Possible beginner with questions

Hi,
First off which country are you from? This will help with locating LBS's.
From this people could let you know of clubs in the area which may have a couple of spare bikes for you to try out and see if you like the sport.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by ess17
Ok, I am sorry if you have had to answer this question a hundred times, but I will ask anyway...
Situation: I am considering taking up cycling. I am an athletic girl but I hate going to the gym. It is terribly boring to me. I want a good cardio activity and I was going to take up running again but I have had both knees operated on so not a good idea. My attention span is short and I don't stick to things long at all so I am scared to invest the money in a semi-expensive sport like cycling.
So, one of my questions is, is there any way I can "try" this sport out without dropping a bunch of money on a bike, or do you have any suggestions on a cheap but good bike? I would ride the bike on paved trails by my house that are fairly flat. What can I expect to spend at a LBS for a decent bike?
I know that sticking with it is up to me and no one can tell me if I will do that, but do you find that a lot of people stick with it after starting, or do most give it up?

Any other tips for an aspiring newbie would be appreciated.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by wardie2000
Hi,
First off which country are you from? This will help with locating LBS's.
From this people could let you know of clubs in the area which may have a couple of spare bikes for you to try out and see if you like the sport.

Yeah, thanks, that might have helped 🙂
Presently I live in Kansas City, Kansas, US but will be moving to Minneapolis MN, US soon.

Yes you have a bit of a conundrum... a cheap bike (less than ~$400-500) is going to turn you off to cycling because it will weigh a lot and the shifters/deraileurs will be frustrating. Do you have any friends that are your height that could loan you their bike for a few weeks?

FWIW my wife just went through the same process. I am into cycling, and she was a bit reticent to give it a whirl and drop $1000 on a decent bike. But now shes HOOKED... for the same reasons you mention (she can step out the door vs. go to the gym, and it's a more interesting work out).

She ended up with a Specialized Roubiax, about 1200 or so. Felt's F70 is another good choice a bit cheaper.

Good luck. 🙂

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by RC2
Yes you have a bit of a conundrum... a cheap bike (less than ~$400-500) is going to turn you off to cycling because it will weigh a lot and the shifters/deraileurs will be frustrating. Do you have any friends that are your height that could loan you their bike for a few weeks?

FWIW my wife just went through the same process. I am into cycling, and she was a bit reticent to give it a whirl and drop $1000 on a decent bike. But now shes HOOKED... for the same reasons you mention (she can step out the door vs. go to the gym, and it's a more interesting work out).


She ended up with a Specialized Roubiax, about 1200 or so. Felt's F70 is another good choice a bit cheaper.

Good luck. 🙂

What a load of hooey. You don't have to drop $1000. just look for better bang for the buck bikes like Giant,Fujii,Marin,KHS, Jamis among others and you can do alright on sale or clearance for $450-500. Used bikes are a good option,but you have to know what you are doing, or know someone that does.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
What a load of hooey. You don't have to drop $1000. just look for better bang for the buck bikes like Giant,Fujii,Marin,KHS, Jamis among others and you can do alright on sale or clearance for $450-500. Used bikes are a good option,but you have to know what you are doing, or know someone that does.

You dork!

Reread my post. Does it start out by saying 'you probably don't want to spend much under 400-500 bucks'? Yes it does, doesn't it?

Does it alude to her plunking down the full ~1k because I am an avid cyclist and encouraged her to get a 105 grouppo w/some CF here and there for long-ride comfort? Perhaps it does, doesn't it?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by RC2
..........w/some CF here and there for long-ride comfort?

OMG,the CF 'comfort' card. A double wide barge load of hooey. AFWIW, altho 105 works for most folks,Sora and tiagra does too.

