I want a bicycle. What should I get?

[Jesda]

I'm 29 and ready to upgrade from training wheels. I've probably put about 500 miles on my rickety $75 Wal-Mart bike, so its time to move on.

I haven't had a genuinely nice bike since the late 90s. What's a good brand? Budget is probably $500-$1000. I've convinced mom to get me one as a birthday present. Most of my cycling is on paved surfaces, but I also cover some hard dirt/rock trails like this:

[PEZi]

i wish i had all the details on my uncles bike... all i know is when he gets a new one i'm buying his off of him...

the things i do know about it....
gary ficsher (sp?)
carbon fiber
29" wheels

[the converted]

That's a pretty big range for your budget! What I would do is walk into a few local bike shops and talk to the guys there without mentioning a budget. You usually get a few free tune-ups and discounts on accesories that would make up for the difference in the upfront price.

For what your riding, you probably wouldn't have any need for any suspension, and can get a pretty good component group instead. Take a bunch that fit your needs for a test ride, and then ride them again to find one that is the most comfortable to you. Ignore the names on the bikes, find one that is comfortable with a good group of components. I think we could give you some better advice once you have narrowed your options down to a few.

[Bubba1]

I'm 29 and ready to upgrade from training wheels. I've probably put about 500 miles on my rickety $75 Wal-Mart bike, so its time to move on.

I haven't had a genuinely nice bike since the late 90s. What's a good brand? Budget is probably $500-$1000. I've convinced mom to get me one as a birthday present. Most of my cycling is on paved surfaces, but I also cover some hard dirt/rock trails like this:

I bought my son a Gary Fisher "Marlin" a couple years ago. I believe it's in your price range. Well made bike. He's done a combo of street/off road with it, and really likes it. 21 speed. Might be worth a look.

[Kompresshun]

Get yourself one of these:



Seriously though, my uncles used to ride Treks and they were amazing back when I used to bike a lot more. That's been quite a few years ago but they were awesome bikes. I also know a lot of people that ride Cannondales too and speak very highly of them. The main things i'd look for are 21spd, disc brakes, front and rear suspension(i'd at least get front), 26"+ bike, I prefer the thumb shifters(see below) versus the twist style shifters. Personally I don't want to have to twist my wrist to have to jump into a lower gear. I ride a Mongoose bike now but i've always ridden something cheaper, I used to moutain bike with my uncles on a modded Murray 21spd and even though it was twice as heavy, I never had any problems out of it.

This is what I was talking about, upshift with your index finger, downshift with your thumb.
http://www.bicyclebuys.com/productimages/1010118.jpg

[marlin29311]

If you're doing hard dirt/loose surfaces, I would stray away from a Road bike...they're not meant for that type of surface.

A local bike should should be able to help you out with some good stuff. Orbea, Fuji, Trek all make great bikes, and there are several other brands.

[Razi]

I'd recommend a hybrid bike.
Their frames can accommodate fatter tires, so you can put on some fat tires for your unpaved surface treks.
But they are built like road bikes.

A lot of people use them as commuters, and if you want shocks (I don't really like shocks), some of them come with shocks and are called "comfort bikes".

Just imagine a road bike with mountain bike handlebars and slightly fatter tires.

I know a lot of people on bikeforums buy bicycles from BikesDirect.
I've personally never bought a bicycle from them, I've only bought old school 10 speed bicycles off of craigslist, but they have a pretty good selection of hybrid bicycles, along with others.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/hybrid_bikes.htm
(I think shipping is a part of the price.)

I'd recommend going to your local bicycle shops and checking out bicycles there first though, you could try some out and see what fits you best.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

+1 on the hybrid.
I used to work at a bike shop, so I'm really not just talking out of my a** here.
Most of the time, you can't really get a new hybrid without front suspension... kinda like its really difficult to find a phone without a camera anymore. As said before, hybrids are made to do exactly what you are talking about. Paved road travel, as well as light off-roading (hard packed dirt). They have tires that are skinnier than a mountain bike, but thicker than a road bike, with an accompanying tread design (less rolling resistance than a mt bike tire, but more off road traction than a road bike tire).
You don't want rear suspension, it will just rob you of energy and power. Seat post/seat suspension is ok if you are worried about your taint.

Go to a bike shop! And I'm not talking about wal mart, or sports authority. Go to a real one with dedicated employees that actually know what the hell they are talking about. Once there, they will size you up to get the frame size you need, and will be able to provide you with a bunch of different bikes that you can test drive on the spot. We are entering the slow part of the year, so they should be able to spend plenty of time with you. You can also accessorize the bike however you want (water bottle cages, bags & racks, fenders, computers, lights, etc), and have them install it. This is where the bike shops make most of their money.

