Newbie

[USAFGAMECOCK]

Hello all....my wife and I visited our local bike store today. She's an avid runner and I like golf and an occasional run. We're interested in giving cycling a shot. Do any of you have any advice? Her concern is whether or not you get a good workout (compared to running) when cycling. I think it would be a blast. We're thinking about buying a couple of the Trek road bikes. It's the lower end Treks....I think the 1000 series? My wife has a really old bike now, and I have a cheap mountain bike.

If any of you have any advice or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks in advance!

 

[BillM]

Hello all....my wife and I visited our local bike store today. She's an avid runner and I like golf and an occasional run. We're interested in giving cycling a shot. Do any of you have any advice? Her concern is whether or not you get a good workout (compared to running) when cycling. I think it would be a blast. We're thinking about buying a couple of the Trek road bikes. It's the lower end Treks....I think the 1000 series? My wife has a really old bike now, and I have a cheap mountain bike.

If any of you have any advice or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks in advance!

The workout you get cycling is different than running. I think you can work yourself actually harder...because your body doesn't take the constant pounding you get when running.

Most new cyclists quit early....because their butt hurts, fear of traffic, whatever. If you give it time, stick to it and find a comfortable saddle that works for you then you should like it.

Are you in SC? I might be making an assumption from the Gamecock in your SN...it's the mascot of our state college.

Let me know if I can help.

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

Thanks a bunch for the advice! I'm not in SC right now, but I am from there and I'm a graduate of USC(the REAL one...South Carolina )The more my wife and I have discussed it, the more we're wanting to give cycling a shot. I'll continue to monitor this board for more info....thanks again!

The workout you get cycling is different than running. I think you can work yourself actually harder...because your body doesn't take the constant pounding you get when running.

Most new cyclists quit early....because their butt hurts, fear of traffic, whatever. If you give it time, stick to it and find a comfortable saddle that works for you then you should like it.

Are you in SC? I might be making an assumption from the Gamecock in your SN...it's the mascot of our state college.

Let me know if I can help.

 

[BillM]

Thanks a bunch for the advice! I'm not in SC right now, but I am from there and I'm a graduate of USC(the REAL one...South Carolina )The more my wife and I have discussed it, the more we're wanting to give cycling a shot. I'll continue to monitor this board for more info....thanks again!

They almost beat Auburn last week....very close game.

As for bike boards...make sure you check out this one too.

www.bikeforums.net

It's newbie friendly.

 

[Jaguar27]

I've never been a "runner" but I was a Footballer (Soccer) untill I suffered a really bad back injury...but then again, Football does involve a LOT of running of course...

There's no reson why your Wife can't run AND ride a Bike (not at the same time of course) but my Wife and I both ride together a lot, although she hasn't been able to ride much lately because she has a herniated Disc in her back, she has surgery next month, but Cycling can deffinately be a great workout....

It's also a great way to spend time together, go out for a ride, stop off for a Coffee, you can also ride with a local club...there's tons of info on the web about the benefits of cycling....

"Lower end" Treks are a great way to start, you might also want to consider a Felt, Giant, Cannondale...Specialized etc etc...they're all great Bikes!! Being new to the sport any road bike will feel kind of wierd at first so you won't really know what feels good or bad, but the next time around when you feel it's time to upgrade you should have a better idea of exactly what you're looking for in a Bike...just make sure your new Bikes are fitted correctly..that's 90% of the Battle....good quality (avoid cheap) Cycling shorts will help ease the initial pain, which is very important for begginers to road bikes....

Go for it and have fun!!

DISCLAIMER: Cycling can get very addictive.

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

I've never been a "runner" but I was a Footballer (Soccer) untill I suffered a really bad back injury...but then again, Football does involve a LOT of running of course...

There's no reson why your Wife can't run AND ride a Bike (not at the same time of course) but my Wife and I both ride together a lot, although she hasn't been able to ride much lately because she has a herniated Disc in her back, she has surgery next month, but Cycling can deffinately be a great workout....

