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Buying a Bike
LoveIsUnity
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi everybody. (Hi Dr. Nick!)
As the title probably suggests, I'm looking for help buying a bike. I don't know the first thing about where to start or what to look for.
I'm mostly going to use the bike to ride to work. I only work 6 miles away from where I live, and I keep wondering why I pay about $70 a month for a parking permit when I could probably recoup that amount of money in a few months of riding. I would obviously have fewer fuel expenses and less wear and tear to my car as well, both of which I would appreciate. But, I haven't had a bike since I was in undergrad, and that was about 10 years ago. What do I need to get around the city? My ride to work is mostly flat, but I am in California, so if I deviate from my path I could run into hills and things like that.
That said, I'm in the best shape of my life, so I have no doubt that I could handle a bike that would make the ride a bit more strenuous than others.
As the title probably suggests, I'm looking for help buying a bike. I don't know the first thing about where to start or what to look for.
I'm mostly going to use the bike to ride to work. I only work 6 miles away from where I live, and I keep wondering why I pay about $70 a month for a parking permit when I could probably recoup that amount of money in a few months of riding. I would obviously have fewer fuel expenses and less wear and tear to my car as well, both of which I would appreciate. But, I haven't had a bike since I was in undergrad, and that was about 10 years ago. What do I need to get around the city? My ride to work is mostly flat, but I am in California, so if I deviate from my path I could run into hills and things like that.
That said, I'm in the best shape of my life, so I have no doubt that I could handle a bike that would make the ride a bit more strenuous than others.
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Check out the big 3 bike brands websites (Specialized, Trek, and Giant) and take a look at their commuting stuff. They have a lot of different price points and styles and you can get a good sense of what the options are from them. And when it comes to buying, generally you can get more for your money from bigger brands because of the economy of scale (assuming you buy new)
I was hoping to spend around $150-$200, but I wasn't necessarily looking for a new bike. Since it would be a way for me to commute to work, (and I'm not going to say no to additional endurance training during the day) I would be interested in learning basic maintenance and stuff like that.
Any bike can be used for commuting, so it just depends on your circumstances. How much stuff will you be carrying on the commute? Will it fit in a backpack or do you want to use panniers?
I'd recommend a flat-bar road bike like this: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/fitness/sirrus/sirrus#specs
It will put you relatively upright (so will be more comfortable with a backpack) and has enough gears for fitness riding. Most brands make a similar model.
Get a light hybrid bike designed for commuting on roads. It won't be cheap, as you'll probably end up paying $400-$600 (for a new one). The Specialized brand one that Telex linked is almost exactly the style I would recommend.
I'll just have to find something like this from a bike store in the area.
I actually commute on an old single-speed with a broken front brake (I'll fix it this weekend...), but I only ride about 1 mile each way and it's mostly on bike paths/a college campus. All my serious riding is done on a road bike.
I have at least one hill.
Which brings me to another thing, actually... I've never had a bike before that had gears. How much different is it from using a single speed?
Gears are the easiest things in the world to use on bikes. Keep pedaling, switch to easier or harder gears as necessary.
I have a Specialized Crosstrail I got from a shop that has been great for my easier commutes. If you want more strenuous just click the gear up higher.
Depending on the hill/how fast you want to go, a lot of the time you don't need to shift the front gears. If you have 3 chain-rings in the front, the middle ring will get you through most stuff. It will become second-nature very quickly.
Fixies are fucking stupid outside of a velodrome.
Something like this will serve you well: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/escape.2/14810/66192/
If you want something tougher and also more individual (and disc brakes - fuck yeah!): http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/seek.3/14811/66257/ <- not a fixie, it has 8 gears in the rear hub, which is really all you'll ever need if your ride is mostly flat.