They will also tell you EXACTLY how to care for your bicycle. What lubricants to use, and how often. When you need to wash the bike off, and how to do it (never point the hose axially towards the gear sets).
And like someone else said, they usually throw in 1 free tune up. Cables stretch a little bit after you use them for a little while. When that happens, the bike might start to shift not as well. That's when you should bring it in for the free tune-up. After the first one, the service interval is much longer.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Jesda]

Alright, after soaking in all the advice, I went to Maplewood Cycle and picked up a Trek 7.5 for $985 out the door. That included a $40 trip computer and kickstand, both installed. The store is awesome. A guy I know locally through Saab Central has a daughter in law who works there, so he suggested it to me.

I went for a test ride around the neighborhood on a 7.3 and a 7.5, and for $300 more the 7.5 offered a carbon fork and snazzy shifters. The ride quality with the carbon fork was damn near as good as having a spring! And its lighter.





Hopefully this cold wears off soon so I can take advantage of the last bit of warm weather this week.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

WOW dude, that is a seriously nice hybrid. That is quite the upgrade.
Did it originally come with toe clips? Glad you found a good store. Far superior to Wal Mart isn't it?

[Razi]

That's one awesome hybrid!

This motivates me to put my bicycle trainer to use this winter...

[the converted]

NICE!

[Red coupe]

Looks like you did good man, congrats.

Now ditch the unpaved roads, and go drop $1000 again on a sweet road bike

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Looks like you did good man, congrats.

Now ditch the unpaved roads, and go drop $1000 again on a sweet road bike

Trek used to make a bike called the Trek 1000 (dunno if they still make it anymore) that I think we sold for under $500 new. It was a pretty stunning deal.

We sold a ton of those buggers.

[Red coupe]

My buddy has a Trek 1200 if I remember right. Not a bad bike but damn does it need a tune up. Wonder if its a same frame, different components type of thing.

You can find some good deals on road bikes it seems. My other friend just got a brand new Specialized Allez on sale for like $570.
Makes me want to start stashing away money...

[FutureDRFTer]

I wish more people were into riding mountain bikes. I get so many "wtf" looks when I hit the local dirt jumps on my Gary Fisher. Stupid bmx'ers...

[dre1507]

So Jesda, are you looking for a brother? I could sure use a Schwinn Prelude. Waaay cheaper and wouldn't even hurt your pockets.

http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Prelude-M ... B000KZ1GHQ

P.S. adopt me already.

[Red coupe]

OK, so wrong thread... But this is the closest to an active bike thread on nice...

Finally took the plunge, when from $7 amazon.com toe clips to


NEW SHOES!

So much better. I am borrowing an old pair of Look pedals from my friend (arc pedals?)
I am not a big fan of the 9 degree of float cleats, but next pay check when I get my own pedals they should come with the 4.5 deg cleat.

Nico needs more road bike action

[dre1507]

i'm all for NICO and more road bike action......i think i'm just gonna embrace the hole it will put in my wallet until next friday and go find me a used road bike in good condition. budget....$200. just a low-end bike for beginning.

[AZhitman]

^ VERY cool.

My son used to wear Shimanos (clipped into a set of 747's) on his BMX bike back in the day.

[jona300zx]

I have a trek 820....... I use it around campus..... awesome bike compared to the K-mart bike i used to have when i was little lol

[themadscientist]

You will need to grow a handlebar mustache and lift trapezoidal weights as well.

[BusyBadger]

I am not a big fan of the 9 degree of float cleats, but next pay check when I get my own pedals they should come with the 4.5 deg cleat

Look around for a set of Look 296 pedals. You use the regular red delta cleats but you can select the amount of float using a dial on the back of the cleat. It's got 4 positions - 0,3,6 or 9 degrees of float. They're discontinued which means that you can pick them up at a huge discount. I've got them on my neglected Cannondale and love them.

And if you hate 9 degree float you should try riding on Speedplays sometime...like trying to walk on a marble covered sheet of ice.

And Jesda, seriously look at picking up some good shoes and a set of clipless pedals. It will be th suxorz at first, but eventually you'll wonder how you ever rode without them.

Nico needs more road bike action

Might even get me enthused enough to ride again.

[the converted]

TMS, I would totaly ridethat if I had it.

Red, let me know what your looking for with pedals. I'm working at a used bike shop at the moment, and I'm pretty sure that we have a ton of used look stuff in decent shape kicking around. And since we are throwing around pictures of bikes, here's mine.

[Red coupe]

I am not a big fan of the 9 degree of float cleats, but next pay check when I get my own pedals they should come with the 4.5 deg cleat

Look around for a set of Look 296 pedals. You use the regular red delta cleats but you can select the amount of float using a dial on the back of the cleat. It's got 4 positions - 0,3,6 or 9 degrees of float. They're discontinued which means that you can pick them up at a huge discount. I've got them on my neglected Cannondale and love them.

