The trick with a quick link is to make a little triangle with it on the outer chainring and hit one side of it.
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I went for my first ride last week. After being someone who mostly walks, itās like being shot by catapult off the end of an aircraft carrier.
I have to fess up, I bought a BSO. I didnāt want to make a big investment ā¦ havenāt owned a bike in 20 years, I didnāt know (still donāt know) how my body will tolerate it, and I have a lot to learn. Also, like I said before, the main reason I want a bike now is so I can ride it to hikes (seemed crazy to get in my car and drive so I can exercise, when I could just start exercising as soon as I step outside the front door) which means Iāll be locking it up at the trailhead and leaving it for a few hours and really hoping itāll still be there when I get back to it. I test-drove an $1100 Giant Anyroad and looked at my sisterās $1400 Felt and theyāre incredible bikes (not that I would have spent that much money anyway), but I just couldnāt see leaving that much bike locked up alone in the woods. The whole time I was hiking Iād be worrying about the bike, and that wouldnāt be any fun, so I went cheap instead.
So I got a used Genesis GS29 for $50.00 off Craigslist. Aluminum frame, 29 inch wheels, hardtail with front suspension, 3x7 with grip shifters. Itās been used, with moderate wear on the front chainrings and dings on the frame. Iām okay with it looking beat up so it doesnāt look like something someone would want to steal (and before I bought it was thinking of how Iād take a bike and make it look worse) but I may have to do something about the chainrings before too long. The rear cogs have good teeth and the chain doesnāt stretch under load. I had to adjust both the front and rear derailleurs but thatās done and now Iām riding once a day (for the last week so far) to train myself up a little.
Looking it over, I see: some kind of Shimano front and rear derailleurs, Shimano RevoShift Friction for the front shifter, Shimano RevoShift Indexed 7-Speed for the rear, Shimano rear cogs (I donāt know how to tell if freewheel or cassette), rim brakes (work OK, the rear is a little mushy), missing handlebar grips, the gasket on the top of the head tube is slightly deformed and doesnāt seat properly. The pedals are platform style and too narrow for my running shoes, I need to do something there, probably with a toe clip/cage (not clip in, Iād fall and bust my a$$ for sure). My neighborhood has significant hills and even in low-low those are hard, and Iām kind of wavering when I reach the top, which must have to do with leg power but also maybe the 29 inch wheels. It makes me wish for a lower gear. Iāve tried standing but thatās actually worse because it changes more-or-less continuous power into two distinct power strokes, one for each leg obviously, and the bike slows down in between. That might be improved with toe clips/cages. I canāt tell but the frame might be bobbing on the front shocks a little when Iām standing up, which isnāt helping if true.
I know literally nothing about bike shocks yet. I have no idea if theyāre good or not. The bottom bracket seems OK, I pulled away from the frame and in various directions and didnāt find any play or looseness.
The seat isnāt original and has to be deodorized because it smells so strongly of tobacco itās nauseating. Itās also too hard, so maybe thatāll just get replaced.
Most of the knobs are worn off the strip around the crown of the rear wheel, but the front is OK. I was thinking of putting road tires on anyway, since most of my riding will be on-road (also why I liked the idea of 29-inch wheels), so I didnāt worry so much about that. It doesnāt have quick-release axles, but thatās OK too because itāll keep someone from quick-releasing them.
Itās big fun, I like it, and after being away from bikes for this long it feels SO FAST. Not because the bike is especially fast, but because after mostly walking as my main recreation for five years, itās like lightspeed.
I donāt know if Iām going to keep it. If I replace all the front chainrings, without knowing exactly what kind I need, it looks like those would cost about the same as just buying the bike new right there. If one goes the BSO route, what Iām reading says you want to at least be the first owner so you can make sure everythingās properly assembled and lubed before you put a bunch of miles on it, and Iām too late for that here. Iām sure I could sell it on for at least $30 and call any loss the cost of getting hands on and learning. (Well worth it, I think.) In the mean time, Iām keeping it out of the dump and having great fun. On the other hand, it is black, and I could fall in love.
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looks like fun.
One thing about the saddle (I canāt help with the deodorizationā¦) If the saddle fits your anatomy (itās a big āifā), give said anatomy a chance to get used to it, hard as it seems.
Too soft a saddle may cause more discomfort if you spend much time on the bike. A hard(ish) saddle with a couple of springs, or a seat-post with some kind of suspension can be much nicer than riding a āgelā-filled pillow, but these things add weight/complexity.
There are also lots of saddles these days with a groove, or cutout (or both) to relieve pressure right in the centre of the saddle:
In general, a bike saddle should:
- Be forgiving, but not too soft,
- Be wide enough to fit your sit-bones, but
- Vary in width according to your riding posture (wider, the more upright you sitā¦)
- Not cause any kind of numbness
So given that you canāt raise the handlebars in the set-up of that bike, your posture will be a relatively constant semi-upright one, which means you will probably need a saddle thatās neither really wide nor really narrow. A friendly neighbourhood kind of bike shop will probably let you test-ride a saddle or two, and may be able to help you measure the distance between your sit-bones.
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Anybody here have a recommendation for a floor pump friendly to those with small, not-very-strong hands?
