Comparable to Specialized Crossroads Sport?

Hi:

I'm old and fat and trying to get back into casual bicycling. An
accident I had a few years ago on my 18-year-old Wal-Mart Huffy
mountain bike, which was really too tall for me, has spooked me a
little. I broke my wrist and sprained my ankle just - get this -
dismounting on uneven ground. hanging head in shame

I am looking hard at the Specialized Crossroads Sport - from
everything I've heard and read, it would be about my speed, and in a
price range I could handle.

Are there comparable models in other brands I should check out as
well? For example, does Trek have something along those lines I
should be checking out?


Thanks,

Tracey

In article , tmac tracey at
dontspamme mccartney dot net says...
Hi:

I'm old and fat and trying to get back into casual bicycling. An
accident I had a few years ago on my 18-year-old Wal-Mart Huffy
mountain bike, which was really too tall for me, has spooked me a
little. I broke my wrist and sprained my ankle just - get this -
dismounting on uneven ground. hanging head in shame

I am looking hard at the Specialized Crossroads Sport - from
everything I've heard and read, it would be about my speed, and in a
price range I could handle.

Are there comparable models in other brands I should check out as
well? For example, does Trek have something along those lines I
should be checking out?

Yes, their Navigator series is very comparable to Specialized's
Crossroads series. Check out the Navigator 50 and 100. Or if you might
want to go off road just a bit, the Trek 3500 and 3700 are entry-level
non-suspended and hardtail (respectively) mountain bikes in the same
price range.


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On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:22:45 -0500, tmac tracey at dontspamme mccartney
dot net wrote:

Hi:

I'm old and fat and trying to get back into casual bicycling. An
accident I had a few years ago on my 18-year-old Wal-Mart Huffy
mountain bike, which was really too tall for me, has spooked me a
little. I broke my wrist and sprained my ankle just - get this -
dismounting on uneven ground. hanging head in shame

I am looking hard at the Specialized Crossroads Sport - from
everything I've heard and read, it would be about my speed, and in a
price range I could handle.

Are there comparable models in other brands I should check out as
well? For example, does Trek have something along those lines I
should be checking out?


Thanks,

Tracey

I highly recommend (am also old and fat, but not as much as a year ago.
g):
o a non-suspended bike with straight bars
o Trek 7500FX at around 600bucks.

Of course it depends on where you're riding. But you do NOT need suspension
forks. They're a load of BS for anyone not doing hard core off road riding,
IMO, and dramatically increase the weight of the bike. Also, don't fall for
the crap about getting a MTB if you're riding on the road, or hardpack. Go
for a roadbike, non-suspended, and 700x35 tires.

If you're not sure that you'll keep up the riding, best idea is to get a
used bike - there's a pretty large probability that the bike will live in
the garage for life after the first two weeks. g

If you don't mind my asking, why the Specialized Crossroads Sport?

HTH,

-B

Badger_South wrote:
[snip]

I highly recommend (am also old and fat, but not as much as a year ago.
g):
[snip]

This is almost too easy, but then I have never been known for passing up
shooting a fish in a barrell.

Just exactly how did you manage to get less old in the past year?

--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University

In article m,
says...


Badger_South wrote:
[snip]

I highly recommend (am also old and fat, but not as much as a year ago.
g):
[snip]

This is almost too easy, but then I have never been known for passing up
shooting a fish in a barrell.

Just exactly how did you manage to get less old in the past year?


--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University

If you could get him to answer that, you'd really boost your academic
credentials, wouldn't you G,D&R!


--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:27:48 -0400, Badger_South
wrote:

If you don't mind my asking, why the Specialized Crossroads Sport?

I saw some Specialized bikes in a shop when I was visiting my parents
last weekend, and my brother-in-law, who is a fitness nut and
short-distance triathlete, said they have a good rep.

Based on what I saw on the Specialized web site, the Crossroads line
seems to be most appropriate for me, and the Sport has a much nicer
saddle than the bottom-of-the-line model.

Because I'm old and fat, I'm all about the comfort.

As it happens, I test-rode one of these babies during my lunch hour,
and it's very nice. I like the position of the handlebars - I feel
very much in control, which has not always been the case with me and
bikes.



Tracey

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:15:38 GMT, Larry Farrell
wrote:
Badger_South wrote:
I highly recommend (am also old and fat, but not as much as a year ago.

Just exactly how did you manage to get less old in the past year?

By riding a bike. The years are still behind him, but his body is
less old [as in worn-out] and less fat.
--
Rick Onanian

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:35:11 -0400, David Kerber
wrote:

In article m,
says...


Badger_South wrote:
[snip]

I highly recommend (am also old and fat, but not as much as a year ago.
g):
[snip]

This is almost too easy, but then I have never been known for passing up
shooting a fish in a barrell.

Just exactly how did you manage to get less old in the past year?


--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University

If you could get him to answer that, you'd really boost your academic
credentials, wouldn't you G,D&R!

Well I'm basing it on my wife's comment about a month ago:

"Hey, you know you look 10 years younger than when you started last
August".

-B