My "new-to-me" bike!

[jolobike]

I just have to share with someone who can share my excitement, besides my husband, how excited I am about my new bike! I found this beauty on Craigslist for $400. It's a 2002 Trek 520, used by it's one owner for about a year, then parked in the garage for the last 9-10 years. It's in almost new condition. I'll be taking it to my LBS for some fitting on Monday. I'm simply THRILLED!

[DaveB]

One important thing: have all the bearings (hubs, headset and bottom bracket unless it's a cartridge) cleaned and relubed before you ride it at all.  A bike that's been unused for over 10 years has a good probability that the grease has dried out and you will damage the bearings if ridden in that condition.

[jolobike]

Thanks Dave. I'll work on that today!

[FatCloud]

That's a steal! People have been jacking up the price on Trek 520's, people have been paying close to a grand on used ones, crazy!
Great deal! Enjoy that! Ride it far!

[jolobike]

Thanks FatCloud,  (BTW I'm dying to know the story behind that name)

I've replaced the saddle--the covering was lifting/peeling back.
I've removed/replaced the "clip" pedals, at least temporarily, until I'm used to the bike. A road bike is a big change for me from my old hybrid.
I've replaced the old 700x28 tires and tubes with Panaracer 700x32s that I'd bought intending to put them on my hybrid.

Tomorrow I go to the LBS for a fitting as I really want the handlebars adjusted a little higher. I've done one around the neighborhood ride and it feels great! Can't wait to take a real ride after the fitting!

I have noticed the high prices on used 520s.

"Ride it far!"... same to you!

[FatCloud]

Thanks FatCloud,  (BTW I'm dying to know the story behind that name)

I've replaced the saddle--the covering was lifting/peeling back.
I've removed/replaced the "clip" pedals, at least temporarily, until I'm used to the bike. A road bike is a big change for me from my old hybrid.
I've replaced the old 700x28 tires and tubes with Panaracer 700x32s that I'd bought intending to put them on my hybrid.

Tomorrow I go to the LBS for a fitting as I really want the handlebars adjusted a little higher. I've done one around the neighborhood ride and it feels great! Can't wait to take a real ride after the fitting!

I have noticed the high prices on used 520s.

"Ride it far!"... same to you!

My name is Pat Dowd, a friend called me Fat Cloud one night when we were drunk, that's all.

Avoid the clipless pedals! It's starting to seem that most cycle tourists are getting away from them for good reason! You don't get much added power, and besides cycle touring is about getting off the bike too! Why bother carrying around extra shoes or ice skating everywhere you go? Flat pedals for the win! (If you're doing road touring I like rat cages too)

[jolobike]

Pat, seems like many of the best nicknames come from those kind of experiences!

I like the flat pedals too. I'm not sure I'll switch back to the clips but I live in an area where there are awesome mountain rides so I just wonder if they'd help on those kind of day trips or weekend tours. The flat pedals I bought are nicer -- bigger surface area and more "grippy" -- than those on my hybrid so I think I'm really going to like them! We'll see...it's all part of this new adventure!

[mattschwartz01]

Score!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Old Guy New Hobby]

What a score! If I'm not mistaken that bike was made in the US of A. (New 520s are made in Asia.) I use pedals that are SPD clipless on one side, flat on the other. If I a want a quick trip to the store, there's no need to change shoes. Many SPD shoes have recessed cleats and are perfectly fine for walking.

[FatCloud]

What a score! If I'm not mistaken that bike was made in the US of A. (New 520s are made in Asia.) I use pedals that are SPD clipless on one side, flat on the other. If I a want a quick trip to the store, there's no need to change shoes. Many SPD shoes have recessed cleats and are perfectly fine for walking.

Would you wear your SPDs on days you are not riding the bike at all? How about having to replace those clips? Just seems like a huge  headache for little to no gain (a gain that toe clips give you).

Also Bay Area: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/3968411974.html
Looks beat up, but steel never dies!

[mattschwartz01]

I don't know how you figure that SPD pedals don't provide any useful gain.  They may not work for you but that doesn't make it globally applicable.  I happen to have larger feet that make standard toe clips very uncomfortable.  The SPD style pedal makes it easier on my feet, ankles, and legs - especially when I have to do a standing hill climb.  I think the SPD's really helped me love cycling.  Furthermore, the cycling shoes have a stiff soul so they make it even easier on your body.

On one hand, SPDs do cause some safety issues and you definitely have to get adept at using them.  What do fully-loaded touring cyclists typically do if they use them at all?  Do y'all keep a low tension so you can get out of them quickly to minimize the chance of a fall?  That would be my one and only concern: a fall with all of that additional weight.

[Pat Lamb]

Clipless or not is one of those things we each get to choose.  I think I've done the clipless tumble three times in a dozen years, all slow speed.  One of those was a broken crank, I don't know if I could have avoided that with platform pedals.  For what clipless gives me, that's a good trade-off.

The two big things clipless does for me: First, it keeps my feet on the pedals and lets me maintain a high cadence.  Nothing is worse than charging a hill, cranking away like made, when your foot slips off the pedal and down you go.  Doesn't happen with clipless, and the high cadence saves my knees when riding up ridges with a load.

Second, it lets me use stiff shoes and locates my food on the pedal where I want it.  After 25-30 miles in sneakers, my feet are talking to me, and they ain't happy!  Good clipless shoes distribute the pressure over a wider area, and while my feet may get tired, they don't get sore.

I typically carry a pair of Teva sandals when touring.  Great for showers in strange, dark venues.  Get out of the shower, put on some socks, go for a walk.  That's a half a pound (in my large size) I'm happy to carry.

BTW, the great thing about MTB clipless pedals is you don't go skating when you stop for lunch, a snack, shopping, etc.  I use Speedplay Frogs instead of SPDs, but they're similar aside from the clip.  I'd have to be on one of those century-a-day cross country supported rides before I'd consider road pedals on a bike tour.

[Old Guy New Hobby]

Would you wear your SPDs on days you are not riding the bike at all? How about having to replace those clips? Just seems like a huge  headache for little to no gain (a gain that toe clips give you).

Since you asked, I've been in a couple of situations where the most important factor in keeping myself upright was my ability to keep my feet on the pedals. That includes a very spectacular near-wipeout on a bike trail that suddenly turned muddy.

In normal riding, the clipless help me get my back foot up and out of the way, so I'm spending a little more energy moving the bike forward and a little less fighting the weight on my back foot. Is this just in my mind? Perhaps. Certainly the benefit in normal tour riding is small. But for me, whether rolling down hill on a curve or traversing a gravel road or riding in heavy rain where everything seems to get slippery, it's the added stability and certainty of my foot's "lock" on the pedals that makes clipless excel for me.

It's not for everybody. If you like toe clips better, then go for it. It's good to have choices. It's great to be on the bike.

[RussSeaton]

Would you wear your SPDs on days you are not riding the bike at all? How about having to replace those clips?

I wear my SPD cycling sandals as my only shoes when on tour.  In addition to flip flops for the shower.  Cycling sandals work great for walking around town or the campgrounds.  They are super comfortable on and off the bike.  Replacing the clips?  Do you mean replacing the SPD metal cleats on the bottom of the sandals?  SPD cleats never ever need replacing.  They are steel.  They are recessed into the sole of the shoe so see little wear on pavement.  When you are clipped in to the pedal you are not wearing the cleat on the pedal mechanism.  SPD cleats last forever.

[FatCloud]

Would you wear your SPDs on days you are not riding the bike at all? How about having to replace those clips?

I wear my SPD cycling sandals as my only shoes when on tour.  In addition to flip flops for the shower.  Cycling sandals work great for walking around town or the campgrounds.  They are super comfortable on and off the bike.  Replacing the clips?  Do you mean replacing the SPD metal cleats on the bottom of the sandals?  SPD cleats never ever need replacing.  They are steel.  They are recessed into the sole of the shoe so see little wear on pavement.  When you are clipped in to the pedal you are not wearing the cleat on the pedal mechanism.  SPD cleats last forever.

Uh you need to check that. I met someone who had to ride from Fort Bragg to San Francisco on a pedal the size of a nickel because his clips were flattened out.

I just switched to full on flats and my bike handling skills/confidence are going through the roof right now. If you've only done SPDs/toe clips since getting into cycling I highly recommend getting MTB flats, they are a total blast and really improve your bike handling skills.

Also if your complaint is that pedals hurt your feet you probably just need bigger pedals like Wellgo MG-1s or VP Gripsters. I just think too many preach the gospel of SPDs, when they really are an unnecessary and pricey component.