Okay, bike (cycle) enthusiasts!!
I've decided I am going to start riding a bike to work once the weather gets a tad warmer. It's only 5.8 miles both ways.
Any recommendations or brands to target, or stay away from? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money -- and will probably wind up just buying something used. I'll dish out a couple of extra dollars if I can get sweet, red/blue KU streamers and a sweet horn too. So, that won't be an issue. Thanks! |
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I'd look for a cyclocross or performance hybrid bike. I wouldn't worry too much about brand name. Just ride them and buy the one that feels right.
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What's the route to work? On the road or on a bike trail?
Do you have any thoughts of riding recreationally in the future, or is this purely a commuter deal? |
Also, if you haven't already, go to a local bike shop and get fitted. That way, if you decide to buy used, you won't waste time looking at the wrong bikes. Make sure the bike you buy fits you well.
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Avoid the KU colors unless you desire to get "doored" by MU fans.
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Not too worried about that. |
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There's a place in Topeka called CAPPS I plan on checking out soon. |
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I'm doing this mostly to get exercise, save on gas money and wear/tear on my car. Just commuter, mostly. |
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I've got a Specialized. It's a Hard Rock that I bought new in 1991, but it's been awesome. It's a mountain bike but I have hybrid tires on it. Can't say anything bad about the brand.
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Figure out what size you need and what you like then watch the list of Craig. Lots of people get bored or buy something that doesn't fit and end up not being able to ride and dump them there. If the terrain is mild between you and work you could also think about a single speed and not have to worry as much about maintenance. |
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My girlfriend found some used bikes for $60. They looked in really good shape and it looks like they would do what I needed them to. |
See if you can ride them and if they'll let you adjust things for a decent fit.
And when I say ride them, I don't mean down the block and back, I mean something substantial in comparison to one-way of your commute. If you're planning on wearing a backpack or shoulder bag, load it up like you're going to work and ride with it. That stuff will make a difference. I'd really advise taking your time and riding several different brands if you can. If you want to use it every day you really need it to feel good. |
I know my sack will appreciate it in the long run.
I may visit Capps and see if I can get fitted there -- that way I know at least what I am looking for. |
If you go the used route, I'd spend a little extra to have it gone over at a bike shop. Brakes, lube, chain, gears, etc. You don't want to be flying downhill and have something fail on a bicycle.
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Hybrids usually start in the $250 - $300 range up to about $2K or more. If you want to save cash AND you're very comfortable with your size and the style of bike you want, you can save quite a bit buying online from bikesdirect.com. You can get a cylcocross bike for less than $400. The bikes come partially assembled so you'll have some work to do and you may want to have it checked out by your bike shop for a small fee. You are also buying a bike you've never ridden so you'll be rolling the dice that you'll like the feel of it. I know people who've gone this route and they've been happy. I prefer to test ride my bikes before I buy. Let us know what you decide. |
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I will be sure to do so.
I'm assuming those prices are brand new. Admittedly, a little out of my price range. So, it looks like going used - getting fitted, and doing excess repairs at a shop sounds like my best bet as of right now. |
Get fitted. I have a Trek hybrid...a great bike.
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Just throwing this out there, but typically a bike shop will throw in a fitting if you're buying a bike, but will charge otherwise. Of course every shop is different, but you probably don't want to spend as much on a fitting as you do on your bike.
I found this site to be decent in determining fit, at least as far as road bikes go. http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO It's not going to be as accurate as being professionally fitted, but the price is right. |
Hybrid is the way to go.
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Unless you're pretty mechanically inclined I wouldn't do too much wrenching of your own (partially assembled bikes). If you decide to go the bikes direct route and you're not mechanical just let a shop do the build depending on what, exactly needs to be done.
But definitely do learn some basic field adjustments. I've had to adjust the indexing on several times on rides to use all the gears. Especially when I fail to keep things shiny side up. That said, I had no idea there were so many cyclists on the board. We may need a "Pedro's Sweet Bike" thread to post your ride(s) in. And anybody be interested in a CP Strava group or something? Maybe competing with you mastidges is what I need to get my fat ass in the saddle more this winter. |
Feel free to use this thread as a CP bicyclist haven.
I am sure once my bike is purchased I will post here frequently. i just thought it would be great to ride to work to save some money on car maintenance and get fit. |
Just get a single speed commuter bike. Low maintence, comfortable, and TOUGH as nails. Trek makes a good one.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes..._utility/earl/ |
Yeahhhhhhh...
$400 is still out of my price range. |
Many bike stores will have used bikes at a good price.
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I've seen people but internet bikes as an xxx, Dura Ace (implying a full DA gruppo) for a great price, not reading the specs and getting a bike with a DA cassette and the rest go the gruppo is a mix of 105/Alivo. Shame on them for not reading, but still a shitty bait-and-switch type tactic. And thanks for offering this as a repository, didn't want to thread-jack you too hard. |
I just don't want to overspend on something which is basically a recreational, commuter bike.
And I work in the flooring business - trust me, I am aware of the "get what you pay for" motto. I think at maximum I would spend $200 on a bike. I think that's reasonable for a used bike. I guess I didn't know near enough about bikes than I had originally thought. I will swing by Capps on Friday to start actually looking. |
It's going to be tough to find something decent in that price range. If you get a crappy bike, you won't enjoy riding and it will end up collecting dust in your garage. I just dropped nearly $1000 on a new bike, and I had to settle for low-end components at that price. Plus I'll be in for another $300 in accessories by the time I'm done. It's not a cheap hobby but it can be a lot of fun. And in my case, it's stress relief. I love going out by myself on some of the rural trails and just getting away from it all for several hours. It's hard to put a price on that.
