Bicycles, who knows their shit?
Bicycles, who knows their shit?
Alright punks. I'm getting fat from sitting in front of a computer all day so I'm going to start biking. I'm budgeting around $500 or so for one. I'll be doing a mix of city biking and trail riding. Having said that, I know nothing about bikes. Recommendations?
there was nothing wrong with it at all. great :icon14:
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-Replicant-
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to be serious- if you want a mix, go with a cyclocross bike. The only problem is that they tend to be more expensive than your budget due to their specialized nature. You should be able to find a very good one in your price range on ebay or craigslist.
Kona, Redline, Bianchi, Trek etc are all very good names, you pretty much can't go wrong with a cyclocross bike.
Kona, Redline, Bianchi, Trek etc are all very good names, you pretty much can't go wrong with a cyclocross bike.
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-Replicant-
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for reviews, look here: http://www.roadbikereview.com
for more info on cyclocross bikes:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=47
for more info on cyclocross bikes:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=47
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-Replicant-
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With a good name you can't really go too wrong - had my Kona bike for 10years of worthy service, doing the road-run to school/uni every day and a few trails and hillruns.
Having said that, I bought a new bike recently and was checking out the local bike stores - everything is fairly steady as far as "what you pay for you get" goes.
£500 will get you a decent bike from a decent store. From what I saw anything higher than that was just pimping up the gears, brakes, shocks etc, which you won't necessarily need unless you're gonna be trailing every day - until you hit the £1500+ price range with full suspension, all the trimmings etc.
Having said that, I bought a new bike recently and was checking out the local bike stores - everything is fairly steady as far as "what you pay for you get" goes.
£500 will get you a decent bike from a decent store. From what I saw anything higher than that was just pimping up the gears, brakes, shocks etc, which you won't necessarily need unless you're gonna be trailing every day - until you hit the £1500+ price range with full suspension, all the trimmings etc.
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i'd recommend something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/USED-Kona-Jake-The- ... dZViewItem
make sure you go to a local bike shop to get fitted properly and get the correct frame size for yourself, otherwise you will hate it. i'm 5'9" and I ride a 52cm cross bike, 54cm road bike. however, based on the length of your legs as compared to your upper torso, everyone is different
http://cgi.ebay.com/USED-Kona-Jake-The- ... dZViewItem
make sure you go to a local bike shop to get fitted properly and get the correct frame size for yourself, otherwise you will hate it. i'm 5'9" and I ride a 52cm cross bike, 54cm road bike. however, based on the length of your legs as compared to your upper torso, everyone is different
Depends on what exactly you mean with "trail riding". If you want to do heavy off roading then get a MTB, if you are more into riding on dirt tracks/sealed roads/longer distances then I'd recommend a trekking bike with 28'' wheels. I got one of the latter. Similar to this:
Cost me about €550,- inclusive fenders and luggage rack. No name aluminum frame, 24 gear-Shimano LX (btw. stay away from turning handles if offered, they are crap), Shimano Deore brakes, simple RST fork suspension, Brooks leather saddle (forget all plastic-saddles with gel cushions and shit. A good leather saddle gives you some pain in the ass on the first 100km until the leather conforms to your anatomy, after that you won't want to miss it ever again). If you have the choice rather invest your money in a good saddle than in a suspended saddle pole. On the other hand a fork suspension is very pleasing for your wrists...
All in all my bike is nothing special but I ride this bike for three years now and am absolutely pleased. Made two 2-week trips with heavy luggage with it, had no problems at all. I bought it at a bike store whrere they put the bikes together from single components you choose. That way you get a individual bike for a decent price...
Cost me about €550,- inclusive fenders and luggage rack. No name aluminum frame, 24 gear-Shimano LX (btw. stay away from turning handles if offered, they are crap), Shimano Deore brakes, simple RST fork suspension, Brooks leather saddle (forget all plastic-saddles with gel cushions and shit. A good leather saddle gives you some pain in the ass on the first 100km until the leather conforms to your anatomy, after that you won't want to miss it ever again). If you have the choice rather invest your money in a good saddle than in a suspended saddle pole. On the other hand a fork suspension is very pleasing for your wrists...
All in all my bike is nothing special but I ride this bike for three years now and am absolutely pleased. Made two 2-week trips with heavy luggage with it, had no problems at all. I bought it at a bike store whrere they put the bikes together from single components you choose. That way you get a individual bike for a decent price...
[color=#800000]I'm a pervert. But in a romantic kind of way.[/color]
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I mountainbike for pretty much 3 years on this one and I wouldn't wanna trade it for another one:
It's a specialized rockhopper comp and it was about 800 - 1000 € (cannot remember exactly) when I got it. It's extremely well offroad but I also use it everyday when I'm biking to the office which is basically a city-trip.
It's a specialized rockhopper comp and it was about 800 - 1000 € (cannot remember exactly) when I got it. It's extremely well offroad but I also use it everyday when I'm biking to the office which is basically a city-trip.
Was going to recommend the same thing. Cyclocross bikes are usually quite light for fast inner city traveling, yet strong enough to take on light trails. For your overall purposes, I would probably look into getting a lightweight chromoly steel frame bike as opposed to other materials like aluminum or carbon fiber which are a bit more brittle for rougher rides (but fine for pure road running).
Best thing to do is go into a few of your local bike shops and test ride some of those bikes to get a good feel for some of the differences. Pick something comfortable and whatever catches your eye. Don't pay too much attention to brand or various knick-knacks that are only good for inflating the price. When you find the right bike, you'll know it... since when you go home empty handed, that bike will be all you can think about until you go back and actually buy it.
