Anybody into Cycling?

[Variable]

So here's my issue: I want to keep exercising regularly now that I'm out of the corps, but I frikkin hate running, so I thought I'd start riding a bike into work. It's an easy run at 7 miles on the dot, and biking would be easier still, but a total of 14 miles daily would be enough to keep me on par with my preferred general physical shape.

There is a fly in this ointment however.

I know nothing about actual cycling. The last time I rode a bike that wasn't digital and slightly recling which was also conveniently located in an air conditioned building was, oh, a decade or so ago. If not longer. So I don't know what kind of bike I'll need. I go to biking sites and they have bike models I've never even heard about. Hybrid bikes? Touring bikes? Cruising bikes? I look at them and can't discern what the possible intent of riding such contraptions are. All I can tell is that they cost more than the motion-picture boxes I'd rather be sitting in front of, perhaps with a cold drink, and a scantily clothed woman undulating within the plasma.

So my question to you all is two fold: Who here is actually into cycling, and who can give me good advice on what type of bike I'll need. I live in a suburban area, but I'll have to be riding on the highway a short bit before I get to the gate. It'll mostly be a road bike, but I also want to be able to take it into the grass should John Q. I'mdrunkatthewheel choose to veer sharply in my general direction.

Ask yourself.

Are you a bad enough Dude to recommend me a bike?

[Ghryphen]

Hehe I have a bike that has about 2 hours of use on it in 10 years

[Variable]

Then you are by no means a bad enough Dude.

[sh@rp]

Originally Posted by Gryphon

Hehe I have a bike that has about 2 hours of use on it in 10 years

Sounds like the my familys treadmill and stair stepper thingy.

[Stikes]

I used to ride my bike 10 miles to and from work. total of 20 miles/day in michigan weather. even winter.

#1 rule is::::

have a destination. do not set a time limit because if you do it will get boring. If you set a destination and a reward at that destination (ride to the mall and have a milkshake when u get there)

#2 rule is::::
USE an MP3 player or CD player. If you do not do this the ride will also get boring. Music sets most of us in this trancy enviornment. I could ride forever if I had a good playlist going.

#3 rule::: Safety-- I don't use helm's blah blah but I've been riding forever and stuff. Not to mention im stupid. Humans are squishy. Use a helmat.

#4 Bikes---

there are a few different ones. I am currently using a street bike. Skinny tires:


pro: Faster, lighter
con: have to be really careful of where you ride due to skinny tires, no shocks, no jumping curbs.

Mountain bike-- I used to ride this for last 5 years, my favorite due to some models have shocks that even seperate both ends of the bike. so u can pretty much go on any enviornment:


(that was mine in Michigan)

pros: go anywhere do anything bike
cons: heavier/slower


It all depends what you want to do and where you are going to ride.

Overall I prefer a seperated mountain bike due to versatility




this has been a stikes review.

the end.

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Okay. You're going to want a cross bike then. A road bike is ideal, but take it off-road a bit and you're likely to break spokes or twist something. And if you want suspension, you'll want to get front suspension only. Unless you plan on climbing lots of mountainous terrain.

A cross bike is more of a road bike than a mountain bike, but it retains a lot of the characteristics of a mountain bike to handle more types of terrain. You won't be as comfortable hitting the hard trails with it, and you also won't be able to go as fast as with a road bike without exerting quite a bit of effort (due to the aerodynamics of how you sit).


Here is the bike that I have:

http://www.giantbicycles.com/us/030....ch_text=iguana

And I have to say it's great for what I like to do (mountain bike). I have clipless pedals as well, so no toe clips on mine.


Your best bet is something like this:

http://www.giantbicycles.com/us/030....sp?model=11030

Note the frame, the geometry, and the tires. Those three things will determine what terrain you can ride the bike in comfortably.

You should probably try going for an all-aluminum frame. Skip the composites unless you like to spend cash.


