Need bicycle buying advice for adult rider

[bigtiller]

If it is of any importance to you, Catrike is made in America, Florida I think. But they can get kind of pricey.

Here is mine.

 

[KennyG]

By now you've probably figured out that we're all very opinionated. A good used bike is a great idea but make sure it's really a good bike. A lot of those $20 garage sale bikes were $125 "Department Store" bikes that were so heavy and clunky they never got much use. If you can find a bike that was $300 - $400 new that you can buy for $100 or $150 it will be a much better bargain.

Most of the hybrid bikes you find will have 7 or 8 speeds on the rear and three on the front. If you ride flat roads, you may never have to shift the front sprocket, but that's fine. For mainly road riding, I would shy away from anything with knobby tires or tires over 700-35 in size. I have an old beat around hybrid and I changed the wheels and tires to 700-28 because they pedal so much easier.

No one can predict what seat will work for you so you may have to change it. People look at my seat and think it's a torture device but I can put in 100 miles before it starts to get uncomfortable. Most people actually put most of their weight on two bony points (sit bones) so you need a solid base at the right width for your sit bones (and this isn't very wide - feel around a little when no one is watching). Then you also need a relatively narrow horn so you don't rub your inner thighs much as you pedal. You are most efficient and comfortable if you can keep your knees in directly above the pedals.

Finally, after you get some experience, there is one optimum style of bike pants - bibs. Once you ride a good set of biking bib shorts or pants, you will never want to wear anything else. I get a lot of stuff from nashbar.com. If you wait for sales and read the customer feedback, you can get great bargains.

 

[sixdogs]

Opinionated yes, but I'm learning and I pay attention. Gone is the single speed I started with and I now accept multi speeds. Early on I wanted knobby tires but not after the comments--i'm going with smooth. As well, probably going to buy from a bike shop unless I find what I want that's used (unlikely). I'll wear bright colors and a helmet even though it's daybreak but no dice on the spandex pants. Sorry.

Other brands mentioned are interesting and the one bike with a forward placed sprocket in a recumbant fashion is worth a look, too. So that's where I am at. Still researching and i really appreciate the TBN advice. Who knew such quallity advice was right under my nose? I'll never be a purist since my goal is exercise and not taking it easy or making myself too comfortable. I need 40 to 60 minutes of exercise a day and that's the goal.

 

[Egon]

Don' t dismiss those bike shorts. You can find some that are short's look alike but they are a long ways from the comfort of the spandex.

If need be get an overly long cycling jersey. The back pockets come in handy too.:thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

OK, I'll take alook at the pants. Jersey is fine.

 

[bdeboer]

My wife rides more than I do, and there seems to be more Trek dealers around here in Central Ohio so that is what she rides.

 

[dodge man]

I have a Trek, which seems very common in my area. Mine is a hybrid and I really like it. We had a recent trip to Hawii and we rented bikes and went for a ride. They were "cruisers" and I hated the feel. The seat seemed low and the handle bars to high. Most bike shops will let you take them for a short test ride so get a feel for what you like.
Most of my riding is on paved country roads, but there is some loose gravel in places. This is what is nice about hybrids. They don't have the skinny tires which would kill you on any loose rocks, but they don't have the big knobby off road tires either.

 

[Deere Dude]

Wife and I got bikes years ago and put in quite a few miles. Even spent our honeymoon biking Nova Scotia. First we had the standard 10 speed with the downward curved handlebars. Then, we moved up to mountain bikes that had approximately 53 speeds. Was always hard to tell exactly which gear you were in without looking down and counting sprockets. The handle bars were were simply a straight tube through the stem. They $ucked.
My observations:
1. Schwinn figured out the proper handle bar configuration way back. Arms hang at ease with the palms forward and back. Ever seen a wheelbarrow with a straight stick as a handle?
2. Those little narrow hard seats are fine if you're 12 years of age but they're **** on hemorrhoids. At the least you need to slather that sucker with Preparation H. Me, I bought one of those over stuffed silicone gell seats. Not that I've ever done it, but it has to be like sitting on a breast implant.
3. Who the he!! cares what you look like. Strap one of those old fashioned baskets on the handlebars so you can carry stuff. I did. I wouldn't head out without a quart of orange juice, pound of black cherries and my walkman.
4. The knobby tires have to go. At first I was impressed with their macho appearance. It gave my bike the look of I could go anywhere. 'It' probably could. I was the weak point in the link. I opted for reduced rolling resistance of a smoother tire.
Your mileage may vary.

Some more observation from my point of view. When pedaling I like the legs to almost full extend so seat height is important. It just seems easier to pedal that way.
I like the straight up feel like I am sitting on a chair and i don't have to bend way over to reach the handle bars.
Like retiresmgn mentioned, a nice soft cushy big seat works for me.
You have the juices flowing now. I think I'll go and look at bikes.

 

[sseelhoff]

I'll wear bright colors and a helmet even though it's daybreak but no dice on the spandex pants. Sorry.

Don' t dismiss those bike shorts. You can find some that are short's look alike but they are a long ways from the comfort of the spandex.

If need be get an overly long cycling jersey. The back pockets come in handy too.:thumbsup:

OK, I'll take alook at the pants. Jersey is fine.

Two suggestions on the bike shorts

1. They make a baggy style that are traditionally worn by mountain bikers. They look like regular shorts, but have a padded liner.

Novara Rail Double Bike Shorts - Men's at REI.com

2. Buy the padded liner and wear your regular shorts.

Canari Gel Bike Shorts Liner - Men's at REI.com


As for saddles, it's personal preference. My favorite is one of these:

BROOKS ENGLAND LTD. | ROAD & MTB | B17 NARROW


I have thousands of miles on mine. It forms to you over time.

 

[dmccarty]

I'm going to buy a bicycle for cruising down my counrty roads just for the added exercise but am confused by all that's out there. I'm retired and just want to pedal and work out. If it matters, my roads are as flat as a pancake.
...

While I would like to a ride a bike on our rural roads, I am not suicidal. Its dangerous enough driving in a 7,000+ truck, I sure as heck am not going to be out there on wee little bikey with these nut jobs zoom zooming around. There used to be a guy who rode a bike to/from work. He was hit by a car and is now dead. Frankly, I am surprised he lived as long as he did riding these roads. I have seen many a near miss with bicycles on the rural roads I drive and I am really surprised there are not more deaths. When I was a teen, I rode our local rural roads a few times to get from point A to point B. After a few trips, I realized that riding on narrow, curvy, high speed limit rural roads was a good way to die and never did it again. That was WAY before cell phones and smart phones were distracting drivers.

I generally find exercise pretty danged boring. Mind boggling boring. Once upon a time, for grins and giggles, I worked up to running 10 miles from my usual five mile run. Running five miles was mind numbing, after 10 miles, my mind was a bored mush and I never did that again. A guy at work has been running half marathons and full marathons and I don't know how he does it. Not the mileage of the run but the boredom. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Last year at this time we bought a Schwinn Recumbent exercise bike. I think it is a 250. Now riding that bike is B O R I N G but at least I can watch a TV, or what I usually do, read on a Kindle. Sometimes I will ride 90-120 minutes while talking to family on the phone. The bike is pretty comfortable and I can exercise when I have the time and regardless of the weather. If you want to exercise and burn calories I would recommend an exercise bike. I think you will use it more than a road bike and you can do other things with your time will you work out.

Later,
Dan