When I was 20 I purchased a fairly nice moderately price mountain bike.
Fast forward 10 years later...
I still have the bike but Im ready for something more comfortable. Back then I looked for quality and durability. Now Im looking for something that doesnt push my knees into my stomach and I can sit up straight.
We have a nice paved bike trail thats in excess of 20 miles. Seems to be the rage of the area for cycling now.
2 weeks ago the kid & I went for about 10 miles. Man I need a new bike...
Ive decided I would like a comfort/hybrid type bike. My Uncle just got a Trek Pure, its $450. I obviously cant afford that...
Ryan you know I have snobby tastes anyway, but my suggestion is to skip the Chinese Wal-mart bikes like you listed above in those two links, and take a look at Craig's List for a better, used bike. Quality in a bike ALWAYA pays off in ride comfort and longevity. If you buy a crappy bike, it'll fail you and the ride won't be that enjoyable until it does fail. Look around at better used bikes, and for suggestions, you can cruise bike forums like http://www.bikeforums.net (I'm a member there myself)
I do....OK, I haven't in a long while, but I still have the bikes. A road bike and a mountain bike, Cannondales both. My road bike used to be a Trek 1200 before I broke the dropout the rear derailleur fits in (1997 or so). I bought a new frame for $525, a Cannondale R1000, and transferred all the components from the Trek to the new frame. I still have the same road bike (and mountain bike), but it's got newer components on it over the years.
Like GlassWolf said, don't buy cheap, you want something that's going to last for a while - the initial cost may be more, but you won't be replacing the bike every couple of years.
I occasionally bring my bike to work on the back of the vanpool I ride, then ride the bike back to my car - about 15 miles. There is a MONSTER hill close to work that I have to climb (can't do more than 5-7 mph climbing in granny low ), it's about 1/4 to 1/2 long. Once up top, the ride down the other side is wild, 50+ mph just coasting :excited:
Well the thing that got me is the one bike is built in the same plant as Trek and Cannondale.
I understand how factories work. If they are producing good bikes like as mentioned, then the same quality build is to be expected with these bikes. Now the question is more on components.
Nice bikes Glass. Trouble for me is a 5'10" and 220 Lbs or so, I just can lean forward as much. To much strain.
After my last ride my wrists hurt, my rear end was sore, thighs (obviously), neck and ankles.
I can pin 3 of 5 to the bike :)
I will check the forum out.
I know money talks. Unfortunately being laid off doesnt supply me with $5-6oo to spend on a bike. If I can squeak out $250 I will be doing good...
Trek owns Cannondale now. Trek builds some bikes (the higher end ones) in Wisconsin at two plants. The rest are imported and made by one of the big Chinese/Taiwanese factories like most other companies. Not that this makes them bad.. My carbon Kuota is an imprt frame, but they have high end carbon fiber there, so it's the home for a lot of high end companies that work in CF frames.
That aside, The discomfort you felt is mainly due to an improperly fitted bike. With the right frame size, properly adjusted bike, you'd feel great after a ride. Things like crank arm length, seat post height, seat position (both angle and forward/back), stem length, handlebar drop and wideth, etc all make a tremendous impact on ride comfort.
As for your size, stick with 36 spoke wheels. They will hold up under weight and general abuse without the need to be retrued constantly. 36 spoke is pretty standard anyway till you get into high end bikes.
If you look on CL you can find a good Trek or similar quality bike (entry to mid level model) for $250-350, in pretty good shape. Then take it to a bike shop and have them fit the bike to you. It may cost you another $50 or so in parts (new saddle or stem for example) and labor, but it's worth the time and cost to have a bike fit you your body.
The forums can offer a lot of advice for makes and models to consider in the used range, for your needs, and often, they have for sale sections with good deals for people upgrading and looking to unload the old bike to recoup some cost on the new one.
Your price range is a good one for a used bike though.. far better than you'll find new in that range. $350 barely breaks into entry level for decently built bikes. Used, you can get something pretty nice. For what it's worth, I bought my Trek Fuel EX used. Retail on it, with the mods done (wheelset etc) was about $7,500. I picked up the bike for $3k shipped to me from Florida, and it was only about a year old.
I actually got myself a fairly good bike a few months ago. A Cannondale F600 hardtail. I love it. Fastest bike I've owned; but I haven't owned very many good bikes. My other bike I've had about 3 years now is a Haro Backtrail dirt jumping bike.
When I was much younger, I had a Huffy mountain bike lol. That was junk. At least when I was 10 or 12ish, I had gotten a Mongoose mountain bike. That was a decent bike.
Anyways, I rode so many bikes in the $1k price range to find what I liked. My other best choices were Gary Fisher and Trek (which owns Gary Fisher as well). You may be able to find one of those $600 (when new) Gary Fishers for cheaper. That was a good bike for the money.
how can that possibly be comfortable with your ass in the air like that? my last bike was a honda custom built chopper...it was sweet, had 12" ape hangers, jardine exhaust custom paint...real nice bike, i miss it. it was a hardtail so after a few hours it was good to get off and have a smoke and something to drink
), it's about 1/4 to 1/2 long. Once up top, the ride down the other side is wild, 50+ mph just coasting :excited:
