore/aft positioning. For leisure cycling over long periods of time in the saddle it's usually best if your weight is distributed between your arms, legs and butt, and you have options to shift around, so perhaps counter-intuitively it's not necessarily more comfortable to be taking all the weight on your butt. B > > 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. -- 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.
