Advice on buying a bike

workingitout

My husband and I would like to buy bikes today so that we can start biking on all the local paved trails we have here in our city. We will be having fun getting some exercise, but always on pavement, not racing, etc. We are totally new to biking as exercise. Can anyone offer advice on what type of bike we should look at? So far we are thinking about Trek commuter/urban bikes since they are lightweight, you don't lean so far forward on them, and they're made for riding on pavement. I'm open to any advice you have on the entire topic of biking for exercise, equipment needed, how far to start off riding, best brands of bikes for beginners, etc. We're guessing we'll have to spend about $500 per bike, but would love to find a bargain, too!

LOVEsummer

REI (if you have one near you) is a great place to go for a solid entry level bike. They also have a no questions asked return policy, no matter what condition or how long you have had the product so that is nice. I would say you are on the right track though, trek makes a great bike.

thenebean9

a commuter or hybrid bike is definitely your best bet. Check out your local bike store and talk to them about your needs and they can help you get the right bike for your situation! Good Luck!

rvice2

My fiance and I originally bought hybrid commuter bikes and were disappointed that within one year of riding we wanted to do longer rides and we really needed a road bike. I would HIGHLY suggest you spend a little more money and go ahead and get a good road bike. They will last forever. Any of the major brands are really good (specialized, trek, giant, etc). DO NOT go purchase one somewhere like walmart or ****'s sporting goods. It will benefit you to go to an actual bike store and they can fill you in on lots of good advice. I used to only ride 5 or so miles at a time, but I love it so much that we usually do a 30 mile ride each weekend if it is warm enough! Don't make the same mistake I did and buy a cheaper bike only to turn around a bit later and buy another one!

writenina

I got the trek 7100 for Christmas, and i LOVE it!

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/hybrid/7100wsd/

HalfofHilary

we went to a local bike shop. I have a Marin Terra Linda. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this bike!!! (mine is the 09 version)

http://www.marinbikes.com/2011/bike_specs.php?serialnum=1152


We started off on mountain bikes with street tires, but decided that was not the way we wanted to go. Honestly, go to a bike shop and talk to the people about your needs. They will also help you get the right fit and proper adjustments to your seats and pedals.

ckmama

I bought an Electra Townie bike. It's a cruiser, but the best thing is the pedals are at a different angle than regular bikes and it takes so much pressure off your back while riding. Plus it has a comfy seat.

MIne has 7 speeds, easily adjustable seat and rides so smooth.

Mine was around $400, they go up based on gears etc.


My husband boughta $700 Trek mountain bike, what a huge waste of money. The seat is so tiny, it doesn't ride well on the stree (which is where he ended up needing to ride most of the time) and like most mtn. bikes you end up in the lean over position so it is comfortable for long rides.

I guess it is just what you are needing it for.

sillygoose1977

I have a Trek 7.5FX and I love it! My best advice is to go to the bike shop in some riding clothes and test ride it for a while. Any good bike shop will let you. Make sure they do a good fitting for you.

Toaster88

There are some very good suggestions here. My two cents is take the time to ensure it is sized properly. A sporting goods store will take some wrangling to get help on this (if they even know what they are doing), a bike store will help all you want (and be well trained), big box store - you are on your own. Proper sizing makes all the difference in the world.

lesley1981

My boyfriend used to work as a bike specialist, so when I was looking for a bike he was my source of knowledge. Of course, me being me, listened until he got technical and ended up with the bike that he didn't want me to get :laugh:

I have a Carrera Zelos which I got on our cycle to work scheme and it cost around £700 (but of course the STW scheme meant I only paid around half that). It's a fully suspensionised mountain bike, very lightweight and i love it!

