What brand of bikes?

[dds14u]

Anyone from Southern California can tell you that the traffic down here is pretty bad. My coworkers have started biking and I'm thinking that it's a good alternative.

I live a little more than 5 miles away from work and I know the amount of time it takes to drive will be more than the amount of time it takes to bike to/from work!

Anyone know good brands? where to buy? Sportsmart, Walmart??, Local store, used on craiglist?

 

[RallyMaster]

How far are you from work? How rough is the way to work?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I got my bike at a local bike shop.. it was a Trek. High 300s or low 400s, I forgot. In any case, it got stolen the second week I brought it to college. Oh wells, it served me well for 4 years in high school. Considering biking in college ispretty hard due to hills, I don't care that I don't have a bike anymore

 

[stirfryguy]

go to a bike store and ask them to fit a bike for you..once you try the ones you like go hunt them down, or buy from them. buying from a walmart or local everything store has cheap bikes but you will lack the comfort you need for a 5 mile ride.

trek, schwinn are some brands to stick with...i love my trek and i bike everywhere

 

[Homerboy]

any bike store brand will be 5000% better than any box-store brand/model
just go to a bike store, get everything properly adjusted and get a bike thats comfortable
You DONT want a mountain bike or a road bike for 5 miles, you will want a hybrid or a comfort bike at the very least.

trek, schwinn are some brands to stick with...i love my trek and i bike everywhere

sadly Schwinns can now be had at Walmart and the like... however they are NOT the same quality that you would get at a bike store.

Moral of the story... go to a bike store.

 

[everman]

I'd look for a good used road bike. Make sure it fits too.

 

[stirfryguy]

Originally posted by: Homerboy

trek, schwinn are some brands to stick with...i love my trek and i bike everywhere

sadly Schwinns can now be had at Walmart and the like... however they are NOT the same quality that you would get at a bike store.

Moral of the story... go to a bike store.

shows how much i go into a store nowadays

OP: how much are you willing to spend?

 

[Smartazz]

Personally, I think Schwinn makes some great bikes, very comfortable and pretty light, I think you could pick one up at Sports Authority if they have that down by you, if not check out Kmart.

 

[dustmann]

Originally posted by: stirfryguy
go to a bike store and ask them to fit a bike for you..once you try the ones you like go hunt them down, or buy from them. buying from a walmart or local everything store has cheap bikes but you will lack the comfort you need for a 5 mile ride.

trek, schwinn are some brands to stick with...i love my trek and i bike everywhere

+1. Don't buy any bike from anywhere but a bike store. The local guys will hook you up with a nice bike in your price range, fit it for you, make sure it's put together right, and might even cut you a deal on helmets etc.

I have a fuji roubaix road bike, and I use it around town, but I would highly recommend a hybrid. The roubaix is nice for 30 mile rides, but around town it's pretty rough even with carbon fibre forks/seat stays.

Edit - Also, be SURE to get a good bike lock. I have a kryptonite 5/8" cable that mounts on my seat post, and hangs out of the way where my back reflector would be. If you're gonna drop 300+ bucks on a nice bike, it's gonna catch (possibly unwanted) attention.

 

[dds14u]

Originally posted by: stirfryguy

shows how much i go into a store nowadays

OP: how much are you willing to spend?

I was originally planning on about $200 for the bike...I hope that's enough to get a quality one.

Also to answer RallyMaster, it's about 5 miles, mostly all pavement, mostly even surfaces (or at least it seems that way in a car). I say that because I've jogged through areas I thought were even surfaces in a car, but on foot they didn't seem that way...

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: stirfryguy

shows how much i go into a store nowadays

OP: how much are you willing to spend?

I was originally planning on about $200 for the bike...I hope that's enough to get a quality one.

Also to answer RallyMaster, it's about 5 miles, mostly all pavement, mostly even surfaces (or at least it seems that way in a car). I say that because I've jogged through areas I thought were even surfaces in a car, but on foot they didn't seem that way...

Yea you can get something decent, bump it to $250 and you can get pretty damn good bikes. I mean nothing super professional, but to ride to and from work? No problem.

 

[dds14u]

Originally posted by: everman
I'd look for a good used road bike. Make sure it fits too.

How can I tell if it fits or not?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: everman
I'd look for a good used road bike. Make sure it fits too.

How can I tell if it fits or not?

I believe the tires would be full size, 26", but then the frame is up to you. You stand in front of the seat, so the frame is underneath your crotch. I believe you leave 1 - 2 inches?

I believe my bike is a 17.5"

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: everman
I'd look for a good used road bike. Make sure it fits too.

How can I tell if it fits or not?

You can go about this a couple ways, the cheapest being just go for a test ride. If you go to a good bike shop they should at least help set it up to fit you properly. This means a proper size frame, seat height, handlebar spacing.

The more expensive way is to pay for a fitting, this is if you wanted to seriously get into cycling. They'll spend a couple hours with you taking various measurements. This is not for you,...yet

If you buy used, try to get the same frame size the bike shop reccomends you to use, this is usually in centimeters.

 

[KrillBee]

For bike purchases,
my advice: whatever u get, dont buy a brand new one. waste of money. my bike shop hardly sells any bikes for less than $500. You can get used bikes for under $100, in good shape, from your local classified ads.

also dont get a walmart bike either (even if its cheap) thatd be dumb. i had a toys are us bike back when i was a youngin, and the thing wasnt very stable. I would get a Schwinn if I were you (like what someone else just recommended)

Originally posted by: DLeRium
I got my bike at a local bike shop.. it was a Trek. High 300s or low 400s, I forgot. In any case, it got stolen the second week I brought it to college. Oh wells, it served me well for 4 years in high school. Considering biking in college ispretty hard due to hills, I don't care that I don't have a bike anymore

colleges are notorious for bike thefts. after seeing many locks attached to wheels that were dangling from the rack, i started getting paranoid.

someone definately attempted to hack my lock while i was there, but thankfully they didnt succeed.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: everman
I'd look for a good used road bike. Make sure it fits too.

