I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

[Dave Lehnert]

If the Fuji mountain bike is the correct frame size for you another option is to adapt it. We just made my wife's 25 year old Trek 870 mountain bike into a commuter bike. The straight handlebars were replaced with "comfort" bars, which mean they have upward bends. Changed the seat and added fenders. The knobby tires had long been gone replaced with a road type tread.

That's assuming the Fuji fits you. If it doesn't then you should start over.

I had done similar to my Mongoose mountain bike about 12 years ago. The kitty-litter bucket panniers I made carried a lot of groceries home. It was sold on Craigslist after my amputation. The buyer spotted the Tange tubing sticker in one of the pictures and knew it wasn't one of the department store models. He drove right over to get it. I hated to lose the bike but at least it went to someone who wasn't going to leave it behind a garage to rust.

-Tom

Now there is an idea I never thought of.
I just did a quick look on Youtube and that may be the way to go.

Again, I do plan to visit the local bike shop but who is the the Woodcraft or Rockler store of the bike world?

[andrew whicker]

I mtn bike a lot. I'm guessing if you want to sit up straight, you're going to want the hyrbid. Who knows though, test out the bikes and see what you like.

I suggest buying a mtn bike and getting your single track goodness on, but who am I?

Edit: BTW, per what I was told when I moved to Utah, the good stuff doesn't start until you spend $5,000 (which is true when you ride a lot, believe it or not).

Seriously though, for you, don't try to rule out ~$700 price range. You'll probably get better components that take more abuse and require less tuning, easier to use, etc.

[Matt Day]

Andrew, you can get a heck of a mountain bike for less than $2k. The cost/benefit curve greatly flattens out after that. I lived in SLC for a year, but Utah is far less punishing on a bike than Virginia/West Virginia. Took some great trips to Moab while there, my favorite ride being The Whole Enchillada.

[Dave Lehnert]

Here is a pic of the bike I have now. IMG_20180402_195729.jpg

[Matt Day]

Dave, that is not a higher end bike by the way, but it isn’t a Walmart bike either. Probabaly cost $300 new or so.

I’d bring it to the LBS and tell them what you don’t like about it and ask them for suggestions. Likely they’ll say to swap the tires for more of a road tire and add a riser/comfort handlebar to give you a more upright position. Likely a tuneup as well, which would be done while swapping over the breaks and shifters.

But the biggest question is whether the frame fits you, and they can tell you that. If the frame is too big or too small, they may suggest a new bike.

[Al Launier]

Dave, that's a good looking bike you have and if you took up Matt's suggestion you would probably come up with the best solution for you.

By the way, I have a matched pair of white Raleigh Sprites (?) that I bought for my wife & me back in 1971 (?). We haven't used them for many years and I sometimes wonder what I should do with them: use as is, sell, upgrade, or what? My wife doesn't like the hills (I'm not much of a fan of them either- since we are septuagenarians) since she never really got to use the shifting effectively.

Finally, why is it that most bikes I see have no fenders? Going over puddles, sometime unavoidable, leaves a wet stripe up one's back. Not for me, my previous bikes all had fenders.

[Ted Calver]

....Finally, why is it that most bikes I see have no fenders? Going over puddles, sometime unavoidable, leaves a wet stripe up one's back. Not for me, my previous bikes all had fenders.

First thing I did when I bought my old (1988@$600??) Cannondale MB was add some fenders. Wife always asked where the heck I was riding because the stripe wouldn't wash out. Just looked at the Cannondale MB line up and see they range from $400 all the way up to almost 8k. I guess if you're going to break your neck going down a mountain you should do it in style.

[Matt Day]

For real mounting biking, Fenders reduce mud clearance and catch sticks and such, just another thing to go wrong. I’d take a muddy back any day over a fender.

That being said, I’m all for them on the road. Especially if you’re group riding. Nothing like a spray of dirty water in your face from the guy in front of you. Some groups in wet climates have a mandatory fender rule.

These are good ones.
https://www.performancebike.com/shop...enders-40-5081
The key is a solid mount in all directions so they don’t run the tire.

[Roger Nair]

Dave, before shopping for the bike, I would suggest a self assessment. In my case, I have at root an aggressive streak concerning sports activity. So I might start out as a guy just going out for improved fitness on a route. However, as I gain fitness, I would expand the miles and vary the routes and would avoid counting laps to extend the work out. With that in mind, I would ask for a bike that would be suited to local terrain. One other thing, think of the local bike shop as a community resource, perhaps as a way to meet and join group rides, again look for groups that fit your expectations.

[Matt McCormick]

Hey Dave I just looked on google for bike shops in you area, you have an REI there, good place for a new bike. Their service is very good. Also I looked up a couple of the higher rated small shops and Spun bikes looks good as they do bike restorations. Reser look good for a higher end place too. Also there is a performance bike shop there, they are the Woodcraft of bikes but you may end up with a wood river bike, and may be good or not.....

[Matt Meiser]

You might want to check out the Electra Townie series.

[Dave Lehnert]

You might want to check out the Electra Townie series.

Thanks, Kinda the style I was thinking about.

[Dave Lehnert]

Hey Dave I just looked on google for bike shops in you area, you have an REI there, good place for a new bike. Their service is very good. Also I looked up a couple of the higher rated small shops and Spun bikes looks good as they do bike restorations. Reser look good for a higher end place too. Also there is a performance bike shop there, they are the Woodcraft of bikes but you may end up with a wood river bike, and may be good or not.....

Thanks, I will have to check REI out. Never been there.
Here is a link the the bike shop I was talking about in the OP. Started in 1890.
http://www.bishopsbicycles.net/

[Dave Lehnert]

For real mounting biking, Fenders reduce mud clearance and catch sticks and such, just another thing to go wrong. I’d take a muddy back any day over a fender.

That being said, I’m all for them on the road. Especially if you’re group riding. Nothing like a spray of dirty water in your face from the guy in front of you. Some groups in wet climates have a mandatory fender rule.

These are good ones.
https://www.performancebike.com/shop...enders-40-5081
The key is a solid mount in all directions so they don’t run the tire.

Thanks for the link

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave, that is not a higher end bike by the way, but it isn’t a Walmart bike either. Probabaly cost $300 new or so.

I’d bring it to the LBS and tell them what you don’t like about it and ask them for suggestions. Likely they’ll say to swap the tires for more of a road tire and add a riser/comfort handlebar to give you a more upright position. Likely a tuneup as well, which would be done while swapping over the breaks and shifters.

But the biggest question is whether the frame fits you, and they can tell you that. If the frame is too big or too small, they may suggest a new bike.

The guy at the local bike shop said that Fuji makes a lot of bikes for give-a-ways so it hard to give an exact retail price. But looks like your right on the money at the $300 mark from what I can find.
Considering I have only had department store bikes before, this is a high end for me. But I see bikes costing $10 to $12K too. OUCH!