It really depends on the type of cycling you're going to do... I cycle round a local park, which has a variety of different surfaces (tarmac, gravel, etc) so the mountain bike worked for me

asltiffm

Trek makes great bikes! I have a couple myself...and I love REI but you can't get a Trek at REI. I started off on a cheapy mountain bike and while I made it do on rides as long as 40 miles, I was much happier when I finally got a road bike. My advice, like others', is to go to a bike shop and talk to someone. Just make sure you test ride each bike before making any decisions. Some just feel better than others and that may make the decision for you.

beerbomber

Well of course bike brands depends on what kind of bike your looking for and seems like your looking for a road bike or a hybrid so here is how I would go

Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo, Quintana Roo, Specialized, Ibis

Now keep this in mind these are the top brands so you pay top dollar.

So what I would do if I was you I would find some cheaper bikes $250-$300 a piece and even look for used bikes at your local bike shops/craigslist/ect and try to find something cheaper and use those for 6 months if your still biking 6 months later then go look to upgrade and you can still sell your old bikes

fatboypup

Definitely goto a local bike shop not a big box store. I have a Trek 7300 hybrid and a specialized rockhopper comp 29er. As much as I want a road bike I'm still to heavy for one

tiem

I just bought a new bike last week. First, will you ONLY be riding on paved roads? If so, you probably won't need a mountain bike. Second, are there any hills? My mom has a cruiser (no gears to shift) that works perfectly for her on the flat coast of Charleston, SC. A comfort bike may work best for you, usually for paved roads and a few gears (optional). I got a hybrid (for paved raods and mountain trails) because of the hills and also to pull my daughter on the child bike trailer. So I needed to option to shift gears. Most of the bikes now have the handle bar gears that you shift like on a motorcycle. I played with a few of those and absolutely hated it. I then read the comments and almost everyone said it was difficult to operate. I decided on a Schwinn bike from Target. I went to a couple of bike shops too and with the those guys. I explained what I thought I wanted, how much riding and where. They were very helpful and knowledgeable. So far, I'm loving the bike.

fatboypup

My boyfriend used to work as a bike specialist, so when I was looking for a bike he was my source of knowledge. Of course, me being me, listened until he got technical and ended up with the bike that he didn't want me to get :laugh:

I have a Carrera Zelos which I got on our cycle to work scheme and it cost around £700 (but of course the STW scheme meant I only paid around half that). It's a fully suspensionised mountain bike, very lightweight and i love it!

It really depends on the type of cycling you're going to do... I cycle round a local park, which has a variety of different surfaces (tarmac, gravel, etc) so the mountain bike worked for me

I ride my 29er with urban slicks alot its a hardtail maybe ill go full suspension soon

njp2011

The first thing to do is determine how much cycling you're going to do and what you want to accomplish with it. That would pretty much dictate the type of bicycle and how much you should spend on it. Over the years, the types of bikes have expanded from road and mountain to hybrids, comforts, touring and commuters. True road bikes have drop bars, narrow seats, narrow tires and a tight geometry. Not real comfortable for light recreational riding. Mountain bikes have straight handlebars, wide treaded tires and a lot of shock absorbsion capabilities--again, not real useful on smooth bike paths. Hybrids combine road and mountain characteristics - straight or slightly angled bars, wider tires, easier geometry. Comforts tweak certain things - fluted handlebars, padded seats, wide tires and bigger pedals for more of an upright stance in riding and stability at slower speeds. Tourings and commuters generally add aspects to road or hybrid types based on their uses (fenders, brackets for saddlebags, beefed up wheelsets for city streets etc.)

You'd want to considering the drive train as well. Again, light riding over mostly flat or slightly rolling bike paths would not require the kind of gearing that a lot of speed work or hill climbing on open roads would. I've got a road bike with dual action shifters. I've also got a commuter with twist shifters. The former are great but expensive and expensive to repair. The latter are not but go out of alignment more often and require monthly tweaking.

I assume you'll get helmets. Never ride without them. I've had two bad falls over the years and in both cases mine saved me from more serious injury. Gloves are a good idea if you are going to ride intensively or in hot weather. Get a good pair of biking shoes. You expend less energy with a hard flat sole than with flexible running or cross trainers.

Trek is a good brand. I have a road bike that has 4 years and about 5K miles on it and it runs just as well now as when I got it.