Bike Questions

[Virtus3]

I've got a few questions for the bike gurus here. I used to regularly ride trails and single track in my pre-kid days. I have a Gary Fisher HiFi Plus 29er that is a little over 10 years old that I haven't used in several years. It needs a tune up but is in relatively good shape with no mechanical issues that I'm aware of. I bought it from the manager of a LBS (ironically right after he had kids ha) who had made several component upgrades to it but just didn't have time to ride often and he had several bikes.

I just picked up a used double bike trailer and would like to start riding with my kids (3 and 1). 95% plus of my riding will probably just be neighborhood and paved trails/roads which my bike is ill suited/overkill at best.

There are a few relatively close trails (mostly pretty flat and not technical) that I would still like the ability to go on in the future. I can't decide if I should just keep my current bike or try to sale/trade it in and get something a little more basic. Not even sure on what it's currently worth but I would guess $5-600 at most.

If I keep it I would need to make some changes to make it a little more user friendly for current needs? Would ditch clipless pedals for flats. I would like to get the handlebars less aggressive for a more upright posture. Maybe less aggressive tires. Is a kickstand possible?

If I go with something different can anyone recommend any specific brands/models or features I should go for? From a quick look my initial thought is something along the lines of a Trek Dual Sport 1/2 or Marlin 4/5. Thinking hard tail but unsure of 27.5 vs 29, etc?

Also, DW will probably need a new bike soon as well; her current is a rusty old beach cruiser ha. She has no desire to do any trail riding, maybe the occasional dirt road but probably doesn't need even a front suspension. She's also the least gear snobby person I know so will probably just want to find something inexpensive on Craigslist/FB marketplace but any recommendations for her would be appreciated as well.

Thanks!

[FLBiker]

For many years, my only bike has been a hard tail Gary Fisher Mako.  I prefer MTBs to road bikes, even for tooling around town, because I sometimes need to veer off road and I seem to ride "heavy".  I'm 6'1", 190lbs, but I've broken multiple plastic pedals off my bike (now only ride with metal) and even broken a crank arm.  I don't know what my problem is, but feel like I'd just wreck a road bike.

Anyways, I find a hard tail aluminum MTB to be a good cruiser.  I have a dual kickstand that I find works well with a trailer -- it's nice to have the bike really stable.  Even with that, it has definitely fallen a few times as my kiddo was getting in / out.  Once, it broke the ball off my trailer hitch, but that was an easy and relatively cheap (maybe $20) fix.  And I like the idea of switching out the clipless pedals as well, but I've never actually had clipless pedals so I can't really speak to that.

Here's the kickstand I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LNLXML4/

[GuitarStv]

I'm not personally a fan of kickstands . . . they're just added weight on a bike, and I've found that 99.9% of the time it's easy to find something to lean your bike against if you need to stand it up.  That said, I've found that the kind of kickstand where they attach at the back of the chainstay like this tend to be much more stable than the regular ones that attach next to the cranks.:


As far as bikes go, any bike you're comfortable on is fine for riding while pulling a trailer.  I've pulled my son in a trailer using mountain bikes, road bikes, touring bikes, and hybrids.  If you're happy with your bike, there's no need to change it (and if you do you won't get any money for any of those component upgrades on the used market).  You can pretty easily swap out the stem for a riser stem (or the bars with riser bars - bars are more effort though because you've got to change all the shifters/grips over) if you want a more upright position.

If you're not very comfortable using clipless, it's probably a good idea to swap them out for flats.  I'd suggest you get studded flats like they use on downhill bikes.  Something that looks like this:

The studs keep your feet from sliding off in mud/wet, so are much safer than regular crappy plastic pedals . . . but you can always lift your foot up and off if you get into trouble (rather than clips where you fall over when you try that).

My advice for your wife would be to look for a basic hybrid bike.  Flat bars, no crappy low end suspension to add weight without comfort, reasonably light.  Any of the big manufacturers should makes something in her size - you just need to figure out what that is.  Giant Escape, Specialized Vado or Sirrus, Trek FX, Cannondale Quick, etc.  Just wait until something in the right size pops up on craigslist.

