Bike question (the kind you peddle)

Hey all,

So I work about 3.5 miles from my house and I thought a great way to lose some weight and save some gas would be to buy a bike and ride to and from work. Problem is I don't know much about bikes and the last one I owned was a mountain bike bought from target. The ride to work only has one hill that fairly lengthy but not too steep.

Not really sure what direction t go with a bike. Single speed, multi-speed, mountain, cruiser, comfort, hybrid?

I'd like to buy used , might even check out goodwill to see if there's a easy fixer upper I can find.

Thoughts or advise? I'm all ears. Thanks Dan

A single speed will certainly make you work when you climb that hill. A mountain bike with a road type tire would be a good option.

Id say craigslist for an older 10 speed road bike. I got mine for $120 and needed nothing

Good point on the single speed. The thing I hate about a lot of the older 10 speeds is the seating position. I'd like to sit more up right.

For only 3.5 miles, I'd go with a used hybrid. You should be able to find one on Craigslist pretty easily. Put road tires on it to make your life easier.

Definitely a multispeed mountain bike with slick tires or a hybrid comfort bike, which is basically the same thing. You want to look for a bike with flat handlebars for a comfortable position and to keep your head up for visibility. If buying used, hold out for something with Shimano labeled drivetrain components. Anything labeled is likely higher quality and replaceable, where as unlabeled parts are probably nonreplaceable junk.

I have found that if you get a mountain bike.. you may want to get the "climbing bar" ends that clamp onto the ends of the handlebars. Not for the climbing, but as a different place to rest your hands so they do not get tired of holding onto the same place all the time.

BTW.. you are not going to lose weight riding a bike hard.. but you will lose the flab and inches off your middle. You will gain that in muscle mass on your legs

You may want to avoid a bike with suspension if you're going used and/or shopping at a lower price point. The less expensive suspension components are E36 M3.

Get a comfy seat and decent grips instead. A bike that fits you and has a comfy seat will keep you riding. I don't mean a barcalounger so much as one that's the right width for your sitting bones and doesn't cut off the circulation to your hootus and related accoutrements.

I've bought all of my bikes used. Craigslist is awesome for bikes. Garage sales too. Even a Play it Again Sports if your town has one.

A hybrid would be perfect for you. Great seating position and probably lighter in weight than a full on mountain bike. As someone mentioned above, you don't really need the front suspension that pretty much all mountain bikes have now.

Regardless, I applaud your decision. You can change your life by riding a bike to work, according to Mr. Money Mustache!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/

Good on you for biking to work! I have been doing so for 8 years and have commuted exclusively by bike for the last 5. The most important thing when choosing a bike is to get one that fits properly. If a bike is the right size, you will feel comfortable and ride faster.

Be aware that saddles are highly personal. A saddle that one person loves may be torture to someone else. If your rear starts hurting, try different saddles until you find one that is comfortable. Most good bike shops will have loaner saddles so that you can try before you buy. And, as akamcfly noted, you should find a saddle that supports your sit bones. Wider and softer does not always equate to more comfortable.

Also, do not worry about getting too many accessories or too much equipment to start off. You really don't need anything besides the bike to get yourself to work. Just get on and ride. You can worry about bike shorts, panniers, fenders, lights, jackets, etc. later. After you have been riding a while, you'll have a sense of what would improve your ride. In the meantime, don't waste your money.

Finally, have fun! Within weeks of riding, I found that I was in better cardiovascular shape. Not getting out of breath going up stairs is great.

Single speed will certainly increase your workouts. It will also guarantee you arrive to work dripping in sweat. I would find a geared bike that fits you well. Steel frames generally are more comfy than aluminum, and road bike wheels are generally smoother-rolling than the smaller diameter mountain bike wheels. Wider tires are usually more comfortable than skinny.

For a commuter, I like something durable, comfortable, and relatively quick, in that order. Heck, an old 3 speed Raleigh might be the ticket for your commute. Very reliable, very comfortable, simple to work on. Fenders are a huge plus.

I swung by a local trift store on my lunch break. For $70 they had a hybrid 6sp (shimano gears),aluminum frame adult bike. Looked to be in good condition. Tires were flat but that's no biggie. $70 sound fair?

In reply to dankspeed:

I doubt it is worth $70. Depends on brand and condition, of course. But, X-mart bikes have been sold with 18, 24, or even 30 gears for many years. A 6-speed is either really old, or the chainrings bit it. If the chainrings went, it begs the question how the bike was (or wasn't) taken care of.

Shimano makes an extremely wide range of components, from very cheap to jaw-droppingly expensive. If you note the model, a quick search of the interwebs should help you figure out where in the quality scale the components were. Usually that hints at the quality of the original bike. Of course, Shimano frequently changes their naming schemes, so a little detective work may be necessary.

I would guess that you can find something better for cheaper at a garage sale.

In any case, if you buy a well used bike, giving it a quick tune up will probably make it feel like new.

First, I would adjust the brakes. Make sure they work smoothly. That might mean replacing the cables, which is an easy job. Make sure they have good pads. When released, they shouldn't drag.

Second, I would make sure to give the chain a good lube. The bike should be very quiet when you are pedaling -- no squeaking, grinding, or rattling noises. If lube doesn't quiet the chain, replace it (or have a local bike shop replace it). Chains are a consumable (and, in most cases, pretty inexpensive) item. They can last some people 10K miles, I tend to get about 4K before I need to replace it.

