So, i am looking to get into a basic bike. I know a lot of members on here are into biking and know a crap ton more than i do. I would mostly be riding on the roads by my house. I do have a smaller trail by my house i would likely use, but for the most part it would just be to get out of the house and get some exercise outside. I know its almost winter time, so hopefully its a good time to buy. Any suggestions are welcome, i dont know much about brands, types, sizes ect. I am 6'1 250lbs so i know i would need a larger size bike lol
Price range? Also going to a bike shop might not be a bad idea... They can tell you what size frame to look for. Height is a good indicator... But your midsize/waist line and leg length is the best thing to go by. Sitting on a bike is the best place to start.
stopped by Erics bike after work today, sat on a few and talked with a knowledgable sales rep. For my price range and what i will be using it for we kind of came to the conclusion that the Raleigh Miseco would be a good fit for me.
Also if you aren't concerned buying used, there are some goods deals out there if you know the frame size you want. I know some family and friends who were able to pick up bikes way out of their price range. Hardcore bike people are a lot like car people, so pick up someone's deal when they upgrade. Just a thought.
only advice I have is what my set up gives me. I have a Specialized Endura Sport mountan bike with a separate set of speed wheels rims (slicks) for the best of both worlds. It is a heavy duty bike for off road and a suspension built to be locked off or adjusted for pathed trails with the slicks on. It's Nice to have the meats on during ****y road condtions but put the summer slicks on under smooth trails! sounds like my car good luck**********D
I'm not a huge biker, but I do enjoy it often. Sometimes heading to trails, other times just going out for a ride/errands. Not knowing exactly where your budget was at, a couple years ago I did the same as you. Stopped in at Erik's, and had some good conversations, talked with friends, etc. and finally decided on the Specialized "entry" level bike, the Hard Rock (no disc brakes or anything, but upgraded the pedals and a few other little things). I also bought in the fall, and so the end of one season was upon us, and they were looking to start moving that model year out to get ready for the new so I got a pretty good deal. I also got the dual pedals, with clips on one side, and the standard flat on the other. It has been nice for the different occasions, and was not a huge $$ add on. +1 for what Derek said. If you are not in a rush, look around at used. After buying mine (which I have been very happy with), I had kind of wished I had gone to a smaller shop, just for the sake of supporting a smaller business, and/or that I had looked around at used bikes. For the same price, and maybe a year or two older of a model, I could have had a more upgraded bike. GL finding a good one! Post pics when you do!
I worked at a bike shop for 8 years, from builder to mechanic to sales and finally parts dept manager. The best advice I can give is to ride all brands and types of bikes. Most use their own geometry for the frames so some bikes will handle "better" than others. Personally for mountain i loved my Gary Fisher's. For road I really loved my Orbea and my Serotta. But for every day riding my Lemond and my old bianchi are my all time favorites. as far as Steel vs Aluminum vs Ti vs Carbon - Steel is real- best dampening of vibration and the Reynolds tubed frames are pretty damn light. Aluminum is great cause its super light and is fairly cheap but downfall is the stiff ride you get from it. Ti- well its the spendyer lighter stiffer steel, if you can afford the way to go. Carbon- well I'm not the biggest fan of full carbon frames. In my mind they tend to not give you a very good feel of the road or trail you are on. Now as far as shops to buy from. Eriks and Penn are the big boys in town, the service from these shops is usually on the lower side since they are all about the big profit ( I used to work for Penn so I'm not just being an ass to the big boys) Freewheel, Behind Bars, Grand Performance, and Gear West have way higher levels of service both on the bike end and the customer service end. These shops usually have employee's that race or ride a lot so they know how different bikes will handle and not just what the Reps tell them at the yearly product meetings, and will be a better help and finding a bike in your needs. Ride all different price levels of bikes. Yes the sales person will try and up sell you on the better parts because its his/her job. But you will find that the more you spend the more accurate the shifting will be, the bike will be lighter and easier to get moving and the parts will be stronger and take more of a beating. Find something you like and in the price range you feel comfortable spending. I hope this helps, kind of started rambling there for a bit. post up any questions and i'll do my best to answer for you.
singlespeed rigid 29'er.. if you NEED gears a 1x9 setup.. trust me.. the BEST all around bike for everything MN has to offer especially for a big dude
This means nothing to me...i am a complete novice; to put things into perspective, the last bike i bought new was a GT Vertigo back in 1993ish My price point would be sub $500 for something for me to get back into things. I wouldnt mind buying used, and saving some $.
29er is meaning it has 29in wheels, rigid would be hard tail rear frame and solid front fork ( no suspension ). It will have one gear on the front and 9 gears on back. Look on Craig's for a redline 29er. You can find them used fairly inexpensive.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/bik/3262596160.html Looks like a nice bike, Rocky Mountain is a great frame manufacture. Seems to be in your price range.