FWIW, I much prefer road bikes to mountain/hybrid but it sounds like that's not your jam.  :P

[fell-like-rain]

If you're going to be riding 95% on pavement, I would generally recommend a hybrid, no suspension, 700 x 32 tires with a bit of tread. That'll give you a lot less rolling resistance for your everyday riding, and will work fine for the occasional gentle trail ride. When I lived out in the sticks, that was my loadout (well, it was a steel tourer, not a hybrid), and it did well on pretty sketchy gravel/dirt roads.

Given that you already have this bike, well... you could lock out the suspension and change the tires, and it would work fine, but if there's a lot of other changes you'd want to make (pedals, handlebars, etc.) then you're probably better off just selling it and getting a bike built for your current purpose.

[Virtus3]

Found the link to my current bike - it's a 2009 and HiFi Deluxe not Plus: https://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/2009/fisher/hifi_deluxe_29#/us/en/2009/fisher/hifi_deluxe_29/details

I'm leaning towards keeping it and just changing the pedals and maybe tires. I think just changing the stem will give me a more comfortable riding position. The kick stand seems more of a necessity with using the trailer otherwise I wouldn't bother with it.

I'll plan to take it by the LBS this weekend and see what my options are.

[Virtus3]

I'm not personally a fan of kickstands . . . they're just added weight on a bike, and I've found that 99.9% of the time it's easy to find something to lean your bike against if you need to stand it up.  That said, I've found that the kind of kickstand where they attach at the back of the chainstay like this tend to be much more stable than the regular ones that attach next to the cranks.:


If you're not very comfortable using clipless, it's probably a good idea to swap them out for flats.  I'd suggest you get studded flats like they use on downhill bikes.  Something that looks like this:

The studs keep your feet from sliding off in mud/wet, so are much safer than regular crappy plastic pedals . . . but you can always lift your foot up and off if you get into trouble (rather than clips where you fall over when you try that).

I'll grab one of those kickstands. For pedals what are your thoughts on the nylon composite vs aluminum?

[GuitarStv]

I'm not personally a fan of kickstands . . . they're just added weight on a bike, and I've found that 99.9% of the time it's easy to find something to lean your bike against if you need to stand it up.  That said, I've found that the kind of kickstand where they attach at the back of the chainstay like this tend to be much more stable than the regular ones that attach next to the cranks.:


If you're not very comfortable using clipless, it's probably a good idea to swap them out for flats.  I'd suggest you get studded flats like they use on downhill bikes.  Something that looks like this:

The studs keep your feet from sliding off in mud/wet, so are much safer than regular crappy plastic pedals . . . but you can always lift your foot up and off if you get into trouble (rather than clips where you fall over when you try that).

I'll grab one of those kickstands. For pedals what are your thoughts on the nylon composite vs aluminum?

As long as there are metal studs, I'd assume they're both the same.  I'd be concerned about composite studs wearing out/breaking and then leaving you with a slippery pedals.

[Hibernaculum]

I think you're on the right track keeping your current bike. I pulled my two kids around for several years in a Burley with an old mountain bike (from 1985!) that I fancified a bit, and it worked great.

I switched from clipless pedals to flat pedals a number of years ago and really think that's the way to go. Any shoe, any time. Just get pedals that have the metal studs. Changing out the tires could be a good thing, too. If you're 95% on the road, you could do something like the Panaracer Pasela 26 x 1.5" or 1.75". Smooth-ish file tread, no knobs, reasonably inexpensive. I've got Compass Natchez Pass 26 x 1.75" tires on my old converted mountain bike and they're super nice- but they're quite pricey at around $75/each.

Or you could go for one of the types of tires that have knobs on the edge and are smoother in the middle.

As far as getting the bars up, new bars can be cheap, stems can be cheap, but if you raise the bars enough to need to re-cable the brakes and shifters, that gets you into a whole 'nother realm of expensive. Your least expensive option is to see how much slack you have in your current cables and get a higher-rise threadless stem that gets you  just that much more rise.

I didn't use a kickstand. The Burley trailer I used had a mount that would still allow you to lay the bike down all the way when the trailer was attached. If your bike is already on the ground, it can't fall onto an inquisitive toddler.

And, just a side note- I found that hoofing the kids around in a trailer is great! The kids love the feeling, it is easy to carry any other stuff you might need to take, and it's a wonderful workout, especially on hills! It's fun, too, when the kids fall asleep in the trailer.

