Biking Questions

Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to say this, but visit a couple of Local Bike Shops. If you
live anywhere near the Boston area, Sheldon Brown (yes THE SB) would be a good person to visit at
the shop he works at. If anything at least visit the stuff he does on-line:

sheldonbrown.comarticles.htmlOpen ↗

I would stay away from department store bikes. Yes, I've bought them and sometimes they can be good
deals but it helps if you know something about what you're looking for as well. I saw a bike just
recently at Wal Mart for $54. Probably wont be that comfortable though, and would be prone to
failures. In your price range you should be able to get a decent cruiser / commuter type bike at the
LBS, or at least a good used ride. Good brakes, derailers etc make a huge difference in how nice the
ride is. The devil is in the details and there is no substitute for the experience a LBS has ...
besides the fact you know it will be set up right, something I can't say about the Wal Mart yo yo's.
The mistakes they make in assembly are downright dangerous.

Don't forget too, right now a lot of stuff is being closed out ... I just saw one of these
for $199 ...

giant-bicycle.com030.000.006.aspOpen ↗
ection=8836&range=146&model=10776

Not a bad bike for a cruiser. I like the MegaRange feature (extra low "granny gear" for the tough
hills). It seems like that type of bike is what you're looking for.

Hope this helps,
C.Q.C.

"Dave Zale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Could you please help me out on a few things, I really dont know that much about bikes but I need
a good bike for commuting a matter of miles. A fast ride preferably that can let me have an
peaceful ride home would be perfect. In a little more detail something that would make 12
miles(about) not seem like a terribly bad ride. I am in good condition so that shouldnt be a
problem. I have a limited income so please dont say anything expensive but I want to know what
kind of bike would be best for me if someone could answer that please. Is it possible to get that
type of bike for 200$ - 300$ (possibly 400$)? I want to know what makes a bike good for this type
of riding... Im preety sure the wheel size effects speed, doesn't it? -Dave Z

Im a VERY big proponent of hybrid bikes for commuting. The big difference between a "comfort" and
"hybrid" bike is the wheel size. A comfort bike typically has 26 mountain bike wheels, where a
hybrid will have 700c road bike wheels. The 700c wheel size will typically have slightly narrower,
higher pressure tires - and therefor have a "faster" ride.

All these are guidelines. As suggested by another poster, go visit your local bike shop (LBS) and
ask them too. Take everything you hear here and at the LBS and make your own decision. Ride a few
bikes and see what you like best.

Have fun!

Q. said:

Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to say this, but visit a couple of Local Bike Shops. If
you live anywhere near the Boston area, Sheldon Brown (yes THE SB) would be a good person to visit
at the shop he works at. If anything at least visit the stuff he does on-line:

sheldonbrown.comarticles.htmlOpen ↗

I would stay away from department store bikes. Yes, I've bought them and sometimes they can be good
deals but it helps if you know something about what you're looking for as well. I saw a bike just
recently at Wal Mart for $54. Probably wont be that comfortable though, and would be prone to
failures. In your price range you should be able to get a decent cruiser / commuter type bike at
the LBS, or at least a good used ride. Good brakes, derailers etc make a huge difference in how
nice the ride is. The devil is in the details and there is no substitute for the experience a LBS
has ... besides the fact you know it will be set up right, something I can't say about the Wal Mart
yo yo's. The mistakes they make in assembly are downright dangerous.

Don't forget too, right now a lot of stuff is being closed out ... I just saw one of these
for $199 ...

giant-bicycle.com030.000.006.aspOpen ↗
ection=8836&range=146&model=10776

Not a bad bike for a cruiser. I like the MegaRange feature (extra low "granny gear" for the tough
hills). It seems like that type of bike is what you're looking for.

Hope this helps,
C.Q.C.