It's also a great way to spend time together, go out for a ride, stop off for a Coffee, you can also ride with a local club...there's tons of info on the web about the benefits of cycling....

"Lower end" Treks are a great way to start, you might also want to consider a Felt, Giant, Cannondale...Specialized etc etc...they're all great Bikes!! Being new to the sport any road bike will feel kind of wierd at first so you won't really know what feels good or bad, but the next time around when you feel it's time to upgrade you should have a better idea of exactly what you're looking for in a Bike...just make sure your new Bikes are fitted correctly..that's 90% of the Battle....good quality (avoid cheap) Cycling shorts will help ease the initial pain, which is very important for begginers to road bikes....

Go for it and have fun!!

DISCLAIMER: Cycling can get very addictive.

Thanks a bunch! We went back to the bike store and looked around some more and asked a lot more questions. We're kinda weird when it comes to making kinda big purchases. I'd imagine that the next time we go, we'll ride the bikes. Then we'll probably buy them on the following visit.....who knows? But either way, we'll have them soon. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[DMF]

Get fitted. The bike dimensions should be selected for your particular body. A poorly fitting bike can cause all sorts of problems. Some bike shops are reluctant to do a fitting, may charge $$, or may not be willing to tell you the results. After all, they may spend an hour of more with you, only to have you buy somewhere else. But IMO the shop should be most interested in making you satisfied and let the profit take care of itself (it will if they do).

And keep researching. There's a LOT to learn about bikes.

 

[Jaguar27]

Well actually, yes, buying two Bikes at the same time is a big purchase, but this is the best way for a beginner, from fairly recent experience...

I bought a Felt F91 (I think they're called F91 now) but you could also buy a Trek, Giant, Specialized or another well known brand, but anyway, I paid, I think, $450 for my Felt on sale at Performance Bike...

I rode the wheels off it, but, I took really good care of it, I cleaned it regularly, I made sure I didn't lean it anywhere where it would get scratched etc, in fact, I kept it like new...then, when I bought my Cannondale I put the Felt on ebay and got around $500 for it, then I bought a Cannondale, same thing...NAME Brand Bikes in great condition sell really well on Ebay...Both People I sold my bikes to were delighted...

By the time I was ready to buy a "high end" bike I knew exactly what I wanted plus I had enough base miles in (around 5,000) to know what I was looking for in a Bike...plus, by the time you're ready to trade up you'll know pretty much what kind of riding you're going to be doing...

When you go to test ride bikes wear Cycling shorts plus the shoes you're going to be riding in....and insist they inflate the Tires to identical pressures on all the bikes, this can make a big difference...and like everyone says, fit is the most important thing......

Good luck and let us know what Bikes you decide on!!

Thanks a bunch! We went back to the bike store and looked around some more and asked a lot more questions. We're kinda weird when it comes to making kinda big purchases. I'd imagine that the next time we go, we'll ride the bikes. Then we'll probably buy them on the following visit.....who knows? But either way, we'll have them soon. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[gclark8]

As your wife is a runner, look for bikes with steeper seat tubes, say around 75 degrees. Most of my friends that run ride Felts, the F100 is a good entry level bike, my GF has one in 47cm 650c wheel size as she is below 5'.

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

This is all great advice....thanks a bunch to all of you! We're still looking at the Trek 1000's'......and of course we keep doing all of the research. I think we've decided on the bikes, and now we're just looking for some good places to ride. I'm in the Air Force, so we can ride on base, but it's kinda far away. We're looking at different roads around here and I think we have some options. The bike store we've been going to has riding clubs that meet 5 or 6 days a week. So we'll probably start going to those to learn some of the local routes. Thanks again.....all of you are very helpful!

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

I have another question. The Trek's we're looking at are 2006 models.....when does the 2007 come out? I'm thinking that when the 2007's come out, the 2006's price may drop. Any thoughts/suggestions??

