Need help choosing a bicycle

[Project84]

Originally Posted by theholycow

The bike shop services are important. Most important of all, though, is getting the right fit. You won't get properly fit buying a used bike unless you're very good at bike fitting.

Of I go to a bike shop and get perfectly fit then find the same bike for a fraction of the price on craigslist. I'm not opposed to that. Saving money is saving money. If I'm not removing a salesman from potential buyers to bother him w/ fitment, I see no harm...

Its the equivilent of calling multiple shops to get repair quotes, they spend time/effort to create these quotes, but if one is cheaper, you don't go pay the other shop for their efforts anyway.

[theholycow]

Most shops won't do a thorough fit until you're committed. If they just sit you on the bike, eyeball you, and say "yup, you fit" then they haven't done anything.

You can pay to get fit at a shop where you don't plan to buy.

[Fuel Miser]

Of I go to a bike shop and get perfectly fit then find the same bike for a fraction of the price on craigslist.

No, not gonna work. It's most unlikely you'd find the same bike in a shop and on Craigslist, sorry. If you did, you'd hand back a large percentage of your savings in shipping and/or hassles. At best you'd be getting a used bike. A used bike you know nothing about setting up. The only fixed parameter in choosing a bike is frame size, in what I imagine to be your price range that's likely to be a generic small, medium or large. Trasnsferring that to an internet purchase, new or used, is child's play.
Here's the rest: your seat travels in three directions. Up/down. Forward/back. Tilted nose up/nose down.
Ditto for your handlebars.
Brake levers will need to be adjusted for your preference and hand size.
Tire pressure should be adjusted to your weight and riding conditions.
It's likely none of these adjustments will fit you on the first try. Bike fit is both a science and an art. If you want to ride and not drop it in short order you'll need an educated eye to observe you on the bike. Your bike. The one you're riding today and tomorrow. You'll adjust one thing one day and need to adjust a second, in turn, tomorrow. Yeah, that'll lead back to the first or perhaps to a third.
Those "bargains" on craigslist represent, more often than not, especially in your price range (again using my imagination), someone else's failure to adopt riding a bike long term. Want a "bargain"? Drop Craigslist, those people are in the know and want real money for their bikes. Wait for spring and hit the yard sale circuit. You will be astounded by the number of perfectly serviceable bikes available for five dollars. Simply ask yourself why they're not being used, the rest you can learn in school, The School of Hard Knocks. Nothing wrong with that, that's my alma mater. Need help? Don't hesitate.

Be safe and keep in touch.

[Project84]

Originally Posted by Fuel Miser

No, not gonna work. It's most unlikely you'd find the same bike in a shop and on Craigslist, sorry. If you did, you'd hand back a large percentage of your savings in shipping and/or hassles. At best you'd be getting a used bike. A used bike you know nothing about setting up. The only fixed parameter in choosing a bike is frame size, in what I imagine to be your price range that's likely to be a generic small, medium or large. Trasnsferring that to an internet purchase, new or used, is child's play.
Here's the rest: your seat travels in three directions. Up/down. Forward/back. Tilted nose up/nose down.
Ditto for your handlebars.
Brake levers will need to be adjusted for your preference and hand size.
Tire pressure should be adjusted to your weight and riding conditions.
It's likely none of these adjustments will fit you on the first try. Bike fit is both a science and an art. If you want to ride and not drop it in short order you'll need an educated eye to observe you on the bike. Your bike. The one you're riding today and tomorrow. You'll adjust one thing one day and need to adjust a second, in turn, tomorrow. Yeah, that'll lead back to the first or perhaps to a third.
Those "bargains" on craigslist represent, more often than not, especially in your price range (again using my imagination), someone else's failure to adopt riding a bike long term. Want a "bargain"? Drop Craigslist, those people are in the know and want real money for their bikes. Wait for spring and hit the yard sale circuit. You will be astounded by the number of perfectly serviceable bikes available for five dollars. Simply ask yourself why they're not being used, the rest you can learn in school, The School of Hard Knocks. Nothing wrong with that, that's my alma mater. Need help? Don't hesitate.

Be safe and keep in touch.

"What you'd imagine to be my price range" is really REALLY dull. For all you know I could be a poor man, or a wealthy man.

I'm not "rich" by any means but I do have one advantage if you will... I'm a maintenance man. Setting up a brake handle or adjusting a seat is childs play. I don't need to pay a shop to do that... or anything else. Where's the money saved if I go and pay someone to get everything just how I like it?

It must be disagreement week on gassavers.org.

I appreciate all the responses none the less.

[theholycow]

Yeah, I think it is disagreement week.

The difficult part of setting up a brake handle or adjusting a seat is not the bolting and moving, it's identifying that the brake handle or seat angle was the problem and knowing which direction to move it.

For example, if your hands hurt, you might think it's something wrong with the handlebar. In actuality, it's most likely to be that the saddle is tilted down in front too much. It could also be stem length (how far the handlebar sticks out in front of the bike), saddle fore/aft position, saddle or bar height, or wrong size frame.

If you read up quite thoroughly on sites like Sheldon Brown's site (which I linked to "fit" in my first post in this thread) you'll get some of it. However, a professional fit, if you can find* someone who can really do it right, will save a lot of time and pain.

*: Finding someone who can really do it right, is a pretty tough job itself.

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by Project84

I'm wanting to buy myself a bicycle.

