Bicycles-recommendations?

Until about 5 years ago, I had cheap bikes. The most recent one was a great looking red mountain bike from Sam's Club for less than $100. I hardly rode it because it hurt my rear end bones so much. But I thought that's just the way it was with bikes.

Then when vacationing at Peninsula SP in WI, I rented a bike at the little bike shop just outside the park entrance. It was a Trek Pure, a 3 speed comfort bike with crank-forward design (the pedals are a few inches out front of the seat stem rather than directly below it). Riding approximately 12 miles on a combination of pavement and dirt trails in the park, I marveled at how easily it pedaled and how it didn't hurt my butt! That thing just glided along so nicely. It blew me away to realize what a piece of cr*p I owned and what a massive improvement the Trek was.

When I got home from that camping trip, I shopped around and compared several brands at bike shops. I ended up with a Trek Pure Sport (something like 18 speeds, I forget right now) and have been happily riding it ever since. I ride around home some, and I take the bike on nearly every camping trip and ride it. The crank forward design helps to make pedaling easier because you're pushing forward a bit more and not so much straight down. The upright seating position takes the pressure off the insides of the hip bones and moves the weight back onto the part of the butt where there's more, um, natural cushioning. :D The better quality bike rolls with less friction in the wheel bearings and stuff, too, which helps ease the pedaling effort; I wouldn't have believed it until I tried it.

The only thing I wish for differently is an internal hub; with chain gears you have to let off pressure on the pedals when shifting down, but an internal hub doesn't need any letup when shifting. These are pricey but nice to have.

Big box store bikes are the Yugos of the cycling world. I work on my own (and friends') bikes and the Yugos are horrible to keep adjusted...if they can be. Go to a local bike shop, or even a chain like Performance Bike. REI offers very good value in their house brand (Novara) and they go on sale in the spring. REI has real bicycle people in their bike department too. You don't have to spend a mint but a $100 bike will work as well as that $4000 Yugo did.

goducks10 wrote:
Long ago I bought my 1st son his 1st bike. I don't remember what I spent on it but it was a chunk of change. It was a BMX bike that was branded with some BMX guys name. My dad thought I was nuts for spending what I did on it. Got it at the local bike shop. That bike lasted through my 3 boys. I still have it in the attic in my shop. You get what you pay for. Start out with a good one and when you're done you'll still have a good one.

Haro - Bob Haro BMX Bikes

GHP - Greg Hill Products BMX Bikes

Dig it out, vintage BMX bikes in good condition, some models worth a mint on Ebay, etc...

Later,
Markiemark:C

Long ago I bought my 1st son his 1st bike. I don't remember what I spent on it but it was a chunk of change. It was a BMX bike that was branded with some BMX guys name. My dad thought I was nuts for spending what I did on it. Got it at the local bike shop. That bike lasted through my 3 boys. I still have it in the attic in my shop. You get what you pay for. Start out with a good one and when you're done you'll still have a good one.

Somebody above mentioned a nice entry level TREK Mountain Bike. I agree with this 100%. Affordable and very well built. Stay away from road bikes, since you'll likely be riding around CG's on dirt roads. A decent, fitted mountain bike is the perfect answer. I have a Trek that is about 20 years old. Tune-ups ever few years is all it needs.

OK, I have seen many post about Walmart bikes and have to say this. The difference in quality between these and a good bike from a shop is the same as a go kart and a Rolls. We bought several bikes from Wally world and wound up replacing them every 2 years or less. You could buy another one cheaper than replacing all the worn out parts. We got the Townie Electras 6 years ago and have done about $80.00 in repairs on the DW's bike. Dropped it off the back of the 5er at 60mph on interstate. Thank God nobody hit it.
If all you have ever ridden is a big box store bike do yourself a favor and go ride a good one at a bike shop. By the way, I paid less than $700 for both bikes.

Markiemark32 wrote:



Basically a good bike shop will listen to your needs, educate you on options, fit a bicycle to you & your style of riding you want to do, also will stand beind their equipment, with many times follow-up service included to ensure properly working etc..

Yes costs more, but you know what they say.
You get what you pay for!


Later,
MArkiemark

X2! Bike shops are not snooty. They understand that there are all sorts of riders from the causal rider to the serious racers to the hard mountain bikers. And they know what's appropriate for each!

billyboy wrote:
I let the 2 grandsons go to dicks to buy bikes for their birthdays, and they picked out 200. Bikes. They didnt hold up any better then the 80. Bikes from walmart, which were the bikes his parents bought for themselves. Go figure

That's not a good comparison. Kids are hard on everything. Most kids could destroy a $1k bike the same as an $80 one. I wouldn't give a kid a $200 bike until they are old enough to understand the value of things and appreciate what quality is.

But I know from experience that an $80 adult bike can't hold a candle to a $300 bike. As I said above, there is a huge difference in fit, finish, and ease of riding. You can't appreciate that until you actually try it for yourself.

I have purchased bikes at Walmart for the kids and grandkids but went to a local Bike Shop for the bike I needed. I try to ride at least 25 miles a week on a bike trail close to our home. I went to the bike shop because at 6'3" I needed the bike to fit. I would up with a Schwinn Searcher XL Hybrid Bike (Trail/Road) for $350.00. It fits great. The bikes at Walmart are also a very good deal but are certainly not the same as the bike shop bikes. There gears are a lower quality. That being said the bikes I purchased at Walmart are still working very good. They are not used as often as I use my bike but that is my point. If you ride your bike daily then spend a litttle more to get a bike that fits you especially if you are over 60 years old.

When I bought my Specialized brand bike, the selling point was it included free tuneups for life. That's something you get from bike stores, not Walmart.

I let the 2 grandsons go to dicks to buy bikes for their birthdays, and they picked out 200. Bikes. They didnt hold up any better then the 80. Bikes from walmart, which were the bikes his parents bought for themselves. Go figure