slickrcbd

I live about 3/4 of a mile from the Arlington Park train station, and about 1 mile from the Arlington Heights one. I'm interviewing for a job where I'll need to take the train to work and am planning on using the bike when the weather permits instead of walking or buying a parking permit.
However, I recall 20 years ago when I was at NIU (I transferred as a junior) I put more wear & tear on the bike I got when I was 12 than I had in the 8 years I'd had it before that. At the time I was thinking that I'd outgrown the bike, but I wouldn't replace it until 2014 for various reasons as I struggled financially after graduation and I hadn't used my bike much after graduating until 2013. The people at the bike shop said it was definitely a couple inches too small, ironic because when I moved from a children's dirt bike to that it was a couple inches too big and I had some painful encounters with the bar on the frame or the seat and my balls trying to stop at stop signs.
However, as an adult buying the new, bigger bike did make a great difference in comfort and increased my riding endurance and speed.
I still have that bike in storage even though it is an inch or so too small and is in fair condition. The handlebars need new padding.
However it is still functional (or it was when I hung it in the attic).
I'm not keen on putting my relatively new bike out at the train station where it will be exposed to the elements all day, especially unexpected rain. How bad would it be to use my old bicycle that is only an inch to an inch and a half too small for this commute of about 1 mile each way to get to the train station so I save weather wear & tear on the new bike?

Iride01 

A mile or two a day? If you aren't in any danger of banging your knees on the handlebars or something else similar, then I'd say you have no worries whatsoever.

I'd even go so far as to say the same if you road 10 miles a day on that bike.

slickrcbd

It's a total of a mile and a half to two miles a day depending on which train station (different stations have different express trains and my start time may vary on different days). I might make it 2.5 miles if I decide to visit the library after work since the library is only a couple blocks from the A.H. train station and I've clocked it at 1.25 miles from home, although it doesn't seem like a quarter of a mile from the train station which I've clocked at about a mile. I must have an error somewhere.
The design of the bike is such that it's virtually impossible to hit my knees on the handlebars. It's just that despite the seat being all the way up I can't extend my knee all the way and it feels like I'm bending a bit far. The new bike is far more comfortable for my height too.
Thanks for the advice.

Iride01 

If you can't extend the saddle high enough, then you might can get a longer seat post. Though you have to know the proper diameter. A difference of a silly little millimeter can make the difference of it not inserting at all or being too loose.

How much height are you lacking? On a the road bike I have, I do tend to lower the saddle about 1 inch in the fall, and raise it back to my proper height when the temps warm up the next February. If your bike has a very sloped backwards seat tube, then you might can have even more difference from your ideal saddle height to what it is.

If you aren't getting enough leg extension, it will feel odd. If you have pain though you need to figure out what that's about. Might be that your knee is at the wrong angles for you with your seat low.

Though one common cause for knee pain is not shifting to the lower ratio gears. Which on a derailleur bike will be the largest cog on the rear and smallest chain ring on the front. Don't ride at low cadence struggling with hard to push gears.

slickrcbd

I'm about 1-2 inches too short on the seat, and I think they said the seat was already one of the longer ones. I am not certain about that, I looked into getting a longer seat over 20 years ago in college and I could be remembering wrong. I know it's not the original seat, the original seat was a hard PITA, and I bought a softer padded and longer one as a teenager in high school that was more comfortable.
Sorry, I haven't used this bike in several years and I haven't looked into upgrading it in even longer. I was just wondering if it was a bad idea to use a bike too small just to go a mile each way to the train station so I don't put more wear & tear on the good bike if say we get unexpected rain (which happens frequently enough in the NW suburbs of Chicago to be an uncommon but not unheard of issue. Rain comes when there was no rain in the forecast in the morning paper.).

Iride01 

Unless there is something about your health that you aren't telling, a mile or two is not going to cause you any issues that you'll have to endure for a lifetime.

You probably shouldn't try to accelerate like a bat out of hell when when the light turns green. But regardless, you'll get plenty of notice from your body before you have a life altering permanent issue.

Sore muscles will be par for the course until your body gets use to the new exertion. Joint pain that hangs around for days should be investigated, both you by a doctor, and your bike to determine what to change. But if you aren't having joint pains, then don't worry about them.

Measure how long the seat post is and you can then look online to see if there are longer ones or not. Or if it has a model or part number, then you can search for it's specs.

slickrcbd

Would the model or part number even do me any good on a 30 year old bike? I'm pretty sure I saw the manual in my mom's basement 2 years ago during COVID when we were cleaning everything out when I was furloughed and I had the time to help her finally "go through everything and clean out all the junk that's accumulated in the basement".

jakemoffatt

Why do you do this? Are you riding differently depending on the weather?

Iride01 

Beats me why. Maybe because in the winter months I ride less. I ride slower and more upright. So a tad lower saddle might just feel better for a slower relaxed ride. During the warmer months, I'm usually riding pretty hard. Even when I go out and try to do a slow relaxed ride I usually find myself making a PR for that ride. Higher saddle height goes hand in hand with faster riding IMO.

PeteHski

I also sometimes lower my saddle for various reasons, including fatigue. I've read pros often do the same, even during multi-stage events like Grant Tours. I also quite often experiment with saddle height on my trainer and have found that I can easily tolerate lower than optimum saddle heights much better than higher ones. For example if my preferred saddle height is 780 mm, I can drop it as far down as 750 mm without any real issues, but I would get sore hamstrings if I raised it to 790 mm. So it seems as if there is a much wider tolerance window on the lower side of optimum saddle height. I know a few very experienced fitters who have stated this too.

So for me, riding a couple of miles with my saddle an inch or two below optimum wouldn't bother me in the slightest. In fact for a casual slow ride I would probably prefer it.

Clyde1820

If the frame+fork is worth it to you and you'd be willing to have a more-upright position on that bike, you could always find a longer seat post, and appropriately-sized stem and bars to alter the fit.

Have done that, myself, for my own bike. I can fit on a 54cm ETT frame. But I much prefer a more-upright riding style, which significantly alters the reach and stack measurements to get my hands where I need them.

I find a much-smaller frame to be more comfortable, at least for such upright riding. Something with an ETT of ~46-8cm or so feels about right. With a proper length of seat post, and stem+bars with enough length and sweep for and correct hand position, it works well. Looks small, but works properly.

Current bike is a Trek 970 15" model, but with seat post, stem and bar changes.

oldbobcat

I've always maintained that life is too short to spend it riding a bike that doesn't fit. But if that's what you want to do, be my guest.

jon c. 

It's a good idea not to leave your good bike at the train station. Aside from the weather the risk of theft is always present.

You can certainly give the other bike a shot. No harm will come to you in trying. If it's too uncomfortable you'll know it. As long as it feels okay, keep riding it.