Bikes! (without motors!)

[McSpunckle]

K, so, I need a bike. I think that's the only way I'm going to get exercise at this point.

I need the kind you use when you go do basic things, instead of a car. I almost never have to go more than 3 miles away from my house for parties, errands, booty calls, etc. Sooo... yeah. That kind of bike. The normal transport kind.

Tell me what to look for. Keeping in mind I don't actually... know how to ride one. Because my dad thought the best way to teach me was to push me down a hill. Which resulted in me falling and generally not wanting to do it anymore.

I'd probably buy it used, and I don't have a fixed budget. If I need to save up for something decent I will, but I'd rather not have to.

Feel free to also discuss bikes, if you're into that sort of thing.

[Chankgeez]

Feel free to also discuss bikes, if you're into that sort of thing.

Damn, that's encouraging, McSpunckle.

So, your appeal leaves me unsure whether you intend to use said bicycle primarily for exercise or primarily for transportation.

Regardless, I'm gonna suggest you start off with a 3 speed. Solid, reliable, sturdy.

Hopefully you'll be able to score one for kinda cheap. (I just took a look at you local CL. PIckin's're kinda slim.)

If you need more bike than a 3 speed, you could always upgrade later. It's a good place to start though.

You should find a friend around there who knows about bikes and'll go with you to look at 'em.

Ride as many bikes as you can and see what you're comfortable with.

[Chankgeez]

I found a couple shops which may be of interest:

http://halcyonbike.com/

http://www.smoopysbicycles.com/

[McSpunckle]

So, your appeal leaves me unsure whether you intend to use said bicycle primarily for exercise or primarily for transportation.

Transportation, really! I have no intentions of riding it when I'm not going anywhere. But, the idea is that... I'll actually get exercise if I do that. So it's sorta both, but the main concern is that it's reliable and good for getting places.

I found a couple shops which may be of interest:

http://halcyonbike.com/

http://www.smoopysbicycles.com/

Cool! I'll drag a friend to those places and have a look. : D Thanks!

[Chankgeez]

You're welcome. Good luck.

Yeah, the good thing about bike shops is that you can ride a lotta bikes, one right after the other. It'll let you get a better sense of what you're looking for.

[CBA]

Hey Spunkshine,

I had a similar quest a few months back. Let's see if I can find the thread for ye!

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=25532


Here you go! Lots of good info in there...


Yer Pal C

[MEC]

Also, bike shop owners are more condescending than record store or instrument shop owners combined. Maybe they even rival comic book guys.

[greyscales]

Personally I'm a big fan of fixed gear bikes, but a road bike is also good. It kind of depends on the layout of your area. The main difference is that road bikes have gears, whereas a fixed gear has just one and you can't coast (unless you want a single speed).
You can get a lot of exercise out of a fixed gear because it forces you to pedal the entire time. However, if you are riding long distances you might want to look into a road bike so as not to wear yourself out. If you don't have too many hills, you could easily get away with a fixed gear though. Lexington is kind of built on a slope, but I've not had trouble with the hills at all.
I recommend checking this online dealer out: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/trackbikes.htm. They have a lot of decent bikes for a good price. I have the Mercier Kilo TT and it is great. They also have a lot of road bikes, if you couldn't find anything used locally.

+1 on snooty bike shops. They can be very condescending if you aren't of "their kind," a.k.a. full spandex outfit-wearing, $2,000+ bike. Can't stand it.

[Chankgeez]

I'm not a fan of fixed gear bikes, especially for novice cyclists and I'll tell you why. (I'm sure others'll disagree.)



Fixed gear bikes are good in controlled circumstances. In closed environments, like on a track; on training rides for road racers to improve their spin; stuff like that. Not really that practical for riding in traffic, where you're starting and stopping a lot. Bad for your knees. Definitely not good on hills.

Messengers, who cycle for a living, like fixed geared bikes because they don't have as many parts on 'em to break (or brake).

If somebody wants a fixed gear bike because they think it's cool, I'm not gonna stop 'em, but I think there're usually better choices to be had.

Recommending a fixed gear bike to someone who doesn't even know how to ride may be courting danger for everyone around.

[Haki]

Yeah, not a fan of fixed gears at all and I live in a country that's flatter than Sarah Michelle Gellar. You can definitely get by with the right 3 speed. Mostly you want a light speed that's light enough for starting up and slight hills, then a speed that's good for longer stretches. On a 3 speed, that's mostly just 1 and 3. If you need more variance go with a 7 or 9. Beyond that you get extra gears up front which are kinda useless.

Bike shop owners here are great to deal with. Probably because biking is way more common around these parts.

[greyscales]

Let me say I don't think fixed gears are great for everyone, especially if you haven't ridden much in a long time (or ever).
However, I disagree about the traffic issue. I start and stop all the time. Never a problem. It's the people on huge ass mountain bikes and beach cruisers that can't start and stop. And from personal experience, hills are not really a breaking point. By constantly pedaling, you don't lose momentum like someone who coasts. Fixed gears are very efficient and promote good technique. You don't really have a choice.

Chankgeez, I understand where you are coming from. Totally do. If you are new to riding again or don't have much experience at all, don't go for one. It isn't something to get just to look cool. It can be pretty terrifying at first.

But it is way more fun and fulfilling IMO. I'm never going back and would encourage people to try it if they can. And give it more than a day to grow on you.

[Chankgeez]

greyscales, I don't wanna turn this into a debate about fixed gear bicycles. They have their place.

You're right, they're efficient and promote good technique, but only for the right cyclist.

I just objected to you mentioning one (without more background) in a thread McSpunkle, who admits to not really knowing how to ride a bike, started asking for advice on bike selection. I know your post wasn't a direct recommendation and he said "feel free to discuss bikes", but I still felt the need for a little more clarification. Sorry.

[greyscales]

It's cool. I just wanted to clarify for anybody else who read it.

For McSpunkle, I'll echo that a 3 speed is probably a good starting point. You're better off just focusing on riding instead of worrying about changing gears.

[Psyre]

This fella always got me where I needed to be, in style

[Jwar]

I have a REALLY big truck and I'll run all of you bike riding hippies over. Just sayin.