Custom bikes

Quoted message said:

My sister needs a custom bike so she will feel comfortable
enough to ride long distances. A hybrid would be best
suited for her. Can you recommend shops where she can get
fitted and also recommend brands of bikes to look at? She
lives on Long Island, so anywhere from Queens to Suffolk
would be ok. Thanks in advance.

My own follow-up: is the Fit Kit System and it's competitors
hype or real? Thanks, again.

"SmartyPants" <aipeasr@hot(remove_this)mail.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My sister needs a custom bike so she will feel
comfortable enough to

ride

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

long distances. A hybrid would be best suited for her.
Can you

recommend

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

shops where she can get fitted and also recommend brands
of bikes to

look

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

at? She lives on Long Island, so anywhere from Queens to
Suffolk would

be

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ok. Thanks in advance.

My own follow-up: is the Fit Kit System and it's
competitors hype or

real?

Quoted message said:

Thanks, again.

Your sister may not need a custom bike to be comfortable on
a hybrid. What she will need is a good bike shop person
that will carefully take into consideration what she needs
and wants, and fit her to an appropriate bike. A geat deal
of the 'comfort' one gets from a bike is based on
experience and time on the bike. "Butt factor" or "seat
time" has an awful lot to do with how comfortable a rider
feels. New riders often ride less because of sore butts,
yet if they rode more their tushes would become acclimated
to the pressure.

As to brands of bikes to look for; I don't think there are
any bad ones being sold in bike shops. I would advise to
choose the bike based on the store. If you find a bike
shop that you and your sister are comfortable with, that
you can trust and is treating you well, buy their brand of
bike. That way if you have questions or problems you know
who to turn to.

Fit Kits and other fitting systems are only starting points,
there is no one system that is perfect. There is no
substitute for an experienced person doing hands-on fitting.

"Dave Thompson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Fit Kits and other fitting systems are only starting
points, there

is no one

Quoted message said:

system that is perfect. There is no substitute for an
experienced person doing hands-on fitting.

This is good advice. However, one bike that you may want to
take a look at Rivendell's Romulus. At around $1500-1700,
its not cheap, but you seem to get alot and may be something
that your sister can fit.

For more on the Romulus: rivendellbicycles.comhOpen ↗
tml/bikes_romulusframes.html

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My sister needs a custom bike so she will feel
comfortable enough to

ride long distances. A hybrid would be best suited for her.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Your sister may not need a custom bike to be comfortable
on a hybrid.

...New riders often ride less because of sore butts, yet
if they rode more their tushes would become acclimated to
the pressure.

Her pain seems to be mostly in her shoulders, so her present
bike probably has an upper tube (correct word?) that is too
long for her petite torso.

"Pants" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> My sister needs a custom bike so she will feel
> comfortable enough to

ride long distances. A hybrid would be best suited
for her.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Your sister may not need a custom bike to be
comfortable on a hybrid.

...New riders often ride less because of sore butts, yet
if they rode

more

Quoted message said:

their tushes would become acclimated to the pressure.

Her pain seems to be mostly in her shoulders, so her
present bike probably has an upper tube (correct word?)
that is too long for her petite torso.

Not necessarily. Shoulder pains can be attributed to
'scrunching' of the shoulders and/or riding with elbows
locked, or bars positioned too low or too close, many
things. If you have little experience with fitting, I would
sincerely suggest that you don't do it. If you make a
mistake and your sister is still uncomfortable, then what?
Leave it so someone with the experience needed. Fitting is
more of an art than a science, there are so many components
to it and they all interelate.

You didn't say what type of bike she rides now, or how much
experience she's had. If she has determined that she really
likes bikes and wants to ride frequently and many miles,
maybe a professional fit might be in order. These can cost
$75~$150 or so, but can be invaluable to someone who wants
to ride a lot. A dynamic fit, rather than a static fit
would be best. A static fit is just numbers, (body
measurements etc) that may or may not translate into a good
fit. A dynamic fit would be done on an adjustable size-cyle
and the person would be observed, the size-cycle changed,
more observations and more changes, and so on. This type of
fitting is much more real-world than just measuring body
parts. A Serotta dealer usually has size-cycles and are
trained in dycamic fitting. Go to or call some high-end
shops that specialize in custom made bikes. Maybe you can
get a much cleared picture as to what is needed for a
proper fit.