Hello. Warning, lots of reading ahead. Get coffee or a snickers.
For the ADHD types, LD;DR: I'm old. Bought a bike a few years ago, didn't fit me well and I broke stuff on it because its a green trail bike that I was attempting double red diamond obstacles with while being out of shape for that kind of riding. Now, on to the rest of it...
I have recently came back to bike riding after a 17 year break. I bought a 2013 Trek Marlin in mid 2012 when I was stationed in Korea. I think I paid $600 out the door at the time. Used it mainly to commute on base and ride up things mainly because I could. I knew the fork sucked, I didn't need to do research for that. I took a break for about a year, because reasons.
When I started riding semi-regularly, I began to break things. First thing to go was the rear wheel. It's supposedly a double wall wheel. In reality, it's probably 2 sheets of paper. That, and I hit a small root at an odd angle which let the tire/rim kind of slide on it versus ride over it. Not quite a taco but close. That led me to go to a LBS for the first time.
They were not a Trek dealer but they were helpful anyways. The tech tried for 20 minutes for save the wheel but it just wouldn't take a shape other than "V". Because of his determination, I elected to purchase a rear wheel there. I informed the tech that I didn't need anything fancy because I'll just break it and that even at $200, that's a 1/3 of what I paid for the bike. I left it up to them to order what he saw fit. They gave me an AlexRims DP20 mounted on a Shimano M529 hub with unknown to me spokes. Knowing what I know now, it's a heavy wheel but fairly reliable and strong. Great for hambfisted noobs like me.
Next thing to fail were the plastic welgo pedals. Nope, I didn't break them, although I'm surprised I didn't take them and the cranks out at the same time. I wore out the bearings. They're not serviceable, as the loose ball bearings ride directly on the plastic itself. So I decided wisely to replace them. I could've bought whatever online but I decided to stop by the LBS from above and just pick up whatever platforms they had that were under $50. I settled on Giant originals since that's about all they had in stock. $42 later (not a bad price honestly, basically same as online), I paid for them and was about to walk out and the tech there asked if I had the bike with me. Of course I did, so he "made" me go get the back and they installed the pedals for me. He also ran through the gears, checked the torque on the crank arms, and lubed the seat post. It took about three extra minutes I suppose, but that's why people come back to the LBS. It's literally why I did.
So, why am I here on the chiner forums introducing myself by telling you about my beginner bike and how I can break things on it? Well, Apparently the beginner bike isn't cutting it for me so I want to build a more expensive bike and attempt to break it too. That, and as I've learned about the hobby, I've come to understand a few things about my bike and how it's future underneath me truly does hinder me, beyond the base component level.
It's a 17.5" frame but I'm 6'1", 195lbs. It has a Specialized 110mm stem on it and a 9/4 690mm bontrager bar. To say there was a language barrier when I bought the bike would be an understatement. I attempted to tell them that the 19" bike felt better but I might want a shorter stem on it. They weren't pushy or anything. It was just awkward because we both stood there staring at each other trying to understand what the other guy was trying to convey, lol. Besides, I needed a bike and I was under time constraints when I bought it. What I have learned since is that I needed the 19" size. All I did was turn the 17.5" frame in to a 19" frame by the Korean bike shop putting an inch longer stem on it. I don't remember what the stock bar was, but the bonty on it now is definitely aftermarket and wider than the stocker. When I ride over an hour or so, my ass starts to hurt. I'm dumb and don't wear bike shorts, but my opinion is that if you're not riding really aggressive, your butt cheeks shouldn't ache. Also, the stock saddle seems to garner a universal hatred. Also, I have lower back stiffness on occasion and my hands frequently go numb. The last part doesn't have much to do with the bike as I have carpal tunnel in both hands. Not terribly so, but enough that certain things set it off. Basically, this bike doesn't fit me and I've over-ridden its' capabilities.
I've done a ton of research online about frame geometry and how certain disciplines require a certain frame setup. I've made mental notes and compares that to demo bikes to get an idea of what I want. Basically, I'm looking for a CS-057 19" frame with a 60-80mm stem and 700mm bars and a 1x11 shimano drivetrain (because sram incompatibility for hubs and the resulting increase in price is lame). I'm still not entirely sure how high I want my stem but I can dial that in when I initially build the bike, before I cut the steerer tube. I'm going to start a build thread very soon as I'm waiting on emails from Peter from XMCS for a frame, bitex wheelset, and miscellaneous other parts.
