Good bike for a beginner

Don’t know your budget but a good bike for what you want is the Trek Domane ALR series. Ranging from 1130-2000+$. I ride the ALR 4 Disc (1700$). The frames are all the same but ALR complements are going to last you longer than the 3. It’s just about 75% road and 25% gravel. It’s endurance so it’s build for speed but more importantly distance. Went out 100 miles (never did it before) and didn’t regret it. Last 20 were hell as they werr uphill but it felt great. That’s just my opinion

My suggestion is not a specific type or brand of bike. Go to a bike store and try a bike that attracts you. Ride for at least 100 meters to get a feel. If it is not 100% fit for your convenience, try another for size. For me, the riding comfort is first and foremost. Although the cost is also an issue but if the bike is cheap but not comfortable to ride then don't buy it.

Kevin Abbot said:

Don’t know your budget but a good bike for what you want is the Trek Domane ALR series. Ranging from 1130-2000+$. I ride the ALR 4 Disc (1700$). The frames are all the same but ALR complements are going to last you longer than the 3. It’s just about 75% road and 25% gravel. It’s endurance so it’s build for speed but more importantly distance. Went out 100 miles (never did it before) and didn’t regret it. Last 20 were hell as they werr uphill but it felt great. That’s just my opinion

Thanks for your answer I personally think its a bit expensive for me but I'll still check.

Corzhens said:

My suggestion is not a specific type or brand of bike. Go to a bike store and try a bike that attracts you. Ride for at least 100 meters to get a feel. If it is not 100% fit for your convenience, try another for size. For me, the riding comfort is first and foremost. Although the cost is also an issue but if the bike is cheap but not comfortable to ride then don't buy it.

Yeah thought of that too

The bicycle industry is very homogenous. Similar money buys you comparable bikes regardless of brand. One might have better wheels, another have better gears or brakes. Makes them different, without one being clearly better.
For your kind of riding either touring bikes or hybrids comes to mind, depending on if you prefer flat, or drop bars.
Suggesting a particular bike becomes difficult when you don’t specify a budget. I suggest you look for one with a cassette rear hub as opposed to a freewheel rear hub. Cassette hubs are stronger and offer more repair/upgrade options than freewheel hubs.
If you can, avoid suspension parts. You don’t need it and cheap suspension is often ”worse” than no suspension.
Go to bike shops, tell them your budget and how you want to ride. Try some bikes out.
Pick one that’s as close as possible to how you want it. Bike parts are much more expensive when bought piecemeal than when part of a bike. A thorough upgrade is rarely worth it.
But be ready to swap fit items. Saddle, bar, stem, grips, pedals, things like that.
Fenders are nice. It only takes a sheen of water on the road to get you spattered with road grime if the wheels are bare.

dabac said:

The bicycle industry is very homogenous. Similar money buys you comparable bikes regardless of brand. One might have better wheels, another have better gears or brakes. Makes them different, without one being clearly better.
For your kind of riding either touring bikes or hybrids comes to mind, depending on if you prefer flat, or drop bars.
Suggesting a particular bike becomes difficult when you don’t specify a budget. I suggest you look for one with a cassette rear hub as opposed to a freewheel rear hub. Cassette hubs are stronger and offer more repair/upgrade options than freewheel hubs.
If you can, avoid suspension parts. You don’t need it and cheap suspension is often ”worse” than no suspension.
Go to bike shops, tell them your budget and how you want to ride. Try some bikes out.
Pick one that’s as close as possible to how you want it. Bike parts are much more expensive when bought piecemeal than when part of a bike. A thorough upgrade is rarely worth it.
But be ready to swap fit items. Saddle, bar, stem, grips, pedals, things like that.
Fenders are nice. It only takes a sheen of water on the road to get you spattered with road grime if the wheels are bare.

dabac said:

The bicycle industry is very homogenous. Similar money buys you comparable bikes regardless of brand. One might have better wheels, another have better gears or brakes. Makes them different, without one being clearly better.
For your kind of riding either touring bikes or hybrids comes to mind, depending on if you prefer flat, or drop bars.
Suggesting a particular bike becomes difficult when you don’t specify a budget. I suggest you look for one with a cassette rear hub as opposed to a freewheel rear hub. Cassette hubs are stronger and offer more repair/upgrade options than freewheel hubs.
If you can, avoid suspension parts. You don’t need it and cheap suspension is often ”worse” than no suspension.
Go to bike shops, tell them your budget and how you want to ride. Try some bikes out.
Pick one that’s as close as possible to how you want it. Bike parts are much more expensive when bought piecemeal than when part of a bike. A thorough upgrade is rarely worth it.
But be ready to swap fit items. Saddle, bar, stem, grips, pedals, things like that.
Fenders are nice. It only takes a sheen of water on the road to get you spattered with road grime if the wheels are bare.

Thanks for your answer, yes ill go to a bike shop

If this is your first bike and your first time doing anything that involves physical exertion and or long term physical activity I recommend buying a bike for under $600...why you scream? because about 78% of all people that start a new physical activity program quit between 3 to 6 months and then they have expensive garage art.

