Faro187

I'm 24 and I just taught myself how to ride a bike a few weeks ago. I went to a shop in NYC and bought a felt brougham single speed, 51cm, which is what I learned on. I am about 5 foot 7 and I think the bicycle is a little too big for me, atleast in standover height. I tend to wear really flat shoes and when standing the "jewels" rest on top of the top tube, so coming off the bike when I have to stop is a little nerve racking. Every time I come across a hill I wish I had gears as well.

Since it's probably too late to return my bike, I'm thinking of selling it and buying a new one. I've been doing some research and this is what I want from a bicycle:

Steel frame
Sloped top tube (or really low straight tube)
Some gears
Steel or carbon fork
Atleast 28C tires

I'm trying to decide between flat or drop handlebars. Flats look simpler and more comfortable, but the drops have more hand positions and I can continue to grow into them, plus I think they look awesome. Only thing I'm worried about is the brakes being all the way out front.

From these criteria these are the bikes I think fit the bill:

Jamis Coda (Sport/Comp)
Bianchi Strada
Masi Strada Vita Due
Bianchi Lupo
Possibly Jamis Quest
Maybe some stuff from bikesdirect (motobecane)

I tried out a jamis coda comp (2016, the light blue one with green letters) at a bike shop. It was the 17 inch. I believe this has a carbon fork, bike shop person wasn't sure. It rode really well, top tube still felt a little close but not as bad as my current bike. Going down to the sport id lose the carbon fork, so I'm guessing more weight and possibly a stiffer ride. I can get a 2016 jamis coda sport for mid 400s or the 2017 for mid 500s. All these other bikes are in the 7-800$ range.

Here are my questions:

Should I do flats or drop bars
As a beginner should I just be simple and get a coda sport and save some cash, or go for one of the better bicycles with drops?
How much benefit would I get with going with a carbon fork over a steel fork (like on the 2016 coda comp, wish it wasn't blue though).
If I do the coda should I do the 15 or 17 inch frame, should I just look at standover height or other things like reach as well? My local bike shops haven't been as helpful/knowledgeable as I thought they would be.

Thanks in advance!

jefnvk

If you are otherwise comfortable on the bike, don't worry about standover height. I can't stand over any of my road bikes, I've got midget little legs, but am comfortable when actually riding (something I am not on a smaller frame).

Takes some getting used to, and I know there are many who absolutely refuse to do it, but it isn't even a something I think about anymore. Doesn't help with the gear problem, just wanted to chime in that standover itself isn't the best measure of fitment.

Gresp15C

I tend to agree, and my thought is that if the bike is tolerable at all, the longer you ride it, the better your ideas will be for what you want to try next. Your first bike won't be your last.

Drops vs flat bars? That's completely a personal comfort issue, and then there are swept bars as well. All of my bikes have swept bars, and I take fairly lengthy rides (20 miles give or take) without worrying about hand positions. Higher bars, of any type, will take pressure off your hands, as will stronger legs and core muscles. Just from the pictures online, I'm guessing that the Felt has fairly low bars -- stylish but certainly too low for my preference. I have no doubt that there are cyclists who would find all of those things to be perfectly comfortable -- I usually see them for about 15 seconds as they pass me at about twice my speed.

If it seems like you almost have enough gears, a 3-speed might be worth looking at. The enclosed 3-speed hubs are quite reliable, and simplify the rest of the bike design, plus they look utterly stylish, though maybe I'm biased. My main commuting bike is a 3-speed with swept bars.

Faro187

Riding the bicycle more might be a good idea, I have only rode it 4 or 5 times (which is also the number of times I've ridden a bike at all) Once I'm moving on the bike I don't feel any pain (except my site bones, still getting used to that).

I suppose my main issue is starting and stopping, I'm not good at that yet and it tends to make me feel more nervous about the standover.

I tried some bikes just now at another shop, it's really hard to find shops that sell steel bikes...

Fuji absolute 1.3: alum frame carbon fork. It felt very squirrelly and overly stiff? Otherwise similar to the brougham and jamis coda (Fuji and coda were 17 inch frames, my felt is 51cm). Tried to shift gears while moving and it felt awkward.

Fuji Roubaix: alum frame carbon fork road bike with drops. I couldn't even move on this thing, since I still stink at producing momentum if it didn't get speed it wanted to fall over and fast. Since the drops are father forward I felt like I was putting too much pressure on the handlebars and messing with my balance.


If anything trying the bikes out highlighted my lack of experience. Te jamis coda comp did feel very good though, very smooth ride and easy to steer. I'm also pretty sure I shouldn't add the complexity of drops into the mix until I feel more comfortable with the basics.

As for the 3 speeds, seems no one makes those in a non comfort/cruiser frame, do you know of any?

tbo

Ride it some more - weeks to months. If you just started riding, there is more that this bike can teach you about the bike you really want.

