The dirty little secret of bikes with 28 speeds is that you really don’t have 28 different gear ratios. Sure, some might not match up exactly, but some are so close to each other such that they’re functionally the same. That was true even with mere 10 speeds, back in the 70’s when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
I haven’t been biking very long, but I’ve never heard anyone try to put all of the gears on the same scale (such as by adding them)–for one because the ranking could change between different bicycles, and also because of what Malienation said. It’s probably best to just keep the front and rear gears separate.
The lower gears are the ones used at slow speeds, or to accelerate from a stop, just like you accelerate from a stop in first gear in a manual transmission car. Higher gears allow you to go faster (again, like a car). As in the video I posted above, for general riding you stay in the middle gear on the left hand and switch gears with the right: 1 to accelerate from a stop and 7 to go as fast as you can.
Regarding bikes with bells: you can by some that come with bells (a couple Schwinns), or you can buy them separately.
I don’t think a bike exists with 28 gears. 27, yes, possibly 30 by now - you usually have three chainrings.
Anyway, that’s nitpicking. The point of having 27 gears is that you have three sets of gears. For a given bit of terrain you can usually stay in one chainring and use those gears, then shift up or down a chainring as you move to different terrain.
As for the riding position, that must just be a personal preferene thing. I hate the upright “sit up and beg” stance as all the weight goes onto my backside. I have a mountainbike and my saddle is about 1-2" higher than the handlebars. That way, the weight is spread fairly evenly between my butt and my arms, and I don’t get sore. I ride 18 miles a day and never have a remotely sore backside from it.
I would suggest if you found the bike uncomfortable, your saddle was set at the wrong angle. Harder saddles are more comfortable than soft padded saddles if set up correctly. Even an adjustment of a couple of degrees tilt forward or backward can make a world of difference.
Edit: and, as Dr Love said, don’t try to think of the gears as 1-27 in order. It doesn’t work like that. I don’t know why people try to do that - my girlfriend always says stuff like “I’m in 6th gear, is that right?”. Who cares what the numbers say? If it’s too hard to pedal, change to a bigger cog at the back. If your pedals are spinning out, change to a smaller cog. If you’ve run out of cogs at the back, change to a different chainring and select a suitable cog on that one.
I went to the bike store, & bought the bike I wanted.
Big difference.
Somehow I made it thru grades 7,8 and 9 with constant use of only a 3-speed bike and never knew I was deprived or woefully short of gears.
Now I have a 10-speed and doubt if I use more than 3.
Ah, progress.
I have 27 gears, and I use 'em all. I guess it just depends on the type of riding you do.
I didn’t have to have padded seats and shorts and gloves when I was a kid, but when I was a kid I used my bike to go from my house to my friend’s house, and then maybe to the store. If I rode for 15 minutes, that was a long ride.
Nowadays, a short ride is an hour, and a long ride is 2+ hours, and I’m riding over bumpy terrain and going a lot faster than the casual riding I did as a kid. I’m wearing all the padding I can get. I suspect the kids that ride like that also use padding. And the adults who just cruise around town for a few minutes probably don’t need the padding either.
Buy stem and bars to get sitting position as you like.
Use old motorcycle seat with sheepskin cover to get butt comfort as you like…
And you can have quick on the fly handle bar height adjust with a little ingenuity…
I drew the line at installing parasol.
Buy a motorcycle helmet, drill full of holes and remove some padding and you have a cycle helmet to suit. Can do this also with the cheap bennie motorcycle helmets…
If you use used stuff bought in garage sales it all can be done on the cheap… A few cans of spray paint and you are the cats meow…
Just wondering, did you go to the bike store alone? Or did you take your husband with you? I’ve found that bike stores workers are worse than used car dealers when it comes to people who do not pay attention to anything a woman says, ever.
Still, I’m glad you’ve found a bicycle that you can enjoy!
Have you considered getting a helmet from another sport? Check out these babies, or these – they’re vented for coolness, they’re ASTM/SEI certified, they’re inexpensive, and they’re made to withstand the forces unleashed by falling/being thrown from a horse – potentially way worse than from a bike.
Oh, I forgot to mention also – what about rear wire baskets that fold up out of the way when you’re not using them?
Or skateboard style helmets, which are less whhhooooooooshingly aerodynamic than bike helmets, and fit a more sedate and dignified style, without looking totally dorky. Just check that they’re certified up for biking as well, many are.
