anyone here know anything about bicycles? (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

it seems getting a mtb and putting road tires on it is a common suggestion i'm hearing. i'm going to have to look more into that. but i do remember picking up the mtb and it was quite a bit heavier then the road bike. i'm guessing that is a trade-off i'll have to deal with?

jay, i actually liked the fact that the db had less gears. i always seem to think (probably incorrectly) that there's too many damn gears on these bikes. i never know what gear to put the bike in anymore.

anyway, i'm hoping to get to some shops this sunday (if i'm not working) and try to actually test ride a couple.

thanks as always guys!

 

[Michael Harris]

As a rule of thumb, road bikes are lighter as they are made for speed and distance. Mountain bikes are made for strength and shock absorption but you'd be surprised how light some of the high-end mountain bikes are.

 

[Matt Stryker]

Roadies are great, but if you're just going to be tooling around the bike path for exercise and fun, i would second the mountain/hybrid recommendations. I owned a Trek hybrid for about 2 years before moving down here, and only buying it after sitting on tons of other bikes in every possible store. I liked their hybrids because you sat further back in a more relaxed position but still had the room to fully extend your legs (make sure you look at a larger frame size if you are a bigger guy, as most WalMart/Sports Authority bikes tend to have frame sizes that can be constricting...I'm only 5'10" too!). Get a decent ride, then you can fix it up with a computer, better pedals, lights, etc from sites like www.nashbar.com. I sold my trek for only 25% less than I bought it new for, not that resale value should be an issue for you guys.

I definitely recommend buying the bike itself from a local bike shop; they usually have a much more knowledgable staff, your dollars go right back into your community, and usually you don't end up paying that much more for the same quality stuff as with a a local big box retailer.

Oh, and of course BUY A HELMET AND WEAR IT! A gel seat pad is a good idea too, the first few weeks of riding may be a bit painful...the gel will help keep the tingling to a minimum. After a while you'll probably find you don't need it, but its a cheap upgrade($10 at Target).

 

[Jay H]

Ted, don't be so caught up on the weight issue. You probably weight 5 times as much as a "heavy" MTB, plus, unless you want to spend $2000, you're not going to have much a choice comparing weight. Go for an aluminum bike, which is generally a lighter weight frame but in any case, 85% of your entry level MTBs are aluminum these days. Fit is more important, you will be a faster rider on a properly fitted 30lb MTB than on a incorrectly fitted 21lb MTB.

As far as gears go, I could explain what gear ratios and all that stuff is but what I do is basically generalize. Put it in a gear that you are comfortable with and can remain aerobic in. It uses less energy to spin faster and spin a lower gear to go up hills than to mash a larger gear, what standing up do is utilizes different muscle groups than sitting but it does use more energy. Think Lance, he spins fast and climbs very good, obviously.

Another suggestion, doesn't matter what kind of bike you eventually buy, make sure it has eyelets for a rack/fenders on it. It's a lot easier to buy a bike with them on than to put them on later or use adapters. If you ever do decide to commute/shop on it, a rear rack at least is very useful. Ask your salesperson about it, not all mtbs have them though most entry level ones will. When you get into the pricey racing-type of MTBs, many of them wont come with eyelets and stuff.

Jay

 

[Andrew Chong]

Lots of valuable information posted so far. I'm a lot less experienced than some of the folks who've already posted, but I'll offer a few little points.

Definitely get your next bikes from a shop that specializes in selling bikes.

Until my last bike, I had always gotten bikes from department stores (including Sports Authority). It made a huge difference buying from a bike shop. I've only one experience so far, but it was far and away a better experience in comparison to department stores.

I told the chap who helped me what I'd use the bike for and my price range and also based on my size, he narrowed the vast choices down to two.

Price-wise, in my research, it has been said that bike stores usually don't give discounts below the price tag on the bikes themselves, however, they do on any accessories you buy. I found this to be true in my case.

Soon after purchasing and at least one reasonably long ride, I had returned to the shop for adjustments a couple times. Each adjustment served to improve the riding experience.

Finally, as already mentioned, definitely get good helmets. The staff at the bike shop should help fit them for you. And if you expect to leave the bikes unattended, get quality bike locks. You don't want to secure your ~$400 bikes with something that can be snapped apart with tools.

