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Recommend me a bicycle!
Rend
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Alright so for once I think I know what I need. I am looking for a bike to ride approximately two miles to work every day. I figure this will come with tons of health benefits, as well as saving me a bit on gas and the need to find a parking spot.
-The total distance is a little over two miles.
-No hills (not significant anyway), entirely sidewalk
-Would like to ride most days, at least three, up to five, each week
-Don't mind fixed gear, if that's what works
-Preferred budget less than 400 bucks, but this is negotiable
-A thing to mount a basket on the back would be cool, so I could like take it to the grocery store too, or otherwise transport stuff without a backpack. This is preferred but not necessary
-Main goal is to get consistent exercise, if that's a factor.
-Preferred availability at a physical location
Also I am going to be getting a bike lock and a helmet at the same time. If additional safety equipment is recommended let me know.
-The total distance is a little over two miles.
-No hills (not significant anyway), entirely sidewalk
-Would like to ride most days, at least three, up to five, each week
-Don't mind fixed gear, if that's what works
-Preferred budget less than 400 bucks, but this is negotiable
-A thing to mount a basket on the back would be cool, so I could like take it to the grocery store too, or otherwise transport stuff without a backpack. This is preferred but not necessary
-Main goal is to get consistent exercise, if that's a factor.
-Preferred availability at a physical location
Also I am going to be getting a bike lock and a helmet at the same time. If additional safety equipment is recommended let me know.
Rend on
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Just a request as you said you will be riding on sidewalk so will be sharing space with pedestrians. Don't be a dick, accept that pedestrians don't have mirrors to see someone racing up behind them. Also check to make sure you're actually allowed to ride on the sidewalk, some cities don't allow this particularly in downtown town areas.
My recommendation would be a hybrid (edit: as in, mountain/road hybrid, not an electric bike). They're sturdy, not too heavy, won't get flats too easily and you can get a decent one in the 300-400 range. You can ask at the shop for a rear pannier mount or similar.
I'm not in the US so not sure what brands are readily available there, but Giants have always served me well.
Get a helmet. Even if you're going to be mostly on sidewalks, it only takes one bad spill to do serious damage to yourself. You might be careful, but shit can happen so easily that's outside of your control. Some sort of high-visibilty vest or jacket is recommended.
Be safe!
Just doing a google search it looks like the 2015 version of the bike is still well liked.
There's no need to get a 2015 though, should go to a real bike shop and ask the guy behind the counter. There's almost always someone selling a legitimate not stolen decent condition serviceable bike at a shop. I don't mean the k-mart huffy isle.
Also, avoid places that only deal in used bikes and look like the employees all have a hankering for meth. They're less common now, but people still steal and unload bikes.
Edit:
You mention entirely sidewalk. Riding on the sidewalk is actually illegal in some areas. You may want to brush up on the laws for riding a bicycle as they do differ state to state and city to city.
Edit: One advantage of buying from a shop is that usually they will throw in at least 1 full service (make sure everything is lubed, brake adjustment, smooth shifting, etc.) at 2-3 months out or recommended ride interval. You could keep to that or if you'd like to do the work yourself just be there when thy do initial setup and when the do the service (lots of online resources for that, and outside of truing wheels you typically do not need much specialized equipment).
Someone didn't do any SWEET skids as a kid!
Will this be a long term thing? Like long enough to wear out a bike at some point?
I was in a similar position years ago, and I just went to pawn shops and flea markets and stuff, bought a bunch of bikes in the 20$ range, and then took what was good and combined them into a single bike, and then had parts down the road, and now the knowledge to do something with them.
They honestly pretty easy to pick up, I had zero help or prior knowledge, and just started taking them apart and putting them back together.
but what you'd want is a model like this:
Bike for girls
or
Bike for boys
(the difference being the cross-bar for boys, which makes it hard for girls with skirts to get off the bike easily)
In the netherlands depending on brand and model, these go from 150 to 2000 euros... but again, not sure if its even possible for you to get this model, but if you can go for it.
Only other recommendations would be - invest in the points of contact for your bike, so make sure you get comfortable grips/gloves, a good saddle and good tires.