I want a light! An old fashioned light that used the power of the back wheel turning to generate the light. (and they made a cool sound). Where does one acquire such a thing?
My basket pops off, which can be handy at the market.
And I can second you on the “don’t listen to women customers–especially older women customers” stuff. The bike shop I use is staffed with 20 somethings; I’m sure the just see their mother when they talk to me.
I give up on the gears(but thank you)-mostly I wanted to know what is that loosey-goosey gear I use for going up high hills and what is the massive mover gear I use to go really really fast-it doesn’t matter.
Someone upthread had an excellent point. I had a 3 speed for years–it did me fine. Then the Schwinn Varsity 10 speed* came along and I Had To Have One (like everyone else). I ended up with 3 of them, over time–because they kept getting stolen. The first time was my fault. The next 2, I was away at school and my mother left the garage door open and that was the end of each of them.
*trivia: my brother had the Schwinn Continental 10 speed. In chestnut brown, no less. I had lime/kelly green “metallic” paint. My last bike was “metallic royal blue” (I figured I had had bad luck with the green–didn’t matter…)
Standard bike parlance, “little ring” and “big ring.” More geeky parlance, "Dude, I changed out to a 50-38, but that guy runs a 54 on his fixed gear!’ The rear wheel groups are usually standard, but what you run on the front cranks makes the most difference and matter a great deal on hills, especially.
Loosey-goosey: 1 on left and 1 on right. Massive mover: 3 on left and largest number (7, 8 or 9) on right.
Grarage sale?
Seriously, you don’t want one of those. I would look to some of the products on this site. http://www.bikelights.com/Products/Products.htm
Or something similar. Not an endorsement.
Got sidetracked.
My Wife is training for an Iron Man. Ounces count. Aerodynamics are important. Fit is most important though.
Good on the OP that they found someting that works for them.
I’m not a rider (of bikes) I’m the pit crew though.
There are ~ $10,000 ± in two bikes in our house now ( a 6 and a 3 plus incidentals, it’s almost as bad as buying a boat). Good machines. It stuns me though sometimes.
It’s amazing, they are about mid-range in price for serious racers.
Don’t even want to talk about wheels. When the price is not available over the web, you know you are in trouble (about a $1000 each).
Oh and you wanted peddles? What kind? (it’s an individual choice depending on the rider, I understand that).
Love my Wife I do. Expensive sport though.
Front chainrings: smallest = lowest gear. This is your left-hand gear lever, at least on UK bikes.
Back cogs: biggest = lowest gear. Right-hand lever.
So the lowest gear is the smallest chainring and the biggest cog - in other words the chain is as far “inwards” towards the frame as it will go at both front and back.
Biggest gear is the opposite - the chain is on the biggest chainring and smallest cog, as far “outboard” as it will go.
Really, the simplest way to figure this out is just to ride along and change one gear at a time on the back and see what makes it harder and easier to pedal. Then do the same on the front, and observe (the jump in gearing will be much larger).
Zsofia, you have touched a soft spot in my…heart. I also know the suffering that you have gone through. I’m a man, and the seats torments on my boy bits are negligible. It’s the butt that feels it. The tenderest part, too. Chapped, abused, tormented. I’m proud to know somebody that has found their way out, and I shall visit WM very soon, and look for the very bike that you have mentioned.
Thanks,
greatshakes
I want to make my own energy–I do not want a halogen anything. Why would this type of bike light disappear? It worked, it saved energy and was cute (in a dorky way). If I knew what it was called, I’d look for it.
I’m not an athlete. I’m not mountain biking. I’m riding home from the library or a friend’s house at dusk.
Ta for the info on the gears. I tend to just go with what works, but I now know I’ll never try to sling bike lingo around… 
these are the ones i’m lusting after. i always wanted a big trike.
I wonder who worked at the OP’s bike store when he got his hated bike. I went to two bike stores and at the first one my helper was a teenage hippie who was helpful bad had a limited selection of bikes to work with. The second store I went to had a very helpful and informative person working there. He eventually guided me to the bike I wanted. A comfort / hybrid bike for commuting. Specifically a Giant Sedona.
Again it’s true, a 200$ bike that you like will be better then the 2000$ bike you hate. But at the same time, a little extra research will likely allow you to find a more expensive bike you really enjoy.
Congrats on the bike.