Health & Fitness
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Cycling ladies - is this a good deal/opinions?
Found a bike on Craigslist. I know I should go to my local shop, but I cannot afford $700+ right now. There's a 2010 Trek 1.1 (Female) listed for $450. But that includes shoes, helmet, and 2 jerseys. I know I won't be able to fit into the jerseys, so I'm hoping to knock it down to $400.
The only issue is whether or not the size is right for me. I'm 5"7", 200+lbs right now (boo!), and this is a 54cm bike. From what I can figure out, it should be pretty close. Do you think I can make it work if it's a smidge off?
Re: Cycling ladies - is this a good deal/opinions?
Weight doesn't have anything to do with bike fit. You are better off going to a shop to buy an entry level bike and get a bike that will fit you. If you buy this $400 bike and it doesn't fit, it can lead to knee and back problems. (You wouldn't buy used running shoes off of Craigslist unless you'd already been fitted at your local running store and knew what you needed.) There is no way I can tell you if it would fit or not. A little off for me means major knee problems. My saddle was 1 mm off on Thursday b/c I'm playing with my fit right now, and my right knee was killing me on Friday.
IMO, you are better off waiting a few months and saving the money to get a bike at your local bike shop. An easy way to save it to put away $50/paycheck in an envelope. You will have the extra money in no time.
Southeastern Cycling
My Nest Bio and Cycling Advice
I know others dont believe in this (not buying from LBS), but I would go test it out and see if its comfortable. I bought a 54cm bike and I am 5'9.5" and I am on the tall side for that size. What I would reccommend is going around to local bike shops and seeing what you can get for $500 (entry level Trek or whatnot). You can also learn a lot doing this (size, fit, bike tips, etc). Also, you might be able to try on the same or similar Trek model and who knows, it might work for you and then you can buy it on craigslist.
It's only a good deal if the shoes and helmet fit you properly, as well as the frame. Your cycling shoe size may not be the same as your running shoe or dress shoe size (my shoe sizes are all over the place - for running I'm 43.5/size 9.5 men's, cycling I'm a 42, other shoes could be 9-11 women's regular or wide). You'll probably know if the shoes are too small - if you can't get them on or they're pinching and cutting off circulation. But it's easy to get shoes that are too big - unlike running shoes/sneakers where you want a bit of space between your toes and the tip of the shoe, there should be almost none in cycling shoes, you don't want your foot to move in the shoe at all.
As for the bike, 54cm could fit you or not. I'm 5'7" and I ride a 52cm road bike (men's/neutral, not women-specific), but I'm also super long-waisted and have short legs. If you have longer legs than me, which is likely, a 54cm bike might fit you just fine, though if you get the bike and have any kind of pain, you should get a fitting at the bike shop. This could be one reason to go with a new bike - often bike shops will fit you for free when you buy a bike from them, vs. charging you a bunch of money ($50-200, depending on the shop and the extent of the fitting). Frame size is a very small part of whether the bike fits you or not - saddle position and handlebar position (and width) are the important factors, and those can vary quite a bit.
go ride it and see how it feels, if the size is good then you can have the rest adjusted - just remember you are going to have to pay for that as you go so it may be more expensive then buying from a bike shop (they usually include fitting and adjustments in the price of the bike). I would also go shop around at some bike shops and ride a few of their bikes and like pp said soak up the knowledge. Also do some reading on bike fitting - there are some basic guidelines published out there so once you see the bike you will know if it way too big or too small.
I have bought both from a LBS and online - both of my bikes are great and work really well. That being said i would have never been able to afford the bike i bought online at my LBS.
j+k+m+e | running with needles