"Dave Zale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Could you please help me out on a few things, I really dont know that much about bikes but I need
a good bike for commuting a matter of miles. A fast ride preferably that can let me have an
peaceful ride home would be perfect. In a little more detail something that would make 12
miles(about) not seem like a terribly bad ride. I am in good condition so that shouldnt be a
problem. I have a limited income so please dont say anything expensive but I want to know what
kind of bike would be best for me if someone could answer that please. Is it possible to get that
type of bike for 200$ - 300$ (possibly 400$)? I want to know what makes a bike good for this type
of riding... Im preety sure the wheel size effects speed, doesn't it? -Dave Z

(Dave Zale) said:

Could you please help me out on a few things, I really dont know that much about bikes but I need
a good bike for commuting a matter of miles. A fast ride preferably that can let me have an
peaceful ride home would be perfect. In a little more detail something that would make 12
miles(about) not seem like a terribly bad ride. I am in good condition so that shouldnt be a
problem. I have a limited income so please dont say anything expensive but I want to know what
kind of bike would be best for me if someone could answer that please. Is it possible to get that
type of bike for 200$ - 300$ (possibly 400$)? I want to know what makes a bike good for this type
of riding... Im preety sure the wheel size effects speed, doesn't it? -Dave Z

If you're on a limited budget, consider the second hand market - small ads in your local paper, for
instance. Also, in the UK the police hold regular auction sales of lost and unclaimed property -
bicycles often come up in these. There may be some similar system in your area. If you do not
yourself know much about bikes take a friend who does when going to look at second hand machines.

Buy a bike which is suitable for the surface you intend to ride on. Generally, small-wheel bikes
(unless with very good suspension) are not as comfortable to ride over distances as larger wheeled
bikes. If you are riding mainly on tarmac do not be tempted to buy a mountain bike with fat, knobbly
tyres and suspension. The bigger and more knobbly the tyres are the greater the rolling resistance,
so the narrowest and smoothest tyres consistent with grip on the surface you're riding on will give
you the least tiring ride.

Also, an important issue in choosing a bike if the area you intend to ride in is at all hilly is
weight. Every extra pound is an extra pound you have to pull up every hill.

If your route to work is mainly or entirely tarmac you probably want a 'touring' type bike with 700c
wheels and drop handlebars (yes, really). If you have a considerable proportion on dirt then a
'hybrid' type bike with 26" wheels and fatter, but still slick, tyres would probably be better.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; in faecibus sapiens rheum propagabit

"Dave Zale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Could you please help me out on a few things, I really

dont know that

Quoted message said:

much about bikes but I need a good bike for commuting a

matter of

Quoted message said:

miles. A fast ride preferably that can let me have an

peaceful ride

Quoted message said:

home would be perfect. In a little more detail something

that would

Quoted message said:

make 12 miles(about) not seem like a terribly bad ride. I

am in good

Quoted message said:

condition so that shouldnt be a problem. I have a limited

income so

Quoted message said:

please dont say anything expensive but I want to know what

kind of

Quoted message said:

bike would be best for me if someone could answer that

please. Is it

Quoted message said:

possible to get that type of bike for 200$ - 300$

(possibly 400$)? I

Quoted message said:

want to know what makes a bike good for this type of

riding... Im

Quoted message said:

preety sure the wheel size effects speed, doesn't

it? -Dave Z

Dave - once you have some idea what you want, you may also want to contact a local bike club, if
there is one close to you. They probably have a list of used bikes for sale.

[email hidden] (Dave Zale) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Could you please help me out on a few things, I really dont know that much about bikes but I need
a good bike for commuting a matter of miles. A fast ride preferably that can let me have an
peaceful ride home would be perfect. In a little more detail something that would make 12
miles(about) not seem like a terribly bad ride. I am in good condition so that shouldnt be a
problem. I have a limited income so please dont say anything expensive but I want to know what
kind of bike would be best for me if someone could answer that please. Is it possible to get that
type of bike for 200$ - 300$ (possibly 400$)? I want to know what makes a bike good for this type
of riding... Im preety sure the wheel size effects speed, doesn't it? -Dave Z

I ride a homebuilt hardtail MTB with semislick "gravel" tires. It's good for my 10 mile commute,
which ranges over gravel paths, severely potholed streets, and some smooth roads, plus I have to be
prepared to go offroad at a moment's notice - that's riding in Houston for ya.

But... If your route is fairly smooth and less full of bad drivers, then a recumbent might be the
bike you're looking for. Recumbents are heavy on the wallet brand new, but you could get lucky and
find a used one for cheap.

I'de avoid the Wal-Mart Specials, unless you're pretty good at bike mechanics. Mongoose and
Roadmaster make fairly good bikes, but those guys at Wal-Mart aren't any good at assembly and don't
know jack about adjustment; ergo the Wal-Mart bikes are never road ready. I've seen plenty with
brakes misaligned, derailers in need of tweaking, and wheels out of true, and sometimes even axle
nuts barely finger tight.