[Virtus3]

I think you're on the right track keeping your current bike. I pulled my two kids around for several years in a Burley with an old mountain bike (from 1985!) that I fancified a bit, and it worked great.

I switched from clipless pedals to flat pedals a number of years ago and really think that's the way to go. Any shoe, any time. Just get pedals that have the metal studs. Changing out the tires could be a good thing, too. If you're 95% on the road, you could do something like the Panaracer Pasela 26 x 1.5" or 1.75". Smooth-ish file tread, no knobs, reasonably inexpensive. I've got Compass Natchez Pass 26 x 1.75" tires on my old converted mountain bike and they're super nice- but they're quite pricey at around $75/each.

Or you could go for one of the types of tires that have knobs on the edge and are smoother in the middle.

As far as getting the bars up, new bars can be cheap, stems can be cheap, but if you raise the bars enough to need to re-cable the brakes and shifters, that gets you into a whole 'nother realm of expensive. Your least expensive option is to see how much slack you have in your current cables and get a higher-rise threadless stem that gets you  just that much more rise.

I didn't use a kickstand. The Burley trailer I used had a mount that would still allow you to lay the bike down all the way when the trailer was attached. If your bike is already on the ground, it can't fall onto an inquisitive toddler.

And, just a side note- I found that hoofing the kids around in a trailer is great! The kids love the feeling, it is easy to carry any other stuff you might need to take, and it's a wonderful workout, especially on hills! It's fun, too, when the kids fall asleep in the trailer.

Thanks for the response. Once I really started thinking about (or stopped over thinking it) keeping the current bike just made more sense. I won't need to re-cable anything as I've got some slack and I'm not looking to make a drastic change; just a shorter stem and/or with more rise should solve the issue.

I've ordered some flat pedals with metal studs and an inexpensive kick stand to try out.

For tires are the Compass' you own the same as Rene Herse? My bike is a 29er so the Natchez Pass or similar aren't available but they've got the Fleecer Ridge in a 29x2.2 that looks like what I had in mind. I've also seen the Continental Cross Kings recommended. Both are designed where the center tread reduces rolling resistance but outer has more grip for varied terrain. I was probably overdue for new tires anyways so it makes sense; if it's going to be a significant difference I wouldn't mind paying up to $75 or so per tire.

[Virtus3]

New pedals came in today. Holy hell how tight are those things, I can't get my other ones loosened.... I'm running by the LBS tomorrow morning to get a tune up and hopefully new tires installed and I guess I could ask them but it would be a little embarrassing ha.

Also, what is everyone's thoughts on tube vs tubeless?

[GuitarStv]

New pedals came in today. Holy hell how tight are those things, I can't get my other ones loosened.... I'm running by the LBS tomorrow morning to get a tune up and hopefully new tires installed and I guess I could ask them but it would be a little embarrassing ha.

Also, what is everyone's thoughts on tube vs tubeless?

Pedals (especially if they weren't properly greased before installing them) can corrode into place and require some persuasion to remove.  It's worth hitting them with a little WD40 around the threads on both sides first and letting that sit for a while before starting.

Also - be aware that the left pedal on a bike is reverse threaded!  I was cranking the crap out of my pedals the first time changing them because I failed to realize this.  Make sure that you hand tighten the new pedals on and that you remember the reverse threading - it's possible to cross thread (and pretty much ruin) a set of cranks while changing pedals if you're ham-fisted about it.



I've been riding tubes my whole life, and only have a little experience with tubeless.  The benefits to tubeless are that it's pretty unlikely you'll ever flat out as the sealant will fix little holes as you're rolling along.  This means that you don't have to carry a spare tube or tire with you (you should carry a pump with you though, as you can lose pressure before the sealant covers the puncture).  I think rolling resistance is supposed to be better with tubeless too.  They're annoying and messy to mount on a bike though, and you need to keep adding sealant every year as it does go bad.  You need rims that are tubeless compatible, although that's getting pretty common these days.

Tubes will flat more often (I think average a flat every 5-10,000 km on my road bike with cheap, lightweight tires) but are easy to replace.  You need to carry a spare tube and pump with you all the time with tubes so you don't get stranded.

