I've been wanting to buy a bike ever since I moved into my current apartment, and after two years of lollygagging and a lot of fat 'round my belly I'd say it's about time I picked one up. I used to own a nice BMX - think it was BMX, anyway; certainly was small enough - but it has long since fallen apart, and I'd like something larger anyway. I'm also not sure I need something quite so trick-centric for urban riding, and urban riding is the only thing available to me. What kind of bike would you lot recommend? A $300 to $500 price range is preferable.
Bike For City Cycling?
- Thread starter SLTE
- Start date
There are a fair amount of options for you in that price range, especially if you find one on sale, and now is a pretty good time of year for sales with Back to School, and college students especially being in the market. Consider if you plan to use your bike for all or nearly all your transportation needs. Are you going to go more than 2-3 miles one way on a regular basis? Are you planning to use it for grocery shopping? If you plan to use it for shopping, you will want a bike that is set up for easily attaching side baskets to a rack on the back, You'll need 2 baskets to carry groceries if you purchase any beverages to balance the weight. Ex, milk on one side, food on other. It makes it much easier to ride that way, and a front basket is not a good option for carrying 8+ pounds as it makes it harder to ride than carrying weight in the back.
Thanks very much for the advice. The Back to School sales is an excellent point - I've been out of school long enough that I didn't take that into account at all. The bike will more than likely be used largely for recreation, since I can hike to and from the nearest grocery store on foot without too much trouble. Probably won't need side baskets, but I'll keep them in mind. Even if I did use it for shopping I'd probably just strap on a backpack, since I seldom go outside without one.DancingLady said:
I also need to look for a bike which I can use to teach my wife how to ride. She never learned how as a kid, and would like to now. Probably won't change my options a whole lot, but adding the extra weight on either end of the bike is probably not a great idea for a first-time learner. (I also need to find somewhere 'round here with a minimum of traffic and a lot of grass where she can learn, but that's a can of worms I'll have to dig through myself.)
The cost may not be relevant to you because I'm here in the Philippines. But what I am prospecting now are the following - 1) e-bike for 16,000 2) folding bike for 17,500 3) mountain bike costing 20,000. The e-bike is best for my injury while the folding bike is for convenience and the mountain bike is my old time favorite when it comes to the pedals, it gives me a strange feeling. But a BMX bike? Hmm, maybe I will have to ask my grandfather, hahahaaa.
If you found the BMX enjoyable, why not get a mountain bike. Its great for urban cycling where you might encounter plenty of raised curbs and that sort of small obstacle. I'm fairly slim but well over six foot and found my mountain bike easily customizable to fit my long legs, simply extending the saddle stem and moving the handlebars forward a little. Theres perhaps a little more upper body strength needed to manouver a mountain bike across unstable terrain but its great excercise all-round if thats your main motivation for getting a bike. The prices of them range greatly but you should be able to pick up a decent bike within that price-range or probably a much better one if you're prepared to buy a well-maintained second-hand one.
SLTE said:
If you found the BMX enjoyable, why not get a mountain bike. Its great for urban cycling where you might encounter plenty of raised curbs and that sort of small obstacle. I'm fairly slim but well over six foot and found my mountain bike easily customizable to fit my long legs, simply extending the saddle stem and moving the handlebars forward a little. Theres perhaps a little more upper body strength needed to manouver a mountain bike across unstable terrain but its great excercise all-round if thats your main motivation for getting a bike. The prices of them range greatly but you should be able to pick up a decent bike within that price-range or probably a much better one if you're prepared to buy a well-maintained second-hand one.
Now this is what I call art. Is it a one-off customization you've made yourself ? If not, where can I buy one ? I love the low rider style of it. Also its quite hard to judge the scale of it, how big is it ? I'm quite light but a few inches above 6 foot, would it be suitable for a taller guy ?peddle4bikes said:You might want to check out my city ride bike.
This is me riding like a cowboy on my baby.Steve Dawson said:
I got it from Peddle Power. I highly believe they can customize it for you. Check it out specs here http://peddlepower.com.au/product/rain-city/
Many thanks for the additional information, I will check them out. I can see it is a lot bigger than I originally thought, looks completely suitable for me. I also have to say, I just love the helmet man, I can't define coolness, but I know it when I see it.
peddle4bikes said:This is me riding like a cowboy on my baby.
I got it from Peddle Power. I highly believe they can customize it for you. Check it out specs here http://peddlepower.com.au/product/rain-city/
Many thanks for the additional information, I will check them out. I can see it is a lot bigger than I originally thought, looks completely suitable for me. I also have to say, I just love the helmet man, I can't define coolness, but I know it when I see it.
Hi I just bought a bike on Bikestotown.com - second hand bicycles - bikestotown.com. They have a surprisingly large selection and good prices. Everything was all right. I definitely recommend this eshop.
My bike is very similar to this one Folding bike CHEVROLET 1996A - bikestotown.com
Cíbys
My bike is very similar to this one Folding bike CHEVROLET 1996A - bikestotown.com
Cíbys
Just go to a local bike shop, try out what they have, and decide on what appeals to you. The bike shop will offer you a lot of on-the-spot support and you will meet other cyclists in your locality. Get together with them, learn about bicycling in your area, see what is what there. You can get a huge amount of help from the local bike shop.
Bob
Bob
As far as a city bike goes I really don't have a special recommendation for any brand, but what I would go for is comfort and gears. How flat is the city? If it has too many hills be sure to get some smooth gears to help you climb those.
I agree with that comfort. My advice in buying bike is to go to the shop and try the one you like for size. Ride on it for a spin and if not contented, do another spin and another until you get a feel of the bike. Does it suit your body - height and weight? Are you comfortable in riding it? Do you enjoy or are the pedals too hard for you? Pardon me for the online addicts here but I do not recommend buying bikes online because you still have to test ride it.oportosanto said:
I would recommend getting a cruiser. They are perfect for the city and not too fancy. Also great pedaling abilities. The price range for these are about $350. The good thing is that they can usually be bought at your local Wal-mart retailer. Unfortunately they aren't too big but aren't small either. Being fairly sized is why I think it makes a great bike with good speed.
I personally bought a hybrid bike for cities. My dad used to use a racer bike with really thin tires and every time he went up a curb you could literally feel your bones shaking... I'd probably go for something with comfort rather than speed as you'll be navigating a lot of paths and curbs and bumps.
I also agree with you. You can try going to any local shops. You can judge the stongness and the weight of the cycle. You can also bargain with the local dealers. You can test the cycle by riding it . If you buy the cycle online, you will not be able to get these facilities. So, go out and check out your favourite cycle in the market.
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