Learn me: bicycles

In an attempt to get my butt in shape, the thought of a bicycle entered my head. I last had one when I was 15, and I must say I was in excellent shape then, that combined with freshman p.e.

I'm now 24, about 220, and my cardio, well, it just plain shameful. I could run up the stairs, and be winded, pretty winded. I used to ride roughly ten miles a day to a friends house after school. After I got my driver's license, I drove everywhere and promptly got fatter and fatter.

Now, I know there's some cycling nuts here, so my question is this: where does one go to get a decent bike, but not break the bank. The last bike I had was a POS next brand from wal mart, stuff started breaking before it was a year old. I'm looking for a mountain bike, 26 inches or so, ten speeds, nothing special. I just want something that won't fall apart.

Where should I shop?

What is "too cheap?" A local bike shop is probably a good place to start, at least to see what fits, what doesn't, and how much you are willing to spend. I would also say that you should find out how you plan to use the bike; will it be solely on the road, or will you be touching dirt?

Local bike shop, definitely.

No local bike shops I'm afraid. I was thinking it would probably see both, mostly I need something that I could hop on, ride like a normal person, change gears occasionally, and not worry about it breaking.

If the wal mart bikes are okay, I'm fine with that, it's just the last few I've had fell apart.

If you gonna spend more than $300 don't settle for anything less than a 29er or a cross bike. By "cross" I mean cyclocross or "cx" bike. They are road bikes with beefier components, more tire clearance, and better brakes.

Don't let them you sell you a full on spandex clad road bike because you'll hate riding it, nor let them sell you a 50lbs cruiser because you'll feel like a goober.

I really like BikesDirect.com because they've got good prices on a wide range of bikes that aside from the name, aren't any different from 90% of low-end shop bikes.

This a great "one-bike" option. Drops for windy road rides, big tires for offroad, but nothing to aggressive one way or the other. It's not until you paying thousands of dollars do you see a noticable difference in frame design, quality, components, etc. At $500 everything will be the same with one exception:

The style of bike. If you buy a cyclocross or 29" wheel MTB, you'll actually be able to sell it. Anything else will blend in with the bunch and be seen for what it is...an old bicycle...which no-one wants to pay for.

So like I said, do yourself a favor and get either a cyclocross bike or a 29er. You'll thank me later.

I went looking a couple years ago for a good, made in the USA (or Canada) MTB frame.

Turns out, all the old, decent brands have moved overseas.

I ended up shopping a Cove and a used Cannondale.

The 2004 'dale won out.

Shawn

If you're 220, then you'll need a bike with a decent set of doublewall wheels on it.

That's your $300-330 price point.

There's no such thing as a "10-speed" anymore. Better road/cross bikes have a 10-speed rear cluster (cassette), which makes it a "20-speed" ( ) when it has a double crankset.

You could go to a big-box sporting goods store and pay around $320-$350) for what you'e looking for. Then it's a crapshoot that the bike tech actually knows how to build/tune the thing correctly. You could then end up paying a bike shop another $50 to tune it for you.

Thus, the bike shop is the better bet.

If you or someone you know can assemble/tune a bike, then figure out your proper size at the big box store and get something from bikesdirect.com.

Much better karma to support a shop, though.

a quick look if you are in Campbellsville, Ky

I find at least 10 shops within 25 miles of you... (10 sell trek, 4 sell giant and I stopped after that lol)

anyway lets go over a few things...

you say you want a MTB... is it the position you are looking for (more upright then a road bike) or do you actually intend on hitting trails?

bike size... the only place they are numbered by their wheel size for fit is at big box stores... real shops measure the frame size... there are different wheel sizes but with-in that wheel size there are a number of frame sizes... and the frame sizes honestly mean very little... in my spare room i've got one bike that is labeled as a 22" (made for 26" wheels) and my other is a 19.5" (29" wheels) both fit me well (and no the wheel size difference doesn't really change things)...

fit is of utmost importance if you really want to log miles... a poor fitting bike is a pain (sometimes literary) to ride any amount of time on...

also being honest with yourself about how you're going to ride will keep you much happier...