[FLBiker]

I've been riding tubes my whole life, and only have a little experience with tubeless.  The benefits to tubeless are that it's pretty unlikely you'll ever flat out as the sealant will fix little holes as you're rolling along.  This means that you don't have to carry a spare tube or tire with you (you should carry a pump with you though, as you can lose pressure before the sealant covers the puncture).  I think rolling resistance is supposed to be better with tubeless too.  They're annoying and messy to mount on a bike though, and you need to keep adding sealant every year as it does go bad.  You need rims that are tubeless compatible, although that's getting pretty common these days.

Thanks for this!  I'd always been curious about tubeless, and this has encouraged me to keep using tubes.  I like those Mr. Tuffy liners to reduce punctures as well.

[GuitarStv]

I've been riding tubes my whole life, and only have a little experience with tubeless.  The benefits to tubeless are that it's pretty unlikely you'll ever flat out as the sealant will fix little holes as you're rolling along.  This means that you don't have to carry a spare tube or tire with you (you should carry a pump with you though, as you can lose pressure before the sealant covers the puncture).  I think rolling resistance is supposed to be better with tubeless too.  They're annoying and messy to mount on a bike though, and you need to keep adding sealant every year as it does go bad.  You need rims that are tubeless compatible, although that's getting pretty common these days.

Thanks for this!  I'd always been curious about tubeless, and this has encouraged me to keep using tubes.  I like those Mr. Tuffy liners to reduce punctures as well.

Probably important to note - tubeless also lets you run lower pressures as you don't have to worry about pinching the tube due to underinflation.  If you're doing a lot of off-road stuff this means you have to option of extremely low pressures and better traction.  That's a lot less important on the road.

[Poor Rod]

Tubeless v tubes really depends on the area where you ride. Here in the desert southwest, just about everything will give you a flat, from goathead stickers on the road, and cactus and sharp rocks on the singletrack. Tubeless really changed the riding here, and for the better. Flats just don't happen very much.

That being said, there is a bit of a learning curve to converting to tubeless, but if you can work on a bike, you will pick it up quickly. BTW, the Bontrager rims you have are probably like the Bontrager wheels on my Trek, and Trek makes a plastic rim strip that makes converting these wheels to tubeless pretty easy.

[FINate]

You can put the sealant used in tubeless tires in a tube. It adds a little weight/angular momentum, but it seals small punctures and eliminated flats for me while biking around town. Just be aware, if you ever remove or change the tube you need to carefully inspect the inside of the tire for nails/staples/whatever before reassembly.

[Virtus3]

Can anyone recommend a good value saddle and grips? For saddle I'd be looking for something flat, with medium or better padding, and probably 140+mm width; I'm a little over 6'1" and 220lbs.

Bike is riding pretty good after getting it back; flipping the stem so it's 7 degrees up instead of down got me the more relaxed riding position I was after. It's a little comical how long my stem is compared to bikes with modern geometry. Saddle is killing my arse though. It's amazing how sticky the flat peddles with the metal pins are; I like it a lot more than my old clipless pedals.

Would there be any benefit to upgrading the 3x9 drivetrain to a 1x10 or 11?

[GuitarStv]

Everyone's ass is different, and I would always recommend that you try out a saddle in person (and ideally for several hours to really know if it's working).


I'm 6', about 195 lbs, and go on 100 - 160 km road rides every weekend in the summer.  I really, really like the Specialized Power saddle range.  (Currently using a Power Arc, but also liked the regular power saddle.)  They're flat, wide saddles with a big cutout in the middle.  Support is exactly where you would want it.  Only thing that could throw you off is they're not very long, so you have less room to slide forwards/backwards - but I find the sweet spot so much better than most saddles that I don't miss it.  Because of the positioning and size of the cutout it works really well at preventing numb nuts if you spend a lot of time low in the drops.

The benefit of a 1x system is that you don't have to think about crosschaining - instead you're always at a bad chain angle!  :P  They should be a few grams lighter, and a little more aerodynamic without that front derailleur on your bike.  If you ride in a lot of very bumpy/muddy terrain they'll reduce the chance of your chain coming off.  I don't know how component wear compares to a regular 2x or 3x system, but I'd expect it to be slightly higher.

