Hello from Michigan - with 6" of snow!

[Tal]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. I used to ride a lot on the streets of Memphis, TN. I moved up to Michigan about 6 to 7 years ago and had to leave my bikes in Memphis. So I got bikes for my boyfriend and myself this Christmas. I know that they are not great bikes (my cheapest bike in Memphis was a Fuji) but they will do for what I am capable of now. I got 2 Gravity FSX 2.0 Full Suspension bikes. Why full suspension you may ask? I have had back surgery and am disabled. I felt that the softer ride would be better for me. Am I right? I hope so! My other 2 bikes in Memphis were hard tails and sometimes it was an uncomfortable ride.

We will be joining the cycling club here very soon. There are a lot of paths and trails in our area. I am looking forward to the warmer season.

Any suggestions concerning anything are highly appreciated as I feel like a newby again.

Best regards and Merry Christmas!
Tal

 

[raleighnut]

 

[Racing roadkill]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. I used to ride a lot on the streets of Memphis, TN. I moved up to Michigan about 6 to 7 years ago and had to leave my bikes in Memphis. So I got bikes for my boyfriend and myself this Christmas. I know that they are not great bikes (my cheapest bike in Memphis was a Fuji) but they will do for what I am capable of now. I got 2 Gravity FSX 2.0 Full Suspension bikes. Why full suspension you may ask? I have had back surgery and am disabled. I felt that the softer ride would be better for me. Am I right? I hope so! My other 2 bikes in Memphis were hard tails and sometimes it was an uncomfortable ride.

We will be joining the cycling club here very soon. There are a lot of paths and trails in our area. I am looking forward to the warmer season.

Any suggestions concerning anything are highly appreciated as I feel like a newby again.

Best regards and Merry Christmas!
Tal

Welcome

 

[welsh dragon]

Hello and

 

[Paulus]

Welcome Tal, loads of great information to be had here. No question is silly, but you may get some silly answers.

 

[Tal]

raleighnut,
Racing roadkill,
welsh dragon, and
Paulus,

Thank you for the welcomes! This looks like a great community! And I will have some pretty silly questions! LOL

Hope all of you are having a great Christmas season!

 

[Globalti]

Welcome, my brother lives in Michigan, actually in South Lyon - is that anywhere near you? He goes mountain biking and yes, he has reported around a foot of snow in his garden. He enjoys cycling the Potawatomi Trail. which he says goes through a beautiful landscape of glacial drumlins, lakes and forests.

I used to suffer chronic back ache until I re-started cycling in 1988, on a mountain bike. The improved muscle strength and posture cured my back ache and when, after 21 years, I moved over to the greater rigours of road cycling, my fitness and back strength improved even further. Nowadays if I miss three weeks of cycling I begin to suffer sciatica but it soon goes away when I resume cycling. I would suggest that you should pay great attention to your posture on the bike, even take it to a good bike shop and ask if they have any suggestions. Once you have built up some muscle tone, maybe consider moving over to the road although I know my brother refuses to road-cycle, saying you are very likely to be killed by a texting driver. A good compromise would be a gravel bike, giving you a road position but the ability to ride for miles off tarmac.

 

[Tal]

Hi there, Globalti! I am in Jackson, MI which is about 53 miles from your brother. Michigan is a beautiful state. And what he said about getting run over is what will keep me off of the streets. Anything more than a neighborhood street, anyway. And then I will be a bit nervous! LOL

I injured my back in 1988 and had major back surgery in 1990. Disabled since then. It is a tough pill to swallow because I was an avid athlete up until the injury. I hope this does for me what it has done for you. I want really badly to get healthy. And as you described, this should help my core muscles a lot. I will take your advice and get someone either at the bike store or the cycling club to help me get the fit correct.

Thanks again!

 

[Globalti]

Good, I wish you well. Even if you posted a sideways-on picture on here of yourself sitting on the bike, leaning against a wall, there are plenty of folk with experienced eyes who can comment on your setup.

I have recently read a couple of accounts of riders suffering from lower back pain who went and had a bike fit session and ended up lowering the handlebars, which seemed counter-intuitive but actually reduced their back pain. As additional testimony to the value of a good fit, my long-term climbing buddy has suffered back pain for years thanks to old rugby injuries but he went along to a good shop, had a bike fit session and bought an Orbea road bike, which fits him perfectly and he can ride 100 miles without pain.

As I mentioned, the new breed of gravel bike would allow you to ride further and faster but on gravel tracks. Look at Specialized Diverge as an example:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/b...touring-bikes/mens-diverge/c/adventurediverge

 

[Tal]

Hi there, Globalti. I went to the link you provided. Very nice bikes but way way out of my price range! LOL But who knows, maybe some day? At this point I cant really justify getting an expensive bike. I will have to see just how much I ride and how serious I get about it. I really dont see me as more than a casual weekend trail rider with some riding during the week.

I appreciate your thoughts and advice. Maybe I can get a pic of me on the bike tonight. I do know that the seat has to come up. And the one thing that I do have a concern about is the length of the pedal arms (is that what they are called??) being too long. I wont know for sure until I raise the seat. It is still a bit chilly here but the snow has almost all melted over the last few days. So, my boyfriend and I may go for a ride this afternoon. We shall see!

PS - I wanted to get a female framed bike but the female frames were like the male frames. When I got my Fuji, it was a male frame but I special ordered it. I am quite short but have pretty much gotten used to not having a frame that truly fits me. Oh, well.