[APKhaos]

You are an angel, Amalitza. Will pm to find a time that works for you, and will bring the bike and the rider as well. She was a bit tentative about taking her bottom into a bike shop to try saddles, so I’m sure she will be thrilled at the chance to figure it out with a woman who has been there and done that. Many thanks!

[APKhaos]

Ran up to UMD and tried the Sirrus from CL. XL Mens size.
It was perfect, and in beautiful shape. Seller [great guy] kept it at UMD to move around the campus, which accounts for the low miles. Came with a nice rack and panniers, which will come in handy for a C&O camping trip!
So, she is off an running but one challenge remains. She needs a girl saddle. Man saddle is hard on the lady parts even with bike shorts on. Its a flat bar, so she is not right over in the drops like a road bike position. Any suggestions from you grrls out there on good saddles to try?
Much appreciated. I cant really test this aspect of the bike.

[APKhaos]

@Amalitza 117042 wrote:

So the solution for “longer legs/shorter torso” is a shorter seat tube compared to top tube? okaaayyyy…

There is a pretty good chance that a men’s or non-gender-specific bike will come with a saddle that’s too narrow for a 5’11” woman. Saddles are likely to get switched out anyway for personal preference, so I wouldn’t consider it a reason to not buy the bike. But it’s something for her to be aware of as something that might be uncomfortable and will need to be replaced (rather than just, ugh, riding the bike for more than 30 minutes hurts, guess this is not the sport for me).

Agree 100% on the saddle issue. Was thinking of asking about comfy women’s saddles but there were so many ways for that discussion to go wrong.

[APKhaos]

Comparing geometry charts is frustrating in that there is very little consistency between brands (specifically Spesh, Trek, and Giant) in their variation between men’s and women’s models. The most glaring is in that in this multi-use flatbar class XL for women tends to fall between M and L for men. Apparently tall women are out of luck!
She rode a men’s XL Gary Fisher (my gravel grinder for C&O with the twins) and liked it so we’ll try the Spesh Sirrus XL and hopefully that will work. And yes, I hear you about the flatbar Vicegrip. It’s a confidence thing at this point so the drop bar bike will have to be next.

[APKhaos]

Thanks all. Its worth a trip up there to take a test ride. It looks pristine and the seller claims 200 miles max on the thing! Hope it fits.

[APKhaos]

My 6yo twins went from balance bike to 16″ pig iron bikes to 20″ Al frames. The 16s and 20s had coaster brakes but I put hand brakes on them all and never breathed a word about coaster brakes. They had/have no idea what they are or that they are on their bikes. Totally hand brake only riders..

[APKhaos]

Unexpectedly met APKhaos yesterday. Pleasantly surprised to meet a forum member under those circumstances.

So I notice a nice CAAD with fenders etc ulocked to the stair rail of a very nice townhouse.
This is a serious commuter is my first thought. Yep, Americancyclo no less. Great stuff!

[APKhaos]

@Subby 113173 wrote:

I regret not getting them out earlier (beyond the basic “teach them how to ride without training wheels”), but the hidden advantage is that they could immediately go on longer, more challenging rides with me, which in turn meant going cooler places.

My twins were 5 last summer, and upgraded from 16″ bikes that weighed a ton to nice Al framed 20″ bikes. After some local riding to build confidence we hit the MUPs. After a couple of tries it was clear that the combination of fast traffic and occasionally chaotic pedestrian behaviour undermined their confidence. We then tried the C & O towpath, which they loved. After a couple of 5 – 7 mile rides they wanted to go for a BIG ride. We set out from Carderrock and rode west on a hot summers day with plenty of water, lunch, and good trail snacks. We rode 19.1 miles out and return, and the twins flat out loved the adventure. Don’t underestimate what younger kids can do. I did, but that ride proved me wrong. Of course they also wanted the Strava page to show and tell at school, and always check that I have my Garmin when we ride (!!).
They are dying to do some bigger rides this summer summer now that they they are six.
We were out on the C & O a few weeks back but it was way too soft in parts for a a long ride. They loved the mud though [emoji2]

[APKhaos]

Harry and hozn give wise counsel. It’s almost inevitable that part of any DIY project involves fixing the things you unfixed while fixing the things you were fixing.

[APKhaos]

Good to hear you are all set for some spring riding. I put my b/g twins on 20s a little bit early. They were right a on the hairy edge for height. Being barely able to put a foot down while on the saddle sapped their confidence for a while.
If you’re looking for a family adventure ride try the C & O canal towpath. At 5 my daughter found the mups dead scary, but loved the towpath. We did a 19 mile ride early last summer, and they kept wanting to ride there deep into the fall.

[APKhaos]

CL is also a good source. Look for Al frame (Jamis, Trek, probably others). The box store kids bikes are made from recycled black steel gas pipe and they are HEAVY. Lighter is much better for little guys confidence.

[APKhaos]

Dickie mentioned this earlier but a recent gnarly experience really drove the point home for me.

I was cruising back on a 30 mile ride in the low 30s which is balmy by BAFS standards. Perfectly comfortable and running with lights heading west on the W&OD approaching Carlin Springs Rd. An unwise decision to futz with my rear light resulted in slipping off the trail right and hitting a large drainage cover dead hard. Not one but TWO pinch flats.
Within 10-15 minutes of stopping I began to get seriously cold. The gear that had kept me perfectly comfortable while riding was not doing the job once off the bike. I had a miserable walk to Falls Church rather than spend 30 mins or so fixing the two flats. Don’t underestimate the dangers of sub 30s temps if you are forced to stop riding and have no shelter avaliable.

[APKhaos]

@rcannon100 102534 wrote:

Soooooo….. anyone know any more on the cops at HP? I have heard they were being dinguses bc the cyclist had a beer in the bottle cage?

They were ticketing for failing to come to a complete stop at the stop sign. Saw that happen. Didn’t hear about the beery bidon though. Wish I’d thought to suggest they book guys for speeding. At least that would be a badge of honor…or something.

[APKhaos]

IN for my second HP100. Great event!

[APKhaos]

@MFC 92908 wrote:

The hub is pretty solid, which brings me back to the original question – is drug store mineral oil the same as the bike store stuff? I’m guessing not.

LQ5 is a good weatherised and filtered mineral oil that works perfectly on the Mavic freewheel hub.
https://liquifix.com/store/lq5-angler-grade-lubricant/
McLean Hardware has it in stock – 4oz bottle for $5.00, but you are welcome to use mine for the few drops it takes to lube the pawls. I’m in McLean.

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