A 2x or 3x system gives more gear choices, which should result in smaller jumps between gears.  This can be handy if you're trying to maintain a particular cadence during a long ride.  They require slightly more maintenance (one extra cable and derailleur), weight a few more grams.  They also tend to be cheaper to find replacement parts for.

[jac941]

Can anyone recommend a good value saddle and grips? For saddle I'd be looking for something flat, with medium or better padding, and probably 140+mm width; I'm a little over 6'1" and 220lbs.

Bike is riding pretty good after getting it back; flipping the stem so it's 7 degrees up instead of down got me the more relaxed riding position I was after. It's a little comical how long my stem is compared to bikes with modern geometry. Saddle is killing my arse though. It's amazing how sticky the flat peddles with the metal pins are; I like it a lot more than my old clipless pedals.

Would there be any benefit to upgrading the 3x9 drivetrain to a 1x10 or 11?

For the saddle, I like Selle Royal and have known many people happy with them. They’re sold by gender and type of bike fit which makes shopping easier.

For grips I love the Ergon GC1 or GP1 depending on your bars.

Regarding the drivetrain, changing from a 3x to a 1x is an expensive upgrade, so probably not worth it. That said, my new bike is 1x12 and I won’t go back to a front derailleur.

[Virtus3]

For the saddle, I like Selle Royal and have known many people happy with them. They’re sold by gender and type of bike fit which makes shopping easier.

For grips I love the Ergon GC1 or GP1 depending on your bars.

Regarding the drivetrain, changing from a 3x to a 1x is an expensive upgrade, so probably not worth it. That said, my new bike is 1x12 and I won’t go back to a front derailleur.

Thanks. Part of the reason I was thinking about making the change is I'll be due to replace the chain and cassette before too long anyways. My front derailleur is a little finicky to begin with and I never use the 42T chainring.

From researching a little more it seems that MicroShift makes a budget friendly 1x10 Advent X drivetrain that's highly regarded. Would cost about $250 to make the full switch but that includes:

- Shifter
- Derailleur
- 11-48T cassette
- new 32T NW chainring
- cable
- additional tools I would need (crank puller, chain whip, and cassette wrench)

[Hibernaculum]

You've probably already gotten new tires, but just for info in that case...Compass tires are now called Rene Herse tires. Same tires, different name. Each different size and model of tire comes with a unique name, which can be confusing. They also almost all come in different casing configurations- standard, extra light, endurance, endurance plus. I've used the standard and the extra light, and I like the standard a lot.

Re the Advent X stuff... I've heard good things about it, too. At $250, the price seems decent for what you get, too. However, in your situation, there are at least three things you could do. One would be to spring for the Advent X parts with a new chain and the required tools. Another way to go would be to just replace the chain and cassette. Assuming your current bike is nine-speed, you're looking at around $35 for a Sram PG950 11-34, or $20-something for a lower-end Shimano, or, if your derailer will do it (it probably won't) $35 for the Microshift 9-speed in 11-42. Plus $20 or so for a chain.

And then the third way you might approach it would be to just get the Advent X rear derailer, cassette, and shifter, plus a compatible chain. You could use your existing crank, remove the front shifter and just use the limit screws to align the front derailer properly on the middle ring.

I'd be inclined just to replace the cassette and chain only. I like the cheap stuff, especially chains, because then you aren't so reluctant to replace them regularly, which then helps your expensive stuff like chainrings last a long time.

[jac941]

I don’t have experience with the Advent stuff so can’t really comment.

My last commuter bike I ran with 2 chainrings, no front derailer - sometimes referred to as a dingle speed. This was a cheap and effective solution. I got a nice wide gear range and would just manually move the chain to the appropriate front chainring for my day of riding - the small one on hill climbing or trailer pulling days and the big one the rest of the time. I didn’t do anything special for the chain line and it was fine. I could run across the whole cassette in either chainring. People told me chain drop would be a problem with this setup, but it rarely happened. In any event, this might be a decent interim solution for you.

I love the Rene Herse tires. I’m running their 650b x 48 now. Like @Hibernaculum I prefer the standard over the extralight casings. The extralight are a little more cush, but definitely flat more easily. The standard are almost as good (the difference is almost imperceptible), but they wear a little longer and don’t flat easily.

