So here is my current bike. I bought it last year (2013) on sale at Wal-Mart on sale for about 200 dollars or so. I know what some of you are thinking, “But Joe, why would you buy one of those bikes instead of going to your LBS (local bike shop) and buy one from their and support the local economy?” First off, I did go to all three of the local bike shops, and even their used bikes were out of my price range. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, because frankly, I wasn’t sure if I would stay with it or not, or if was just going to be something that I would do occasionally. Bikes from your local bike shops usually start at around 700 dollars and go up quite quickly from there. While I can imagine that these bikes in some ways are better than the bike I bought, I just wouldn’t be able to bring myself to spend that kind of money on something that I wasn’t sure I would like.
Keep in mind, if you are just your average person who wants to ride a bike here and there and isn’t looking to haul a lot of stuff, I actually do recommend this bike. It rides well, it has a good geometry for fitness riding. I very much do plan on keeping the bike.
700c Genesis G500 Men’s Road Bike, Red
So you know, I am not affiliated or sponsored by any of these products or companies. I review them for you solely because these products are things that I like.
I looked around and did my research on what the different components were and how they worked. I researched the benefits of different kinds of bikes, and decided that because I wanted to do fitness, I would want a road bike mainly set up for going fast. I decided on a Genesis G500 road bike sold at walmart that was loaded with Shimano 2300 series components. While 2300 components were the lowest on the Shimano lineup of road bike components, they generally were said to be of decent quality and reliability. This prompted me to purchase the bike.
Keep in mind, if you are just your average person who wants to ride a bike here and there and isn’t looking to haul a lot of stuff, I actually do recommend this bike. It rides well, it has a good geometry for fitness riding. I very much do plan on keeping the bike. If you are interested, it is definitely cheaper than your big name brand bikes. It has good components, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it for fitness or pure recreation in general. Genesis G500 Men’s Road Bike, Red
From the first 14 mile bike ride that I went on with my brother down in St. Louis, I was hooked. It was amazing to me how easily it was to go fast and and far I could go with relative ease. I knew that I didn’t want to be a hardcore spandex wearing cyclist, and because of that mindset, I thought even cycling gloves were stupid. The lack of gloves was a HUGE mistake. By the end of that first ride, my hands were killing me. I continued to ride, and decided that I wished that I could do more while I was riding my bike. Unfortunately, I was limited by the amount of stuff that I could fit in my backpack when it came to shopping for groceries. I would have loved to buy a rack for my bike, and they do sell ones that mount without the proper mounts onto the frame, but the couple that I bought and tried just didn’t feel like they would work well. They didn’t seem stable, and I was afraid they would lose any kind of load that I would take on them. I tried the ones that only clamp to the seat clamp, those are a joke. Then I tried the ones that mount using P-shaped clips, but I felt that those were too unreliable.
The other problem I had with the usability of the bike is that I have a 2 year old son who obviously can’t ride by himself. I don’t particularly like the seat type child carriers, so I decided on a trailer to pull him around. I finally chose one that I liked. I chose not the absolute cheapest, but what I considered the cheapest one that had the features that I wanted. I wanted something with some sort of supported seat, cargo space, and one that mounted the stroller wheel the body of the trailer instead of the trailer arm. The ones that mount on the trailer arm end up making the trailer really long when using in stroller mode, which just didn’t appeal to me. This trailer fits 2 kids, and really rides behind the bike very well. It makes life so easy, as me, my wife and my son will regularly pack up the trailer with a picnic and ride to the next town over and go to a park. It really brings our family closer together. Remember, the family that plays together stays together.
Here is a direct link to the Aosom Elite II 3in1 Trailer On Amazon
This trailer, a Aosom Elite II trailer that I purchased at Amazon, made life easy. My son loves it, and constantly wants to go for a ride in it. The other great thing is that I can put groceries in it and other things when I go to the store. The amount of groceries is limited, but it more than I would be able to put in a backpack. Plus, I am not carrying the weight on my shoulders, which makes standing on the pedals easier while going uphill.
The next issue I had was with the lack of a kickstand. I know there are people who hate them. I grew up with kickstands, I like kickstands, and I use kickstands. I am not going to debate the pros and cons of kickstands, because it is a personal choice, but I wanted a kickstand. I found this kickstand on Amazon, it is pretty much the name in aftermarket kickstands. It fit on my bike very well. I have read that if you have disk brakes, or a particularly unusual frame in the rear dropout area, it will not work. Other than that, most people have been able to use it with much success. It is by Greenfield, and it makes life super easy, especially when towing the trailer, as finding a place to lean the bike against with the trailer can be tricky.
Here is a direct link to the Greenfield Kickstand that I got on Amazon
The original saddle was too narrow for me, so I replaced it with a cheap one from target, that was Schwinn. I picked it because it seemed soft because of the gel, and that it seemed less narrow, but not huge like some of the seats that you can buy. This was a mistake. Soft seats are great if you are riding for short distances, but with longer distances, the softer gel seats just create heat and friction which is not very comfortable in your nether regions. So in came my discovery of Brooks Saddles. I read dozens of reviews that raved about the seats, so I too thought that I should buy one, and I did. Let me tell you, even though these are expensive, they are so worth it even from day 1. Many people have stated that with proper care, these saddles will last decades, so I decided that the longevity of the product outweighed cost savings of other saddles. I will not that many saddles are way more expensive than a brooks saddle, so the cost isn’t that ridiculous. The saddle is hard, and seems like it would be uncomfortable, but the amount of support it gives really makes it very comfortable. The other great thing is that given that it is leather, it molds itself to your sit bones and becomes more and more comfortable the longer you ride it. The springs in the back really absorb big bumps in the road. They are very stiff so that you never feel like you are bouncing up and down, which makes it much nicer.
Here is an Amazon link to the Brooks Flyer Saddle On Amazon
If you look closely at the first picture of my overall bike, you will see a unique stem. In my next post, I will be talking about everything that I chose to go into that “cockpit”. When I decided to start upgrading the components of my bike, I did so with the intention of eventually replacing the frame with a proper touring/commuting frame. This indeed makes the bike look a little strange with a racing paint job and touring components, but I assure you that someday the whole thing will be awesome.