Such as:

• Do you like this riding position or do you want a more relaxed or more aggressive, drop bar style riding?
• Is weight an overriding issue or do you want to carry things on the bike?
• You want gears (yeay, btw). So do you want to deal with derailleurs (light, cheap, messy sometimes) or just get a simple, but heavier, Internal Gear Hub (IGH). Either could be the correct choice.
• What are you going to do with this bike? Commute, errands, group rides, all transportation needs, exercise? What kind of distances are you talking about? This is a big one.

If you are looking at steel bikes, consider some older vintage bikes. See the Classic & Vintage forums for information on that. Can be a much cheaper way to get a great steel bike for lots less money.

jefnvk

It is a valid concern, and something that you need to be aware of until you get it down, but after a little bit mounting and dismounting while giving the bike a slight lean to the side will become as natural as anything else biking.

It is so natural now I can't even describe how I do it, but I come to a rest with my right foot down, bike canted to that side, and left foot somewhere in the 10 o'clock position. I'll have to pay attention next time I take one of my road bikes out.

Gresp15C

Unfortunately, I don't, because I built my own.

A couple of decent looking 3-speeds are the Windsor Oxford from Bikes Direct, and the Trek District IGH 3. At least, decent to my eyes -- similar to what I've built for myself. Unfortunately, bikes are designed by Marketing Departments, which means that particular groups of features are associated with imagined lifestyles, rather than with the practicality of cycling under real conditions. Marketing has decided that 3-speed hubs go with cruiser frames.

A couple of additional notes: About steel vs. aluminum, why do you care? One issue is that whenever you choose a particular feature for any reason, you narrow your options, and may be stuck compromising on other features, or price.

About mail order bikes: Without saying whether they are good or bad, I think a reasonable expectation is that your experience with a mail-order bike will be improved if you're handy with a wrench and ready to do some maintenance immediately upon delivery. You don't see it at the bike shop, because they do it before putting the bike out for sale.

downtube42

1. Find a better bike shop. If they don't know if the fork is carbon or steel, and can't help you with fit, move on.

2. Given your inexperience, avoid the online stores.

3. Any of the bikes you list could work. Size matters. Frame/fork material not so much.

4. Flat bars are fine until you're riding long enough rides to need varying hand positions, and/or riding miles into a headwind. Your choice.

5. If the cycling bug sticks, this won't be your last bike so it doesn't matter so much. If it's just a phase, it doesn't matter so much. Just ride.

Garilia

It's my understanding that the Coda Comp has a Reynolds 520 cro-moly frame but an aluminum fork. Now, if you're bring the Jamis Quest into the picture (I have the 2010 Quest Elite with Shimano 105 and Ultegra) you are comparing a completely different type of bike. The Coda Comp is a hybrid bike with 32mm tires. The Quest is a road bike with 25mm tires. The lower end Quests have steel forks, but if you go to the Quest Comp or the Quest Elite you get a carbon fork. The steel gets better in each level of the Quest.

The Coda has disc brakes and eyelets for fenders and racks.

The Quest has rim brakes, and no eyelets for rack/fenders. It is a performance road bike.

Paul Barnard

When I ride in traffic I prefer my controls on the flats so that I am upright and have better visibility. But the same bike I ride in traffic I also ride way out on the MUP where varying hand positions make a difference. Bar ends have fallen out of favor, but I still use them on my multipurpose bikes. I ride with drop bar ends. They are not pretty, and I had to trim my bars a bit to make them narrower, but I am very happy with my set-up.

Phil_gretz

Have a new rear wheel built around this:


Shimano Nexus SG-3C41 3-Speed Coaster Brake Internally Geared Hub


Then, get the appropriate shifter and maybe [the lever-arm rocker thing] (whose name I cannot recall).


Set your gear range so that the upper gear is your cruising gear inches, with the lower two giving you more ease of climbing. Use a gearing calculator and the ratios provided with the hub specs. So change your chainring from 47T to 42T or so. Maybe the cog goes to 18T.


What kind of brakes were supplied? You'll want a good front handbrake, and the rear coaster will be fine for additional stopping power.


Keep your handlebars and saddle until you've adjusted to them.


This solution solves your problem. PG

Faro187

Getting a internal rear hub sounds interesting but pretty expensive, what about doing a 650b wheel conversion? How do I know if the pedal reach would be too close to the ground with the smaller wheels?

Retro Grouch 

One significant purpose of your first bike is to help you figure out what you want in your next bike. Since you say that you've only been riding for a few weeks, don't rush it. Every time that you ride, keep a mental list of the things that you love about your current bike and a list of things that you'd do differently.

Gresp15C

Bell crank.

Phil_gretz

Yes! Bell Crank! Thank you.