Looking to start

[Kuba5]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure you get this same post everyday, but I'm interested in cycling as a way to get some exercise in without having to run for hours everyday. Through school and college I played sports and stayed in shape that way, but now that I'm older (only 26 though) I'm looking for something that I can do by myself/on my own time.

I played around on "toy" bikes all summer long when I was a young teenager, but haven't been on one in years outside of an occasional vacation/holiday ride down to the beach. Won't be commuting since work is kind of far and involves highways, but will likely ride around a hilly suburban area (all paved). I would imagine that I will be looking at a flat bar road bike or a hybrid since I'm not looking to race or ride a ton of miles in a stretch. There's also the possibility that my wife wants to join occasionally for a slower ride along our town's back roads. Again, I'm not looking at anything too expensive or professional, but have read enough to be wary of buying anything from a big box store like WalMart.

Any advice on getting started or directions to good places for advice would be appreciated--I'll be scoping out the rest of the beginner's forum as I have time.

Thanks

 

[biggs682]

@Kuba5 start with what you can afford and see how you get on first before splashing out big bucks and deciding you dont enjoy cycling .

might pay to look for a 2nd bike

 

[Markymark]

Don't buy too cheap though, it'll put you off. Borrow a friends bike if you can.

 

[Kuba5]

Thanks for the tips.

I went to one shop already, but they don't have any used bikes. Maybe because it's not as common out here (upstate NY) as it is in NYC or the UK. Should I definitely avoid Amazon or similar sites?

 

[MichaelW2]

Get the right size.
Buy enough quality to last a while.
Pick a style of bike versatile enough to do several things, eg road fitness loops, tracks and trails, shopping trips, touring holidays.
For UK use, winter lasts over 6 months and mudguards are essential, so pick a bike with bolt-on eyelets.
Suspension forks are rarely worth the bother outside of MTB sport bikes.

 

[vickster]

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/f...ful-advice-or-change-made.198444/post-4239479

 

[jefmcg]

"big box store", "Walmart" - @Kuba5 is in the states. So we can't give advice on stores or models nor make any assumptions about the weather.

Welcome. you might want to try a us forum as well for specific shopping advice, eg bikeforums.net

 

[User16625]

Avoid bikes from Halfords too.
Also try to get a bike that has screw holes in both the seat tube and the downtube. Traditionally these are used for mounting drinks bottles to, but its essential to have somewhere to attach a gun rack aswell (panniers wont allow quick access). As you will be mostly city riding, you also dont need massive tyres, 700*25-28 is considered normal for road only use as they offer lower rolling resistance generally.
Also test ride any bike you plan to buy, even if its just around the shop car park. On the cheaper bikes the brakes often suck ass. Go with disc brakes if you intend to do much riding in wet weather.

 

[sidevalve]

Avoid bikes from Halfords too.

Why - but not really applicable in the states anyhow.
Don't be afraid of 'dropped bars' They offer more positions for the hands and you don't have to ride around on the drops all the time like some sort of mad racer. If you have a few hills you be glad of that little bit of movement if you have give a hard 'push at the top [and getting up a hill can be very satisfying]. Most chain store bikes tend to be a little heavy and 'dead' to ride. I would find a local bike store and see if you can get a few 'test rides' they can be pretty good if they expect a sale.
Do not get carried away by the hype - eg 30 speed sounds good but it's the range of gears not really the number, steel [if it's good steel] is [sorry to all the newer is better types] still one of the best frame materials for everyday bicycles - look for labels saying 'double butted tube' and 531 [or it's equivalent over there] although alloy is probably the most common now. Also check the weight - many bikes keep this a secret untill you find you need a jack to lift them and begin to wonder where the engine is hiding - look for about 10kg or under. At the lower end of the price range discs are little better than modern rim brakes even in rain [the world has moved on from the old chrome rim jobs]
Anyhow have fun looking.

 

[Kuba5]

Thanks, everyone. I am from the states, yes. I tried to find a US specific forum, but didn't see many that seemed to have solid beginner's sections--you all seem much nicer.

All of the stores around me recommend a Fuji Absolute (2.1 or 2.3) as a good hybrid for a beginner. More expensive than a used one, but seems like it is one of the better prices for the low range. Anybody have experience? Apologies if that's only an American model.

 

[User16625]

Why - but not really applicable in the states anyhow.
Don't be afraid of 'dropped bars' They offer more positions for the hands and you don't have to ride around on the drops all the time like some sort of mad racer. If you have a few hills you be glad of that little bit of movement if you have give a hard 'push at the top [and getting up a hill can be very satisfying]. Most chain store bikes tend to be a little heavy and 'dead' to ride. I would find a local bike store and see if you can get a few 'test rides' they can be pretty good if they expect a sale.
Do not get carried away by the hype - eg 30 speed sounds good but it's the range of gears not really the number, steel [if it's good steel] is [sorry to all the newer is better types] still one of the best frame materials for everyday bicycles - look for labels saying 'double butted tube' and 531 [or it's equivalent over there] although alloy is probably the most common now. Also check the weight - many bikes keep this a secret untill you find you need a jack to lift them and begin to wonder where the engine is hiding - look for about 10kg or under. At the lower end of the price range discs are little better than modern rim brakes even in rain [the world has moved on from the old chrome rim jobs]
Anyhow have fun looking.

Because Halfords are rubbish. Absolutely EVERYTHING I have purchased from them has had issues of some sort. Such things include:

Bicycle wheel had persistent issues from new
Front light fell off and smashed when riding down a dark road
Footpump that couldnt pump properly
Shoddy locks
A friend recently purchased a new bike whose brakes are extremely spongy.

Lets just say other people have had better experience at Halfords, in general its far less likely to be a good experience at Halfords than at a reputable bike shop.

I also thought Halfords were an international company which operated in the states. I guess not then.

 

[jefmcg]

Thanks, everyone. I am from the states, yes. I tried to find a US specific forum, but didn't see many that seemed to have solid beginner's sections--you all seem much nicer.

All of the stores around me recommend a Fuji Absolute (2.1 or 2.3) as a good hybrid for a beginner. More expensive than a used one, but seems like it is one of the better prices for the low range. Anybody have experience? Apologies if that's only an American model.

Fuji are only (I think) sold by one chain in the UK, Evans. That said, they are a reliable budget brand and they look like decent bikes. Try to get a test ride and see how they feel.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Adding to @sidevalve 's comments about drop handlebars, if you live in a windy part of the states, drops come in useful for those leg sapping headwinds. You offer a smaller target for the wind when you're lower down. I almost never use the drops but do when there's a strongish wind. That said, drops don't suit a lot of cyclists.

One of the options that a few people use is to split driving with riding for the work commute. Find a safe place to park at whatever distance from work suits you and get the bike out of the back. If you work in a city, you may find that the bike gives you a smoother ride when the traffic starts backing up.

 

[Kuba5]

Thanks for the help and advice, everyone. Bought a Jamis Allegro today... everything I saw said it would be similar to the Fuji Absolute. I found a nice shop with helpful staff. They don't carry the Fuji line, but I felt comfortable buying from them so I went with the Jamis based on what I had already researched. Only got to put 3.5 miles on it this evening. Everything is good so far.

Thanks again.

 

[si_c]

Congrats on the new bike