Newbie Here!

[font=Arial Narrow]HoleyHippie -- Nice to meet you. I am new too, and not sure where to meet someone to learn about womens cycling. I know nothing about it (just a former college athlete looking to take it on.) I am excitied about learning more about it. "Seems like a huge rush." I live in southern USA/27/Female. Also, want to buy a bike and have no idea where to start. Great to be here -- glad I found this site. H E L P >>> Actually looking for a female my age to chat with about cycling. NO weirdos, or men please. LOL.[/font]

holeyhippiegeek said:

Hey gals!
I just wanted to introduce myself. I can't believe I have never seen this site online before. Anyway, I have been cycling on and off since I was about 8. Grew up watching the tour. Was never allowed to have a "girl's" bike. I have been out the last two years because of an injury, but I am back in full force. I live in northern Colorado, which is awesome biking country. I am currently training for 2 tris (swimming and biking = good, running = BAD!) and a century. Thanks already for all the wisdom I have gotten from reading your posts.

LivTyler said:

[font=Arial Narrow]HoleyHippie -- Nice to meet you. I am new too, and not sure where to meet someone to learn about womens cycling. I know nothing about it (just a former college athlete looking to take it on.) I am excitied about learning more about it. "Seems like a huge rush." I live in southern USA/27/Female. Also, want to buy a bike and have no idea where to start. Great to be here -- glad I found this site. H E L P >>> Actually looking for a female my age to chat with about cycling. NO weirdos, or men please. LOL.[/font]

Hey...... I'm in a situation alot like you!! Just beginning and loving it! I live in Texas/27/ Female, Any advice you learned i would love it if you shared!!! I'm confused about shelling out top dollar for a road bike or buy used??!!! What would you suggest? Or better yet what have you done?

jaclyn918 said:

Hey...... I'm in a situation alot like you!! Just beginning and loving it! I live in Texas/27/ Female, Any advice you learned i would love it if you shared!!! I'm confused about shelling out top dollar for a road bike or buy used??!!! What would you suggest? Or better yet what have you done?

welcome u texan!

Welcome to cycling ladies. Okay, buying your first bike is a huge step for most regardless of whether you have ridden before or not. First you need to decide what you are going to use the bike for (casual rides, regular rides, competition etc).

If you are going to buy a bike for casual riding you can pretty much buy any entry level bike. Obviously some entry level bikes are better than others component wise so make sure you purchase a bike for its components rather than the brand. Go into the bike store and tell them you are looking for an entry level bike and I'm sure any decent store will be able to steer you in the right direction.

If you want a bike for regular/competition riding then you really need to put a bit of money into it. You want the bike to be light and durable. Generally the more money you put into it the better the bike in most cases. But in some instances you are also paying for the label. If you want a road bike I would not buy one with components any less than shimano 105. If you want a mountain bike I would not go any less than shimano LX or SRAM X7.

Honestly the best thing to do is go out bike hunting for a day. Go into the stores and look at the bikes in your price range, ask questions, and test ride. Then come back here and tell us the exact make and model of the bikes and we will be able to give you some feedback.

Hi, Thank-You, Great advice!! Well I went Bike hunting and found the TREK 1000 and Giant ocr3. I am leaning more towards these bikes mainly because of price. I would like to stick around $600.00 Does anyone have suggestions on other great bikes around that price range? Also the city I live in is limited when it comes to bike dealers, I am willing to travel to find the perfect fit.

jaclyn918 said:

Hi, Thank-You, Great advice!! Well I went Bike hunting and found the TREK 1000 and Giant ocr3. I am leaning more towards these bikes mainly because of price. I would like to stick around $600.00 Does anyone have suggestions on other great bikes around that price range? Also the city I live in is limited when it comes to bike dealers, I am willing to travel to find the perfect fit.

Okay. In your $600 price range they are pretty good bikes. Out of those two bikes I would go for the Trek because you can get it in a women's specific design (WSD), which basically means that the geometry of the bike is more suited to a "typical" woman's body.

Other bikes you should check out are the Specialized Dolce Sport (WSD) and also the Felt F90.

The components on all of these bikes are similar, but I think the Felt is the hottest looking. But test ride and see what feels the best because that is the most important.

This time is a great time of the year to purchase a bike as most bike shops are clearing the 2005 bikes to make room for the new 2006 bikes, so you should be able to pick something fairly decent.