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There's just no way I can shell out much more than $200 for a commuter bike.
And I realize I am not going to get a great bike for $200 or less. I just want something I can ride to and from work comfortably. |
How far is your commute?
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It can be expensive, but don't let that discourage you.
For $200 you should be able to find something used to fit your needs, it may just take some patience and work. |
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All pavement/sidewalks. |
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I suppose you may be able to find an older, halfway decent road bike for that money as long as you're not that picky. Just don't buy a mountain bike, they tend to be heavier, they are geared lower, and the knobby tires create a lot of rolling resistance. |
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All I am looking for is something that actually rides and fits me and my junior well. |
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And don't hate on pink. There's a special standing for it in racing culture. I had a pink Crux frame I built up for cyclocross for a while. There's no shame in that game. |
http://cdn3.media.cyclingnews.future...wsport_600.jpg
Tell me that's not dead sexy. Edit, for preemptive clarification, not me. Just same frame I was talking about (minus the world champ badging, natch). |
Trust me. I like da' boobs.
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Pardon my ignorance -- but what's wrong with just a standard mountain bike?
Other than weight. Seems like they'd be more in my price range. |
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I just asked because when I did ride bikes that was really all I was accustomed to. |
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if youre serious about doing this from now on you need to plop down around $500-$600.. the money u save from gas will pay for that quickly. Or you could buy a cheap bike like i did for like $150 then a year later after you've gone to the bike repair shop 100 times you'll realize you should have spent some more money on it.
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I wouldn't mind going the the learner, cheaper bike route first. If it is something for me i could always buy a better bike down the line.
And keep in mind i live in Kansas - i probably won't be riding 4-6 months out of the year. At least to work anyway. |
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I had and absolutely loved both of those bikes in the past. Wish I hadn't sold them. Re: too high vs. low gearing that Bugeater mentioned, that makes sense with the hybrid. We're apples to oranges on that one. My race bike has more balls than I have brains, but then again, that's what makes it so much fun. I can't spin it out on a downhill at 75 kph (it's not even in top gear at that; hell the top pros can sprint that on a flat); I've had it around 100, but fear of death outweighed curiosity so I was feathering the brakes rather than spinning so I don't know if I can out spin it. Someday maybe my handling skills will approach it's performance, but it's more likely my confidence will just outrun my ability and things will end poorly. |
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No gawdammit I'm a real ****ing 'murican (queue the Hulk Hogan music). Ok, East Coaster, but don't hold that against me. I was born in Kansas and raised in Missouri. I do the metrics re: cycling because that's what I'm used to being accepted in the culture. I live in DC and my normal rides average about 17 mph over hilly terrain. I ride with a lot of bike messengers recreationally, which is when my ego overtakes my sense and things go to weaving in and out of traffic at 30-35 (that sounds pretty slow until you're on a bike in stop and go traffic with a bunch of east coast drivers) mph and going 60ish on long downhills. I'm getting a little smarter as I become an old ass man and cutting way back on those shenanigans. |
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A pink bike and the gay flag on his uniform. Yeah that's not sexy. Well unless you're a homo. |
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Btw chest Rockwell, I was j/k about the homo. NTTAWWT
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Also if nobody has told you yet, the Shunga/Landon trails are good concrete trails through town for recreational riding.
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http://bikeshops.mtbr.com/cat/united...5_6250crx.aspx
Take a look at this used-bike shop in Lawrence. I believe they will buy their bikes back if you decide you need something else. The other place I've seen some decent used bike buys - pawn shops. I've bought a few nice old bikes off Craigslist, too. Some stuff off my bike-links: http://www.bikecommuters.com/ http://www.commutebybike.com/ http://amsterdamize.com/ http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/search?q=bicycle http://bicycletutor.com/ http://www.howtofixbikes.ca/ |
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Besides, when you're a road biker you get used to being called a skinny, spandex-wearing, leg-shaving roadie f*ggot. And that's just by mountain bikers. Drivers aren't even THAT nice. :( |
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That said I stay off multi-use trails and sidewalks as much as I can. I've had more accidents on those because of people who don't pay attention to their dogs or kids or are on the phone/listening to music than I ever have on the road (when I wreck on the road it's usually because I did something stupid). I always call in those situations but people are just oblivious. |
Dude I work with needed to lose some pounds per the doctor, so he went out a got a sweet bike. He said he lives about 12 miles from work. He's now at the point where he rides in basically anytime it's not raining. Dude has dropped some serious poundage fairly quickly.
I'm taking CP advice and getting fitted if/when I get a ride. |
I used to ride a bike all the time then discovered jogging/running. Now it just collects dust unless the kids want to go for a ride.
Hell, at 5.8 miles you could build up the stamina to jog that in no time. :) |
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Mrs. Plow has always kind of laughed it off when I said I want to ride a bike to work during the summer. I've been really thinking about doing it this year. |
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Have you gotten the new bike out yet? |
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http://www.thisblogrules.com/wp-cont...ike-helmet.jpg |
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I may be looking at hybrids this summer. This is the one I think I want, but I certainly don't need it:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik.../sirruslimited |
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