Bikes that have the ability to do gravel are a bit more expensive than a true road bike so I stayed with a road bike to keep price down but riding on gravel isn't a problem on a road bike I do it all the time with narrow 700 x 23, 25, and 28's, the wider the better of course; also you will have to go mail order to find the best deal at a price point of under $600. I think the best bike for your needs is the Tommaso Imola Endurance bike, it got high reviews too. See: https://www.amazon.com/Tommaso-Endurance-Aluminum-Shimano-Claris/dp/B00LRSVPVM

Going mail order is not a big deal you simply find the size bike you need according to the fit range; another issue is that the bike comes partially disassembled thus you will have to assemble it yourself by using the included instructions OR take it to a bike shop and have them do it if your mechanical abilities are a bit lacking, usually for around $80 they'll assemble it, check to make sure everything is lubed and tune it up. Being a low priced bike there are some changes that over time you'll have to make, first change will be the tires and tubes, they use low end tires and tubes and they won't last long and are not good at fending off flats, so I would probably go with Vittoria Rubino Pro III tire in a 700c x 28 size, and any name brand tube like Specialized, Michelin, Conti etc. 2nd change might be the seat, when that time comes ask on this forum how to find a good fitting seat and what to get, keep in mind that your butt does need some time to break into a new seat so give the stock one some time. 3rd change will be the wheels, depending on your weight will depend on how long they last, again when that time comes ask here, there are much better wheels on the market that won't break your wallet. Other than those items the bike comes with really decent components, plus if a component does go bad it's an easy bike to upgrade.

If you want more of a bike for gravel with wider tires then look at the Nashbar Alloy Sora Cyclocross bike for just $600, but sizes are limited currently so check to see if one of the two sizes will fit you, anyway see this: https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/bikes-frames/road-bikes/gravel-bikes/nashbar-alloy-sora-cyclocross-bike-nb-scg. Basically the same sort of upgrades I mentioned for the earlier bike but the tires of course are different so for tires I would go with the Panaracer Gravel King SK.

I cannot suggest a specific brand of bike for you. What I could suggest for you is to choose what your heart is telling you to choose because your future owned bike will be your partner throughout your journey. You should consider if you are comfortable with that bike. Choosing a specific brand or specifications of a bike is just an extra, what you need to choose is the one that you like because not all preferences were the same. I, personally, chose the bike that caught my eye by the time I entered the bike shop and I have never regret anything.

I couldn't tell you what to buy, but I can tell you what not to buy. Avoid the Schwinn 5th Avenue hybrid like the plague, unless you are okay with wrenching, and prepared to spend a few dollars making it rideable.

I bought one, knowing it would probably need work. I wanted a second bike, and something I could play around with. For $199 I got what I asked for, but for a beginner who just wants to get on and ride, it wouldn't have been possible with this bike.

I put it together and tried to inflate the tires. They wouldn't inflate, and when I took the tires off, the tubes were simply a nightmare; I don't even know what they were made from but it wasn't rubber of any kind. And the tires didn't even have a discriminate tread, so down to the LBS for tires and tubes.

The large chain ring had three teeth that were just nubs, and the chain crunched as it went over them. Having made it rideable, I was about eight miles from home when the front derailleur came loose and made a noise. The clamp bolt was soft metal and couldn't be tightened.

I don't like twist shifters so I swapped those for lever shifters. The rear brake cable was rusting where it connected with the V brake, so I put all new cables on it. By time I swapped the cup and cone BB for a cartridge, and added fenders, I had a $600 bike. You can get a bike for that price from your LBS, and it shouldn't need work.

Before I bought this bike I looked at the many reviews and they were all very good. Maybe I got a lemon. I don't think even Walmart bikes would have been this bad.

Yes, Walmart bikes are that bad. I was jumping up and down with joy when my oldest grandson at the age of 9 graduated from that Walmart [censored] to a Giant XTC jr. Now all I have to do is get the next grandchild to get a bit larger so I can get off another Walmart pile of junk. It use to be I could hand a bike down to the next kid, my god I'm doing everything possible to keep it running long enough for the kid it was purchased for, it will never be in any mechanical condition to be handed down to another, that Giant can be handed down to the next oldest when my oldest gets too big, and once that middle child gets too big it could more than likely be handed down to the final grandkid. Then I'm not sure what to do with the Giant, I may find a kid to give it to if it survives, and it should. Everything on the Giant can be rebuilt or replaced, not so with Walmart [censored].

Anyone out there reading this post but doesn't belong to the forum, I hope you caught what I said, "WALMART BIKES ARE JUNK!! STAY FAR AWAY!!!" Go to some bike shop in your town and buy the lowest costing bike you can find from them. No one can sell a bike for $45 in today's world and expect it to last more than three or four years and that's if you stay on top of it, if you don't you might only get 2 years. In addition to all of that cheap [censored] the bike assemblers at Walmart don't have clue as to what their doing, I had to go over each bike I got for the grandkids and tighten nuts, and adjust stuff because they couldn't even handle that, if you don't go over the bike with a fine tooth comb you could watch your child crash due to a broken or loose part, then every month or so go back over it again. Even something as basic as a pedal on my daughters bike broke right in two at the treads inside the crank arm, I had drill into the bolt and then use an extractor to get the damn thing out of the arm; thankfully Walmart, yeah I know but I'm not going to spend $45 for a pedal at a bike shop, why heck the pedal would be worth more than the bike!!! anyway they sold a pedal with hardened steel axles so for $18 I thought I would give it a whirl...pun intended!

I think, choose the best bike fit your needs and place. Go to the store and try to ride it. Choose the cheaper one and where you're comfortable when you're not decided yet.