Twistie - HELP!

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Maybe, maybe not so much to learn. I know I need a 26". I know I want it for on and off road and I know I wont' be as hard core into biking as you are.

I need something with metal moving parts and not crappy plastic.
I need something lightweight.
I need something where the seat won't give me a bad cheap thrill.
I need at least 18 gears.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Hey Twist - my brakes are noisy. They're brand new pads too. Do you know any tricks to stop them from being so goddamn noisy? They scare off the wildlife.

[twisteroo]

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26 inch bikes have 26 inch tires. The bike size is the frame size, measured from the center of the crankset to the top of the seat tube where the seatpost goes into it. I ride anywhere from a 52CM to a 56CM, or 20" to a 23" bike. That all makes a difference as to how the bike fits, if your knees are gonna be knocking your chin when you pedal and stuff.

Brakes: I suspect the wheels are cheap, but try this.
Lightly sandpaper the pads, clean the rims. Rubbing alcohol will get them squeaky clean, then you have to toe them in slightly. This means that they should contact the rim towards the front of the bike first. Put a rubberband or a cable tie or a folded matchbook cover under the backside of the brake pad when you tighten them so they kinda go like this /||\. The slants being the brakes, the straight lines are the wheel, the top is the front of the bike. It doesn't have to be much, but it should make them stop making noise, or at least it usually works for me. Also, make sure they are not touching the tire or you will give your self a flat tire sooner than you want to deal with it.

Oh boy Twitch, I have a lot to teach you before we go bike shopping.

Getting something that is not just a royal pain in the ass to ride and use makes the difference between liking to do it and parking it back in the basement.

Speaking of pain in the ass. Seats are not just all about padding, you need the right shape for yourself, you need to sit on your ass bones, not the soft bits. Also, the trick is to get up off that seat pretty regularly.

[twisteroo]

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Here, I picked this out for you.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bike...872/36240/

[Twitchin Kitten]

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I know a lot more about tuning up and repairing the thing than sizing it to me. That crappy Huffy Blades actually fits me comfortably. I need to sit a little more upright due to my back and neck being screwed together restricting bending. Getting up off the seat is not as easy as it used to be for me

Yes the tires are crap, remember they're made by HUFFY! LOL I bought the thing in Toys R Us in like 1992! I just wish the handlebars go up a little higher, I've got it maxed out.

OK I thought of sandpapering the brake pads but I was afraid to ruin them and wasn't too sure. I already have them set on the angle like you showed - probably just not enough, but THANKS for the matchbook tip! Jesus H Christ I do things the hard way sometimes!

I shall be fiddling with those brakes tomorrow. I skipped my ride today and loafed around the house all day.

[twisteroo]

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Here, I picked this out for you.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bike...872/36240/

Did you check out this badboy??^^^

[Twitchin Kitten]

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OOH I Like it!

Is it all metal thought? I mean the little thumb thingys that you shift with most importantly, I want all metal parts there.

[twisteroo]

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I don't know the exact make up of the shifters, but this is what comes on it.

There is one model a little cheaper than this bike, but it has a steel frame, this one is alumuminuminlmalzypm. You know what I mean.

You know what......I'll got so far to say that it is good stuff. The difference between a $400 dollar bike and a wal-mart bike is huge.
My mountain bike was just over $300 5 years ago, and it is a damn good bike. It has lower end derailers and shifters and brakes on it too. In order to get really, really, good quality components you gotta spend about $2,000.

That Giant has 21 gears and the low gear 28/34 is low enough for you go get up nearly any hill that you can get traction on.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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I'll look into those shifters and I've also got a couple of bike shops around here. The Pee Wee Herman style is a very popular bike here for some reason. You see them all over.

I showed Matt that bike and he likes it too. I haven't got $2K to spend on a bike. $300 - $500 to get me started and to last a few years will suit me just fine. If I really get into it like I did competing with the horses, I will spend that kind of dough but I need to get back in shape, get into the swing of it and see how my screwed together body handles it all. So far, so good. I'm not even muscle sore and all that good stuff. I figured I would be considering I'm out of shape and dug right in with long rides. I wonder if riding in the heat and humidity is what's keeping loose muscles?

This is my lower back -


  WTF.jpg (Size: 23.77 KB / Downloads: 5)

And this is my neck (front and side views):

       

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Ha, ha, ha, ha I just spent an hour fixing my brakes. Thank god for tiny cheese graters!

I was having trouble setting them after sandpapering them like you said, so I took another good look at them and noticed the stupid things are flat and flat. So I was going to put the old ones back on and found I threw those out.

Thinking, thinking, thinking - what can I use to set these pads right? Mini cheese grater!

So I got the angle corrected on these things, then used my nail file to smooth it out. Set the brake pads again and used your matchbook trick. VIOLA! Brakes are perfect and hopefully, when I go out later and ride, they don't squeak. I didn't test them because I did all the above in my jammies.

NOTE: This was supposed to be posted over an hour ago but I wound up on messenger helping mom!