Houstonians role call...

gene d

Clear Lake

texastrack04

kingwood, i am new to this whole cycling thing so a group training thing would be excellent for me!

Cowboyathlete

In that case, welcome!! What type of cycling do you do, e.g. road or mountain? There are a few different cycling groups around town, depending on your interest.

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texastrack04

right now my main interest is road. i havent even bought a bike yet...its really something thats in the process. any suggestions on bikes...i recently went to my lbs and they told me to look into a giant ocr3 or a trek 1000, what do you think?

ccorrick

Hey track,

It all really depends on how serious you are and how much you are willing to spend. I bought my wife an OCR3. A solid bike for a beginner for sure. Has some little add on features I thought were a bit dorky, but whatever, it works for her.

I notice you posting a lot and it sounds like you might want to try racing. If that's the case the ocr3 is going to be a little on the low side. Will you be able to put 6-10 hours a week into riding, or will t be more/less? Just trying to get a feel for what exactly you want or need. Either bike you mentioned above will get you started for sure, but you my be upgrading in a few months. Let's see...I got my wife all set up for right at $1000. That's bike, shoes, clothes, computer, cages, etc. All that will be things you can use for awhile. You could probably get a bit out of your used bike once you decide to move up.

If you want to get a good solid setup go with something that is equipped with the 105. That puts you up to a very good start place and something you will be able to hang on to a bit longer. Any brand of frame with the 105 will run you close to the same, and all will perform about the same. Being new you probably would not be able to tell a difference, and anything you did feel would be tires or even tire pressure . Look at everything, and ride as many as you can. The MOST important part of a new bike is fit.....Make sure you find a shop that is willing to take the time to fit you and get it all set up for you. Some suggestions would be Giant, Fuji, Cannondale, Trek....aww heck just all of em . Look around find something that catches your eye for you first bike. Your next one you will KNOW what you like and have a better feel for what works for you. One way to do is is set a price you want to pay and just see what you can get in that range...

I don't know your current fitness level, but don't get discrouaged. You will gain quickly if you are already pretty active and have a bit of a base to work with.

I hope this helps a little? Good luck!

texastrack04

thanks that helps a lot!!! i recently spoke with someone about looking into a ocr1 or trek 1200 since they are both upgradeable. i will have a lot of time actually to ride. right now i have a lot of free time bc work is going slow and i get out of school a lot earlier than my friends do. please tell me what you think and help me with training tips. i would love to be able to participate in a race soon. you guys make it sound extremely exciting.

rfctx

West Houston ... Hwy 6 & Westhimer area

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Malcontent

rfctx,

Some coworkers and I try to ride the Hershey Park path twice a week, usually from the beltway to 6 and back. Maybe sometime we should do it in reverse and you could meet us?

adamallstar

northwest/spring area over here, just got a new road bike and riding a bit... mostly do solo riding, but if anyone is interested in a weekend ride i'm interested

wingtai78

southwest newbie. i've been to memorial a couple of times to ride. any other nice places to ride around town? road that is.