I use Finish Line Red (http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/lubechoices.htm) when lubing the chain, but there are lots of good products out there.

Lastly, keep your tires properly inflated. Tires with low air pressure are prone to flats and require more pedaling effort.

if you buy a multi-speed bike, buy the newest one you can afford, because the component suppliers do not make backwards compatibility a priority, and it can be difficult to get shifters / cassettes / etc for a 10-year-old bike.

This thread is making me sad that I will not be able to ride my bike to work when I move. Well, I could, but I'd have to cross a seriously dangerous road that I work hard to not touch in a car.

dyintorace wrote: I've bought all of my bikes used. Craigslist is awesome for bikes. Garage sales too. Even a Play it Again Sports if your town has one. A hybrid would be perfect for you. Great seating position and probably lighter in weight than a full on mountain bike. As someone mentioned above, you don't really need the front suspension that pretty much all mountain bikes have now. Regardless, I applaud your decision. You can change your life by riding a bike to work, according to Mr. Money Mustache! http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/07/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-have-a-bike/

All of the above...except for the weight comment...a Hybrid bike will likely weigh more. Adjustable stems, suspension seatposts, tractor saddles, oversized frames (for the upright position), and relatively inexpensive drivetrains all equal additional mass

Regardless, What major city is closest to you Danspeed. Id be happy to hit up your local craigslist to turn up some good examples for ya.

In reply to 4cylndrfury: Thanks 4cylndr. I'm in Cincinnati.

Well, it really depends on what the roads are like in your area. The roads by my house aren't exactly great so I went with a road bike but with 28cm wide tires. I bought a GMC Denali (weird name for something that is supposed to be lightweight isn't it?) from Walmmart which was $150 at the time (now it is more). So far, I'm impressed. I have thousands of miles on that bike and other than the wheel bearings which are due to be replaced shortly and intertubes, nothing has needed to be replaced. There is also a nice Schwin road bike at Wally's World now for $200 if I rembmer correctly. A word of advice, the bike's are actually cheaper at Wally's World if you purchase them online and pick them up in the store. For what it costs, I would buy a cheap new bike.

Also, you may want to carry a few basic safety accessories for your bike: mirror, light (front and rear) and carry an intertube. It never fails to amaze me how many bikers right at dusk and even during the night without a light. You can pick 'em up on eBay for about $2 or so (each).

I agree on the lights. I actually have three on the front of my bike. A low powered led that I use so people can see me.. and two highpowered LED ones that I built that can make cars flash their lights at me for when I need to see what is ahead of me

The roads around here are pretty smooth. I will be adding lights to the bike I might also buy one of those vest that's reflective. I start work at 6:30 am so it'll still be dark while I'm riding in.

I was talking to a coworker about getting a bike and he mentioned he had a fairly new mongoose mountain bike he bought then decided he liked his old bike better. It might not be exactly what I'm looking for but it'll be close to free.

Dan K

dankspeed wrote: The roads around here are pretty smooth. I will be adding lights to the bike I might also buy one of those vest that's reflective. I start work at 6:30 am so it'll still be dark while I'm riding in. I was talking to a coworker about getting a bike and he mentioned he had a fairly new mongoose mountain bike he bought then decided he liked his old bike better. It might not be exactly what I'm looking for but it'll be close to free. Dan K

That might be a great place to start. Replace the knobby tires with some road tires and see what you think.

Please be sure to use lights. In fact, they're required around here when riding in the dark. Use several, front and rear. And the reflective vest would be a great addition. You want to be lit up like a Christmas tree.

I've been looking at different lighting for bikes. I had no idea there was so much available.

dankspeed wrote: In reply to 4cylndrfury: Thanks 4cylndr. I'm in Cincinnati.

missed this...sorry.

Here are some of my suggestions. Im not sure how tall you are, so sizing may be questionable...

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/3741769512.html - Raleigh 18 spd Hybrid. $80

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/3726603914.html - Spaulding 18 spd Hybrid - $100 (waaay overpriced, could probably be talked down)

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/3744302745.html - Raleigh 12 spd comfort road - $100 (again, could likely be talked down)

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/3741789054.html - Univega 21 spd mtb - easy convert to road commuter

mtn wrote: This thread is making me sad that I will not be able to ride my bike to work when I move. Well, I could, but I'd have to cross a seriously dangerous road that I work hard to not touch in a car.

If you can cross at a controlled intersection, this becomes less of a problem.

szeis4cookie wrote:

mtn wrote: This thread is making me sad that I will not be able to ride my bike to work when I move. Well, I could, but I'd have to cross a seriously dangerous road that I work hard to not touch in a car.

If you can cross at a controlled intersection, this becomes less of a problem.

My options would be

• Ride 3.5 miles and go through a controlled intersection that I see an accident at about once a month, and see a car run a red there about 3 times a year--which is probably about 3% of the time I'm there right now
• Ride 6 miles and go on a bike path with underpass, which would mean that I'll be getting to work sweaty and also have to wake up 30 minutes earlier
• Drive a Miata to work and have AC for the super hot days, not worry about sweating, etc. etc.