I think many people get a MTB thinking they'll occasionally hit a trail but it never goes offroad beyond an occasional greenway (similar to 4x4's in this country I guess haha)... others buy a hard core road bike thinking they want to be just like Lance Armstrong... most likely they'll be uncomfortable on the bike (being out of shape and a race bike sucks...)

so be honest with yourself of how you'll ride the thing...

I think most people would be best off with a "hybrid" type bike... strong enough to do some light offroad (greenways, fire roads and such) but much faster on road then a MTB is going to be and a lot more comfortable then a road bike...

my wife is getting this bike... I want one but can't justify it... she'll prob never ride more then 5 miles at a time on it... but with degenerative disc disease the upright "sit up n beg" position works for her... it's not designed for speed (or climbing) but is perfect around the neighborhood and on a rails to trails type of riding... so just what she's looking for

donalson wrote: - bike size... the only place they are numbered by their wheel size for fit is at big box stores... real shops measure the frame size...

Not anymore. Diamondback/Nishiki do their frames in S/M/L/XL and the inch equivalent is listed below the size on the frame sticker.

Only the lowest end garbage is one size fits all.

donalson--I think you broke the internet with your bullet points.

those S/M/L/XL have actual size differences though... so you don't go in and say "I want to buy a 24" bike for my daughter"

oh I'll also add... i've also owned a 20" frame, and a 65cm frame (and again they all fit me properly ;-) lol

In reply to donalson:

Care to share where you searched and found those shops?

googlemaps punched in your listed city/state and came up with your zip 42718

http://www.trekbikes.com > retailers Where to buy > punch in zip

pretty much all the bicycle brands have that "where to buy" thing... trek is one of the most common brands so I used them... the shops will almost certainly sell a few other brands also

Something like a specialized crosstrail or sirrus work really well as an all around bike. Ones a little more dirt friendly than the other. Every major bike brand should have very similar to these two. Ask for ”flat bar road bike”, and ”mtb w/ cyclocross wheel/tire” (the latter is NOT the same as a 29”, its skinnier)

I still ride my secondhand late '80's Schwinn Probe mountain bike with 26" road slicks on it. bought it 20 years ago for $100. I'm on my second set of tires. I'm not exactly hardcore and I don't do 50k's any more, but I have a relaxing 12-mile loop I ride as often as the weather permits to stay in shape. I wouldn't even want to think how many miles I've put on it over the years.

Chromoly frame is made in the USA, baby!

I'm a huge fan of single speed 29 ers for recreational bikes. You probably don't need gears as bad as you think you might and for just puttering about and getting in shape nothing beats a single speed. Fewer parts to pay for, fewer parts to break/keep adjusted. The Redline Monocog has been a fantastic bike for me and is in the price range.

I have an old Trek C/F mountain bike.. front suspension, ridgid tail.. it's been a great and light bike that now that my should is healed up,, I need to get back on

Just my $. 02. The local bike shops in my area are staffed elitest jerks who don't seem to want to bother with people who don't ride premium bikes or drop $100 or more every time they walk in the store. So I personally dont buy into the karma thing as regards local bike shops. I'm sure that there are good ones to be found, just not within 20 miles of where I live.

FWIW Target has better bikes than Walmart, as long as you can find one that fits you properly. My current bike came from Target, it had a very good frame and cheap components. As parts broke I upgraded with parts from JensonUSA and ebay, I've got much less into it than I would if I had purchased it new with those components.

The guy at the local bike shop told me it was a piece of junk and not worth upgrading, he had a bike with an identical frame, made in the same factory in China, in his shop (with better components) for about 3X what I paid for mine.

I'll throw out a couple thoughts having ridden a fair bit and owned cheap bikes and very nice bikes.

