Cycling

[KarmaPolice]

Well after taking a look at my dads bike I have decided to just buy a new one. I would like a decent bike...nothing too fancy but something that isnt going to fall apart after a weeks worth a use.

How much do you think I need to spend to up and going on cycling. I am trying to lose some weight and I think joining the local bike club would be a great way of doing it.

 

[Brutuskend]

When on a budget in my experience it's ALWAYS better to try and find a good used bike rather than spend a limited amount of cash on a new one.

Look at garage sales, check your local news paper classifieds and check bulletin boards at your local bike shop.

 

[oboeguy]

Bravo for joinging the rest of us on two wheels! You'll get a lot of advice here but your original post doesn't give that clear a picture of what you might have in mind, riding-wise. At issue is what the "local bike club" does. I know of clubs that do "fun" rides and "OMFG when are they gonna slow down?!?" rides.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
When on a budget in my experience it's ALWAYS better to try and find a good used bike rather than spend a limited amount of cash on a new one.

Look at garage sales, check your local news paper classifieds and check bulletin boards at your local bike shop.

Definitely, definitely agree. Look on ebay or something. I got my used road bike for $750 shipped when it and other cycles with comparable specs were selling everywhere else for $1000+. It was in perfect condition because the person selling it was the owner of a bike shop.

Contrary to what you may think, shipping a bike is actually not that expensive. Tell whoever's shipping it to ask a bike store to ship it for them for a small fee.

 

[JinLien]

Start out with a good used bike around $500 and see if you like biking. You can justify put money on a good bike if you spend a season or two riding the used bike.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
When on a budget in my experience it's ALWAYS better to try and find a good used bike rather than spend a limited amount of cash on a new one.

Look at garage sales, check your local news paper classifieds and check bulletin boards at your local bike shop.

Definitely, definitely agree. Look on ebay or something. I got my used road bike for $750 shipped when it and other cycles with comparable specs were selling everywhere else for $1000+. It was in perfect condition because the person selling it was the owner of a bike shop.

Contrary to what you may think, shipping a bike is actually not that expensive. Tell whoever's shipping it to ask a bike store to ship it for them for a small fee.

The only problem with buying one sight unseen is, if you are a novice, which by your post I would assume you are, you may not know what size of a bike you need. In that case I would go to a local bike shop, A GOOD ONE, and have yourself fitted to the type of bike you are looking to get. Keep in mind that most local bike clubs, at least the ones around here, are doing road rides so you will want to get a road bike. There ARE off road clubs as well, but you can usually TELL what kind of riding they are into by the name of the club. Around here it's "The Disciples of Dirt".

 

[montanafan]

I'd suggest you go to a bicycle shop that's been around for a while. They usually have some nice new bikes that aren't the newest model that they can give you a good price on. They can also point you in the right direction finding a good used bike.

I love my Trek. :heart:

 

[Brutuskend]

I love my Haro Werks my Fatty Schwinn and my hand made Bruce Gordon and then of course there's this thing.

You can tell a hard corps biker when their bikes are nicer than their cars.

If you haven't guessed, I run a bike shop.

 

[BatmanNate]

First off, decide what kind of biking most appeals to you. Road, mountain, cross, commute, etc. Next, go to your local bike shop, make friends, and get sized. Now that you have in mind the sort of cycling that most suits you and your size for that type of bicycle, check Craigslist and try a use bike in a decent state of repair. Buying new will probably cost you upwards of $400 for a mountain bike and $1000 for a road bike, entry level for something decent. Decide how much you like the hobby first. Remember that cheap, old bikes are likely to be heavier and by the time you're ready to buy a shiny new bike of your own, you'll be in shape and will be able to appreciate and take advantage of it, rather than pawning it off cheap after a decade in the garage of negligable use. Have fun!

 

[Zerhyn]

I don't know about those bike clubs. My dad rides in one. And the past two weekends a person has crashed. First one lost control and ran into a parked car and lost a few fingers. Second one crashed going about 30 mph. Some nice road burn there.

I have ridden with them once during a Mountain Bike outing. You meet a lot of different people. So it can be benificial.

 

[yobarman]

I just got a new Trek 1000 Discovery road bike a few weeks ago. I love it! Got it for <$700 with a bunch of addons for it. It's definately a great entry level road bike and is affordable for those just starting out

 

[KarmaPolice]

Yeah thanks for the suggestion guys.

I looked on craiglist and found a Trek 1000 for 350 bucks..two years old..great condition (he did the same thing I did..started low..likes it a lot and upgraded to a 1.5k bike)

I am gonna try and talk him down for 300...and thats pretty damn good for a starter bike.

Anyone have any qualms about this bke?

 

[notfred]

Make sure any bike you get actually fits you. The trek 1000 will be a perfectly fine entry level road bike as long as it's the right size.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
I love my Haro Werks my Fatty Schwinn and my hand made Bruce Gordon and then of course there's this thing.

You can tell a hard corps biker when their bikes are nicer than their cars.

If you haven't guessed, I run a bike shop.

Dang - talk about old school (the Schwinn and the high-wheeler)! Nice stuff.
So where's this bike shop? Coolest job I ever had, working in a bike shop. Pay wasn't great, but I got to work w/ bikes! And the employee discount was sweet!! :thumbsup:

 

[Marinski]

I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: Mursilis

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
I love my Haro Werks my Fatty Schwinn and my hand made Bruce Gordon and then of course there's this thing.

You can tell a hard corps biker when their bikes are nicer than their cars.

If you haven't guessed, I run a bike shop.

Dang - talk about old school (the Schwinn and the high-wheeler)! Nice stuff.
So where's this bike shop? Coolest job I ever had, working in a bike shop. Pay wasn't great, but I got to work w/ bikes! And the employee discount was sweet!! :thumbsup:

Eugene Oregon.

And you're right, the money sucks but it does help to feed my addiction.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Marinski
I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

Thank you, I'm sure the OP wanted the opinion of someone without the slightest fvcking clue what he was talking about.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: Marinski
I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

A bike is just like anything else, you get what you pay for, and the more you spend NOW the less you will have to spend down the road just to keep it working.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend

Originally posted by: Marinski
I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

A bike is just like anything else, you get what you pay for, and the more you spend NOW the less you will have to spend down the road just to keep it working.

Yeah It appears that mountain bikes are cheaper then road bikes..I am not gonna find one for 200 bucks that will be anything but a peice of crap.

so general idea is that the trek 1000 is a fine starter bike?

 

[Marinski]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: Marinski
I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

Thank you, I'm sure the OP wanted the opinion of someone without the slightest fvcking clue what he was talking about.

how many pairs of spandex do you own?

 

[KarmaPolice]

Originally posted by: Marinski

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: Marinski
I wouldnt spend 350 for a used bike. I just got a new mountain bike for 50 bucks. Its actually a promotional bike that was won in a contest. Its more of a trail riding bike not the lance armstrong type ones. I ride like 7-10 miles a day on it. Its not real fast on pavement, its decent on trails. The parts on it arent very good but they get the job done and can always be upgraded. I would think you could get a new bike for around 200. I bought a new gt mountain bike awile back for around 200. I guess the Lance armstrong bikes are more expensive. Oh and another thing about shipping bikes. I had a bike shipped to me once from the company and i had some broken parts when it arrived. Bikes seem to get roughed up during shipping

Thank you, I'm sure the OP wanted the opinion of someone without the slightest fvcking clue what he was talking about.

how many pairs of spandex do you own?

I think he is right..I am not going to find a starter road bike for 200....new