Need some bicycle purchasing advice

[Sonny]

After having my gallbladder ripped out month, I need to lose some weight and improve my diet. I HATE running and figured that would discourage me from wanting to exercise. The next best thing for me is riding bikes.

My budget is $300. For the most part I'll be riding bikes with my family (wife and 4 year old twins) in our neighborhood, but I'll also take time on my own. Bike must have an optional seat attachment for my two year daughter that can be taken off and on when need be. Off road is a strong possibility.

I'm a big boy at 5'11" and 265lbs . I don't know what to look for in a bike. What kind of options? Just looking around I've seen some Walmart & Academy specials like the Mongoose for $250.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks,
-Sonny

[bayoubooger]

take a look at this, if it looks like what you want...buy it and have it tuned up at a reputable bike shop in your area...enjoy!

http://houston.craigslist.org/bik/1117776199.html

[studiocygnet]

First off, the bikes at Academy and Walmart are generally assembled poorly, and don't have any qualified person checking on bearing adjustments and bolt tightness. I worked at bike shops here in Austin for a long time, and I can't tell you how many times we had people bring in new bikes they had recently bought from Walmart that the cranks, or brake levers, or some other such thing had just fallen off. Generally a real bike shop will go over all the stuff on the bikes they assemble, even the inexpensive ones.
Second, a company named Pacific owns the names Mongoose, Schwinn, and GT. They are no longer the companies that originally built those names. They are kinda like glorified Huffy or Murray bikes now.
There are mainly 4 types of bikes, with narrower subcategories in each:
Mountain Bikes are the most heavy duty, but are also the heaviest, with the widest tires generally in 26".
Comfort bikes will also have 26" tires, sometimes with heavy duty tread, and sometimes with more street tread, but you can change if needed. They are not as heavy duty as mountain bikes, but could be ridden off road without jumping and smacking stuff.
Hybrid bikes have 700c road size tires, but are generally wider than the real road tire, and they have flat bars instead of the drop bars. Usually lighter weight than comfort bikes, and are good for urban riding. You could ride a hybrid on dirt roads and trails, but not real ruff stuff.
Road bikes are all performance over comfort and sturdiness. Drop bars, skinny tires, and extremely light weight components.
On the type of bike, at your budget, do NOT get a full suspension mountain bike. The suspension components on $300 bikes don't work for very long, and they are extremely heavy.
Really evaluate whether you will do rough off road or not, as that will decide how heavy a bike you need to get.
And finally, a friend of mine, Matt, owns a shop on 18th St. just east of the intersection of TC Jester and Ella. It's called I Cycle, and he has lots of regular bikes in your price range for the neighborhood people. Tell him Tom sent you.

[Sonny]

ack! Just got back from Sun & Ski. In a very nice way, because of my weight, the sales person told me I'd have to get a more durable bike. Something about the cheaper bikes use single wall wheels. On the street that would fine, but off road I'd be in the shop replacing the wheels and tires often. He recommend upgrading to a bike with double wall wheels which was a $100 difference.

I started out looking at some Haros for $379, then he suggested a Marin for $479.


Does this sound reasonable?

[dtscds]

There are TONS of bikes that will handle your weight. For your budget I would suggest a good condition used bike. ESPECIALLY OVER ANYTHING FROM WALMART! Imagine someone coming to you and saying they want to take up wedding photography and found an off brand 70-200 2.8 lens at WalMart for $199 and asked if you thought they should get that.

You are what is affectionately known as a "Clydesdale"--a male athlete, (specifically a runner or bike rider) that is over 6 foot tall and/or weighs over 200 pounds. Here is a link to a forum that caters to clydes. Lots of great information and friendly, supportive folks. Some awe inspiring stories of personal transformation included at no additional cost.

Specific things to look for are 1) sturdy wheels. That means lots of spokes. Double walled wheels will be more sturdy but if you aren't going off-road on it you could probably get by without the added expense. 2) Forget any suspension. For your budget you aren't going to find anything decent. Plus, unless you are going off-road the added weight and the energy draining up/down of the suspension are going to be working against you.

On the bike forum I mentioned a common suggestion is the "Specialized Hardrock". I think Craigslist is going to be your friend here. There are lots of options out there and you need some basic knowledge to avoid buying the wrong thing and finding yourself discouraged because of improper equipment. Find someone near you that has some knowledge and can hold your hand on this first purchase. Pretty much like it is here in the photo world...

[Cajungaltx]

I picked up a steel framed Bianchi for $400 on Craigslist a couple years ago....... the sucker was heavy... with not a single bit of carbon anywhere on it... but I"m 5'7", and I weighed 262lbs... After I had lost about 40lbs...I found a sweet deal on a 2006 Team Fuji bike... *slobber*... $750... it was over 1400 brand new... but a guy bought it, and didn't like it.. and just wanted to off load it...

I sold them both last year though - with a baby... I couldn't ride with her in a trailer for a couple years, and I hated them not being ridden..

You need to make sure the FIT of the bike is the most important...and you need to know an 'idea' range for your height. If you get a bike that is too small or too large - it's going to make you a miserable SOB in regards to riding it.

If you get the right fit - then you'll enjoy it.

FIT is VERY- VERY important.

You can buy a 2000$+ bike, and if it doesn't fit you, you'll hate it...

You can make 'some adjustments' with the seat height/position of the handle bars - but if it's too big, and you have to get into a really aggressive riding position, it gets uncomfortable after a while.

I'd suggest hitting your local bike store, and trying a few bikes on for size... you'll figure out pretty quickly where you need to be looking.