The Townie pictured above really is a good option for a lot of people, a city bike that uses a new take on geometry tobe efficient and comfortable. There are a couple other companies that have copied the idea, but those are nice bikes.

My BIL bought the most expensive "hybrid" bike that Wal-Mart sold, about $300. It was an aluminum frame with road bike sized rims (700cc) and slighly wider tires, and it was a pretty good bike for just getting around. Not too heavy, basic Shimano drivetrain that could be upgraded or repaired as needed....but the assembly/adjustment of everything was sketchy.

As much as I like my 29" MTB (and I REALLY do), if you are just looking for intro fitness / transportation, I'd stay away from a 29. They fetch higher prices for no good reason, and the parts are more limited and more expensive.

If you want a solid bike cheap check Craigslist or find someone who rides and tap into the local riding community looking for used bikes. They're common enough but the sales are usually networked rather than posted somewhere.

A thought on fit too. they guys are right about the frame size vs wheel size - you need to find the right size frame to be comfortable. To find the correct size frame, try this: find your true inseam ( stand on a hard floor in your skivvies. now straddle a large book or a yardstick. Pull it up fairly tight - where a bike seat would hit you. Now measure from the top of the book to the floor in cm) true inseam x 0.67 = recco'd road bike frame size. For mountain bike, subtract 11cm ( and usually convert that to inches for most MTB builders)

as a comparison, I have a 32" true inseam and ride a 54cm road bike and a 17" MTB frame (usually a Lrg if they're sized that way.)

That's a ball park but it should get you close enough to be comfortable.

An important point about sizing (and the guys above are on the right track), as it pertains to fit: Once you can get the seat adjusted to the right height, the seat tube length of the frame is more or less irrelevant. It's the changes to the top tube length that go along with it which affect fit.

With a long seatpost adjusted way up, you can ride a much-too-small bike with decent leg extension, but you'll be squished between bars and seat. Similarly, if you have to have the seat adjusted down 'til it's sitting on the frame, the frame will almost certainly be way too long for you.

Fit makes an incredible difference to comfort and efficiency, and mis-fits that wouldn't bother you on a five-minute run to the store will drive you up a tree once you start spending more time in the saddle.

29" single speed? Really? Gears are wonderful. Anyone with a bit of mechanical sense can look at a front and rear derailleur and see how they work and how to adjust them. 90% of problems can be fixed with a simple twist of an adjuster barrel.

29 vs 26: 29 is cool. 26 is the standard, and you'll have a whole lot more options. However, you're going to find a lot of hybrids are essentially 29s - it's basically a road bike wheel size.

BTW, if you want made in North America, look for older Rocky Mountains. I don't know if the frames have been outsourced now, but around 2005 or so they were Canadian-made.

I used to use mountain bikes as city bikes. Throw on a set of slicks and they're strong and reasonably quick. Not as fast as a road bike, but you also don't spend all your time fixing flats and bent wheels! Kinda like a hybrid, I suppose, but I like the more aggressive position of an older mountain bike. Years ago, I picked up a top-of-the-line Specialized for $300 and rode it as a city bike for a long, long time. I always mess with the stems and bars to get the fit I want.

As for elitist bike shops - I find the ones with mountain bikes to be more down-to-earth. Roadies are total gear junkies. Kinda like the difference between a Corvette club and a Jeep club

HappyAndy wrote: Just my $. 02. The local bike shops in my area are staffed elitest jerks who don't seem to want to bother with people who don't ride premium bikes or drop $100 or more every time they walk in the store. So I personally dont buy into the karma thing as regards local bike shops. I'm sure that there are good ones to be found, just not within 20 miles of where I live.

Find shops with sales folks who are not commissioned. They wont try to sell you too much bike cuz it makes no difference to them what you buy. Commissioned sales in general are designed to rip off the customer, no matter the product being sold...

HappyAndy wrote: FWIW Target has better bikes than Walmart, as long as you can find one that fits you properly.

