Got some new wheels.

[Tx Redneck]

I've been doin the work from home thing for several years now and it's been a learning experience in more ways than one. One of the downsides is I've tended to be less active and that's shown by weight gain, so I've taken steps to address it and am down almost #20 in the last 2-3 months.

I started out riding a Walmart cheapie and learned the hard way that bike fitment is hugely important. I don't ride for long distances, 6 or so miles a shot so far to get some exercise.

Tues 4/28, I rode in the morning, did our yard work, then rode again and felt fine. I remember turning over in my sleep and being in pain, but fell back asleep. Come 5:45 Wed morning, I wake up and am in pretty severe low back pain. Mind you, I've a history of lumbar injury(L4-5/L5S1 disc hernia) and have generally experienced flare ups every 3-4 months, but haven't in almost a year.

I'd been riding the Walmart special almost daily for about 3 weeks, up until last week when I ended being carried into the ER because of my back. MRI revealed a new hernia in L5S1 and bilateral lumbar radiculopathy. All signs pointed to the new bike being the issue and was confirmed by the neurosurgeon who saw me for this hospital visit.

Upon his and the physical therapist recommendation, I was fitted for a bike and settled on this one 2 days ago. It was more than I wanted to spend, but is still considered a cheap bike if you look at pricing for "big name brands" that are sold at bike shops. I really like it, it rides great, but the saddle is all wrong for me. I'm replacing it today.

I never knew there was so much to "riding a bike" nor how freakin expensive these things can be.

[bird_dog0347]

That's a lot of money for a bike... but more importantly, FUCK shopping at Dick's sporting goods. They will never get another dollar from me.

[Tx Redneck]

That's a lot of money for a bike... but more importantly, FUCK shopping at Dick's sporting goods. They will never get another dollar from me.

It was expensive and I really didn't want to buy from them, but the mom-pop shop bikes were starting close to $2k and I could not justify that, so I bit the bullet at Dick's.

Peep these as they're similarly spec'd and you'll see what I mean about expensive. https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collect...rivetrain-1x11

[Trip McNeely]

Nice bike, but I still can't get into these 29'ers. At least you didn't go full suspension. I'm glad I still have my 26" hardtail, serves me well. Biking is fun especially if you can find some good trails.

[dsrtuckteezy]

bicycles are retarded expensive. You could buy one with a damn motor in it for some of these prices!

[4EyedTurd]

I know the feeling going from a cheapy to a half decent one. It’s a world of difference. Nice job on doing something about the weight gain

[lowthreeohz]

Nice bike, but I still can't get into these 29'ers. At least you didn't go full suspension. I'm glad I still have my 26" hardtail, serves me well. Biking is fun especially if you can find some good trails.

curious, but why no 29ers?

[Trip McNeely]

curious, but why no 29ers?

Those bigger tires are overzealous and heavier. I think, my opinion, they will go the way of full suspension. Cool at first, but ended up being more a gimmick than useful.

[Tx Redneck]

I started out w/26" and intended on 27.5", but this was all they had. I just got anew Bontrager saddle and omg is so much better than what it came with.

[fordracing19]

Nice. No complaints with my Specialized Rock Hopper 29er.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Tx Redneck]

I was leaning towards that same bike, but no one had one near me and I had to have a bike. I don't do well being cooped up in the house, so it's a means to get and stay both physically and mentally healthy.

[HarrisonTX]

That's bad ass man. Bikes are fun as hell. I just dusted off my road bike and got in 110 miles in april. Most I've done in a while, but sad considering I used to do that in two days.

Price disclaimer: $80 on CL for a 1994 raliegh

[AnthonyS]

Nice bike. I'm so happy this year my youngest kiddo lost her training wheels. She can only ride about 2 miles tops, but it's so fun to go riding with her. It's going to be awesome as she grows and we can ride more together. My bike wasn't 2K but it's quite nice. It's also a 27.5, and I have a road bike too, but I'd rather ride my gravel bike now and tour old railroad routes.

[kingjason]

Nice looking bike.

I bought my MTB from Bikesdirect on a 60 percent off deal for some holiday. The components were worth well over the price I paid. Took like a hour to slap it together and I assemble and tune better than a lot of bike shops. I have bought lots of bikes from my local shops but no one had anything decent in dual suspension for under 2k and I wasn't 100 percent sure I would ride much. I do agree now though that just a good front fork and weight savings would have probably been a better route to go.

I dig the 29's and they probably saved my but one day. I was tooling along not paying attention and squared up on a "safety post" that was missing in Waxahachie. Picture a round hollow post holder sticking out of the ground about 4 to 5 inches tall and wide. I was looking at my Strava app and just felt my front wheel flop over something and then the back. When I saw what it was I was like WTF. It went over it like it was nothing. Made me a believer.

[Tx Redneck]

That's exactly why I'm OK with it the 29's, they do roll over everything and the bike is still nimble enough.

I looked REALLY hard at Bikes Direct, but not knowing anything, I held off. One of my BiL is a cyclist and I e tried getting his opinion and knowledge on things, but it's like pulling teeth on an alligator.

Nevertheless, I am happy with it and hope to get many years of service out of it.