All in all, it boils down to this: Alloy rims give the best braking performance, even out of caliper
brakes. Steel rims are often too slick, especially when wet. On reasonably smooth roads, suspension
isn't neccessary. It's a good thing for potholes and offroading, though, but front suspension only -
rear suspension tends to eat up half your pedalling effort, making the bike feel much heavier than
it is. Frame materials is a matter of choice, I think. I personally like cromo. Beware of bad welds
and too light construction; this'll fail at the wrong time and the wrong place! For paved roads,
slick or even semislick tires is the top choice. Even if you must have knobbies, a large number of
small knobs is better than a small number of large knobs. Carry a lock! In fact, carry two! A good
choice the Kryptonite U-lock, backed up with a thick steel cable w/ heavy padlock. Using both forces
a thief to use two types of tools to defeat the locks; most crooks will look for easier targets.

Well, my local bike shop has bikes that are a little too much over the price range for me, there are
some nice bikes but they are 600$ - 2000$ for a normal bike. So a bike at sports authority would be
bad? Cause I thought I saw one for 250$ that looks good. Im going to mainly be riding on
sidewalks/pavment. I don't think that there is a bike club around me... Maybe because a couple times
I have seen a group of like 30 people riding. On the bike I have right now my back hurts after
riding a while and that really needs to be fixed-- in other words what will help prevent that? -Dave

Dan Brussee <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Im a VERY big proponent of hybrid bikes for commuting. The big difference between a "comfort" and
"hybrid" bike is the wheel size. A comfort bike typically has 26 mountain bike wheels, where a
hybrid will have 700c road bike wheels. The 700c wheel size will typically have slightly narrower,
higher pressure tires - and therefor have a "faster" ride.

All these are guidelines. As suggested by another poster, go visit your local bike shop (LBS) and
ask them too. Take everything you hear here and at the LBS and make your own decision. Ride a few
bikes and see what you like best.

Have fun!

Dave,

What Sports Authority bike are you referring to exactly? If you look closely, many of those bikes
are built by "Pacific Cycle" ... this is from their web site:

"The company markets products under a range of brands including Schwinn, Mongoose, GT, Roadmaster,
Pacific, Dyno, Murray and Flexible Flyer. Pacific has achieved its success by combining its powerful
brand portfolio with low cost Far East sourcing, efficient supply chain management and multi-channel
retail distribution."

Basically, made in China and some brand name tacked on.

However they're not all bad, but what you end up with is some really nice parts and a bunch of junk
ones. Especially on their dual suspension bikes ... the rear "shocks" are a joke. Any decent rear
shock will cost you $250.

I'm going to be buying my Father a bike soon, and the bike I linked to before ... a Giant Sedona
ST for around $200 is the one I picked. His criteria is much the same as yours, and my LBS
carries Giant. Giant also makes a model very similar called Cypress that is more of a road bike
than comfort.

You mentioned that your back hurts when you ride. I got the same problem with knees ... however,
sizing a bike and setting it up properly is very important. This is where a LBS will help you out. I
know many that will work with the customer until they are satisfied. For example, allowing a
customer to try out different saddles until they find one which suits them.

If you do decide to buy a bike at SA instead of a LBS, then put aside some money to bring the bike
into the LBS after and have them give it the once over.

Whatever bike you're thinking of, do a search on google as well. Many of them are reviewed on some
web site or another.

C.Q.C.

"Dave Zale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, my local bike shop has bikes that are a little too much over the price range for me, there
are some nice bikes but they are 600$ - 2000$ for a normal bike. So a bike at sports authority
would be bad? Cause I thought I saw one for 250$ that looks good. Im going to mainly be riding on
sidewalks/pavment. I don't think that there is a bike club around me... Maybe because a couple
times I have seen a group of like 30 people riding. On the bike I have right now my back hurts
after riding a while and that really needs to be fixed-- in other words what will help prevent
that? -Dave

Dan Brussee <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Im a VERY big proponent of hybrid bikes for commuting. The big difference between a "comfort"
and "hybrid" bike is the wheel size. A comfort bike typically has 26 mountain bike wheels, where
a hybrid will have 700c road bike wheels. The 700c wheel size will typically have slightly
narrower, higher pressure tires - and therefor have a "faster" ride.

All these are guidelines. As suggested by another poster, go visit your local bike shop (LBS)
and ask them too. Take everything you hear here and at the LBS and make your own decision. Ride
a few bikes and see what you like best.

Have fun!