[Dubgurl]

A friend of mine sold me his Specalized something or other (he told me the name but I forget) that he's had for like 5 years and was upgrading. And MY GOD! road bikes are so fast it's scary. I tooled around the neighborhood for like 20 minutes on it and I'm pretty sure if the cops came by they'd bust me for speeding It does feel like a bit of a stretch to the handlebars but I guess I can just get a shorter stem if it seems like too big of an issue (the stem is that little bar that connects them to the frame right?) But all in all for under $250 I'm pretty happy with what I've got.

[photosbymark]

You do know the saddle has a fore and aft adjustment don't you Dubgurl?? When I was a kid, I learned to ride on a bike that had a banana seat so it that wasn't much of an issue with those. If you move it forward, make sure you do not move it far enough forward that your knees are in front of the pedal when the pedals are at 3 and 9. That can cause knee problems. IF its not that much you may have enough adjustment in the saddle to make it more comfortable.

Road bikes are fun, but they take a bit of getting used to if you haven't ridden one. Some are more stable than others so it may seem real twitchy at first. Yet that makes for a more maneuverable bike. Like most things in life, there are no free lunches in cycling.

[Dubgurl]

I did not know the seat moved! Haha. This is good information to know

[photosbymark]

Lots of folks don't, and unless you look really close a new rider will not likely see the adjustment. If you really want to have some fun, pick up a cycle computer that will tell you how fast you are going. Then at least you know for sure when the cops are about to pull you over for speeding. :-)

[Industry_Hack]

Adjusting the fore/aft on your seat should only be used to get you in the correct position over the pedals, and not for changing the reach to the handlebars.

How flexible are you? There is a big difference between the bars being too far away, and not being flexible enough to get into proper position. If you lack flexibility, get an adjustable stem that you can progressively lower.

[Dubgurl]

Well then I'll try moving the seat back to the original position. I did my first real ride yesterday. I was fairly comfortable but I woke up this morning with a wicked sore lower back. It's in the muscles so I'm guessing I"m just weak. The other thing I discovered is I need a pair of those padded shorts. lol.

[Shocks_Pegs_LUCKY]

Originally Posted by Dubgurl

Well then I'll try moving the seat back to the original position. I did my first real ride yesterday. I was fairly comfortable but I woke up this morning with a wicked sore lower back. It's in the muscles so I'm guessing I"m just weak. The other thing I discovered is I need a pair of those padded shorts. lol.

They're pretty handy. Make sure you don't get ones where the stitching creates a 'shelf' on the inside of the shorts. You will know when you try them on. It's itchy and will chaff your skin where your leg meets cheek. Very irritating.

[zero3one]

Yes, diffinately fork out for a good pair of padded shorts. Do some stretching for your lower back but diffinately get your position checked out.

[sikabk]

I went on my first ride on my bike 3 weeks ago, it was a 20 miler, by the next weekends ride I had a bib with nice padding. Make sure you have a good pair of gloves too!

[mom_of_3_ts]

I found out the seat moved front and back by accident but it is a huge help in not being all crunched up riding. I felt like i was on top of the handle bars and then I realized I could put the seat back. at first it was to far and I felt like it was cutting me in half and I was falling off of it. then to close and feels like you are setting on the handle bars and when it's just right it's not to far of a reach and the seat is where it belongs on your hind side and you can gain seveal mph with no effort while riding if it is correct..