For saddles, you actually want it to line up with your sit bones, so I'd recommend going to a shop that has a Specialized Ass-o-Meter (not kidding on the name) or similar to measure your sit bone width.
San Diego!
Also thanks to everyone for all the excellent responses so far, this is exactly what I was hoping to get from crowdsourcing this question.
A three speed would allow you to gain some extra top speed, so you move a bit faster, and a little bit easier around hills and getting off from intersections. They aren't very complicated, but they're not needed per se.
The minimum demands I'd have for a second hand bicycle (And I spent about $150 on my last one)
-It runs smoothly. The wheels run straight, the chain moves evenly (and without noise)
-It's the right height. The saddle should be able to come to your hip, and steering wheel should be about the same height.
-The tires are in a decent condition - They're the part that fails the most, and the most annoyingly.
A bit of advice:
If you want to go grocery shopping, consider something like
These start at about $25 over here. Because they are on either side of wheel you can balance the load. They also keep the centre of gravity lower.
Especially in a place where it's not that common, be sure to buy some lights for the bike. Nowadays the most common thing is batteries/LEDs, which in my experience run for about a year. They're pretty cheap.
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1673224/
I'd say find a 2nd hand bike to see if it works out as you imagine. Buy something for like $200 or so and you should then be able to sell it on for a similar amount if you find riding so much fun you want something more fancy - maybe even for longer leisure rides.
A Sedona is a very comfortable bike to ride. You won't win the Tour de France on it, but you also won't hate riding it more than a couple of miles.
I am looking at this bike precisely. Several people in this thread have recommended Giant as a brand, and hybrid as the type, which is pretty much exactly what I was looking for: a brand and type recommendation.
According to google maps the distance to my work is ~2 miles. Since I'm doing this for my health, I'm thinking each time I ride to and from work I can ride a little bit in the other direction and then turn around, boosting it to a total of 4 miles for a trip, and doubling the travel time from 10m to 20m. I figure 10m twice a day is going to give me many fewer benefits than 20m twice a day, and the addition of another 10 minutes isn't that big a deal since I'm not in traffic at the time, and riding a bike is a pretty fun activity just by itself.
If I decide to make a grocery run on it that's going to be less than a mile total, so most of it will be waiting on lights to get me across the two intersections I need to traverse to arrive at the grocery store.
Bike shop opens today at 10, pretty sure I'm going to be there when it opens. Will update when my dark work is complete.
That being said, it's only 8 miles from my place to the bike shop, so I was thinking I could get my gf to drop me off at the shop and then I just ride it home. According to google that's a 45m ride, and I feel like I could probably do it. It's flat enough I think.
Having my first ride with this thing be an 8 mile ride home: Good idea or bad idea?
edit: make sure you get them to adjust the seat and handlebars properly at the shop, that'll make things easier for you.
Just as you guys all mentioned, the guy at the bike shop was one of the most helpful customer service reps I have ever interacted with. Evidently bike shop guys are universally helpful.
Normally you can remove the front tire/rim and make em fit. Also, you can take the bus. There's a rack on the front.
8 miles with rest for you butt at lights shouldn't be bad at all.
There is almost zero money to be made in bike stores. The vast majority of bicycles are sold through department and toy stores, the market share of local bike shops must be in the single digits at most. Hence, the people that own and work in bike shops tend to be very keen cyclists who want everybody else to love cycling as much as they do. That's why they will usually fall all over themselves to try and help you.
That + cyclists are normally good people all round :biggrin:
Or if being cynical. Bike shops rely very much on selling service, spare parts and extra gear and of course they want people to go to them for all that.
One thing I've noticed after turning into a bike person is that other bike people want to help you out. If you don't know how to fix a flat or change the grips on your handlebars or whatever, people are usually good about teaching you. I used to freak out about oiling the chain and basic maintenance, but people were really good about teaching me. It's awesome.
Consider getting a lock like this:
I really like this type. You can just use the lock that goes through the wheel to lock it quickly, or you can chain it to something with a bit more effort. The main advantage is that it's one key.
