Citywise
How To Buy A Bike
If you think today's bikes are like the one you've got in your attic, you're in for a suprise.
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Saddle—The seat on almost every ten-speed is narrow, made of leather or nylon and will give you a sore rear end for the first 25 miles or so. Once you are broken in, the saddle works fine. The mattress-spring wire saddle is used on "cheapies" and is to be avoided at all costs. Leather is preferred over nylon because it absorbs moisture faster. Brooks of England makes the best saddle.
Saddle height is extremely important to get the maximum use of your leg muscles. First, measure the inside of your leg from crotch to the floor with shoes off. Multiply this measurement in inches by 1.09. If your leg measurement is 30 inches, (1.09 x 30 inches = 32.7 inches), then the top of your saddle should be about 32 1/2 inches from the top of the fully lowered pedal.
Pedals—Campagnolo lightweight pedals with toe clips are the best. Get used to the toe clips. They enable you to pedal correctly using the ball of your foot. The pedals are the most abused and, many times, the most forgotten part of the bicycle. Manufacturers trying to shave costs will use pedals made of cheap metal and bad bearing sets. Campagnolo pedals are expensive and unnecessary except on the finest bikes, so look for the Lyotard line or ask your dealer for his recommendation.
Gears—When you pay extra money for a ten-speed, you're getting enough gear combinations to allow you consistency and ease in pedaling and to take advantage of your strength. Simply put, in "high" gear you'll be pedaling slower because you are on a flat surface. In "low" gear you'll be pedaling faster in order to climb a hill or to take off from a traffic light. The derailleur enables the chain to slip from one gear ratio to another depending on the speed you want. One of your early triumphs and an endless source of pleasure will be when you smoothly shift into low gear and pedal up Killer Hill as easy as if you were streaking across the Bonneville Salt Flats.
It is possible to have a four, five, six, eight, nine, twelve, fifteen or eighteen-speed bicycle, although the three, five and ten are most commonly found. Racers use 12-speeds; tourers, the 15 and 18 gear ratios for extremely steep hills. Five-speed bikes give you the middle steps to fill the ratio gap, but you don't have a very high or a very low gear. Ten and twelve-speed bikes have a double front chainwheel with five and six rear sprockets, respectively. With these ten different gear combinations, it becomes possible to have a large range of ratios for the extremes in riding conditions.
Which bicycle to buy and where—Buy the best ten-speed you can afford. Practice your frugality when buying a TV or bridge table, but spend some dough on your bicycle. Secondly, buy from an authorized dealer, not a discount or department store. The dealer will assemble and check your bike before you take it out.
Lured by the attractive price, I bought my first bicycle from a discount store. That attractive price doesn't include assembling, adjustments or repairs until the kinks are worked out. I ended up by paying more, receiving less and getting angry. Also, your dealer has the parts and "know-how" when your bicycle needs repairs. Schwinn is the largest and consistently the best bicycle manufacturer in the country, and if you buy a Schwinn product from an authorized Schwinn dealer, there's a 30-day free check-up and a one-year warranty on defective parts and workmanship.
Under $100 class—You cannot go wrong with a Schwinn Varsity ($91.95) with turned-down handlebars, Brooks saddle, side-pull brakes, "Schwinn-approved" derailleur, and a seamed welded frame. Equal in quality but not made in a 25-or 26-inch frame for tall riders, is the Gitane Gran Sport ($99.95). The Gran Sport is three pounds lighter, (29 Ibs.) than all other ten-speeds in this price range, has a Simplex derailleur, center-pull brakes, turned-down handle-bars, clincher tires and a seamed lugged frame. If you are less than six feet tall, this is the better bicycle.
The $100-$150 class—The French Mercier "Marque de Champions" ($139) is the best bet here. Weighing only 26 pounds, this fine bike has an excellent Simplex "Prestige" derailleur, Mafac center-pull brakes, turned-down handle-bars, alloy frame and brakes. If you can find it, the Japanese Nishiki Olympiad ($103) is as good with the added bonus of a chrome molybdenum steel frame.
High rent bikes: $150-$250—Either the Raleigh DL-160 "Gran Sport" ($200) or Schwinn's Sports Tourer ($198). These two have it all and are perhaps the best buys under $250. Raleigh has been making bicycles for over 80 years and is the only foreign bicycle company offering a warranty. The "Gran Sport" weighs only 23 pounds, has a Simplex "Prestige" derailleur, "Reynolds 531" double-butted tubing, a gear range suitable for touring, turned down handlebars, and narrow saddle. The Schwinn Sports Tourer is my personal favorite and comes with a Campagnolo Gran Turismo derailleur, a wide range of gears for touring, and chrome alloy tubing throughout.
Pick of the litter: $250-$800—If money is no problem and you want the best, you can get it. All these bikes have the finest components: Reynolds "531" double-butted tubing; Campagnolo derailleurs, pedals and cranks; beautiful hand finishing and design. A few of the very best:
Peugeot PX-10 ($250)
Atala Competizone ($250) Four pounds heavier (25 lbs) than the Peugeot.
Raleigh International DL-170($325).
