In article <
[email protected]>,
"B. Sanders" <
[email protected]> wrote:
Bud's is broadly good advice, but...
> "Bud" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > I'm in the market for a bike. I'm a male in my early thirties, in pretty good shape, and I have
> > not owned a bike in the last 12 years or so, so I'm totally out of what good/hot and what's not.
> > My last bike was a 5-speed Schwinn. I'm probably looking for a basic but decent road bike built
> > by a reputable manufacturer. It will be used mostly for joy riding around town and on paved park
> > trails. I think I'd like a 5-speed again. Super-light bikes and other mega-performance
> > considerations are not that important, although I wouldn't mind a little sporty-ness to it.
>
> Define "sportyness." What does this mean to you?
>
> Do you want to sit upright, for a better view, or do you prefer a lower, faster riding stance?
> As for what kind of frame material: I would go with steel, because it's both cheaper and more
> comfortable than aluminum (in the price range that you're likely to be considering, that is).
I wouldn't bet on it. Cheap Al frames have come down in price so much that if anything, the least
expensive road bikes now are made of aluminum. As for the shibboleth that steel is "more
comfortable", well, don't make me sic Jobst Brandt on you, okay? Stop telling stories.
I say this as a guy who rides a brazed steel frame.
> If you choose a bike with fender and rack eyelets on the frame and fork, then you can easily bolt
> on a cargo rack and use your new bike to get groceries or haul books from the library, or take
> your kid for a ride. Most road bikes and many mountain bikes do not have rack and fender eyelets.
It can be done without built-in eyelets, though what you're sorta recommending is a cross bike,
which isn't a bad choice, at that.
> > What should I consider? Which manufacturers are big now? What do you recommend?
> Choose a bike from area bike shops. Whatever brands they carry, that's what you should choose.
> Don't buy a bike from an online retailer or Ebay - getting the correct fit, and having a shop
> stand behind your purchase is very important for your overall enjoyment of the sport.
Barry is right. The bad news is not all local bike shops (LBSes) are created equal. You may have to
do some searching to find a really good one, though almost any bike shop should be able to manage to
fit you to a bicycle reasonably well and sell you a non-junk bike. That's supposed to be their core
competence.
If you're confident you can determine fit issues, I'd recommend going used for a considerable
price break.
New-wise, you can either get a road bike or a fast "comfort" or "trekking" bike. Either of the
latter is basically a road bike with a flat bar and probably cantilever brakes and treaded tires.
The treaded tires are largely useless for what you want to do, but whatever. The choice between the
two bikes comes down to which position you like better. You'll be fractionally faster on a drop bar,
and some find them more comfortable (they can be very comfortable indeed if you have the bars set
much higher than most racer-geeks; this is a matter of taste). But a lot of people like the upright
position a drop bar puts you into, which means you can see a bit better.
Either of these bikes will probably have at least 8 rear cogs, possibly 9 or 10, or 7 if you buy the
cheapest bike in the shop.
--
Ryan Cousineau,
[email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
