Tips on First time bike purchase

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DuckiesorDie
DuckiesorDie Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm looking to start riding a bike on weekends and weeknights. I know I want a hybrid, but was hoping for some feedback on the best value out there. I don't really want to spend over $600, but I also don't want something cheap. Any suggestions on where to go or what brands would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I'm curious as to why a hybrid? I only ask because I see a lot of people kind of start off with that idea only to really get into riding but their bike lacks performance qualities.

    At any-rate, if it were me and I was looking at a hybrid I'd probably opt for this...

    http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/multi-use/crosstrail/crosstrail-sport-disc#specs

    Even though I currently ride a Giant CX bike, I'm very much partial to Specialized and I will be picking up a Roubaix road bike this fall.

    CX bikes make for great all around machines BTW...but you'll definitely have to fork out more than $600...probably at least $1,200 or so...but they can go pretty much anywhere and do anything and decent enough on the road to do endurance rides and whatnot.

    I also really like Cannondale bikes though I haven't looked at anything in their hybrid line.

  • SBRRepeat
    SBRRepeat Posts: 384 Member
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    Check out a few local bike shops- they can walk you through the process and help you find the right bike. With up to $600 bucks to spend you should have a big selection in the hybrid market. Most major brands make quality hybrids, so shop around a few LBSs.
    I like CWolfman's suggestion to start with a cyclocross bike- gives you a lot of flexibility to try different types of riding. I wish I had started with one instead of locking into a road bike.
  • bifjamod
    bifjamod Posts: 1 Member
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    After many years of riding an entry level Schwinn mountain bike (there are no mountains in central Fla!), I finally began riding consistently enough to buy a real bike. I got a Trek DS8.3 hybrid a week ago - absolutely love it. It's given me a significant performance boost, and still allows me some of the functionality of an MTB. The 8.3 retails for around $660 - got mine for $600. One step down, the 8.2, is considerably less. The reason I went with the 8.3 is because it has disc brakes.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Like you, I bought a hybrid. Hated it. Never rode it. Hated the way my hands sat on the flat bars, hated the suspension in the forks, hated how heavy it seemed.

    Just recently I bought a cyclocross bike (giant/Liv Invite). Love the weight, love the drop handlebars. Love how it fits me. Look forward to getting home and jumping on it.

    I see so many people commuting on hybrids with heavy front forks, too much suspension and knobbly tires. They just don't need it. Think about where you are going to cycle most, what the conditions are like, them go down to your local bike shop and tell them, keep open minded, and get them to find a bike that fits you, not get you to fit the bike.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,534 Member
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    The best way to get into a bike is get on one. Wear your cycling clothes to your local bike shop. Take the pretty bike out in the parking lot & ride around. If it hurts in the parking lot, you don't want it. And ya, pay attention to the fit, tires, breaking system. But most of all, how it feels. Cuz if it doesn't feel good, you won't want to ride.

  • DuckiesorDie
    DuckiesorDie Posts: 23 Member
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    I guess I don't have to have a hybrid. Like I said I'm brand new to bikes so I'm not even sure what would be best. I'd say 90% of my riding would occur on surface roads or bike trails, maybe I don't need the hybrid? I just figured that might give me the option all around. But like I said. I really have no idea!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Yeah, you probably would be good with a CX bike.
  • williamg63
    williamg63 Posts: 7 Member
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    I've been an avid (fanatical) cyclist for a number of years, I'd agree with allaboutthecake: the very most important thing about buying a bike is buying one that feels "right" and fits you. One that you want to ride. If you get that part right, you'll find yourself wanting to get out on the bike instead of having to push yourself.

    I strongly recommend checking out some local bike shops if you've got any. Like any other business, they can be good or bad, but the good ones will take some care to get you on something that fits you and your budget reasonably well, and they will be there should you need repairs or work that is beyond your wrenching ability.

    $600.00 is a reasonable budget for a hybrid bike, and really, any of the major companies make good products (Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale) though you can sometimes get more bang for the buck with some slightly smaller companies like Kona or Norco. But the brand matters a lot less than how the bike feels to you!

    It's not a bad idea to put a bit of budget aside to pick up a helmet, some lights, perhaps a tube patch kit as well.

    I wish you well - cycling can be immensely rewarding, both physically and mentally.
  • cresyluna
    cresyluna Posts: 48 Member
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    I agree with most here, get thee to a local bike store! Explain what you want the bike for and how often! I actually did the same and ended up with a hybrid, although honestly I very rarely ride on anything except asphalt and if I'd known I was going to move from a ground level place to the fourth floor (and thereby, necessitating hauling my bike up or down four flights of stairs any time I wanted to ride), I probably would have gone with something lighter from the get go! But I still don't regret it, it is a pretty nice bike. It is a Torker T510 and it cost me $400 - with taxes, helmet, lights, lock, etc. I paid closer to $500 to start commuting by bike.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Think about where you are likely to ride, and where you want to ride. Talk to multiple bike shops and discuss what you think you are going to do ... then go forward from there.

    Hybrids have different traits. Some have more of a mountain influence with front shocks and usually knobbier tires as the stock option while others have more of a road background without the shocks ... both with flat handlebars. If one of those is the right bike for you depends on your desires and how the geometries fit your body.

    Other options include cyclocross (CX) bikes ... a more traditional road configuration with the ability to handle wider tires. Something that can handle gravel, paved roads, grass.

