Woman's Bike

Hornsby

If anyone wants to know what they are letting themselves in for by calling themselves a "cyclist" this short video should help....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40

Lol - that vid never gets old. Cracks me up

lulukittie

In case you haven't seen it yet, this site has great tips for gear/equipment/etc. for bike commuting. http://www.commutebybike.com/cats/commuting-101/

Good luck-- I bike commuted for several years and miss it! (Live too far away to do it.)

msf74

If anyone wants to know what they are letting themselves in for by calling themselves a "cyclist" this short video should help....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40

Lol - that vid never gets old. Cracks me up

"Are you f8%king nuts?"
"No, I am cyclist"

Cyclingbonnie

I agree and disagree with many of the posts. One I agree on, 3-4 miles is an easy commute. Lighting is important since you will be riding at night. Bright reflective clothing is important! Helmet is important. Saddle is important, because you will want to ride more once you get used to it. Fit of the bike is important. I would recommend a touring (trekking) bike. Why? A little wider tire, but not as wide as a MTB, sturdy frame, and generally a really wide range of gears for climbing (since your ride home will be uphill). Road bikes don't usually have great climbing gears without modifications ... most MTBs and Hybrids do. I've known a few people who love their hybrids, but the general consensus is that they are not MTBs and they are not Road Bikes, so they don't do either job well. Many people do prefer the more upright position of a Hybrid, there is a choice that gives you that and it is a flat bar road bike. And most of those have a higher range of gears also, a step up from the hybrids, but not into the major skinny tire set.

I am a cyclist, but not a bike snob. I have 7 bikes and my favorite one is the one I built myself and I used a frame I bought off of Nashbar. I built it to be a touring bike, it is comfortable, and even though it is heavier than my Trek Road Bike it is faster. I put crazy handlebars on it called trekking handlebars (some catalogs call them butterfly handlebars). I can put my hands in 17 different positions which beats the drops 4 positions. It gives me the option of riding upright and it also gives me the option of being aerodynamic. I like this heavy non conventional bike so much that I used it in a race this summer rather than my light road bike. Came in second in my category, it gets a lot of comments and some bike snobs even laugh at it, but it is hard to laugh at success.

EvgeniZyntx

Ok. Biker here.

you know how i know you're not a cyclist??? you call yourself a 'biker.'

I'm French, Captain.
You Fred. :laugh:


Difference between a biker and a cyclist .. we like to get dirty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2Dpe1LkNU

Capt_Apollo

Ok. Biker here.

you know how i know you're not a cyclist??? you call yourself a 'biker.'

I'm French, Captain.

my condolences.

WalkingAlong

Price is why I suggested buying a used bicycle. You will get more quality in used then you will in buying a crap new one for $200.

I agree with this.

Getting a second hand bicycle from a decent bike shop or if you have a friend who knows anything about bikes getting them to help you buy one from Classified ads / Ebay / Gumtree / whatever will be far better than buying a new bicycle shaped object from a retailer.

A bike shop once told me the main difference between 'bike shop bikes' and 'big box store bikes' is that the former aren't really designed to change parts on. So a bike shop bike is easier to repair and upgrade. Well, he also said 'with a bike shop you know it was assembled right.'

I think for a short commute to work a 'big box store' bike is plenty. I have expensive bike shop bikes and a Costco hybrid that's been running without needing a part for 12 years.

mreeves261

Price is why I suggested buying a used bicycle. You will get more quality in used then you will in buying a crap new one for $200.

I agree with this.

Getting a second hand bicycle from a decent bike shop or if you have a friend who knows anything about bikes getting them to help you buy one from Classified ads / Ebay / Gumtree / whatever will be far better than buying a new bicycle shaped object from a retailer.

A bike shop once told me the main difference between 'bike shop bikes' and 'big box store bikes' is that the former aren't really designed to change parts on. So a bike shop bike is easier to repair and upgrade. Well, he also said 'with a bike shop you know it was assembled right.'

I think for a short commute to work a 'big box store' bike is plenty. I have expensive bike shop bikes and a Costco hybrid that's been running without needing a part for 12 years.

You have to admit though things aren't made the way they were 10 years ago, 15 years, 20 years, etc. Items are being made cheaper and cheaper so they can be sold in Big Box Stores as they become more popular to Mom and Pop type establishments. I think it is great your Costco bicycle has lasted 12 years but I don't think you could buy one there today of the same quality.

As far as the difference being parts, it's really not true. It only takes breaking 1 frame for that to become obvious, and I have broken my fair share over the years. Particularly the ones that were formerly made in the USA and then traded off to China, such as Mongoose.

Again I stand by my original statement of buying a used bicycle, once you figure out what type you will want to stick with.

WalkingAlong

I don't know, Costco has some pull. They take a lot of high-end brands and re-brand them and sell them at a fraction of their original price. Like Grey Goose? Try Kirkland vodka. Now the bikes they sell are all this Northrock brands, so they're not rebranded. I know I don't see them at the bike shops but the buzz on the bike forums seemed to be pretty good, when I was considering one. They look better than my 12-year old Costco bike.

http://www.northrockbikes.com/

sybrix

My suggestion is to make sure you know your frame size. There is nothing that sucks more than riding a bike that has a frame that's too small/large for you. I'm rather short so I managed to find a used Specialized mountain bike on Craigslist for $100 for my height, which included new brake pads and tires recently installed. If you do a google search there are charts that give you a frame size estimate but you may want to visit a bike shop and get fitted.

I have a "male" frame bike, they are easier to find and I don't have a problem reaching the handlebars comfortably. It's also a bit heavy but I only used it for commuting a few miles a day to the transit station when I was in grad school. IMO unless you are cycling long distances there isn't really a reason to get an expensive bike or worry too much about the bike type. Find something cheap and usable on Craigslist in your size, get a comfy seat and helmet, a safety light kit, and you're golden!

msf74

I think for a short commute to work a 'big box store' bike is plenty. I have expensive bike shop bikes and a Costco hybrid that's been running without needing a part for 12 years.

If the OPs budget was a little higher I would agree with you. It's undoubtedly true you can get some great, well specced bikes from big box stores.

However at $200 a new bike will be full of unnecessary compromises on parts and frame quality in comparison to second hand and more suitable for a Sunday afternoon pootle rather than commuting I suspect (I am based in the UK so can't be sure though what the market is like in the US.)

Not saying it can't be done around that mark (the Vitus Vee-1 is about £300 as is the B'Twin Triban 3 which are both great) just it will be far less likely. I'd rather rely on a second hand Reynolds 531 frame bike than the majority of stuff that gets churned out at low price points these days....

WalkingAlong

You're probably right. The Costco Northrocks probably start at $299. I like buying new on most things. The ability to return something is worth a lot to me. But Craigslist has some great deals, too.

Mr_Knight

Cannondale Quick.

http://www.cannondale.com/catalog/category/view/s/quicks-2014/id/994/

They come in at a wide range of price points, just pick the trim level most suitable for you.