[mizzourah2006]

Found the link to my current bike - it's a 2009 and HiFi Deluxe not Plus: https://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/2009/fisher/hifi_deluxe_29#/us/en/2009/fisher/hifi_deluxe_29/details

I'm leaning towards keeping it and just changing the pedals and maybe tires. I think just changing the stem will give me a more comfortable riding position. The kick stand seems more of a necessity with using the trailer otherwise I wouldn't bother with it.

I'll plan to take it by the LBS this weekend and see what my options are.

Do you have fork and shock lockout? If so, it'd be fine, if not I don't know if I'd want to ride a FS around town.

RE: Tubed vs. Tubeless:

If you aren't doing hardcore riding on sharp/rocky terrain I'd stick with tubed. I road tubed for almost 2 years on some pretty technical and rocky terrain, even stuff that many people specifically said shreds tires and tubes and never had a flat. If you aren't riding blue/black diamond trails I'd say tubes are the better bet.

[Virtus3]

Do you have fork and shock lockout? If so, it'd be fine, if not I don't know if I'd want to ride a FS around town.

RE: Tubed vs. Tubeless:

If you aren't doing hardcore riding on sharp/rocky terrain I'd stick with tubed. I road tubed for almost 2 years on some pretty technical and rocky terrain, even stuff that many people specifically said shreds tires and tubes and never had a flat. If you aren't riding blue/black diamond trails I'd say tubes are the better bet.

I don't have lockouts and already not a huge fan of pulling the trailer with full suspension ha. I think instead of trying to make my Gary Fisher something it's not I'll leave it as is and look for a used hybrid bike for non-trail use.

[mizzourah2006]

Do you have fork and shock lockout? If so, it'd be fine, if not I don't know if I'd want to ride a FS around town.

RE: Tubed vs. Tubeless:

If you aren't doing hardcore riding on sharp/rocky terrain I'd stick with tubed. I road tubed for almost 2 years on some pretty technical and rocky terrain, even stuff that many people specifically said shreds tires and tubes and never had a flat. If you aren't riding blue/black diamond trails I'd say tubes are the better bet.

I don't have lockouts and already not a huge fan of pulling the trailer with full suspension ha. I think instead of trying to make my Gary Fisher something it's not I'll leave it as is and look for a used hybrid bike for non-trail use.

Yeah a full squish without lockout is not fun to ride around town. Another option (assuming they are air shocks/forks) is to go to near max psi on both, which would create a type of defacto lockout type feel. But I think your thoughts on getting a hybrid and just keeping it for single track is probably the better bet.

Another option is to sell it, get your hybrid for a few years and then in a few years if you get back into single track to buy a new bike with a more modern geo.

[Virtus3]

Another option is to sell it, get your hybrid for a few years and then in a few years if you get back into single track to buy a new bike with a more modern geo.

I am debating selling it as I haven't done any consistent trail riding in years since my old riding partner moved away and haven't been on a bike at all until recently in the 3.5 years we've had kids.

It would only be worth $300 as a trade-in at my LBS but they said I may be able to get $6-700 privately if I find the right buyer. Any less than that and it really isn't worth it to me as it is fully functional and the fork and shock can still be serviced; I'm not a good enough rider to really worry about the outdated geo ha.

I'm hoping I may be able to find something decent used but our local market is pretty dry; only thing I've seen so far is low-end department store junk or high-end road and mountain bikes. I may end up biting the bullet and getting a new Trek FX 2 or Giant Escape 2 for around $700 from my LBS.

Once I find something I'll probably list my Gary Fisher for $650 or 700 firm and if it sells it sells and if not I'll keep it.

[Virtus3]

I picked up a Trek FX 2 today; it is going to serve my purposes much better for the next few years.

[GuitarStv]

I picked up a Trek FX 2 today; it is going to serve my purposes much better for the next few years.

Nice!  I think that will be perfect for what you want.

[Virtus3]

I picked up a Trek FX 2 today; it is going to serve my purposes much better for the next few years.

Nice!  I think that will be perfect for what you want.

I definitely think so. Even with the more relaxed geometry and 700x35 tires compared to a true road bike it still feels like a race car compared to the heavy, full-squish mountain bike with knobby tires ha.

[mizzourah2006]

That'll be perfect. I have a Diamondback Haanjo 5 that I picked up for about $1200 right before everything went crazy for bikes. Pretty similar geo and it's perfect for the greenways.