 

[BillM]

I have another question. The Trek's we're looking at are 2006 models.....when does the 2007 come out? I'm thinking that when the 2007's come out, the 2006's price may drop. Any thoughts/suggestions??

The 07s are out. Most of the shops around here are blowing out the 06s already...and have been for about a month.

If the shop knows you're a newbie and don't realize that end of season is the time to buy then they might not offer the sale price. 10-20% off is pretty standard discount at this time of year.

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

Well my wife and I made the move. She went with the Giant OCR3 W, and I went with the Trek 1500. She already has hers, since they had her size right there in the store. She originally had her mind set on the Trek, but the Giant felt better for her and the folks in the store said it just fits her better. Plus it was cheaper than the Trek. She rode it yesterday and loves it so far.

Mine won't be in until later in the week. They didn't have a 58 in the store. Like my wife, I was originally going with the Trek 1000. Then I figured that later I'd just want to upgrade. So I was trying to find a 1200...and I had no luck. I tried a Giant OCR2, but there was something that didn't feel right. But it was a nice bike however. The bike store here hooked me up with a closeout 2006 Trek 1500 (discovery paint job) for 899.99. Plus they're throwing in helmets for me and my wife. They gave my wife a nice tire pump and some chain oil too. The folks at the store have been extremely helpful. They've won some customers for life.

Everyone on here that gave us advice was also very helpful. Thanks a bunch and I'll let ya'll know how everything works out when we get into the swing of things. I just wanted to let ya'll know what we did since ya'll were so helpful to us. Thanks again!

 

[Jaguar27]

Congratulations! I bet you're looking forward to your Bike coming in too so you Guys can go out for your first spin! I'm sure your LBS told you to bring the Bikes back after a few hundred miles to get everything re-adjusted? The Cables tend to stretch a bit etc...

Giant make great Bikes, it was a smart move to go for the one that feels best...

Have fun! I'm looking forward to the next update!!

 

[BillM]

Well my wife and I made the move. She went with the Giant OCR3 W, and I went with the Trek 1500. She already has hers, since they had her size right there in the store. She originally had her mind set on the Trek, but the Giant felt better for her and the folks in the store said it just fits her better. Plus it was cheaper than the Trek. She rode it yesterday and loves it so far.

Mine won't be in until later in the week. They didn't have a 58 in the store. Like my wife, I was originally going with the Trek 1000. Then I figured that later I'd just want to upgrade. So I was trying to find a 1200...and I had no luck. I tried a Giant OCR2, but there was something that didn't feel right. But it was a nice bike however. The bike store here hooked me up with a closeout 2006 Trek 1500 (discovery paint job) for 899.99. Plus they're throwing in helmets for me and my wife. They gave my wife a nice tire pump and some chain oil too. The folks at the store have been extremely helpful. They've won some customers for life.

Everyone on here that gave us advice was also very helpful. Thanks a bunch and I'll let ya'll know how everything works out when we get into the swing of things. I just wanted to let ya'll know what we did since ya'll were so helpful to us. Thanks again!

Good choice on the Trek. I like em.

Where did you end up buying...I can't recall if you are still in SC or not?

 

[USAFGAMECOCK]

Good choice on the Trek. I like em.

Where did you end up buying...I can't recall if you are still in SC or not?

We ended up buying from the bike store in Warner Robins Georgia. Unfortunately, we don't live in SC anymore, but we hope to get back there one day.

Yeah there are a few other stores in the local area, and honestly as far as the sticker price goes, the place we're doing business with is about 10 bucks more. But the quality of service we've recieved there makes up for it and then some. And like I said, we both got great deals. They knocked $250 off my Trek 1500(it's a 2006 closeout), and they threw in helments, pumps and water bottles. They also stayed past closing and showed us how to do certain things to the bikes like remove wheels, oil chain, and things like that. I'm just ready to get that sucker in so I can start riding. Thanks again for all the good advice.