New around here

[Flowrider]

Sounds like you have a great, positive mindset and are clearly in the process of recovery for both you and your bike.
Well done
Keep going and keep us posted

[Justin Havu]

Got the Marin very close to what I need in a bike. Swapped the stock 2x crankset with the 3x from my KHS. Chainrings are a little worn, but still useable until I order a new crankset (needs to be a 42/32/22). Installed a 3x left-hand shifter that I found on Amazon, which works great for what it is. The only thing left is to loosen the steering a bit. Once that's done, I'll have something rideable.

[meamoantonio]

welcome to bike ride.com @Justin Havu

[GirishH]

Wow, @Justin Havu that's great progress. Did you self diagnosis and order parts or hir some help. I am not good with such things so checking..:-)

Wishing you safer and fun rides this fall..

(06-26-2026, 07:16 PM)Justin Havu Wrote:  Got the Marin very close to what I need in a bike. Swapped the stock 2x crankset with the 3x from my KHS. Chainrings are a little worn, but still useable until I order a new crankset (needs to be a 42/32/22). Installed a 3x left-hand shifter that I found on Amazon, which works great for what it is. The only thing left is to loosen the steering a bit. Once that's done, I'll have something rideable.

[Justin Havu]

(06-29-2026, 08:43 PM)GirishH Wrote:  Wow, @Justin Havu that's great progress. Did you self diagnosis and order parts or hir some help. I am not good with such things so checking..:-)

Wishing you safer and fun rides this fall..

I self-diagnosed everything, and went to the University of YouTube to figure everything out. It would've cost me way more than the bike was worth to have a bike shop do the upgrades. As it was, the Fairfax 2 was overpriced for what you got. I basically overpaid for a frame and hydraulic disc brakes. Lol

[GirishH]

@Justin Havu, I love that self diagnosis and knowledge from the University of YouTube...:-)

(06-30-2026, 05:14 PM)Justin Havu Wrote:  

(06-29-2026, 08:43 PM)GirishH Wrote:  Wow, @Justin Havu that's great progress. Did you self diagnosis and order parts or hir some help. I am not good with such things so checking..:-)

Wishing you safer and fun rides this fall..

I self-diagnosed everything, and went to the University of YouTube to figure everything out. It would've cost me way more than the bike was worth to have a bike shop do the upgrades. As it was, the Fairfax 2 was overpriced for what you got. I basically overpaid for a frame and hydraulic disc brakes. Lol

[Justin Havu]

So, the old crankset from my KHS had a slightly bent 2nd gear ring, which kept causing the chain to slip down to 1 when I went to the lowest gear on the rear. I just swapped out the crankset with an SRAM 3x 42/32/22 from Amazon. Might not be the best crankset money can buy, but it works fine for now. I'll probably do a 10-20 mile ride on Tuesday, and report back.

[Justin Havu]

Well, I gave up on the Marin. I can't get the front derailleur to shift to the highest gear no matter what I try. Gear indexing, lining up the derailleur, There's nothing that can be done. The crankset is tightened in as far as I can get it, so nothing there. I'm done sinking any more money into what has pretty much become a money pit, and that includes going to a bike shop.

Oh well.

[davidkop]

Hello, and welcome, new here too!

[davidkop]

I can relate to this. After a couple of close calls, I became much more tense around traffic too. What helped me was focusing on small, low-stress rides and rebuilding confidence gradually instead of pushing myself. I also liked reading about BetterMe Business wellness challenges https://betterme.world/articles/7-wellness-challenge-platforms/ —they include running, cardio, breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness programs that help build consistent habits and make staying active feel less overwhelming.