I don't think a single person besides Stanmo on here has really read your requirements correctly... Why would you want a 29'er SS if he's planning on riding roads? Ok, get over the mountain bike thing and here's my suggestion as someone who's just built up 2 bikes himself. Buy a cyclocross style bike. StanmoXT said it perfectly correct about the local bike shops. I personally don't care for Erik's as I feel they all think their **** doesn't stink and if you don't roll in with a $2k specialized you're just not good enough for them. A true cyclocross bike is serious coin, but you should be able to find one a little cheaper used. Otherwise look for a hybrid bike. If you're looking for road riding a mountain bike is going to suck. It's not geared correctly and those massive tires require a lot more energy to move. Get out and ride a lot of different bikes, and I'd highly recommend checking out some of the smaller shops. Behind Bars, Angry Catfish, Freewheel, County Cycles are all good options.
correct, i do not want a mountain bike. Thats why i was directed twords a Raleigh Misceo. Decent price point, skinnier tires and considered a hybrid correct? I dont want a bike with big beefy tires, 5% of my riding would be off road, and only on gravel or dirt, no rocky terrain. Any other bikes besides the Misceo fit the bill? I would like to buy used, the more and more i look, and having other options helps.
I recommend the Hard Rock also. I've had it for about 4 years now and it's still in great shape, I occasionally ride trails and I thought it was a good buy for an entry level bike.
Personally if I were to only own one bike, it'd be a hard tail mountain bike. As ryan stated the gear ratio is a little easier than a road ratio, but this is fine because you can get a better cardio work out spinning a higher cadence. You can also put a slick 1.3 tire on the same rim that you can run a 2.125 off road tire. For his price range I think this would be the best. Most road and cyclocross bikes start at around $750 which is out of his budget. Hybrid's are great for a cruiser bike, but if he's looking for something more fitness oriented a hybrid is not really it. Which level of the Misceo were you looking at? Have you looked at Trek's FX line? The reason I ask about the Trek is that they don't come with front suspension forks. With a low end suspension fork you get lots of bobbing going on, which makes you work harder climbing hills since every down pedal stroke makes the fork compress. You get this bobbing because they just use little rubber elastimers in stead of springs or air. I noticed that the Misceo 1.0 had a lock out for the front fork, but that makes me think its a $750+ bike.
Are you going to be riding in the winter? I got a really good bianchi road bike on craigslist f0r $150 and you can get many 70's and 80's 10 speed road bikes for that price. I would focus on 60's-early 80's road bikes. They are great starter bikes, solid built and cheap. If you are looking at older road bikes, be careful about some raleigh's and some schwinn's (any brand for that matter). They both made great bikes but they did make bad ones too. I would get fitted for a frame/crank and shop that frame size. Your first bike might not be the best fit but you will learn a lot about what fits you by getting on one any trying it. Dont forget to invest in a seat, lock, lights and a helmet.
The misceo i was looking at was a rigid front. I did not like the suspension type front ends unless they have the lock out. I have not looked into that line of treks yet, but i will tonight. I would defenitly be interested in riding in the winter. Like i said i have some decent paved trails by my house. Can you post a link to the bike you have for sale? Again thank you to everyone for all the suggestions and help, i am staying open minded on this purchase so i appreciate the input thus far.
I'm ~6'4"/260# and, yes, an avid cyclist. The Misceo seems to fit the billing well for your intended purposes. If you'd be willing to consider some drop bars (road bike style handlebars), it would open some additional options for you. At your weight the first thing to perish will most likely be your OE wheelset. Some of my cycling devices (yes, I'm a certifiable bike wh0re).
No one reads anymore, do they? Don't bother with front suspension. It's not needed for what you're looking to do and at your price range it's going to be heavy and clunky. Yes, you can take a mountain bike and throw 1.25" slicks on it. That's what I did with my mid-90's Rock Hopper which is fully ridged. I quickly realized that even as a beater commuter bike it's stupid slow compared to anything remotely made to ride on the road. I'd sell it but with the bike thefts as high as they are I get a bit tweaked out leaving my cyclocross parked somewhere for too long. Start with something road-based. If you think you're going to start riding on the trails more, buy something built for it. Most of the trails around here you can ride on a cyclocross or even a road bike with slightly nobby tires. I know, I followed someone on a road bike through theo wirth. She (Yes.. SHE) just lifted her bike over obstacles.
Starkall cleared it up perfectly This bike ride easy around town.. I do this on mine for 30+mile rides and issue free. Not as fast as a roadbike but its plenty fast depending how you build it. It will also ride excellent on snow/dirt/anything you throw at it all while being a comfortable riding position especially for being a taller guy.. Build all the bikes in the world, be a bike whore etc.. but if youre over 6 ft tall and live in MN, you probably own a rigid 29'er
