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Ever since I stopped working in Manhattan and thus do a ton less walking (used to walk/run 4 miles daily round trip to work) I've noticed I've been getting a bit of a gut. To combat this I want to pick up bicycling as it seems like the best aerobic exercise for my situation. I've heard running is bad for your knees in the long run and there are no pools I have easy access to for swimming.
I have no idea where to start, I haven't ridden a bike since I was a little kid. I guess the first place to start would be what to look for in a bike and accompanying gear. Some hopefully relevant info:
- Intend to be riding on pavement pretty much all the time, no off roading for me.
- I'd like it to fit in the trunk of my car so perhaps something that can be taken apart fairly easily? I've got an Altima if that helps estimate size, I think it's got a fairly large trunk and I keep nothing else in it.
So any tips would be much appreciated. Brands, prices to look for, etc for bikes, helmets, and any other gear you think a noob would need to get started.
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Mod edit: no
User was warned for this post
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Trek makes probably the sturdiest and most reliable bike out there. I would find a good Trek bike if you are serious about it. Also, fitting it into your trunk might be a problem, but you can just get a bike rack instead and put it on the back of your car.
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or do what i do and take off the front wheel and put it in the back seat
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buy a good used bicycle, but not the one this guy posted. treks are good but the low end are kind of bad. a good bicycle is a big investment but it is worth it if you are a regular cycler ( I reccomend spending ~1k).
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May I ask what the difference is between the cheaper $500-600 bikes and pricier $1000 ones?
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TLDR: Why don't you borrow a bike from a friend and just ride around and see how it feels? 
I feel a lot of hardcore bike user will jump onto this thread.
I have a friend who spent 1k on a bike but rarely used it. He insists that it was a great steal but the fact that it's sitting there collecting dust makes it a sunk cost.
I bought my bike for 200. It's a tour bike, it can go off-road, it is made of iron and weigh about 30 pounds. I rode it at least once a week to the peak of a local hill in Berkeley, use it to do everything else from traveling to grocery.
All in all I feel one can be distracted talking about wears and gets nowhere, and just talk about bike usage might serve well here.
Do you remember how to ride it? Can you borrow a bike from a friend and ride it around a bit? (I know someone who couldn't really bike but learned it in a few month so I think u'll be fine)
Where do you want to bike? Around the block? For grocery and travel? I had a great hill next to where I lived so it was always nice to go up on a nice day. Is there something like that around that's worth going? Do you really need to fold the bike into a car and drive it to such scenery?
I think it's a good idea to borrow a bike from a friend and use it for a while and see how you like it. Not everyone enjoys biking and I feel jumping on a purchase might not be wise especially if it is expensive and you end up with a large sunk cost not to mention inventory cost at your place.
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No way should you start with a $1000 bike if you haven't ridden one as an adult. You don't know what you like or what you'll need. Go to a bike store, get a salesperson talk through what size and style you should be looking for, try a couple. Then go get something off craigslist for cheaps. Make cycling a part of you life before you invest big in it.
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When I go visit my parents every few weekends I ride my brother's old bike around a bit so I do remember the gist of riding a bike. It only has 1 speed, nothing fancy, so I'm not familiar with switching gears and stuff. I probably should have mentioned that. I guess what I meant in my OP was I haven't ridden a bike frequently since I was a kid.
I don't intend to be riding the bike for commuting or for running errands, mainly for exercise. So my current plan is to ride it around my apartment complex and when I go visit my parents to take it to this nice park around there. I'm not looking to get super hardcore into biking, just want some nice aerobic exercise. If people didn't keep warning me about running being bad for my knees I'd be doing that instead, way cheaper lol. Or swimming laps in a pool if there was one close by that wasn't awful.
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running can only be bad for your knees if you do it incorrectly such as landing on your heel. You can try running on the grass or gravel which takes some pressure off your knees if you're further concerend. Biking can lead to iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS (which is a pain on the outside of your knee, and if you try to bend your knee such as when your bending down where your thighs meet your calfs you'll feel a sharp pain). if you suddenly bike too much, or if the bike is not properly adjusted to you.