 

[Ted Lee]

welp, we finally ended up getting some bikes. i test rode about seven different bikes (hybrids, mtb's, road only) from companies like diamond back, trek, marin, bianchi and a couple others ... from three different places (two speciality shops and sports authority).

one speciality shop had good customer service, but i didn't like the bikes. the other specialty shop had okay customer service, but i liked the bikes (a trek mtb and a specialized road) but they were a little pricey.

as for feel, i really liked how smooth the road bikes were. i really felt like i was just gliding on the pavement. but i liked how "grippy" the mtb's were. i felt like i could turn into a sharp corner and the nubby tires would really stick. as for the hybrids, the one i originally tried didn't really float my boat, but when i tried a marin hybrid, i really dug it ... it just felt comfortable.

so, i ended up with a marin pioneer trail bike. at $320 bucks, the price was just right. i know a lot of you folks voted against a hybrid, but ... i dunno ... it just felt right. so hopefully i didn't make a huge mistake. i figure even if i did, it wasn't too expensive and i can figure out a way to recoup my costs. i got a couple accessories including some really cool fox bike shorts ... they're not the tighty style, but they still have some padding inside (which i admit feels kinda weird ... like i got a load in my shorts). i also got some gloves and a helmet.

so i'm totally excited to start hitting the pavement .... stay tuned for some very probably "i got questions about biking" threads from me.

and a big thanks to all for your help and advice ... it really allowed me to ask the right questions and get a grip on what i was shopping for.

oh yeah, on a side note, wifey ended up with a trek 7500. she totally shot her budget but oh well.

 

[Jay H]

No, I don't think you made a mistake. What feels comfortable to you is the most important thing and looking at the link you provided, it looks like it is certainly trailable. I think it is smart of you to get 26" wheels, now you do have a lot of options in getting different MTB tires for trails and/or slick tires for road riding.

My commuter bike I have is a '95 Marin team. Looking at Marin's website, it's not made anymore but at the time, it was the top-o-the-line steel rigid bike Marin made. It had no suspension and was $1100 new, but it had kick-ass components and was very light for the time. Served me well, I've replaced practically everything on it, except for the handlebar and seatpost. I've bent the rear derailler hanger a couple times, but one benefit for steel bikes is that you can fix it by bending it back. Your pioneer trail may be toast if you ever bend your der. hanger and it's not replaceable. (Many AL bikes have a replaceable der. hanger but since yours is low-end, not sure if it is. Not a big deal but be aware of this if you start really MTBing with it. It doesn't happen often if you simply go on rail trails, etc. But it can happen off-road... or when your rear derailleur explodes which happened to me once biking home from work one day )

Good that you saved money for a helmet, make sure you get one that fits. You probably want to get a small tool kit, a patch kit and a spare tube.

Your wifey got a really nice hybrid.

Jay

 

[Philip Hamm]

Congrats. Nice bikes. Yours reminds me a lot of my Giant Cypress. No spring under the seat on yours though. Ride safely and have fun!

 

[Michael Harris]

Enjoy your bikes!

My first adult bike was a hybrid and used it in three triathlons. Nothing funnier than a hybrid with Look clipless pedals (hand me downs) and an aerobar but the mountain bike type gearing came in handy on a rather hilly course. Once I realized what kind of riding I was into, I sold it for my first road bike. My current road bike, a Trek 5500, is almost 8 years old and it is in great shape. Before the season starts, I am going to give it a major upgrade by getting a triple chainring, which requires replacing a lot of parts. I hate hills!

BTW, I really enjoyed this thread.

 

[Ted Lee]

yeah, i really liked her bike. you ride in an almost upright stance, and it rolled/shifted very smooth. but, considering the cost, i knew we couldn't afford two of them. my excuse is gonna be that if i really start getting into this, then i can buy a dedicated road or mountain bike! but don't tell her ...

 

[Jay H]

OK... I wont.. Another reason why I think you did good not to buy a hybrid. If you REALLY got into road or mountain biking, you're stuck, you don't have a great bike for either.

...There are a bunch of people who ride centuries on mountain bikes, I've seen them, I've done it before. Don't be discouraged to go out on the road rides like the MS kinds and stuff like that just because you don't have a road bike. You wont be as fast on the straightaways but you'll have lower gears than almost all road bikers so you will enjoy the hills better.

Jay

 

[Ted Lee]

ha! btw jay, do you (or anyone else) have recommendations on some bicyling related websites. riding, maintenance, accessories (i liked the nashbar site), etc?

