Not a bicyclist for certain.

[Alvin]

I don't know at this point if I shall become a bicyclist of long duration. Maybe I am just a temporary bicyclist. I bought a mountain bike from an internet retailer. It arrived with problems. The retailer refunded my purchase and kindly told me to keep the bike. The problems are not serious: a slightly bent rear-axle and a poorly designed frong derailer. I have ridden the bike a few miles and find I do not like riding it. A mountain bike, it requires me to adopt a forward leaning posture. I bought it because it was iinexpensive compared with other types of bicycles.
I have enough mechanical skills so that I can make some modifications that could make the bike more pleasant for me to ride. For example, a "swallow" handlebar would allow me to sit in a more upright posture. To substitute a swallow- for the flat-handlebar, I shall have to replace the brake cables. They need to fit the swallow handlebar. I think I have enough skill to make this replacement.
The slightly bent rear axle does not have to be replaced immediately. If all else is satisfactory with my swallow modification, I could eventually replace the bent rear axle.
I live in Florida, which is a nearly flat terrain. I really do not need to shift gears to ride in my State in most locales. I am thinking that I shall remove the derailers entirely or use only the rear derailer. I may even remove that and the rear gear cassette, leaving only the smallest or next-to-smallest size gear for the chain drive. I don't know if I shall be able to do that, or if I should have to replace the entire rear wheel. I'll discover the answer when I get around to doing the axle replacement.

I would be more enthusiastic about biking if traffic in my city were not so terrible. It is very dense. I would only bicycle on a bike trail, as things are. Electric bkes may have taken over that possiblity. As things are, I would bike on my condo's perimeter for exercise in good biking weather - not to hot, not too cold, not too windy. Any comments?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Welcome to cyclechat

And good luck. I'm not a Mountain Bike person so I can't comment on the posture/handlebar issue.

My only comment is that gears are useful riding on the flat too, because they enable you to ride comfortably at a wider range of speeds over different kinds of terrain (grass, gravel, sand, mud, concrete, tarmac). So if the derailleurs work, I wouldn't go to all the trouble of removing them.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and to CC

I hope not but it sounds like you might have purchased what is commonly known on here as a BSO (bicycle shaped object). On other words something that looks like a proper MTB but is made down to a price with inferior components and build quality.
Please post a picture of said bike and we will tell you if it's worth sticking with or just to leave it a the recycling centre.
At least it owes you nought and you can begin again with a clean sheet if you so wish.
BSOs are often made with low grade steel and weigh more than a boat anchor. I do hope it's not one of those.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I live in Florida, which is a nearly flat terrain.

I would be more enthusiastic about biking if traffic in my city were not so terrible. It is very dense. I would only bicycle on a bike trail, as things are. Electric bkes may have taken over that possiblity. As things are, I would bike on my condo's perimeter for exercise in good biking weather - not to hot, not too cold, not too windy. Any comments?

There are some fantastic flat old railway trails in & around Orlando,

 

[fossyant]

A mountain bike in Florida... your weather is much better over there and us lot ride all year in cold and wet Blighty

 

[boydj]

If it has front suspension, then lock that out if you can. Cycling on the road, front suspension is just an energy-sapping nuisance.

 

[Alvin]

There are some fantastic flat old railway trails in & around Orlando,

Thanks for your message. I should prefer the old railway car on the tracks (if any).

 

[Alvin]

I don't know at this point if I shall become a bicyclist of long duration. Maybe I am just a temporary bicyclist. I bought a mountain bike from an internet retailer. It arrived with problems. The retailer refunded my purchase and kindly told me to keep the bike. The problems are not serious: a slightly bent rear-axle and a poorly designed frong derailer. I have ridden the bike a few miles and find I do not like riding it. A mountain bike, it requires me to adopt a forward leaning posture. I bought it because it was iinexpensive compared with other types of bicycles.
I have enough mechanical skills so that I can make some modifications that could make the bike more pleasant for me to ride. For example, a "swallow" handlebar would allow me to sit in a more upright posture. To substitute a swallow- for the flat-handlebar, I shall have to replace the brake cables. They need to fit the swallow handlebar. I think I have enough skill to make this replacement.
The slightly bent rear axle does not have to be replaced immediately. If all else is satisfactory with my swallow modification, I could eventually replace the bent rear axle.
I live in Florida, which is a nearly flat terrain. I really do not need to shift gears to ride in my State in most locales. I am thinking that I shall remove the derailers entirely or use only the rear derailer. I may even remove that and the rear gear cassette, leaving only the smallest or next-to-smallest size gear for the chain drive. I don't know if I shall be able to do that, or if I should have to replace the entire rear wheel. I'll discover the answer when I get around to doing the axle replacement.

I would be more enthusiastic about biking if traffic in my city were not so terrible. It is very dense. I would only bicycle on a bike trail, as things are. Electric bkes may have taken over that possiblity. As things are, I would bike on my condo's perimeter for exercise in good biking weather - not to hot, not too cold, not too windy. Any comments?

Thank you, all, for the welcome! Good Riding (or whatever bikers say to one another!)

 

[Alvin]

If it has front suspension, then lock that out if you can. Cycling on the road, front suspension is just an energy-sapping nuisance.

I prefer the energy sapping to the rear-end slapping! I have plenty of energy, but limited rear cushioning

 

[boydj]

I prefer the energy sapping to the rear-end slapping! I have plenty of energy, but limited rear cushioning

On a road bike used only on the road, suspension placed between wheels and frame in any way is totally wasted. It adds weight, does little for comfort and reduces efficiency. Sensible tyres at the correct pressure gives all the cushioning you need.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

 

[CharleyFarley]

I don't know at this point if I shall become a bicyclist of long duration. Maybe I am just a temporary bicyclist. I bought a mountain bike from an internet retailer. It arrived with problems. The retailer refunded my purchase and kindly told me to keep the bike.

You've made your first mistake in cycling. Congratulations! It seems that you learned that a piece of junk can look like a bike. It must be pretty bad for the retailer to refund your money and let you keep the bike.

We all learn by our mistakes. Thanks to the numerous 'mistakes' (actually botching) of a local bike shop I began to frequent, I decided to learn to do things myself. I have mechanical skills so all I needed to do was to learn how to do what needed to be done. Sure, it can be frustrating, but nobody comes into this world with all that they need to know.

Don't let your experience put you off cycling. If it's worth having, it's worth working for. I'd suggest talking to the mechanics in bike shops just for advice about buying a bike. If you get a bike that suits you, based on their advice, you'll get to like the sport. There are also plenty of online videos to teach you how to do things. I no longer rely on bike shops, and have kept two current bikes in excellent shape; one is a 7-speed cruiser, and the other a 20-speed Specialized fat bike. I've stripped both bikes down and rebuilt them, modified them to my liking.

I, too, live in Florida and enjoy the flat riding. You mentioned removing gears because of the flat land, but what about headwinds? I wouldn't be without low gears for battling those. I started with a single-speed cruiser and quickly learned I needed gears.

So look on your negative experience with that bike as a learning experience, and go on to better things. It's worth the effort.