Plague Diary, In Which I Ride Bikes

[lydy]

Turns out, attempting to ride a bike after 25 years of never being on a bike, is...well, like riding a bike. There's a Nice Ride bike-share station right near our house, and I have been a bit bored.

Nice Ride bikes are heavy, stable as fuck, 3-speed step-throughs (which we used to call "girl's bikes, back in the day). I really, really like step-throughs. First of all, they are much easier to mount. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, I can wear a skirt and ride (hence, "girl's bikes). Having to change into pants every time I want to ride a bike would be at very best deeply irritating. I got a monthly pass, as it is only $18 and it give you unlimited rides, up to 60 minutes per. Since I barely make 30 minutes, the additional time is not relevant at this point in my life. My neighborhood is relatively flat, and mostly residential streets. 3 speeds is pretty sufficient. So far, I have been riding 7 times, and not fallen off even once. I also haven't run into anything or anyone, though there have been some near misses. I am wobbly as fuck, thank god these things are stable little tanks.

The problem, such as it is, is my tailbone hurts. I took a very slightly longer ride about 5 days ago, and was in a lot of pain for several days. Yesterday and today, I have taken fairly short rides, about 15 minutes, and while I'm still in some pain, it's not so bad as it was. The nice boy at the bike shop said that it takes about two weeks to acclimate.

Oh, yes, I did chat on-line with a bike shop. Because, yes, I am thinking about buying a bike. Which is probably a bad idea in several different regards but... well. The bike I took a shine to, on-line, doesn't seem to be in stock, anywhere. It is the Electra 7D Step-through Cruiser, which is only $350, and looks to be a pretty nice package. The ones in stock are the Townie and the Loft, which are similar, but several hundred dollars more. They are aluminum rather than steel-framed. If you search at Amazon, you get sixthreezero bikes, which are apparently Electra knock-offs. Consumer Reports no longer evaluates bikes, so that's no help. (I am annoyed at CR, which has not been helpful for several purchases of late.)

If my tailbone will just fucking acclimate, this could be fun. And even 15 minutes exercise is better than none, so I'll take it. (I am not looking to lose weight. It'd be nice, but it won't happen. But I am hoping that moving a bit more frequently will reduce the general achiness that is being 58.)

If you have any advice about bikes, I am very interested. I am really only interested in tooling around relatively flat places for fun, at a very leisurely rate. I also very much want a step-through.

Comments

[graydon]

Generally speaking, bike seats are one of those things.

The ancient and traditional advice is that you want a firm seat that doesn't chafe more than you want a wide, gooshy seat (which will chafe) but applying this advice is an astonishingly fraught task. You absolutely need it to be supportive of you in particular, and there all generalisation ends.

I would think it really unsurprising if a rental, the seat of which is necessarily optimised for shedding water and tolerating those occasions when a rider is wearing what might as well be Scotch-Brite™ trousers, wasn't optimally comfy for you. It would be almost as unsurprising if a purchased bike wasn't, either.

[lydy]

The seats on the ride-share bikes actually look pretty ok. They are a bit firm, yes, but compared to what I remember of bikes in years of yore, they seem pretty comparable. They are, obvs., not top of the line. Also, there is some variety. I have hopes that mostly what I need is to acclimate. This is unaccustomed activity in an unaccustomed position.

[sonia]

Yay, bike riding! Boo, pain! Sending sympathy to your tailbone. Those little bones have an amazing amount of leverage on the rest of the body when it comes to causing pain. It sounds like there's something out of alignment or otherwise unhappy there.

I assume you've thought about padded shorts?

Can you raise or lower the seat on the rental bikes? I would suggest trying different heights, and also adjusting how far back/forward you sit. You could also try tilting forward more to take pressure off your tailbone, although that adds pressure in other places.

I owned an aluminum road bike for a long time and got tired of it rattling my bones on rough pavement, so I got a steel bike. I like it a lot better. Best wishes for finding the right bike for you!

[lydy]

I think...that it's muscles and not bones. Hard to be sure, of course. And I have some hope that careful acclimatization will deal with the issue. I am not doing padded shorts. If I can't ride in my fucking skirt, I am not riding. I am not getting special gear. If this doesn't work, it doesn't work. I am not German, dammit.

The seats do adjust. I take it to the lowest setting, which makes it possible to mount and dismount without having to lean the bike way over.

Interesting data on aluminum vs. steel. Thank you.

[sonia]

I was imagining one of those padded liners that you pull on under the skirt, and I hear you about no special gear. I ride around town in whatever I happen to be wearing, but I do use padded shorts for longer recreational rides. I hope your body happily acclimates soon!

[dreamshark]

The Electra looks nice, but buying a bike online with no local support is dicey.

The Hub Bike Shop has this one, which is a more traditionally shaped "girl's bike"
https://www.thehubbikecoop.org/product/liv-flourish-4-367061-1.htm

They seem to be open in some kind of limited way that allows you to buy a bike from their website and pick it up at the shop. Being the excellent bike shop that they are, I'm pretty sure that they would modify it for you (putting on a more comfortable seat, for instance), and tell you exactly what measurements to take to select the right size (which is crucially important).

The Hub also has this amazing ULTIMATE step-through bike, which we bought for Richard about 3 years ago (since he can't lift his foot more than a few inches off the ground).
https://www.thehubbikecoop.org/product/biria-easy-boarding-balloon-7-4393.htm

[lydy]

Well, Freewheel has, in the past, sold the Electra that I liked. And REI has a couple of Electra, as well. But buying a bike from Amazon...yeah, maybe not a good idea.

That first one you point to does look nice.

Ponder, ponder, ponder.