 

[NikkiJo]

Glad to hear you ended up with the Trek 750 for your wife... That makes me feel better about my purchase. I love mine as well but it's always reassuring to see that other people recommend the same thing...

 

[Philip Hamm]

www.sierratradingpost.com

 

[Henry Gale]

I've been following Ted's search and noticed that neither diamond back nor trek nor marin indicate how much the bikes weigh.
I know that it would depend on the frame size and how they were equipted but considering the importance of weight I thought it should be available.

 

[Jay H]

You can somewhat guage the weight by looking at the frame material, price, butting (however you spell that) and the main ingrediant....It doesn't matter! I've mentioned it above, but unless you're spending $1500+ for a hardtail, you can pretty much guesstimate that your $350 hardtail MTB is going to weight somewhere between 26 and 33lbs unless you're talking tensile steel like in the 70s/80s. A butted bike may weigh 1/2 lb less, but big deal. So, really, IMO, it is completely a non factor when you're looking for just an inexpensive ride. I would always buy a bike that is 1 lb heavier but fits well, rides well over another bike that is perhaps 1lb lighter, but perhaps is more harsh and doesn't feel right. Just think, steel bikes are generally heavier than aluminum bikes but there is a quality to steel, a longevity to steel and a good feel. You might have heard the phrase "Steel is real" if weight was such an issue, the non-rich cyclists would all be riding aluminum, and that is not the case. I prefer a good steel bike over aluminum. My FS XC MTB is aluminum because it has front and rear suspension. My Marin Team that I mentioned is tange double butted steel. Has a longer top tube than many Hardtails, which gives it a stable and a good cruiser ride. I compensate that with a short stem because I commute and tour and don't race on it.

I think a lot of mfgrs don't publish weights that much anymore because there is always a small variety between frames, even of the same size, such that they're probably concerned about lawsuits..you know how it is nowadays. But, don't concern yourself over the weight unless you have money to spend and or experienced with bikes, i.e. been riding for a while, know the size and kind of bike you want (racing, touring, commuting, brevets, etc. etc.).

My 2 cents!

jay

 

[Jay H]

Oh ted, as far as bike forums..

SierraTradingPost (STP) is good as mentioned by Philip above, it's also a pretty good place for hiking, kayaking, mountaineering gear too!

Bike specific stores though are:

www.supergo.com
www.performancebike.com
www.nashbar.com

BTW all the above are owned by Performance... The "trek" of the online bike store

www.pricepoint.com
www.speedgoat.com

There are many others for more specific, obscure parts like if you ever decide to wrench your own bike, there are certain tools that are handy. But the above are the major players and some minor ones too..


For road bikes:
Coloradocyclist.com
excelsports.com

A pretty GOOD websearch tool... kind of like the Froogle.com of bike stores:

www.qbike.com

It doesn't search all of them but many of them and also EBAY...


As far as bike forums,

www.bikeforums.net is a good one. Me, Mario B (another HTF'r) are on it though I'm not on it that much these days. My focus these days is mountaineering and climbing big mountains. I climbed Mt Rainier last year and this year I have Mt Hood, Shasta, Whitney, and Boundary on the table...

But I still bike, hike, and kayak... and now work on my house in my spare time... I think I'll put that as my hobby when people ask... What's your hobbie:

Oh working on my house, when I'm not out in the woods playing.

Jay


www.rei.com and the Outlet is a good place
Campmor.com is a good place and a local store to me

 

[gary*w*]

My wife and I bought Trek bikes last year. I'm on a 7100 and the wife has a 7200 we love em!

 

[Jay H]

Ted, you're in luck, check out these coupons for Performance and Nashbar:

http://www.supergo.com/

http://www.performancebike.com/sgo_now_perf.cfm


I just saw that Supergo is no more but there is a coupon for Nashbar posted on the main supergo site. As I mentioned before, Performance owned Supergo and owns Nashbar so really, it's the same parent company. However, Nashbar and Performance do seem to specialize in different areas, Clothing vrs gear but coupons are good!

Jay

 

[Ted Lee]

great links jay ... thanks so much for the info.

and for henry (to touch upon what jay said about weight) i would say i pretty much agree 100%. in my case, the road bikes were quite a bit lighter (just by picking them up i could instantly tell) ... but the feel wasn't quite right for me. i just didn't feel quite as securely "attached" to the road like i did with the other bikes. so even though the road bikes weighed less, i opted for a heavier bike since it felt more comfy.