Raleigh Mark III DL-180($425) Designed for road racing
Rene Herse ($750) Completely handmade in Paris to your exact physical requirements. Possibly the world's finest bicycle.
Some reliable bicycle shops—Austin
University Bicycle Shop (The Schwinn retailer)
4225 Guadalupe
Freewheeling Bicycle Shop
2404 San Gabriel
The Spoke
211 East 19th
Houston
University Cycle Shop
2452 Times St.
Braeswood Cycle Shop
5869 South Braeswood at HillCroft
Earth Bicycle Shop
1500 West Alabama
San Antonio
The Bike Barn (newest and largest dealer on the North side)
224 East Rhapsody
Charles A. James Co. (French, Italian and English bikes)
213 N. Main Ave.
The Jae Co. (Largest Schwinn dealer in the city)
1932 Austin Highway
Dallas
The Highwheeler
7800 Spring Valley Road
The Bike Mart-three stores: (one of the top 5 bike retailers in the U.S.)
2817 Forest Lane
9292 L.B.J. Freeway
3645 Marvin Love Freeway
Ft. Worth
The Winged Crank
2704 West Berry
The Toy Chest
4624 Camp Bowie
Brownies Cycle
300 Seminary South
Books on bicycling
The Complete Book of Bicycling by Eugene A. Sloane, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1970, $9.95. The acknowledged encyclopedia of bicycling; covers the waterfront from history to machine repairs.
The Best of Bicycling! H. M. Leete, New York, Trident Press, 1970, $9.95. An interesting anthology of reminiscences and experiences taken from the old American Cycling Magazine. First person accounts of tours and racing contests.
The Bicycle Book, Earth Action Council. U.C.L.A., Price/Stern/Sloan, 410 N. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, Calif. 90048. A groovy 63-page pamphlet. Short items on anatomy, maintenance, accessories, laws affecting bike riders. A nice why-I-ride-a-bicycle personal statement at the end.
The North American Bike Alias, Amercan Youth Hostels, Inc. 1970, $2.25. Bike tour in 47 states, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean are carefully mapped out for you in this excellent book. Tour lengths range from one day to a month. Special attention to road conditions and difficulty of tour.
Repair books
Anbody's Bike Book, by Tom Culbertson Berkeley, California, Ten Speed Press, 1971, $2.95. True to its title, even you can do it yourself.
Fix Your Bicycle, by Eric Jorgensen and Joe Bergman, Clymer Publications. Los Angeles California, $3.95.
APPENDIX OF BICYCLE TERMS
1. Ankling—Technique in which the foot puts pressure on the pedal all the way around the stroke.
2. Bottom Bracket—Round tube holding axle to which the seat and down tubes are welded.
3. Brake levers—Levers on handle-bars used to actuate caliper (hand) brakes.
4. Cable—Wire to brakes or derailleur.
5. Chain—Device that ensnares flapping pants. Also transmits power from chainwheel to rear wheel.
6. Chain Stays—Frame tubes going from the bottom bracket to where the rear wheel fits the frame.
7. Chainwheel—Large-toothed wheel on right side of crank that drives chain.
8. Cranks—Steel or aluminum alloy member that pedals are attached to.
9. Derailleur—From French word meaning a thing that "derails." One derailler moves the chain from one gear to another on the rear wheel; the other on the chain wheel.
10. Derailleur Cage—Restraining area for unruly derailleur. Also holds
rear derailleur idler wheels.
11. Down tube—Section of bike frame extending from steering head to bottom bracket.
12. Fork Crown—Flat or slightly sloping part at top of fork, located under steering head.
13. Front Fork—Part holding front wheel drop outs, which is turned by handlebars to steer bicycle.
14. Header—Spill taken over front of bicycle by rider when envious pedestrian sticks broom handle in bicycle spokes.
15. Handlebar Stem—Piece of steel onto which handlebars fit.
16. Hub—Front or rear wheel unit drilled to receive spokes and machined to hold axle and bearings.
17. Jockey Sprocket—Top of the two rear derailleur idler wheels that moves the chain from one rear wheel gear to another.
18. Panniers—Saddlebags that mount on rear of bicycle.
19. Quick-release skewer/mechanism—Permits removal of front or rear wheels in seconds.
20. Rear Drop-out—Lug brazed or welded to seat stays and chain stays into which rear wheel axle fits.
21. Rim—Wheel without spokes and hub.
22. Saddle-—Seat.
23. Seat Post—Steel or dural stem onto which your seat is attached.
24. Seat Stays—Frame part extending from under seat to rear wheel dropout.
25. Seat tube—Frame part in which seat is placed.
26. Steering head—Large diameter tube holding front fork and bearings, into which is brazed or welded the top and down tubes.
27. Tension roller—Bottom of two rear derailleur idler wheels. Keeps correct tension on the chain.
28. Tires, clincher—Heavier, conventional tire with wire bead on edge. Tube is easily accessible for repairs.
29. Tires, Tubular—"Sew-up" ultralightweight touring or racing tires. Tube is sewn around inner periphery of tire.
30. Toe Clips—Pedal accessory that foot fits into, making pedaling twice as easy.
31. Top Tube—Horizontal tube between seat tube and steering head.
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