Obviously too late to help with this particular issue, but do your wheels have quick releases? My bike fits in the back of any compact car so long as I pop the front wheel off. It's a handy thing to know how to do, especially if you're riding out to meet someone with a car.
No, the bike I chose has wheels that are not easily detachable. That being said, bike shop opens in just a couple hours, gonna have my girlfriend drive me down there and then I'll ride back home in time for lunch!
JPEG evidence will be incoming at that time.
Took me probably an hour or more; I made it though, and now I have a bicycle to call my own! Thankfully the ride to work should be significantly easier, and only a quarter as long. With any luck I'll build up some stamina and then I'll take the scenic route every day. For today, my initiation is done though.
Pictured: Me, post 8-mile ride, with attire completely and totally unfit for the ride.
Also:
"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."
H.G. Wells
Trust me, I'm an occultist.
But, yeah, first day riding into work. A bit of a light sprinkle, was actually somewhat refreshing, though hopefully it's not too ridiculous later today or else I might just have to wait out the rain at work. Legs are only a fraction as rubbery as they were when I arrived home from the first ride.
People who drive cars are dangerous douchebags.
All in all: This is gonna be pretty great.
My preference is a firm, almost unpadded, narrow, pleather seat. I actually prefer narrow, tensioned leather seats, but I never remember to maintain them properly on a yearly basis, so they breakdown on me during the winter storage.
In terms of butt soreness, it could hurt for upwards of 2 weeks in just getting used to the new thing goin' on. If it feels like skin or muscle soreness, that will probably go away, but if it feels like bone aches, you might want to adjust the saddle height.
All in all, good luck! You seem to have a load of great advice already, and you're obviously inspired to keep riding, so that's great! I've been a commuter through rain and snow the past 3 years now, and I wouldn't give it up for anything. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
This is good advice. If things start to get really dicey you can consider a go pro camera to record people being fuckfaces. I have been pretty lucky with people being willfully malicious, but I've had some close calls from people not paying attention.
On a related note: make sure your helmet fits properly. It's not going to help you too much if you go under the wheels, but you'll be in a hell of a lot better shape if you end up taking a spill over your handlebars.
Seriously, though, you are doing a good thing by not riding on the sidewalk. It's true that the road is dangerous for cyclists, but pedestrians are killed every year because some asshole thought they could ride on the sidewalk.
On top of this, if you do find yourself getting sore you could ride standing on the pedals for a bit, the way you'd want to take a hill.
And since that's the commonplace way, there's always a premade trail of some sort everywhere.
Not just that, but if you come to an intersection on a sidewalk, you are in much more danger to cross at any speed above walking because motorists do not expect a cyclist to cross over the sidewalk. The most important thing you can do is be predictable, this way motorists can be ready for any action you might take. If you hold your arms out to announce turns, they'll at least figure out that you're doing something different.
Same with red lights and stop signs. Running a red light is extremely dangerous, same with stop signs. Every driver coasts through a stop sign now and then, you do not want to be on their hood because of it. I've been hit because a driver neglected to pay attention when they came to a stop sign. But they would have hit anything in their path, I was not hit because I was a cyclist. I mean, flashing lights and a bright reflective vest aren't visible enough? You've gotta be kidding!
Now I know this is all scary and doom and gloom and stuff, but honestly, cycling is the second best thing that's ever happened to me after meeting my wife. If you are safe and predictable, you'll have lots of fun pissing off motorists everywhere! (I kid, they love us)
There's certainly times where judgment will give you the best call, but I still wouldn't recommend just blowing through a stop sign. Just my opinion.
In terms of finding liability, you're absolutely right. Get a friend or witness to take pictures of any incident, and make detailed notes on the situation if anything occurs. You don't want to jump up yourself and start snapping photos with adrenaline or shock possibly masking injuries. But most of the time, you are seen as a vehicle that is held to the letter of the law. If you blow a stop sign and get hit, that is your fault. When I got hit, the driver was cited merely for failure to yield at an intersection, instead of what I suggested which was somewhat more vulgar.