Most important thing of all, make sure the bike is properly fitted for you. The dude at the bike shop should take the time to measure and fit you to the bike. If he doesn't, he's not doing his job or doesn't know what he's doing. Fit is critical, since if it doesn't fit, you'll get sore on your bike really fast.
Other considerations:
Materials: Chromoly steel, aluminium, titanium, carbon fiber and magnesium are the usual materials. They have various weights and properties, but unless you are racing or something, there is a pretty small noticable difference. Any kind of pros/cons are usually compensated for in the frame geometry of the bike. For example, aluminum frames are lighter but more brittle, so they use larger tubes. Steel frames are heavier but stronger, so they use smaller tubes. Overall weight and strength are more or less the same on both frames. So don't listen to all the buzz about frame materials, instead concentrate of test riding and see how it actually feels.
Tires: Thinner tires are lighter and faster, great for speed and road riding, but a little more jarring since it absorbs less shock. Thicker tires are better for a more comfortable ride, but are much heavier and slower. You should probably get something in between, like 700x26 tires or something - but test ride a few and see what you like. Knobbly tires are usually good only for offroading. Slick tires actually provide better grip on most road and dry dirt surfaces since there is more contact with the ground.
Rims: Highly recommend aluminum rims as opposed to steel. Steel does not brake very well when wet, so even a bit dangerous. Reduce weight in rims as much as possible, since the centripical motion of the wheels causes them to feel a lot heavier than they actually are when riding.
Gears and drivechain: Consider the number of cogs (rear gears) and chainrings (front gears) that you will need depending on the terrain that you will be riding on. Generally a double chainring and a 8-10 cog cassette is the norm. Make sure you lube the chain frequently with a drop of oil per link.
Saddle and pedals: Normally, after you've ridden you bike for a while, the saddle's the first thing to go, since you'll likely swap it for something more comfortable. Comfort varies from person to person, so again, try a bunch and see what you like. Road bikes don't usually come with pedals so you may need to buy a pair. Toe clip pedals have a strap that you tie on with normal shoes (use sneakers with a smooth gripless sole). Clipless pedals require special shoes that snap in/out. Platforms are the old kinds that you see still used with some mountain bikes. They are less efficient for pedaling since you can only push down for momentum where as clipless and toe clip pedals allow you to pull the pedal up as well as down.
That's all I can think of ATM. Happy riding.
My bike:
Custom aluminium frame, full Shimano Ultegra groupos and clipless pedals, Bontrager race-lite wheelsets with bladed spokes, carbon fibre Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork.
Best thing to do is go into a few of your local bike shops and test ride some of those bikes to get a good feel for some of the differences. Pick something comfortable and whatever catches your eye. Don't pay too much attention to brand or various knick-knacks that are only good for inflating the price. When you find the right bike, you'll know it... since when you go home empty handed, that bike will be all you can think about until you go back and actually buy it.
Most important thing of all, make sure the bike is properly fitted for you. The dude at the bike shop should take the time to measure and fit you to the bike. If he doesn't, he's not doing his job or doesn't know what he's doing. Fit is critical, since if it doesn't fit, you'll get sore on your bike really fast.
Other considerations:
Materials: Chromoly steel, aluminium, titanium, carbon fiber and magnesium are the usual materials. They have various weights and properties, but unless you are racing or something, there is a pretty small noticable difference. Any kind of pros/cons are usually compensated for in the frame geometry of the bike. For example, aluminum frames are lighter but more brittle, so they use larger tubes. Steel frames are heavier but stronger, so they use smaller tubes. Overall weight and strength are more or less the same on both frames. So don't listen to all the buzz about frame materials, instead concentrate of test riding and see how it actually feels.
Tires: Thinner tires are lighter and faster, great for speed and road riding, but a little more jarring since it absorbs less shock. Thicker tires are better for a more comfortable ride, but are much heavier and slower. You should probably get something in between, like 700x26 tires or something - but test ride a few and see what you like. Knobbly tires are usually good only for offroading. Slick tires actually provide better grip on most road and dry dirt surfaces since there is more contact with the ground.
Rims: Highly recommend aluminum rims as opposed to steel. Steel does not brake very well when wet, so even a bit dangerous. Reduce weight in rims as much as possible, since the centripical motion of the wheels causes them to feel a lot heavier than they actually are when riding.
Gears and drivechain: Consider the number of cogs (rear gears) and chainrings (front gears) that you will need depending on the terrain that you will be riding on. Generally a double chainring and a 8-10 cog cassette is the norm. Make sure you lube the chain frequently with a drop of oil per link.
Saddle and pedals: Normally, after you've ridden you bike for a while, the saddle's the first thing to go, since you'll likely swap it for something more comfortable. Comfort varies from person to person, so again, try a bunch and see what you like. Road bikes don't usually come with pedals so you may need to buy a pair. Toe clip pedals have a strap that you tie on with normal shoes (use sneakers with a smooth gripless sole). Clipless pedals require special shoes that snap in/out. Platforms are the old kinds that you see still used with some mountain bikes. They are less efficient for pedaling since you can only push down for momentum where as clipless and toe clip pedals allow you to pull the pedal up as well as down.
That's all I can think of ATM. Happy riding.
My bike:
Custom aluminium frame, full Shimano Ultegra groupos and clipless pedals, Bontrager race-lite wheelsets with bladed spokes, carbon fibre Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork.
Last edited by obsidian on Tue May 02, 2006 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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