Good to buy a bike?

Question

I am going nuts trying to buy a bike. I am going to bike shops and getting very conflicting information. I don't know if I am getting fed a line of BS because someone is trying to make a commission or what.

My situation is that I am a good athlete that is new to cycling. I had a bike when I was a kid, but haven't been on a bike in years. I am a 30 year old male, 6'2" and 240 lbs. I am not looking to join the X-Games or Tour de France. I want a good bike that I can ride around on for excercise and enjoyment, mainly on pavement, but would also like to be able to go off road a bit. I would ride 3 to 6 days a week. One salesman told me the Trek Navigator 3.0 was the way to go. A different shop told me the Trek 7200 hybrid. Another shop told me to get a Gary Fisher mountain bike. Last shop I went to was hardcore about a Fuji bike. I am trying to educate myself and make a smart purchase, but it is difficult with all of the conflicting information.

A lot of great information here. To add a few notes:
When I am talking about going offroad, I mean a dirt trail in the woods. It is not specifically a bike path. There are some places with rocks and big roots to go over. It is nothing dangerous looking though.

I don't really a pre-set budget. I am not opposed to spending good money as long as I am buying the right thing. Ideally I would like to stay under $2,000, but that is not my main concern.

Is there a certain size bike you suggest? I think it can vary between mountain bikes, hybrids, etc.

Thanks again for all of the great input. If any of you guys that work in bike shops are in the New Jersey area, please let me know. I'd be happy to buy my bike there.

Answer 1

Very good answers here for a change.

I'll just add a few pieces...

I would personally suggest you go for a mountain bike. The hybrids or cyclo-cross bikes are fine, but seem to do neither terribly well.

The only real problem with riding a mountain bike on the road is rolling resistance. You'll work harder on pavement, but so what. If it is for fitness, who cares.

Moutnain bikes are certainly more comfortable. Later, if you want to do a triathalon, or become a roadie, you can invest in another bike. Mountain bikes are very good all purpose bikes, with good versatility and can take abuse.

You fall into what is affectionately known as the Clydesdales -- a big guy. Still, most anyone under 300 pounds won't have an issue with a frame unless you are dropping off of cliffs, getting big air.

And yes, bike shops absolutely will try to sell you on the their bikes, and disparage their competitors. Margins are slim, and bike sales are flat right now.

Your BUDGET will go a long way toward determining what you need. Do not go for a $200 Wal-Mart or discount bike. But, you don't have to spend $2,000 either. You can probably find a very nice hardtail that would meet all your needs in the $8000-$1100 range, perhaps less.

The vast majority of "name brand" bikes are made within miles of each other in Taiwan. They are all perfectly good, and offer good value. Bikes from Giant, Specialized, Trek, Gary Fischer, Kona, etc are all good choices.

I like Mountain Bike Review (link below). You do get biased opionions, but can at least screen the bikes you are looking at, and see if users have noticed fatal flaws. Read up, and you might be able to narrow your choices.

Try the bikes you are interested in. It's rare these days, but some shops do have demo models you can borrow or rent.

Don't be afraid to ask if they will discount a bike. There is a lot a shop can do to earn your business. Just reward them with your service needs later.

Good luck!

EDIT: Have a shop size you. It's the best way, and you can then feel the difference in person, rather than using the formula from a book.

Answer 2

First of all, of course each shop will try to sell you their bikes. It really comes down to personal preference. In my experiences, Trek makes a good bike for the money. Personally I have a Gary Fisher Hybrid. If you are looking to go off road, unless you are just talking about gravel or smooth dirt trails, the hybrid will not hold up as well as a mountain bike. But if you mainly ride on the roads the thinner tires of the hybrid are the way to go. When at the bicycle shops, ask to take the model you like for a ride. Any good shop should let you test ride. Pay attention to how comfortable the seat is, how smooth the gears shift, and just the overall feel of the bike. Most bikes are made of similar components so if you are not paying top dollar you probably wouldn't notice.

Answer 3

Hi Brian.

Well, every shop will have their brand or the best idea of which bike is better. Some shops just offer whatever they have around, so you must watch for that.

If you only wanted to do road for excercise, I would suggest a road bike (sounds silly, or redundant, but that's what they are for). But since you want to do off roads, it would depend on what you mean by off roads.