Mrs Hotel can only just barely seal the head of the pump we have onto the valve stem. It causes a lot of cursing and sailor-like talk 
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Lezyne do a range of pumps that can take a screw-on chuck. I much prefer screw-on and the latest version has a little bleed valve on the chuck, which I thought was to release pressure in the pumpās line to facilitate unscrewing, but it might actually be to fine-tune tyre pressure.
They do a clamp-on chuck too.
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Back when I started spending a lot of time on my BMX as a kid, I found that once I got off the bike, walking feels glacial. Ever since, Iām loathe to walk further than 50m at a time. I carry my bike downstairs to go to the milk bar around the corner, about 80m awayā¦ I think Iāve walked there exactly once in sixteen years.
Youād have a freewheel rather than a cassette; the nutted axles and 7s also paint the picture - I can say with 99% certainty it also has schrader valves. Typical BSO spec.
Are you sure the chainrings are worn? The teeth are meant to have irregular shapes; theyāre only worn if the circular bits the rollers sit in are hooked. And they really only wear if the chain is worn.
Chains donāt stretch. Chain āstretchā is wear - measure 12 inches of chain under tension, and if the last pin is more than 1/16" past 12", your chain is worn.
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Yeah, I can see that coming. Iām not totally sure I want that, Iāve got kind of a Zen, mobile meditation, Walk Here Now thing going on. Then again, having a car hasnāt spoiled me (at least not that way).
Correct, nailed it.
The ones adjacent to the crank arms still have a plateau top on the teeth, but further around the tops look worn down. No actual sharks-tooth hooks yet that I can see. There is a nasty-looking notch in the middle chainring, itās visible in the last picture, I donāt know if thatās anything but it looks bad.
Those donāt, to my eye, look too badly worn.
As mentioned above, the teeth have different profiles, as a matter of aiding shifting from one ring to another. Theyāre supposed to look like that, as it turns out.
Iāve also a strong suspicion that replacing those three chainrings will run you (easily) more than what you paid for the bike. I have one chainring (mildly specialist, but deeply on sale) en route thatās running me ~$40. As a data point.
Assuming the chain isnāt snagging at the bottom of the pedal stroke or slipping under load, Iād leave it as-is. Given the (apparent) gearing, it seems odd that youād be looking for more low-end going up hills- and, there seems to be some pretty uneven brake pad wear on the rear rim (non-drive side). Thatād indicate a badly out-of-true rear wheel thatās rubbing a brake pad. It seems more likely thatās whatās causing you to expend so much effort (rather than the gearing).
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Thatās true, good eye. I just went out and checked, that wheel always stops spinning at the same place, and too soon. I canāt tell that the wheelās out of true just by eyeballing (just like I couldnāt before I bought it) but like you said itās obviously rubbing.
If itās rubbing in one spot like that, the only cause is the wheel being out of true. There are good videos for fixing this on YouTube- itās not too hard, you just need to go slowly. Thatāll make a meaningful difference for you.
The middle ring looks a bit worn. As for the notch, it could be on purpose, but it does look oddā¦ at any rate, itās on the back side of the tooth so it doesnāt matter.
Since you canāt eyeball the runout in the rear rim, itās probably not worth truing - just adjust the brake centering instead. There should be a little screw to adjust the spring tension on the base of the caliper; just screw it in a quarter turn on the side thatās rubbing, that should sort it.
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Lezyne do a range of pumps that can take a screw-on chuck.
Many thanks for that crucial info (from Mrs Hotel too!) Iāve just ordered one with the threaded chuck.
Always wondered why frame pumps often had that feature, but my floor pump didnāt. I should have thought to investigateā¦
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Just got the new pump from La Poste. Best and easiest-to-use chuck Iāve ever encountered.
Thereās free beer in exchange for the recommendation if you find yourself in the right bit of France. 
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My recommendation would be donāt replace a lot of stuff on that bike, ride it, enjoy it, and buy yourself something new or nicer when the time comes and you still enjoy riding.
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Glad you are enjoying riding!
Main issue with soreness can also be saddle height too low.
Ideally you want your knees to just be very slightly bent as they pass through the bottom of the pedal stroke. However, to get the saddle up that high it means you usually canāt stay on the seat comfortably with your feet on the ground when stopped and many people arenāt comfortable with this when they first try it or have it suggested. A seat in the higher position will allow you to extend your legs more as you pedal and may improve the soreness issue. Try walking around in a squatting position, it is quite difficult. This is similar to what you are doing with your legs when your saddle is too low. Also, depending on bike fit and geometry/design, a higher seat may also put more pressure on your hands or cause you to have neck discomfort as raising your butt changes your overall riding position.
If it isnāt stopping you from riding though, donāt sweat it. Getting out and riding safely is important, the rest is just details. Butt soreness from sitting on the saddle goes away over time. The best cure is simply consistent riding.
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Yāall see this:
Illustrates the difference between Walmart bikes and Bike Shop bikes.
Heās a very, very brave man.
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Ya get what you pay for, and sometimes (55lbs) even more!
Theyāre getting better at the ābike shapedā part. That looks like the real thing in the video (if you donāt look too closely at the components).
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Pro tip: anything made from stamped steel plate is junk.
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Itās a good deal- if youāre talking $/lb.
Iām somewhat impressed theyāre going after the 27.5" fattie combo- thatās somewhat esoteric even in actual bike shops (as opposed to, say 26/29/650).
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