Categorically not true - pretty much any big box store has "techs" who are paid by the bike. Get a guy who cares a little more, and you may luck out to get a bike assembled by a not-a-total-asshat wrench. To say "faceless-mass-market-big-box-retailer A has nicer bikes than faceless-mass-market-big-box-retailer B because my singular transaction with them was good..." is a great way to make people think you lied to them when the bike they bought there 3 years later falls apart underneath them.

HappyAndy wrote: My current bike came from Target, it had a very good frame and cheap components. As parts broke I upgraded with parts from JensonUSA and ebay, I've got much less into it than I would if I had purchased it new with those components.

90% of all aluminum frames come from the same few factories in taiwan, regardless of the brand name stickers that go on them, so that may very well be true

HappyAndy wrote: The guy at the local bike shop told me it was a piece of junk and not worth upgrading, he had a bike with an identical frame, made in the same factory in China, in his shop (with better components) for about 3X what I paid for mine.

the 3x price is yes, partially for the components, but also in the assembly and most likely, to cover a years worth of unlimited adjustments and standard services.

Im not picking on Andy, but his viewpoints are very typical of the apathetic bicycle customer. I can certainly understand your complaints - in general shops have higher prices than box stores. But there is a typically some underlying reasons behind this - most of which is theres something to be said for a quality hand turning that wrench...you wouldnt pay walmart to overhaul your valvetrain, would you (dear God I hope your answer is no...), then why have them build a different, yet equally complicated system of mechanical bits?

To the OPs question - if youre not in the market for a new bike, and arent particularly intent on having a very specific type of bike - Id suggest Craigslist or Ebay for a used bike...or maybe even just a garage sale as spring approaches. Get a bike in Ok-ish shape (all parts are installed and accounted for, and in decent mechanical shape, but may need adjusted and tweaked), and take it to the shop for a complete tune up - a shop makes far more margin on labor than they do on new bikes - so youll make better friends with a shop (a good friend to have if this is a hobby that could flourish in your life) than you would trying to argue down a bike they make little on in the first place.

One way to check the quality of a bike shop: can you take a bike for a test ride off the showroom floor? I once applied for a job at a local shop - probably 23 years ago, so before WalMart hit Canada. They had me come in and assemble a bike for an "audition". I set it up to be rideable, and was told I was too slow - "do it again, but faster". I refused to build one that couldn't be ridden. On the way out, I noticed that not a single bike on the floor could have gone out on the street without another half hour of work. They were the Jiffy Lube of bike shops.

I was a tech at a big box sporting goods store and ended up being the guy who fixed the mistakes of the other local stores from the same company. The mistakes I saw were ASTONISHING.

They were much more interested in cutting payroll than they were in selling safe product.

Target used to have assembly companies do their assembly. They got rid of that and just had anyone available in the store do it. I still take a peek at the bikes when I'm shopping there just to lol at the horrific state they're in.

Thus, you buy one of these cheapie bikes and you'll end up paying a shop to tune it "right".

Bike prices haven't really changed in 20 years. If anything, trickledown has made them cheaper. Keep in mind, the first Specialized Stumpjumper was $750--in 1981. Why? Because China.

BTW Diamondbacks will typically come in 15"/17"/19"/21" or 16"/18"/20"/22" frames.

I've had some great successes buying 'older' high-end bikes. I wanted dual-suspension for my use, and found a poorly worded local internet ad for a Cannondale for $300. Turned out to be a nearly unused Cannondale Prophet - hydraulic disks, right size. Needless to say, I jumped on it.

Make sure that the bike fits you - I fit into the MTB for all use camp, and find that slicks/semi-slicks go a long way to making it a great commuter/fun bike that takes a beating and I like the seating position.

I'd be looking for (in no particular order): Cannondale, Klein, GT, Trek, or Specialized brand bikes. Late 90's to early 2000's, LX, XT or XTR components, V-brakes (which actually work very well) or disk.