Buying A Bike - Inquiry

"James Lynx" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old
and haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I
used to ride a Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started
driving so no need to ride. Wish I never stopped. I was
lean and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few years
after I stopped I still was lean but over the years the
more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to
start riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now
 I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just
cruising on the streets. I hear people say don't buy these
bikes sold at Costco and the like because they are not
high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes are
probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and
that was a good bike too. I just want to ride on the
street. Nothing serious nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail
frame? What height? When they list the wheel height in
terms of 21 or 26 inch or whatever how is that in relation
to the frame and what height of the bike and relation to
my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame or the wheel
height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Darn, James, you have a lot of questions. :-) You'd probably
be well served to go to your local bike shop and ask them.
You're probably (from the type of riding you describe)
looking for a hybrid, or a MTB with slick tires, or possibly
a flat bar road bike. There are so many options, and bike
shop prices vary from just a bit more than Costco to
thousands of dollars. My advice is poke around on the web
and check your local bike shops.

Mike

James Lynx said:

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old
and haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I
used to ride a Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started
driving so no need to ride. Wish I never stopped. I was
lean and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few years
after I stopped I still was lean but over the years the
more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to
start riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I rode bmx for years too, and just bought a new MTB that has
BMX type attributes. It is AWESOME, I LOVE this bike. (Giant
STP1) sitting-duck.home.comcast.netindex.htmOpen ↗

On 6 May 2004 17:25:10 -0700, [email hidden] (James Lynx)

Quoted message said:

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old
and haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I
used to ride a Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started
driving so no need to ride. Wish I never stopped. I was
lean and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few years after
I stopped I still was lean but over the years the more
inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now
 I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just
cruising on the streets. I hear people say don't buy these
bikes sold at Costco and the like because they are not high
quality but I tell you those Costco bikes are probably
higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing
serious nothing intense just exercise.

Well, at 36 you might be in a better position to appreciate
the quality of a good bicycle. At 16, along with being
immortal, the body and brains (or lack thereof) can make any
bike work. And if something goes wrong, your recovery from
an injury will be much harder and longer at 36.

I'd look for a used mountain bike, something like a
specialized hard rock with a solid fork- no suspension. $1500-
250 max, and it will get you back on a bike. See what
happens, see how it works, etc. Then in a few months you'll
be able to make a much better decision.

Quoted message said:

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard
tail frame?

I'd avoid suspension for now. At the lower prices, the
suspension won't be very good, will add weight, and will
mean reduced quality in other parts. Again, solid frame and
fork until you know what suspension will do for you with
your present riding style.

Quoted message said:

What height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21
or 26 inch or whatever how is that in relation to the frame
and what height of the bike and relation to my height of
six feet tall? Is it the frame or the wheel height that's
the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Most 'adult' bikes will have 26 inch (mountain) or 700c
(road) wheel sizes. Frame size is what you are looking for.
At 6 feet, 19-21 inches in a mountain, 58cm or so in a road?
Stand over height is the big issue. Make certain that you
can raise the seatpost enough (or get a replacement). Your
knees are not going to deal with too short a seat height as
well as they did at 16.

(OK, bike fit is much more complex than standover height,
but you have to start somewhere....)

If you don't want to do the used route, then shop for a good
bike shop and let them lead you to a good bike.

I'll throw out a bike that I've enjoyed for bombing around
streets- Marin Muirwoods

marinbikes.comspec 04 muirwoods.htmlOpen ↗

Something like this would be a good starting point.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by James Lynx
I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old
and haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I
used to ride a Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started
driving so no need to ride. Wish I never stopped. I was lean
and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few years after I
stopped I still was lean but over the years the more
inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now
 I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just
cruising on the streets. I hear people say don't buy these
bikes sold at Costco and the like because they are not high
quality but I tell you those Costco bikes are probably
higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing
serious nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail
frame? What height? When they list the wheel height in terms
of 21 or 26 inch or whatever how is that in relation to the
frame and what height of the bike and relation to my height
of six feet tall? Is it the frame or the wheel height that's
the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Thanks,

James

I would definitly check out a local bike shop. If you get a MTB or a hybrid you'll probably be very happy and the price is no more than a good bike at Costco. Full suspension on low end bikes are a waste of money since they tend to be cheap and add weight & cost.

Get a MTB if your;
Looking for versatility. A MTB is primarily for off road riding but can be easily adapted for road riding by simply changing the tires to slicks. It will not be nearly as fast as a road bike or hybrid due to the 26" rims, fatter/nobby tires, and gear ratio's. Best for rough dirt roads and bumpy conditions, kinda slow for road riding (although I've seen some pretty fast MTBer's on the road).

Get a Hybrid if your;
Looking for a low cost alternative to a road bike. Hybrid's are a cross between a road bike and a MTB. They have 700c rims and have a gear ratio similar (or the same) as a road bike. The tires tend to be somewhat fatter than a road bike but narrower than a MTB and generally don't have nobbies. The sitting position is more upright than a road bike and is supposed to be more comfortable but most would agree that a road bike's position is a necessity for longer rides (over 30 miles). Generally not too good off road but hard dirt paths are probably OK. Does a much better job on pavement than a MTB (even with slicks).

Get a Road Bike if you;
Like to ride fast or take long trips (30+ miles). Road bikes generally have 700c tires that are very narrow. The gear ratio's are best suited for higher speeds and the drop down bars (handle bars) provide the best hand positions for comfort. Not good off road, stick to the pavement.

a similar case myself, at 37 i started riding again after a
20 year break. after shopping around a while i figured i'd
rather spend a little more cash on something half-decent
(reputable manufacturer, aluminium frame, shimano
derailleurs) rather than go for something really cheap that
i'd probably want to replace six months later. after some
hunting i ended up with a giant yukon hardtail which is just
the job for knobbing around town, especially with some
slicks thrown on. since then i've also started triathlon and
splurged on a tribike. it's the business for fast rides, but
not nearly as much fun as the yukon.

"James Lynx" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old
and haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I
used to ride a Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started
driving so no need to ride. Wish I never stopped. I was
lean and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few years
after I stopped I still was lean but over the years the
more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to
start riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now
 I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just
cruising on the streets. I hear people say don't buy these
bikes sold at Costco and the like because they are not
high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes are
probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and
that was a good bike too. I just want to ride on the
street. Nothing serious nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail
frame? What height? When they list the wheel height in
terms of 21 or 26 inch or whatever how is that in relation
to the frame and what height of the bike and relation to
my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame or the wheel
height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Thanks,

James