Popular Post MickinMD ★ Posted January 23, 2021 Popular Post Share #1 Posted January 23, 2021 I went to the bike shop today with my Honda Fit's rear "magic seats" raised so I could stand up a Trek FX 3 behind the front seats and drive it home. Instead, I ended up ordering a Trek Verve 3 Disc Lowstep for almost the same price - I'll get it around March 29th. Thanks everyone who gave recs. on Trek bikes when I asked and those who warned about bikes being hard to get - if I had waited until Spring I might not get the bike I wanted until Fall. When I got to the bike shop, I pointed out I'm 70, there's not as much stretch in my legs as there used to be, and the XL frame recommended when I was there yesterday might be a little much. The seat on the XL-frame FX 3 looked like climbing Mt. Everest. How about me trying out a large? Also, I like to have a foot planted flat on the ground when I carefully swing the other leg over the toptube and work my butt into the saddle. So we took some bikes out to the big parking lot out front and I rode some bikes around - enough that my sore calves from walking Jake got a little sore (healthy sore!) again, got on & got off, stopped, got on, shifted gears, etc. In the end I really liked one of the "lowstep" bikes (look like what used to be called a "girl's bike") - with a toptube so low you can easily step across the bike. It rides with the torso more upright than the FX 3 and I really liked that, too. It's a Trek and has the exact same components as the FX 3: the Trek Verve 3 Disc Lowstep. I rode a medium frame around and that was big enough to get a good feel for it - I ordered a large frame. It's 31 lbs vs 26 lbs for the FX3 and has slightly wider tires (and the presta valves I prefer on the tubes) that alllegedly give a more comfortable tide. The only problem was that, unlike the FX 3, this bike was not in stock in a large frame. The bike shop will get only ONE with a large frame on March 29th. I preferred the silver color and fortunately that's whats coming. So I put a $100 deposit on it and will get it in March or, "sometimes they're a week early or late. I didn't expect to do much cycling before April anyway, so this gives me time to order my Garmin Edge 530 and mount with heartstrap and cadence sensor, the soft saddle I want, the "Mirricycle" rear view mirror and other stuff. It has ergonomic grips that you can rest your palm against - my fingers got numb after a few miles on my mountainblike's round grips until I got the similar Ergon GP-1 Grips for them so this is a big deal for me. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted January 23, 2021 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2021 congrats. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted January 23, 2021 Share #3 Posted January 23, 2021 Excellent choice Mickin! Did your shop show you how the handlebar stem pivots to bring the bars closer or further away based on your preference? With a 6 mm Allen wrench you can change that whenever you want. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted January 23, 2021 Share #4 Posted January 23, 2021 I wish you many happy miles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted January 23, 2021 Share #5 Posted January 23, 2021 They’re not referred to as women’s specific anymore. Low step is the term for anyone with limited flexibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Share #6 Posted January 24, 2021 Step through as opposed to step over..ditch the girl/boy line....Congrats on the new bike! As a side I once ripped into a guy who was talking about this beautiful hand built bike by some reputable builder..when he went on to bemoan the fact that it was a women's frame. I said who the F are you to judge..if she can afford the beautiful hand built bike..she deserves it...don't complain that it would have been better as a "mens" frame... 2 people backed the heck away from that interaction ASAP..that guy is still hesitant to converse with me... It ain't about gender..it's about the bike that works for you! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Share #7 Posted January 24, 2021 Now just don’t start using the girls restroom when you make a rest stop. It’s a slippery slope. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Share #8 Posted January 24, 2021 My WSD frame is a step over. I guess the girls can do anything these days. <runs> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Share #9 Posted January 24, 2021 6 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Now just don’t start using the girls restroom when you make a rest stop. It’s a slippery slope. Don't judge me! I do what I want. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share #10 Posted January 24, 2021 17 hours ago, Old No. 7 said: Excellent choice Mickin! Did your shop show you how the handlebar stem pivots to bring the bars closer or further away based on your preference? With a 6 mm Allen wrench you can change that whenever you want. Yes! I really liked that! You can move the handlebar closer or farther away and change it's angle, too. I know this is an entry-level bike, but a lot of things are way beyond what could do with my $300 mountain bike. I'm going to have a lot of fun with it when it arrives Mar. 29 plus/min a week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Share #11 Posted January 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, MickinMD said: I'm going to have a lot of fun with it when it arrives Mar. 29 plus/min a week. It will work well too if you ever decide to wear a kilt when you ride. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted January 24, 2021 It turns out all my bicycle accessories were gone with my bike in the house fire. I just spent $723 on various stuff. Being a data nut - and also wanting a close check on my health - $414 of it was on a Garmin Edge 530 with mount, heart strap/monitor and cadence counter. I previously had an Edge 510. I love stuff like the "virtual partner" feature so I can compare my current ride time with a previous one on the same trail. I got a rearview "Mirricycle bar end mirror" that fits Trek Bontrager Isozone handlebars - with some road bikes zooming past me one trails, I loved the mountain bike version I had previously, a small air pump, a helmet, a couple pairs of padded bike shorts, another tool bag in which to put a Topeak Alien II Multi Tool, Pedro's Tire Levers, etc. I'll be some of what I'm spending back from State Farm, but I'm getting some better stuff than before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share #13 Posted January 24, 2021 17 hours ago, Old No. 7 said: They’re not referred to as women’s specific anymore. Low step is the term for anyone with limited flexibility. True. My sister's one-step-above-Walmart bike is a lowstep and they called it a "unisex" bike when her husband was thinking of one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share #14 Posted January 24, 2021 17 hours ago, petitepedal said: Step through as opposed to step over..ditch the girl/boy line....Congrats on the new bike! As a side I once ripped into a guy who was talking about this beautiful hand built bike by some reputable builder..when he went on to bemoan the fact that it was a women's frame. I said who the F are you to judge..if she can afford the beautiful hand built bike..she deserves it...don't complain that it would have been better as a "mens" frame... 2 people backed the heck away from that interaction ASAP..that guy is still hesitant to converse with me... It ain't about gender..it's about the bike that works for you! Damn right! I remember when Deng took over as China's leader after Mao, moved away from strict Communism, and said about introducing some Capitalism: "I don't care if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mouse." When I was in China in 2001, all the Chinese I talked to virtually worshiped the then-deceased Deng for greatly improving their standard of living. I'm pretty much the same. I don't care what position the bike's tubes take: I want the one that works best for me! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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