[dreamshark]

I'd call the bike shops directly (assuming there is someone there to answer the phone), tell them what you are looking for, and see what they say.

There is also this adorable little hyper local bike shop over near my house that is desperately hanging on through the crisis. I'm thinking of taking my old bike to them to have the drive train rebuilt. They seem to be mostly bike repair, but they might be able to order a bike for you, put it together, and customize it.

https://www.farmsteadbikeshop.com/about

[green_knight]

If you have problems with your tailbone, a cruiser - meant to be ridden leaning slightly back on your tailbone - probably is the wrong shape for you. Of the available ones, I like the look of the Loft best. This also has fenders, which should give the opportunity to fit a skirt guard - ask the bike shop about that. (If you ride in a skirt, you want one.)

It's impossible at the moment, but it's worth trying out different types of bike seats. A lot of women have a wide distance between seat bones and like wider seats, and they come with all kinds of padding. I used to have a well-sprung wide saddle that I liked. My current bike came with a narrow unpadded one, and I absolutely ADORE it. Go tell.

My current bike has an aluminium frame and it eats hills. I am not fitter than I was when I was biking 50+ miles every week as a teenager (and my breathing is worse), but I frequently have the experience of looking at a (still moderate) hill and going 'I'll never get up there' followed by 'oh. I'm at the top.'

[lydy]

Interesting. I really, really don't want to have to support my weight on my arms. My arms are really not up to it. The 10 speeds of my youth all had these handlebars that curled under, and I simply could not ride them, my arms couldn't take the load. Someone further down has suggested some interesting seat options.

I do agree, the Loft looks very nice.

[green_knight]

You should never support your weight on your arms - this is about how you position yourself on the seat. I had a bike with racing bars for a while, and it was my back that complained on longer rides (I almost never used the lower curves, just the top, and even then). My current bike has a standard straight-ish handlebar like the one posted in the Hub link, and is far more comfortable for longer rides, but the Loft looks even friendlier.

And I like the saddles posted - adjustable width is not something I've seen before.

Comfort can vary a lot with position - some of it is adjustable, some of it depends on the frame of the bike. That's going to be hard to arrange while social distancing and not every bike shop is equally competent in helping you find the right bike.

[ambyr]

Solidarity from one infrequent bike rider to another (but no advice on bike purchasing, as all I've ever ridden is the bike I happened to be given for free, which is profoundly not what I would have picked but worth every cent I paid, as they say).

[kalmn]

i have an electra 7 speed townie and i love it when i am able to ride it. (my legs are not cooperating at the moment.) the flatfoot design is GENIUS for knees, and mine is orange. the bike, not my knees.

i got it at REI up by rosedale.

[lydy]

Yeah, the flat-foot design seems like a great idea. I'm glad to have your assessment. Hope your legs behave again soon.

[arkuat]

I hope the tailbone thing gets better with acclimation. My seat problems were elsewhere, and so I wound up getting a strange saddle that I adore, the Hobson original Easyseat.

https://www.modernbike.com/hobson-seats

The width is adjustable, it supports me at the ischium on both left and right, and does not press on non-bony parts that I don't want pressure on while riding, but like I said, my problems were not tailbone problems, and I have to admit that this is not a popular saddle style.

I've been riding derailleur-geared bikes forever, but next time I want an internal-gear hub (usually three speed, though they can be gotten with more speeds). So I'm with you on that.

[lydy]

I wish I knew how to figure out exactly what is causing the ass-pain, because that would give me a better idea of what to do to combat it. Sigh. If I were flush, and it weren't a pandemic, I'd make an appointment with a physical therapist. Of course, if it weren't for the pandemic, I would probably not be bored enough to try bike-riding. So, there's that.

Thanks for the link.

[bibliofile]

Yay, bike rides! Perfect weather for it, right now, too.

I hope the tailbone issues resolves in the best way(s) possible & soon.

[lydy]

It really is very nice, right now. May is my favorite month.

New or Used?

[lsanderson]

My major knowledge about bicycles is that they usually have two wheels. With that out of the way,

1. If you're thinking about used at all, Someone pours over Craig's List bike listings daily if not hourly, but they're usually looking closer to the bleeding edge. Craig's List is a hot market for good stuff, but it also has scams and nutters.

2. I would not hesitate to order the bike you want online if you can't find it here. I don't think bike stores will show you the door because you bought it used or online. They still want your money.

3. I like Wirecutter, and they do review bikes, but not quite in your market or price range. You might want to look at their article to see if there's any pearls hiding. (https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-hybrid-commuter-bike/) There is some mention of seats, geometry, and steel/aluminium/carbon frames. None of their choices are easy on/off bikes though.

Re: New or Used?

[lydy]

I think that bike stores are currently doing the "no more than X people in the shop" sort of thing. So, if I get serious, I can probably go to a bike shop and get some personal attention. I do look at Craig's list, but there are a lot of bikes there, and I don't really feel entirely comfortable buying used when I know so little about bikes. I am pretty sure I don't want a "vintage Schwinn girl's bike", though there are a lot of very cheap ones listed. :-)

[ritaxis]

I loved my dear, now-stolen Citizen Barcelona (http://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1&product_id=22), but it's no longer about 400 dollars as it was when I bought it. (I never folded it, I just loved its very low step through and its simplicity) Currently I have a used Schwinn actual girls' bike, but if I remember right, you're not short like me, so the child's bike solution won't work for you (it's a tiny bit short, lengthwise, for me: most adult bikes are too long, seat to handlebars, and give me backaches). I talked to my bike expert roommate when I was searching & he said not to worry about advertised weight limits.

[lydy]

I'm pretty average height for a girl, 5'6". But that Citizen Barcelona looks lovely.