I want to buy a bike.

kayemme

But which kind?

I have reached my goal weight of 190.
I am 5'10".
I want a bike to ride back and forth tho the gym. Over paved roads. One that is real REAL REAL comfortable to ride.
Any Suggestions?

Oh, and I want one for the wife as well.

Did I mention I want a comfortable ride?

a Brooks saddle is the best. It's uncomfortable for a couple consistent weeks, but then it shapes to your body, like a good pair of shoes.

The bike itself, depending on what you want to do, is less important than a good saddle. If you're only casually riding, then IMO, it doesn't really matter at all, so long as it rides. If you're going to do touring, well, that's a different scenario completely.

kayemme

and for reference:

I am a full-time cyclist. I ride between 50-80m /wk. My bike is a 1980 Schwinn 5sp. I bought it for $35 from a neighbor 2 years ago. I have ridden it on small tours (avg of 75 miles) up and down major hills.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on a bicycle. Your body will tell you what you need. Invest in a decent helmet, a good saddle and decent wheels.

grex1949

The absolute best thing to do is to go to a real bike store, talk to the people who work there, and try a bunch of bikes. Bike stores are always staffed by cyclists, and they love nothing more than to talk about bikes! (Well, maybe they like riding them more. Maybe.)

It sounds like you're going to be doing a fair bit of biking, and using it in place of your car for daily commutes and errands. Don't get sticker shock when you look at the bikes... tif you think about all the gas money you'll save by riding it, suddenly a $500 bike doesn't seem all that pricey!

I wanted to get a cheap bike for myself, but my husband insisted on taking me to a real bike store (one called "Real Bikes," as a matter of fact) where I fell in love with a hybrid Specialized. Every time I get on it, I'm grateful that he wanted me to have a good bike!

Second the recommendation to go to a bike store. The bikes are more expensive, sure, but you get what you pay for, both in terms of product quality and service after the sale.
If you have a bike co-op nearby (we have Freewheel in Minneapolis), that would be my first and last recommendation for a place to shop for a bike.
Have fun!!

Kupe

The only advice I can give you is DO NOT BUY FROM A BIG BOX STORE, go to your local bike store, they have more knowledge and expertise.

Going to your LBS and looking to buy 2 bikes with all the other gear you will need; helmets, lights, pumps etc, they should give you a better price and if not go to another until you are happy with what they offer. Don't be afraid to haggle.

Also look at a frame that is going to give you longevity, remember everything on a bike can be changed so if you don't have the cash now for top of the range components just buy the bike with the cheaper ones but has the same frame as the most expensive.

Enjoy the ride.

freezerburn2012

Be aware that the saddle on the bike you buy really isn't that critical. You can always replace it and probably will want to.

Enjoy!

Sometimes, you can get the bike shop to switch the seat when you buy the bike. Maybe it depends on how much you're spending on the bike though.

pg3ibew

Part of my fear about buying a bike is that I will NOT enjoy riding as much as I think. And I don't want to waste a bunch of money on it.

TravisBikes

Have any friends with bikes? Ask the local shops about rentals (or going to some local parks or city share bikes). Heck even checking out craigslist or contacting a local biking group.

Or if you still want to buy, after you know what size you need, look at craigslist to find gently used bikes

CeleryStalker

I was just in a real bike store. Holy Crap. These things are freakin expensive. They were showing me GIANT SEDONAs, a cheap bike, for 400 bucks each. One for me and one for wifey. The Sedona's are what they reccomended.

They had bikes there that went for as much as 1700 bucks.

I haven't rode a bike in 30 years. WOW, what a difference. Some of these bikes have DISK brakes. Some have Hydraulic disk brakes. WTF. I am totally amazed.

LOL You'd poop if you saw what a REALLY nice bike goes for. My husband and I have more money invested in our bikes than we do in our cars, and we have nice cars, LOL!

Seriously tho, you can start off on the cheaper end of the spectrum. Nobody goes out and buys a $5,000 frame for their first bike unless they have more money than they know what to do with. Get a lower end model, but one that is the PROPER FIT, to start with. Once you feel it out and determine whether or not cycling is for you, you can always upgrade later.

My first road bike was a Trek 1600 and I loved it. I loved the sport so much, I upgraded to a Blue RC4, and finally to a Pinarello. The curves on the fork of the Pinarello is what got me. What a sexy, sexy bike she is. *drool*

The most important thing to remember is FIT. Stay away from places like Wal-Mart. Go back to the real bike shop, tell them what your price range is, and have them fit you on a bike in that price point. Remember that the geometry of the bike is going to differ for each frame, so if you fit on, say a 58cm bike of one brand, that won't necessarily be the right size bike of another model or brand, so when you do decide to upgrade, don't just take the size of your current bike and assume it will be the proper size for your next bike.

Good luck. You'll love it. You burn so many calories cycling it's ridiculous, and it's so great for cardio!

pg3ibew

I did quit smoking recently. So, with all the money I save on that, I could probably be able to afford the two 400 dollar bikes in a month or so.

pg3ibew

Time to go. Keep the replys coming. Thanks for the help.

wellbert

1700 bucks is still entry level. You can spend over $10,000 easily if you are so inclined.

Sheite, some WHEELS are $2500+


$400 will buy you a nice bike. Giant is a good brand.

kayemme

1700 bucks is still entry level. You can spend over $10,000 easily if you are so inclined.

Sheite, some WHEELS are $2500+


$400 will buy you a nice bike. Giant is a good brand.

if you're paying that much for wheels, then they better be custom made, in which case (depending on the craftsmanship and purpose) that isn't a terrible price.

I'm looking into having my commuter bike wheels custom made because I keep breaking spokes on our poorly-kept roads.

nissangal

I just bought a schwinn sierra 21 comfort bike with mountain bike features . I am 42, 5'8 and 183 lbs. I haven't been on a bike in years. This bike is so easy to ride, it has wider mountain bike syle tires and shocks in the forks and seat. I couldn't turn the bike with the narrower tires. My son's advice was to go ride them and he said if the bike store won't let you ride it in the parking lot, go somewhere else. I'm glad I took his advice because the Schwinn hybrid with narrow tires just wouldn't turn easily for me even though I loved the look of it. I paid about $350. It rides nice on pavement and the dirt trails at the state park. Those gears come in handy for inclines and hills. It has upright seating so you aren't bent over like the old 10 speeds.it is lightweight and I can easily put it on the bike rack. Oh and it is stepthrough design. I still want a girly basket at least though. lol My boys are 22 and 18 and they were yelling at me for riding in cute shoes. Oh, I remember yelling at them for riding in flip flops just a few years ago.lol what a reversal. haha

pg3ibew

Thanks for all the advice kids. I am gonna have to ponder this for a while.