    Some road bikes can take wide enough tires to support some unpaved roads and groomed bike trails. (watch stage 4 of Le Tour tomorrow ... cobblestones on road bikes).

    The only way to find which fits you, your budget, and your desires is to go do some shopping. Test ride a few. Talk to people who traverse the types of terrains you want to ride. Then get your starter bike and start saving for the next one.
  • sharkweek
    sharkweek Posts: 165 Member
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    I agree with all these posts! I'd decided on a hybrid, and like SBRRepeat, I wound up with a cyclocross bike instead. I tried out hybrids and racing bikes -- nothing felt right until I got on this one. No regrets. Also, I'd never had a bike with drop bars, and they are life-changing when you're used to the flat handlebars.

    Go to your local bike store & try some on for size. Good luck!
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Chances are your local bike shop(s) will be a dealer for a couple of brands. Why not check out what they've got? Tell them what you're looking for in a bike--you can say hybrid or not; tell them how you are going to use your bike. Give a price range.

    Then, if you want, report back to us with the options. We'd be more than happy to weigh in. :)

    And like other posters said--budget for lights and a helmet!

    (My commuter is a hybrid with disc brakes, Specialized Sirrus. Although I prefer drop--road bike--handlebars in general, I like the flat bars for riding in the snow. I think they give more control. The more upright position helps, too.)
  • jmtp
    jmtp Posts: 26 Member
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    I started off with a hybrid for bike commuting last year. My bike shop recommended it because I am a year-round commuter and needed stability for rides during/on snow, rain, etc., but now I wish I had gotten something lighter. I love riding my bike out on the trails, but it just feels heavy and slow to me now when taking it to work (and I have a largeish hill to climb, which sucks when lugging panniers on top of the weight of the bike and myself!). Thinking about biting the bullet and getting a road bike or cyclocross bike now.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    Check out endurance bikes

    Less crouched position than a standard race bike but still great for a long ride and at decent speeds

    Giant has an endurance bike in your price range.

  • twofastdogs
    twofastdogs Posts: 37 Member
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    I second (or third or fourth) the recommendation that you go to the bike shop for advice. Ride a hybrid, and a cyclocross bike, and a road bike, and whatever else you think you might enjoy. You don't know what to get until you try it. They won't mind - if they are a good shop, they will want to help you find something that you will ride so you can get hooked on cycling and then come back and buy something wildly more expensive! Not that this happened to me or anything... :)

    Any of the good brands that they sell at a reputable bike shop are likely to have something that meets your needs - Giant, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Jamis, etc. They probably have an entry level bike that will be somewhere near your price range. Don't buy something at the sporting goods store - it is unlikely to be of the same quality.

    And have a great time - cycling is a fabulous sport!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Another thing. Buying a bike is confusing. There are so many varieties, with style name changing with the season. You'd probably want an 'adventure' or 'endurance' bike, but right now, you just don't know. You think you might want a hybrid, but you may want drop bars, you may want flat. If this is your first bike purchase the chances of you buying something that isn't quite right are pretty high.

    Have you thought about getting something second-hand? Something cheap, something you can ride for a while to figure out what you need? Just trying something from a store might not give you the answers as it can take time to find the pros and cons. Even starting with a bog-standard old-fashioned step-through bike with a basket on the front and minimal gears will help teach you good points and bad points. Truth is, it probably doesn't matter what type of bike you have to start, as long as you ride it.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,522 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Avoid a bike with shock absorbers! They make the bike unnecessarily heavy and need a lot of maintenance. Besides: good quality shock absorbers start from 400 USD. Think about what you could get on a bike costing 600 total. And I don't know how heavy you are, but those absorbers often have a maximum weight they can handle - which is below overweight persons weight. If you want some shock absorption make sure your bike can fit in thicker tires. They can act as shock absorbers as well.

    Go to a bike shop and test some bikes, including the gearing. There are gearing systems out there for mountain bikes (have a lot of gears for cycling up mountains) and race bikes (more heavy gears). See what you need, and how smooth the gears shift.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,149 Member
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    girlinahat wrote: »
    Another thing. Buying a bike is confusing. There are so many varieties, with style name changing with the season. You'd probably want an 'adventure' or 'endurance' bike, but right now, you just don't know. You think you might want a hybrid, but you may want drop bars, you may want flat. If this is your first bike purchase the chances of you buying something that isn't quite right are pretty high.

    Have you thought about getting something second-hand? Something cheap, something you can ride for a while to figure out what you need? Just trying something from a store might not give you the answers as it can take time to find the pros and cons. Even starting with a bog-standard old-fashioned step-through bike with a basket on the front and minimal gears will help teach you good points and bad points. Truth is, it probably doesn't matter what type of bike you have to start, as long as you ride it.

    +1

    Good advice!

  • csman49
    csman49 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    i take my roadie out on ground that a roadie shouldn't really be out on. Flat cobbles, gravel, dirt. A carbon bike, on 23mm tyres, wearing lycra and travelling 30kph on crap surfaces is scary !!

    But also a lot of fun!

    CX would be far better for it!
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Your budget can get you a very good quality Trek hybrid at your local bike shop.

    I'll warn you though, bicycles can be addictive, it is hard to only have one. Many of us end up with a garage full.

    However, a hybrid is an excellent choice for your first bike.

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