Big Chris said:
That looks bang on for 300 notes Marc, you'd be hard pushed to find better value, and GT have been making bikes for yonks so you've got a good frame there too.
At 6'1 you could've got away with a 19" frame, but the kid really should've known how to size a bike for someone. Basically, when sat on the saddle the ball of your left foot should be able to touch the ground without tilting the bike to the side and the ball of your right foot should be on the drive side pedal at the bottom of the crank rotation with the leg bent slightly at the knee. Also, you shouldn't have to lean too far forward so you're craning your neck to see forward. If you have to raise/lower the saddle too much to achieve this then you have the wrong size.
i probably would have picked a gt over most brands as the last bike i had, albeit over 10 years ago, was also a gt. it was a timberline given to me by a friend as he had trashed it and couldn't be bothered to fix it up. i just bought a new deraillieur (sp) and a new wheel and it was good to go. even though i've never known anything about bikes, i knew back then that gt were a good brand.
also i'm glad i took your advice about avoiding disk brakes in this price range. by doing so i got a lot more bike for my money. thanks.
about the frame size, yup it is too big. but i can live with it. i'll just have to be careful. i have the saddle set fairly low....
and last of all, i really had forgotten just how much hard work it is to ride a bike. it's ******* knackering.... still that's the reason i got it - to get a little bit fitter. i really have tended to avoid exercise at all costs for the last few years. once i build up my stamina by riding round town for a few weeks/months, i then have the cotswold hills at my disposal.
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