If that means bike trails which are groomed, probably a hybrid would be a very good compromise, since they're sort of in between a road and a mtb. But they won't stand for much abuse.

If you really want to eventually do some rides in the outdoors and see where a particular trail leads to, a mountain bike will help you much. It won't ride fast on roads, but it can be more versatile than a road bike.

Answer 4

Alright...

the first thing you need to do is determine the kind of riding you're going to do.

If you want to ride trails, and do cross country riding, a hardtail mountain bike is the way to go. avoid rear suspensions unless you plan on doing riding that calls for it.

If you want comfort, a comfort hybrid (like the navigator) is the way to go

If you want to be on the road, and going fast, you're after a road bike

If you want to be on the road, but don't want the extremeness of a road bike, a performance hybrid is good (like the 7.2, etc)

These descriptions are a little general and crude, but it'll give you an idea of what you're after

After that, you need to pick a pricepoint. Keep in mind, that if you buy a more expensive bike, it will be lighter, and have more reliable and accurate components. This is good because people really do enjoy biking more when their equipment works...

One last thing... if you're looking for a bike that can do it all, maybe a mountain bike is the way to go. You can always swap the tires for a set of slicks for the road, but can still go trail riding if you wish.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Your brand new bike is now second hand. It is worth at best about half what you paid for it and a bike shop would pay you even less than that because they would be trying to sell it for a profit. If you can find out if the bike has a transferable warranty it might be worth more to a prospective buyer if you sell privately, but selling to a shop you will get the least money for it

Answer 6

Lots of good answers here. (finally!)

Keep this in mind: A cross bike would be good all-around. But your tastes may change. You may like the speed and go full road bike later or want to really mountain bike. The cross bike doesn't do either as well as a road or MTB.

It is all preference, brand has little to do with it, what's available at your price point is.

Think about getting a mountain bike if you may want to try it. If you buy 1.5" road tires for it, it will work well on the road and mild dirt/gravel roads. Put on the knobbies for all out mountain trails.

One guy in my ROAD bike club road a dual suspension mountain bike with high pressure 1.25 tires and kept up fine on fast rides.

I have 2 high road bikes and 1 mountain bike. For training on known good roads I ride them. For trails I use the MTB. For tooling around the neighborhood, riding to the store or with my kids I put the road tires (on a 2nd set of wheels) on my mountain bike.


Executive summery:
road bike - no
cross bike - would work well
mountain bike - most flexable and would work as well as a cross with a tire change

Answer 7

mostly pavement with some trails, i would go with a mountain bike, you can swap the tires for a smoother one to lowere rolling resistance and add bar ends to provide more hand positions. i am not a big fan of hybrids. most are not good at either road or off road. i would suggest to go full mountain bike because you want to do some trails. the name brand is unimportant frankly. no matter who makes the frame, the components are roughly the same. my advice compare components for the price and buy whichever gives you the best features for the money. for example a full shimano equip'd bike would be a better buy than one using off brand stuff of the same price in my book,

Answer 8

Since you are new to cycling I suggest a cheap mountain Bike. Around $150-200, My 21 Speed "Rhino" mountain bike has lasted years and nothing has ever gone wrong with it. I suggest getting a bike with front and rear suspension because they give the smoothest ride. My "Rhino" (A very cheap brand of bike) was only around $140. Before you buy any bike, Try sitting on it. If it isnt comfortable to sit on how do you expect to be able to cycle anywhere.

Answer 9

First you have to know what you want , speed and skinny tires or be little slower and wider tires . Or something between . Go for good quality treking bike , 700 wheels - double wall good quality rims and good quality tires . Be shure that bike will accept 700 x 42 tires , just on case if you will ride on gravel and hard packed roads . Check Cannondale or Rocky mountain bikes , I think they have nice quality bicycle suitable for asphalt and dirty road riding , disk brakes and this is what you looking for . If you look for Reinold tubing steel frame check Jamis Coda bicycles . There is link - http://bikeschool.com/links , it may help you . And do not forget that some higher quality hybrid make really good commuting or touring bike if you look for agility and performance .......Good luck , wish you happy riding and no defect .

Answer 10

get a cyclocross bike.
it will be able to do anything you want and with a simple change of the tires it is a full fledged road bike.
also it is a very durable bike that is built to last.
get a cyclocross.