Got a Mountain Bike
 

My wife and I were going to yard sales and I found a Huffy Mountain Bike for $10.00 :thumbup:

I stuffed it into the back of the Metro (and closed the hatch) and took it home. I have discovered that I am totally out of shape and need to ride this thing more often. Just riding to the nearest covered bridge and back is a 1 mile round trip and I was totally winded, so I think after riding a few days a week and increasing my distance each time will help me get into shape again and maybe even prepare me for riding to work next spring. Great exercise!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...tf/bike001.jpg

:thumbup:

I try to bike for many of my errands. Sometimes laziness wins tho'. And sometimes the weather discourages me- been gittin' the ol "stripe" lately with our rainy weather. I really need to fit one of my bikes with fenders. I've been playing with mountain bikes lately too. Just got a couple of dual suspension bikes to fix up. About a 9 lb weight penalty but oh man that smooth ride is nice! On a bike trip of any distance, though, the ol' road bike wins handily.

Johnny, welcome to the wonderful world of infinite mpg! Keep up the riding and before too long 10 or 20 miles will be too short of a ride.

Frank Lee, for your non-suspension bikes check out Pantour Suspension Hubs. They replace your front wheel hub, so you'll have to get your wheel rebuilt (or buy one prebuilt from Pantour). I don't work for or have anything to gain monetarily from this reccommendation. I didn't think they'd work so well, but had to try one. After hundreds of miles of racing, I can say I love it.:thumbup:

Nice find. Thumbs up for yard sale & garbage day "beater bikes"!

I've put about 2000 km on mine (much older, rougher mountain bike) since rescuing it from the garbage man a couple of summers ago.

Johnny,
Congrats on getting a bike, you might want to get a better seat but other than that for simple commuting a Huffy is just fine.

I suspect Johnny Mullet has ridden a dirt bike or two in his past, if you want to start going off road again, you might want to upgrade to something a bit better. The $1000 range is the sweet spot for hard tails, so a used one might be found for $300-400.
A helmet is a good idea too and find some tips online about how to ride in traffic, a few simple things can make it far less stressful.
Have fun with it,
Ian

Or spend $10 via craigslist/ebay/garage sales, or wait for one to show up on the curb/freecycle. I'd expect most ecomodders can get an old bike working again and get a lot more miles out of them.

I like the old 10 speeds myself, much easier to pedal/coast on with the skinny tires. Just gotta take it easy on the bumps/curbs. Also, salvage a spring seat and bmx bars for a nice comfy upright ride, works for me :)

For getting in shape, invest a few bucks in a basic cycle computer - speedometer, odometer, elapsed time, etc. Then you get into trying to go just a bit further/faster every time you ride...

I found the City-EL and that home-built mountain TRike on Craigslist. I really should avoid that trike addiction!! Good luck with your REAL Mountain bike.

I actually rode it again today and only did 2 miles round trip, but not as tired, so I know my body is starting to adjust. I hyperinflated the tires since my 240LB ass seems to squat them some. I really need a more comfy seat. I think raising the handlebars some may also get me into a more comfortable riding position. The bike works well and during winter, I am going to disassemble it and re-grease all the bearings. My goal is to ride it to work 20 miles next spring and back home again. I am going to get as much riding time as I can to keep me in shape.

Hi Ed- thanks for the lead!

Do it :thumbup: It's probably a threadless headset - there will be an allen screw on top of the stem. Loosen that and you should be able to raise/lower the handlebars. The stem will probably have a "do not cross" line to mark the highest position. Then, just tighten the sucker back down :thumbup:

And because everyone else is giving advice - I'd go for new, efficient, tires after the seat :thumbup: Knobbies really aren't needed - tread grooves really aren't needed unless you're on sand going uphill and such :p

:thumbup: on the bike, be sure to wear a helmet!

No can do! It's all about the hair man :thumbup:

If I get a helmet, next thing you know I will be wearing spandex and funny shoes.....................wait! I did that in the 80's already :rolleyes:

When you die, don't say I didn't tell you you'd die.

The hair will do you no good if you can't wear it when you're out and about.:eek:

No kiddin'. Hair wont do you any good if you have to pick it out of the asphalt to get it back.

I remember my last wipeout about 15 years ago. The reason I remember it so vividly is because I ended up with a scab from the top of my chest down to just below my belly button. Too much adrenaline to feel it that day but the next day, and for weeks after, it hurt like hell. Ruined my favorite flannel shirt too.

It was only luck that I body boarded on that asphalt and didn't do a face plant. A helmet, as ugly as they are will save your life. If you ride long enough, you WILL have an accident. Maybe you'll be lucky as I was... maybe not.

Grats on the good deal and grats on wanting to get back in shape. Show us a pic when you get your new helmet. lol