And if you hate 9 degree float you should try riding on Speedplays sometime...like trying to walk on a marble covered sheet of ice.

And Jesda, seriously look at picking up some good shoes and a set of clipless pedals. It will be th suxorz at first, but eventually you'll wonder how you ever rode without them.

Nico needs more road bike action

Might even get me enthused enough to ride again.

Since setting the reds up on these shoes they have been a lot better, so I think the 4.5 will be just what I am looking for.
I honestly don't mind the float in and of its self... but I really don't need that much and it just makes me have to twist my ankle more to clip out. There is a guy in our regular ride group who has an extra set of grey cleats so I am hoping to borrow those until I get my own stuff in a few weeks. I just don't know if they are delta or keo.

My buddies have speedplays, and I think I am gonna try and convince him to let me borrow the cleat and pedals for an afternoon before I buy pedals.
I think they are infinitely adjustable, and on both sides of the neutral position too, which is really cool.

I'll have a look at those pedals you mentioned... Right now I am leaning HEAVILY toward the look keo classic.

Red, let me know what your looking for with pedals. I'm working at a used bike shop at the moment, and I'm pretty sure that we have a ton of used look stuff in decent shape kicking around. And since we are throwing around pictures of bikes, here's mine.

My basic criteria was a largish pedal like the looks that I can technically use across campus with regular shoes (not a full extra pedal like mnt bike stuff... just enough to get by), lightish, adjustable tension...
If it is used though I have to buy a cleat... so if $20 + shopping + price is too close to 90 or so dollars I may as well just buy new. I may just go new anyways, I am hoping this stuff will last me a while and don't mind spending ~$100 to do it right (just not like $200+ right lol)

[Jesda]

Does anyone have headlight suggestions? With fall/winter here, the days are short and its dark in the morning or evening when I ride. The little $14 Schwinn LED light I have isn't really enough. I've seen HID kits for $400, which is rather steep.

http://www.q45.org/cpg/albums/katytrail ... 1-1721.jpg

Most of the light you see here is from the camera flash on my Blackberry. The LED headlight I have, if you can imagine, generates about half this much light.

[Razi]

I'm using a small LED headlight made by Bell and it looks like that picture you took, it's better than nothing but isn't all that helpful.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Sports-I ... t/14699268
It's pretty s*** though, I wouldn't recommend it.

I was actually going to buy a small Cateye headlight+taillight combination pack, but I don't ride at night that much so I didn't go through with it.
http://www.amazon.com/Cateye-HL-350-LD1 ... 196&sr=8-4
I saw an old guy using one on his bicycle and it was pretty good, a bit bulky though.

I'd say that you go to the local bike shop and check out what they have.

[Red coupe]

Does anyone have headlight suggestions? With fall/winter here, the days are short and its dark in the morning or evening when I ride. The little $14 Schwinn LED light I have isn't really enough. I've seen HID kits for $400, which is rather steep.

http://www.q45.org/cpg/albums/katytrail ... 1-1721.jpg

Most of the light you see here is from the camera flash on my Blackberry. The LED headlight I have, if you can imagine, generates about half this much light.

How fast do you ride?

I have gone through, and ridden with a lot of different people at night. Nearing 20mph spend a lot, or don't. If your cruising at 13mph things may be different... but all cheap ($5-$30?) lights kinda give the same effect... They are only there to help you be seen, not see. It does not matter how bright it is in the store, or in your dark closet... it takes a SERIOUS light to see what your coming up on in any detail. Cheap lights will let you see the road is there, and will show you that huge rock/pot hole your about to hit. If you are confident in the roads you ride on or are not going fast enough to be worried about hitting holes or what ever just get any light that blinks so you can be seen easy.

I can find you details, but a few friends have ~$70 flash lights with bike mounts and they work well. That is the minimum I would do. I probably spent close to that buying s*** lights and being disappointed

[Jesda]

After reading the posts above, I went to the new REI that opened in midtown and looked around. They had some examples on display. The cheapest 180 lumen lithium rechargeable one was $109, which was pretty reasonable. The step down from there was an unusually bright LED light by Precision for $49, which I decided to take home.

http://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Tec-Eos ... B000BIWN8I





The little blue glow at the bottom of the tree trunk is from the $15 Schwinn light. The bright one above is from the Precision EOS. Together, the Schwinn lights up the area immediately in front of the bike and the Eos lights up the trail ahead. Its about 40F so I'm heading out now to give it a try.

As for speed, I very rarely go over 20mph. Usually its a brief sprint down a bridge. Fastest I've seen is 26mph, and even in the daylight its a bit unnerving to me. According to my trip computer, my average speed hovers around 12 mph.

[Razi]

Whoa nice light!