Beginning Cycling

JaredM said:

I am looking to start cycling for fun, and fitness. I have never seriously biked before but I used to run and just started to again. I am wondering if I buy a bike frame. Thats how you get a bike right? Just the frame? Does the other stuff come with the frame. Handelbars, saddle, etc. I do have a mountain bike, but i never ride on mt bike trails, just the road. Thanks for you help.

Hi Jared,

Welcome to the site! I would recommend buying a complete bike to start with. It can be very gratifying to build your own bicycle from scratch, specifying it part-by-part, but (1) it's typically more expensive to do this, and (2) you really need to know what you want, which is knowledge you won't have at this time.

The two main schools of thought that seem to exist on what "first bike" to get are either "buy the cheapest one that'll do", and "buy a good bike to start with, because if you get into the sport then you'll appreciate it more".

I probably fall into the first camp. I think you're lucky to be coming into the sport at this time because there are a lot of very nice "intro level" bikes out there (waaay better that what I started on back in the '80s!!). One that consistently gets pretty good reviews is the Trek 1000. Other people will surely pitch in with other very good alternatives. Go to some local bike shops and try them out. I wouldn't buy online, even if the prices are keen. You will need to be correctly fitted for a bike at a bike shop, especially for the first one you buy.

Good Luck with it, and enjoy!

Cheers,
J.