How can I tell if it fits or not?

I believe the tires would be full size, 26", but then the frame is up to you. You stand in front of the seat, so the frame is underneath your crotch. I believe you leave 1 - 2 inches?

I believe my bike is a 17.5"

again... DONT get a road bike for a 5 mile trip. Its pointless. Not to mention you wont find an even remotely decent road bike for $200 anywhere except a rummage sale.

For $200-$250 on a 5 mile trip, get a decent, comfortable hybrid bike or a comfort bike. That's all you need and will be comfortable and happy during your ride.

FYI: road bikes have 700cc wheels (roughly 27"). Bike frames are measured from the middle of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube (usually). MOre and more bikes are just coming in , S, M, L, XL etc. rather than inches/cm nowadays.

Moral of the story: Goto a bike store and talk to the pros! WHile Schwinns are great I sold them for 10yrs and I see many peopel nare recommending them here...) there are many other nearly identical brandnames out there. Trek, Diamondback, etc etc.

 

[Stuxnet]

Man I would LOOOOOOOOOVE to live 5 miles from work so I could bike!!!

Get a hybrid bike. Road bikes aren't very comfortable or practical unless you're using them strictly for fitness and/or racing. Mountain bikes are even less practical unless you're actually going to be MOUNTAIN BIKING. I worked at a bike shop in high school, and everyone wanted a mountain bike for every reason other than mountain biking. Of course, within a week they want to return them because riding a mountain bike in the streets SUCKS.

Anyway, get a Specialized or a Trek. I just bought a Specialized Crossroads XC Expert, and I love it. It's a VERY comfortable bike and it looks pretty kickass. It's great for street riding, trail riding, and smooth dirt riding.

You are so lucky you get to ride to work .

 

[Stuxnet]

There's also this if you're on a bit of a budget. I haven't been on one myself, but I hear they kick ass.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Road Bike or Mtn Bike?

You can get a competitive Mtn Bike for $400-500. Shoot for Shimano LX components and you'll be good.

If you are going for a Road Bike, it'd be more in the $700-1000 range for a decent one.

I recommend looking at Trek, Giant, Specialized, and Raleigh. They all have solid frames. The last three will be your best value.

Mountain bike should be able to handle a 5 mile ride with no problems. Most Mtn Bikes have 2" off road tires on them. (meaning they're 2" thick) I recommend getting some 1.5" Road Slicks and swapping your off roads for these. They will lessen the resistance, give you more top speed, and a smoother ride. You can get some good cheap tires from Performance Bikes....they have some decent ones for around $10 per tire.

 

[DaShen]

Depends on how much you are willing to spend and also what kind of road conditions you have in your neiborhood. For comfort, I would go with a Hybrid (Comfort) Bike like the Specialized CrossRoads Elite (MSRP $500). If that is too expensive, you can always buy a cheap Mountain bike with only a front suspension for about $300.

If you are serious about riding on the road for sport and fun, get a road bike ($600+)

 

[Homerboy]

why why why would anyone recommend getting a Mt. Bike then swapping out the tires to slicks. Especially on a $250 bike? It's senseless. You're basically saying buy a Mt. Bike then [attempt] to convert it to a hybrid bike for commuting purposes. If he bought a $1000 Mt. Bike to go trail riding, and also wanted it to double as his ride-to-work bike, then it makes sense.
But hes looking for a CHEAP, comfortable bike to ride a total of 10miles a day. Thats all. Nothing more.

Road bike makes no sense also. Lets see.... 100psi tires at 20cc width, long top-tube, drop handle bars, higher gear ratios (if you're talking road bike and not a touring bike), agressive geometry all around and a rail for a saddle. Not to mention for $250 he could get prety much...ohh... next to NOTHING.

I'll hope this is my last post here... For $250, and a bike to ride 10 miles up and back between work, 5 days a week, go to a reputable bike store in your area, tell them what you want and what you need it for. They will recommend 2 things: Hybrid or comfort. Ideally, if its all asphalt, get the the hybrid. Slick(er), higher pressure tires, upright geometry and 700c wheels. It is SPECIFICALLY what those bikes are made for. If you planned on OCCASSIONALLY slipping into a gravel shoulder or doing some wide-trail riding around the park with the kids and yoru grandman, then a comfort-bike (an upright version of a Mt. Bike with 26" wheels and normally a "center slick" tire) would work fine for you.

HYBRID
BIKE STORE
/thread

 

[Stuxnet]

I want to stress again that I really don't think a Mountain Bike is a wise decision for the OP. Mountain Bikes were designed for off-road use. The various suspension components do not make for a good ride on the streets. They sap too much of your efforts. There's a reason road bikes don't have shocks .

I lock out the front fork on my bike unless I'm going on a dirt trail. I also bike with someone on paved trails, and she has a mountain bike. It's all she can do to keep pace with me. It's just too much effort.

Unless you want to compete on-road, I strongly recommend a hybrid. They're comfortable, stylish, and adaptable.

 

[Homerboy]

jbourne77: I said /thread!

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
jbourne77: I said /thread!

Sorry - we both posted at 10:02 .

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Homerboy
jbourne77: I said /thread!

Sorry - we both posted at 10:02 .

least you had my back!