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If you're looking for exercise you can try riding fixed? (with brakes ofc) Since they're only running on one gear, going up inclines are a little more tough than on a road bike, and if it's not that steep, I find it offers a pretty good work out. They're easy to do maintenance on, light, and even if you don't get quick release wheels, I can unscrew and take off both my wheels in less than 2 minutes.
My walmart bike gave me better exercise than the bike I currently ride, man i had to put in muscle to make that thing move. But also much more susceptible to problems
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On July 23 2012 10:50 YPang wrote:
running can only be bad for your knees if you do it incorrectly such as landing on your heel. You can try running on the grass or gravel which takes some pressure off your knees if you're further concerend. Biking can lead to iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS (which is a pain on the outside of your knee, and if you try to bend your knee such as when your bending down where your thighs meet your calfs you'll feel a sharp pain). if you suddenly bike too much, or if the bike is not properly adjusted to you.
running can cause this as well, and landing on your heel is only bad if there is no cushion. let me guess you read born to run? please do at least a google search on running techniques before you type out dribble.
to answer the op's question on the difference in bikes.
- $100 - $400 will get you a bike from wal-mart. i recommend not getting theses or a use "steely" ie. a steel framed bike from the 70's or 80's. the steelys are nice bike but most will require some wrenching.
- $500 - $800 will get you a good entry level road bike. you can find used $800 - $1000 bikes on craig's list in this price range. like the bike i posted about. i would look for a bike in this price range for a used bike.
- $800 - $1000 will get you a nice entry level road bike. look in this price range for a new bike.
- $1000+ no need to get into it as you clearly stated stuff in this price range is stuff you are not looking to get into.
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I'd get a sturdy steel-framed road bike from the 70s or 80s if I were you. They are built very well and will put up with abuse that many newer bikes will not. I got a blue one of these used a few years ago for $130 and it's holding up great.
![[image loading]](http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/images/800x650/76-record.jpg)
It rode fine from the beginning, and with a little love it rides really smoothly right now (just recently replaced the cables and the front wheel), and it has huge wheels so it's damn fast. Plus nobody wants to steal it (so far).
Don't buy a brand-new bike. Don't buy a brand-new bike. Don't buy a brand-new bike. You don't know what sort you want now and you're probably every bike store salesman's wet dream. Much better to get an all-around reliable ride, tweak it here and there, and eventually build your own from the frame on up.
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Don't spend hundreds of dollars on a bike unless you have the cash to throw around. I found a $400 canondale for $5 at a thrift store. Search craigslist..you can find a lot of good deals.
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If the only reason you want to cycle instead of jogging really is that you read jogging is bad for you, forget cycling and do running instead. There are no inherent hazards in running, the injuries people get are from having bad posture and overdoing it. Just make sure you get good running shoes, don't run two days in a row (2-3 times a week is more than enough), and pay attention to what your body tells you. If you feel anything worse than slight discomfort, take a break and you'll be perfectly fine.
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Thanks for the advice everyone, I appreciate it! I think I'll try jogging 2-3 times a week as I save up for a bike just to see if I have the discipline to stick to a workout plan. If I can, I think I'll invest in the bike. Biking just seems more fun but now that people mention it, it does seem silly to jump right into a $600 investment when you aren't sure you'll make full use of it.
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[Realized this is the same thread; updated above with inline image and more thoughts]
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Why are good bikes so outrageously expensive over there in the US? For half the price you've got a shining, brand-new quality bike here in the Netherlands. The higher cost only is warranted by little details, something a novice rider as yourself shouldn't even care about.
In fact, I used to buy my bikes second hand, for like 100 euro and really abused them (Note that I put so much pressure on the bike that every 4-5 months I have to go back to get my wheels sorted out), and they still held out really well for like 4-5 years. There's no need to spend 600 dollar.
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United States22154 Posts
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EPT