Whoa. I think I'm going to opt out of a pissing match here... not sure who it was that said this in a recent post but I think it applies... "Don't argue with an idiot -- first they drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience."
😄

Ok, sorry to cause the commotion. I appreciate the help though.
I just went to the bike shop near me. They had some road bikes starting at 450 to 500 I think (conveniently they don't put prices on most of them). He showed me some moutain bikes that I liked for about 250+. They were Trek I think. Now my question is, do I go the mountain bike route first and then work my way up to a road bike? What are your opinions on this? Is it a matter of what you like to do or what? Sorry for the beginner questions.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by ess17
Ok, sorry to cause the commotion. I appreciate the help though.
I just went to the bike shop near me. They had some road bikes starting at 450 to 500 I think (conveniently they don't put prices on most of them). He showed me some moutain bikes that I liked for about 250+. They were Trek I think. Now my question is, do I go the mountain bike route first and then work my way up to a road bike? What are your opinions on this? Is it a matter of what you like to do or what? Sorry for the beginner questions.

For paved flat trails, (or roads )like you mentioned you don't need a mtb. But many do use then that way and may or may not go off pavement with them.No point in buying two bikes, and a bottom end mtb won't really be much fun off the pavement. If you don't like the idea of drop bars and skinny tires. There are flat bar road bikes.

If you like the Trek, then get it. Do you have an inkling of what kind of riding you'd like to do? Have you looked at hybrids? They're in your price range and supposedly very good for trail/road riding, although not for super long periods of time (ie 100 mile rides). It goes without saying that they shouldn't be used for off-road excursions.

Mountain bikes in this price range are decent for road and off-road experiences. However, as boudreaux said, they aren't to be used for super-technical off-road trails nor are they going to be explosively fast on the road.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
What a load of hooey. You don't have to drop $1000. just look for better bang for the buck bikes like Giant,Fujii,Marin,KHS, Jamis among others and you can do alright on sale or clearance for $450-500. Used bikes are a good option,but you have to know what you are doing, or know someone that does.

Speaking of hooey... You don't even have to drop $500... I wouldn't buy a new bike, period. There are gobs of ridable used bikes out there for a fraction of the cost of any new bike and trying some of those out on a trial basis would save a lot of cash and let you learn whether cycling is fun for you and easy on your knees. Boudreaux is right that you shouldn't just buy anything ole thing, but on the other hand, a suitable bike for testing out biking doesn't require rocket science or big money. For my first year on a bike, I road a schwinn I found in my neighbors garage. I couldn't shift gears, but it helped me learn that I liked to ride.

There are a small world of potential knee, back, ab, shoulder, etc. pains that can come with cycling. Why buy a new, expensive bike when you don't have a baseline to start from?

In addition, you say you have a short attention span. Find out if cycling is for you,\ before you buy new. Cycling is good exercise, but it's not running and a good work out on a bike takes longer than a run. You may find, for example, taht you prefer swimming. And a speedo is a lot cheaper than the latest carbon fiber trek ... or even an entry level fuji.

I'm a student. I'm parsimonious. If you've got the money, whatever. But take it slow and you'll be happy later.

I'm with Harry! Round up some junker bike and try riding it. 90% or more of all the bikes in world worth less than $100-- your sister's old tenspeed or yard sale bike will be just fine.

Of course it's going to break down and you'll learn to fix it. Of course you'll want a better bike later on. It's all part of the journey. The most important thing is ride it everyday and don't give up. Read a few cycling mags, hang out at the LBS and you'll learn. just relax and ride!

Thanks for the encouragement! I am going to need it. I like the idea of starting out slow and cheap to see if I will like it. Can someone give an example of a hybrid? Or at least explain what one looks like? I have heard others talk about them but I don't know the difference.

They are typically more upright, like a mountain bike, with flat (not dropped) handlebars. There is typically a higher gear ratio too. Some come with a front suspension=smoother ride, most have theoretically more comfortable seats (they are bigger and more plush). However, these bikes have road wheels, so they are definitely not for off-road riding. Still, they are good for the paved trail/road riding that it appears you are interested in.

Examples of hybrid bikes:
http://chainreaction.com/hybrids.htm
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8836&range=146&model=10883
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8836&range=147&model=10887