And then I"d look on Craiglist... lots of deals there.. and Bikes Direct dot com... they usually have some pretty good deals there as well.

The pieces that make up the bike are pretty important too... the 'ranking' system for components on bikes is 'usually' Shimano...

105/Tiagra (same thing pretty much - entry level)
Ultegra (higher end)
Dura Ace (much higher end)

You might find some older ones with Campy (Campologno) components... but most newer bikes have Shimano Components..

Buy yourself a good pair of bike shorts... padding is important... *grin*

I'll think about it -and if I can come up with anything else that I think is worth sharing... I'll post again... ;-)

[venchka]

What Tom said. Go see his friend. A bike that fits YOU is more important then anything else in a first bike.

You won't be going off road anytime soon. When you're ready for some real dirt riding you'll be ready to buy a new bike. If you find hardpack bike trails around Houston they aren't any more difficult for you or the bike than asphalt.

Northwest Cycles at Jones Road & 290 is another good source.

Good luck and get riding!

[Cope]

Originally Posted by Sonny

ack! Just got back from Sun & Ski. In a very nice way, because of my weight, the sales person told me I'd have to get a more durable bike. Something about the cheaper bikes use single wall wheels. On the street that would fine, but off road I'd be in the shop replacing the wheels and tires often. He recommend upgrading to a bike with double wall wheels which was a $100 difference.

I started out looking at some Haros for $379, then he suggested a Marin for $479.


Does this sound reasonable?

Go to Northwest Schwinn at 290 & Jones Road.

[venchka]

Alan was reading my mind.

[KenJulio]

I dont have much to add for what has already been said. A lot of good advice, especially from Donna. Fit is key, Walmart, Academy, Sports Authority will not give you that attention. Sun and ski along with your local bike shops. Make sure to test ride the bike and that you are comfortable on it. As Donna said, if you're not, you're not going to want to ride it.

Something else to consider are older model year bikes or demo bikes from bike shops. They would come with the normal warranty, usually lifetime on the frame.

If you're not looking to do any racing and want to keep a good pace, you could go with a single speed bike, which means, one gear, no worries about shifting through gears.

Performance has a GT Peace 29'er at 399 - http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=3050

Cyclone cycles and another shop in Houston sells Redline bikes, you can usually negotiate on the price, cash goes a long ways!
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adult...ocog-29er.html

With the 2 bikes above, these have larger wheels and tires than the 'normal' mountain bikes, as they are 26" vs 29". The wheel size is the same you would see on a road bike, but the width of the rim would be slightly wider to support the larger tires. Also, these bikes have NO suspension, but the fatter tires would give your a bit more cushion with a slightly lower pressure.

EDIT: I agree with Alan and Wayne about Northwest Cyclery. John and Dave are good guys over there.

[Flea77]

Allow me to relate a couple of mistakes I made many years ago when I first started....

1) Do not cheap out on the helmet! Some idiot sales people will tell you there is no difference, they all are certified to the same crash worthiness. Well, maybe, but I opted for a el-cheapo and thought I was having a heat stoke every time I slowed down or stopped. Turned out, I WAS! Switched to a midrange Giro and no more problems!

2) Do not cheap out on the shorts. If you do, you will only do it once before your private parts let you know exactly how stupid you are.

I would rather ride a $99 walmart bike with a $100 Giro helmet and some nice $70 Pearl shorts than a $5000 Pinnarello bike with a $30 helmet and $30 shorts!

A nice bike around your price range is the Diamondback Topanga, I used to ride one and my wife still does. They are hardtails (suspension up front, none in the back) which means they are slightly more comfy to ride without the loss in pedaling power someone mentioned earlier.

Oh yeah, and I will second or third everything else that has been said.

Allan

[venchka]

You're in Houston. Houston is paved. Houston is flat. You do NOT need a cheap bike with cheap suspension. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[toverman]

Starting out my advice is to get a hybrid, something with a mountain bike-like frame with slicker tires for the road (riding a mountain bike on the road for a beginner can be frustrating). Go to a bike shop and tell them how you plan to start riding, and as mentioned above they'll help find what you need in a bike that fits you. If you get hooked and want to try off-road, that's the time to look at bikes suited for that. Lots of pretty good stuff to get you rolling in the $300-$400 range, but expect to pay at least $50 for a helmet and consider whether you'll need a rack to transport bikes on your car (decent trunk racks can be had for $50 or less). Then there are maybe gloves ($20 or so) and bike-specific shorts with glorious padding (up to $100). If you buy from a reputable shop, most will give you a free tuneup after a few months to readjust shifting/brake cables that have stretched and lube it up.

I ride a 1995-model GT mountain bike with road tires for exercise, running errands, longer rides and all-around fun. It has an aluminum frame, no suspension, 21 speeds and fits me perfectly. I rode it 100 miles in the Hotter N'Hell 100 two years ago and plan to return on it this year. You don't need anything fancy to get started, and as I've swapped out components to dial this bike in for my riding style the past 14 years, you may not need to end up with anything fancy, either. I bought a cheapie bike trailer from Target a few years ago and have towed my boys around in it (less than $100).

[venchka]

Something else: I think a trailer would be safer for the kids than one of those behind the driver seats. Think about how far it is between the child's head and the ground. Just a thought.

[L Stegall]

Having gotten a road bike several years ago, I was in sticker shock at what they cost, but I did learn that you get EXACTLY what you pay for...........and it is worth spending more than you planned and buying it from someone who knows how to fit it to you! And, I cannot agree more with the advice about getting a good helmet!