My commute to work is 6.5 miles one way, only has sidewalk about 3 of those miles. Speed limit is 50mph the other 3.5 miles but there is a large shoulder area w/ gravel.

I really enjoy hiking and the outdoors. A mountain bike sounds like a lot of fun! (though I'd then need to buy a bike rack, which just seems like a lot of money wasted)

I'd like to bike back and forth to work also though...

Which bike do I choose? A road/touring bike, or a mountain bike??

How many gears should I have?

I'm 6'1" and 200lbs, is there a certain size bike I should look for, or get whatever is comfortable?


Thank you!

I rode a bike for years, and getting around in the city or any suburb is best done on a mountain bike, cause you can ride it on the sidewalk, and dont always need to endanger yourself in traffic with this silly roadbikes especially when they're hard to get used to lol(meant only for the vegan elite)

I can beat those kids in a race around the city anyday especially with raised handle bars, front suspension, and a seat that has springs built into it(these are hard to find i think)

The middle suspension stuff on alot of Benny's or Wal-Mart bikes are junk usually and weigh alot, the cheap light spring seat works wonders

for the most fun to be had on a mountain bike you will want to get wide tires and remove those stupid foot holders

brands to avoid:
columbia
raleigh(depends)
anything besides shwinn found at these two storesbuy a better shwinnn at the local bike shop)
wal mart
bennys


things to avoid:
stupid twist gear changers, those things drive me nuts and are crappy quality
heavy bikes, you'll want to throw the thing away, these are not fun to ride
bikes that look like motorcycles(duh)


go for:
400-500$ bike in a bike shop, or something that feels similar

I bought a bike for 450$ 12 years ago, it was a Schwinn Mesa, aluminum frame, I still use the bike today, and it romps!
It has 24 gears, and I clearly remember it keeping up with my friends' $1000 bikes they had specially built

go for 24, you will be surprised that you can keep up with, if not beat traffic with a light 24 speed bike and certainly keep up with those elite roadbikers

[spotaneagle]

you can get a perfectly working schwinn mesa on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Mesa-LTD-Sch...item4147f4a1d6

this one is cheaper and way sweeter than mine 27 gears too gahhh

I might buy that

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by Fuel Miser

I strongly agree, for the riding you've described a suspension bike would not be a good choice. In addition to the increased weight and decreased efficiency you'll find serious reliability issues with an inexpensive suspension bike. Entry level prices for a worthwhile one will be over $700. The popularity of these bikes is more reflective of marketing and lack of choice than it is of their desirability. In any big-box store, where the grand majority of bicycles are purchased, they'll be your only choice outside of a "beach cruiser" which is likely to be a single speed with a single coaster brake. Certainly not what you'd want for riding on roads designed for automobiles.
Reagarding seat comfort, one could write volumes. Some longtime cyclists own several seats, swithing to and fro and not particularly liking any. Some own several bikes but only one seat which the bikes "share". Some are on lifelong searches for the perfect seat. Sorry, suspension is not likely to offer any benefit in this area. One instinctively raises one's weight from the seat and shifts it onto the pedals when striking any sizable road imperfections. Riding surface is simply not a major factor in seat comfort. Those who ride indoors on "rollers" (think of a treadmill), a perfectly smooth surface, still have saddle soreness on or after long "rides". Regardless of where or what you ride, you can bet your rear won't be happy at first. Sitting on a bike is not a natural position for the human body. Work with a reputable bike shop, start with short distances away from traffic and on smooth surfaces and you'll be a dedicated, happy rider before long. Your biggest issue is likely to be finding the time to ride as much as you'd like.

ok i found your 700$ bike for 400$ on ebay

suspension bikes like the one above are super fast, great for everywhere

i would ride mine for 10 miles a day you dont loose speed with a bike like the mesa

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by Fuel Miser

I strongly agree, for the riding you've described a suspension bike would not be a good choice. In addition to the increased weight and decreased efficiency you'll find serious reliability issues with an inexpensive suspension bike. Entry level prices for a worthwhile one will be over $700. The popularity of these bikes is more reflective of marketing and lack of choice than it is of their desirability. In any big-box store, where the grand majority of bicycles are purchased, they'll be your only choice outside of a "beach cruiser" which is likely to be a single speed with a single coaster brake. Certainly not what you'd want for riding on roads designed for automobiles.
Reagarding seat comfort, one could write volumes. Some longtime cyclists own several seats, swithing to and fro and not particularly liking any. Some own several bikes but only one seat which the bikes "share". Some are on lifelong searches for the perfect seat. Sorry, suspension is not likely to offer any benefit in this area. One instinctively raises one's weight from the seat and shifts it onto the pedals when striking any sizable road imperfections. Riding surface is simply not a major factor in seat comfort. Those who ride indoors on "rollers" (think of a treadmill), a perfectly smooth surface, still have saddle soreness on or after long "rides". Regardless of where or what you ride, you can bet your rear won't be happy at first. Sitting on a bike is not a natural position for the human body. Work with a reputable bike shop, start with short distances away from traffic and on smooth surfaces and you'll be a dedicated, happy rider before long. Your biggest issue is likely to be finding the time to ride as much as you'd like.

suspension in the front allows you to jump off of curbs without bending your rims while stiffy non suspension guy sits in your non-existant mirror waiting to cross the street.

[theholycow]

I weigh 220 and can jump off curbs and much taller rocks on a rigid bike without bending a rim, even with rims that get a lot of reviews claiming that they're weak. It's all about learning to ride properly.