Some good companies to check out:

Giant
Specialized
Cannondale (can be expensive, but great quality)
trek
Gary Fisher


The main thing is to look for quality. It's better to have a bike that lasts years, and requires a few parts now and then, than one that needs replacing after a few years. The things that you should have to change out on a bike are: brakes, cables, chain/sprockets, tires, hubs/bearings, and the occasional spoke. You shouldn't have to change out deraileurs, frames, or rims too often. The best bet for quality bikes is to look for an independent bike shop near you, preferably one that carries one or more of the companies I noted above. REI is a great place to start as well.

I got kevlar reinforced tires for mine. They seem to work a lot better than just rubber. And even though composites have come a LONG way for bikes, you're better off not getting a frame with composites for several reasons: cost, when they break they fail BIG TIME, and you can't fix them if they break or start to unwrap (but with an aluminum frame, you can get someone to weld it). I have personally witnessed a composite framed bike literally shatter while my friend was riding it. The top tube separated from the stem, and then the lower tube separated, and it was a messy accident.

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

I forgot to mention speeds:

They're only very useful if you have different slopes to contend with. The idea when riding is to keep your rpms constant, and adjust your gearing to get the speed you want. For relatively flat terrain, 12 or 15 speeds is fine. To really maximize your ability (and efficiency) to climb, then at the least get 24 speeds. I just looked at mine, and I have 27. I don't really use all those speeds, but they help when I switch between gears as my legs tire out. I alternate the force, but keep the rpms constant when I ride by picking two gears that give me a speed that's about what I want, then alternate between the two as I get tired in one or bored in the other.

BTW, it appears that I have several differences between the bike I showed and the one that is sitting out on my deck.

[Variable]

Thanks guys, awesome posts. I actuall found a friend at work who used to be into competitive cycling/mountain biking, so we're going out to Chain Reaction today to see what's what. By the end of the day I'll probably end up with something to submit for your approval.

[Variable]

So after visitng the good shops in town I finally got a Schwinn Mesa. Based on Asha's input it was one of the few that met the geometry and design of the bikes they had, and my friend gave it the "this is the bike I'd buy if I were buying a bike." seal of approval, which is all I really needed to hear. Taking it home I jumped on and gave it a whirl around the block which was slightly disconcerting and reminded me of how long it's been since I was a kid. I plan on giving it another go in a bit and once I decide I'm comfortable to ride it into work it'll be my primary means of conveyance. Cool thing about the shop I got it from is they do weekly rides in the city, so that should make for fun weekends, if I ever get any off.

Thanks again for your input guys.

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Sweet.

I'd recommend tightening down those shocks on the adjustment (making the compression higher), so that you have a smoother ride on pavement. If you do offroading, you'll want to loosen them up a bit. But also tighten them up to the point that you feel them give a little if you were to give a quick push down on your handlebars.

The only reason for putting more compression on those things is to make your front fork more stiff. It'll be an easier ride on smooth ground. If it's too loose, you'll rock back and forth a bit as you pedal. Bikes with rear suspension are very hard to ride for that reason... until you get used to it of course!

And the hardtail on that is good for keeping your back tire on the ground, where you have both accelerating power and braking power.

And your frame is setup for upgrades should you decide to swap out cassettes and derailuers for getting different gearing options, or if you decide you want disc brakes instead of calipers.

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

One more thing!

Should your front tire prove to be too "knobby", there are alternate tire treads. One of my old roommates had a specialized FSR, and he replaced the front tire with one that was partially what looked like a slick (nearly treadless down the middle), and had knobs to the sides. So if it got too bad, he could go offroad, but the less knobby profile gave better traction and a smoother (and easier) ride on the longer rides we took. I think the farthest him and I did was about 25 miles, and we cruised along in the morning. I noticed he had a bit of an easier time with his tires than I did. But I was also a LOT stronger than him, so it didn't really matter since I was able to keep up.

Just an FYI... you've got MANY options out there. The bike store you got your bike from might be a good place to look at different options. One of the online places to look is www.bikenashbar.com or REI.


EDIT: Aha! Here is the tire I was looking for:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

I thought the type went by another name than "hybrid" for some reason.