My wife and I have decided to purchase bikes this weekend.(Good old Tax Refund from last year) We have a friend who suggested we purchase Hybrid's for the riding we will be doing. We do not want to ride on the road, mainly bike and rail trails. As we are nearer the 50 age bracket we have no intention on trying to break every speed record known to human. Is our friend correct re the Hybrid and what is a comfort bike. Is there anyting we should be wary of? We do not have a tow bar or pack rack on our car so is there a bike that will fit into the boot size of 535 litres, or can the front wheels be removed. Thank you in anticipation and we wait for your responses
My wife and I have decided to purchase bikes this weekend.(Good old Tax Refund from last year) We have a friend who suggested we purchase Hybrid's for the riding we will be doing. We do not want to ride on the road, mainly bike and rail trails. As we are nearer the 50 age bracket we have no intention on trying to break every speed record known to human. Is our friend correct re the Hybrid and what is a comfort bike. Is there anyting we should be wary of? We do not have a tow bar or pack rack on our car so is there a bike that will fit into the boot size of 535 litres, or can the front wheels be removed. Thank you in anticipation and we wait for your responses
There's a section on the front page called 'Bike Buying Advice'. If you take a look through that you should find answers to your questions 1000 times over.
My wife and I have decided to purchase bikes this weekend.(Good old Tax Refund from last year) We have a friend who suggested we purchase Hybrid's for the riding we will be doing. We do not want to ride on the road, mainly bike and rail trails. As we are nearer the 50 age bracket we have no intention on trying to break every speed record known to human. Is our friend correct re the Hybrid and what is a comfort bike. Is there anyting we should be wary of? We do not have a tow bar or pack rack on our car so is there a bike that will fit into the boot size of 535 litres, or can the front wheels be removed. Thank you in anticipation and we wait for your responses
A hybrid could well be a good solution, make sure you test ride some to find what's most comfortable for you to ride. Most bikes these days have quick release wheels so removing them to fit them in many cars is quite easy, but you may find that a rack is a better solution.
Things to be wary of? Bikes from k-mart! Generally, bikes bought from LBS's (local bike shops) are properly assembled and not 'junk' bikes. Take advantage of your local LBS's expertise and have a good talk to them about what you want and then testride ... testride and testride! Expect to pay around $350 or more for a good quality hybrid.
A comfort bike is generally a type of hybrid, but it's a marketing term and different manufacturers will give that name to different bikes.
I would recommend purchasing a bike rack for the back of your car - one that is removable might be suitable for you. I picked up one from by local bike shop for about $90 - holds 3 bikes and is fastened to the car boot via straps (it also can be fitted onto my hatchback). Originally I was planning on doing similar to you - removing the front wheel and putting in the back of the car. Problems I discovered with this plan: i) the hassle of constantly removing and reattaching the front wheel, ii) the dangerous angle you would get your back into trying to reach into the back of the car to lift the bike, iii) risk of getting grease and dirt inside your car and on yourself when reaching over in the back of the car.
If finances allow it, do yourself a favour and get a bike rack that can hold 2-3 bikes.
Oh and just a small warning sign - if these are your first bikes, then get ready to spend a bit on all the lovely accessories that go along with cycling :-)
Thank you all for responding to my questions. Our local bike shop has quoted us $329 for a Raleigh 700C Gents and $259 700C for the Ladies.
Thanks again
"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Nowhere said:
Hello all
My wife and I have decided to purchase bikes this weekend.(Good old Tax Refund from last year) We have a friend who suggested we purchase Hybrid's for the riding we will be doing. We do not want to ride on the road, mainly bike and rail trails. As we are nearer the 50 age bracket we have no intention on trying to break every speed record known to human. Is our friend correct re the Hybrid and what is a comfort bike. Is there anyting we should be wary of? We do not have a tow bar or pack rack on our car so is there a bike that will fit into the boot size of 535 litres, or can the front wheels be removed. Thank you in anticipation and we wait for your responses
A hybrid could well be a good solution, make sure you test ride some to find what's most comfortable for you to ride. Most bikes these days have quick release wheels so removing them to fit them in many cars is quite easy, but you may find that a rack is a better solution.
Things to be wary of? Bikes from k-mart! Generally, bikes bought from LBS's (local bike shops) are properly assembled and not 'junk' bikes. Take advantage of your local LBS's expertise and have a good talk to them about what you want and then testride ... testride and testride! Expect to pay around $350 or more for a good quality hybrid.
A comfort bike is generally a type of hybrid, but it's a marketing term and different manufacturers will give that name to different bikes.
Thank you all for responding to my questions. Our local bike shop has quoted us $329 for a Raleigh 700C Gents and $259 700C for the Ladies.
Thanks again
Hi, Don't be suckered by the sales staff into buying a bike with suspension (even front suspension) in that price range it will brake pretty quickly if fou ride often.
"Joel Mayes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Don't be suckered by the sales staff into buying a bike with suspension (even front suspension) in that price range it will brake pretty quickly if fou ride often.
Bah! I bought a Giant Sedona comfort MTB for a tad over $400.00 around 2 years ago when I weighed around 150kgs and I've been hammering 20-30 kms a day into it ever since. Suspension technology has come down heaps in price and cheaper bikes IMHO represent surprisingly good value for money these days.
On Apr 20, 11:14 am, "OzCableguy" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
"Joel Mayes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Don't be suckered by the sales staff into buying a bike with suspension (even front suspension) in that price range it will brake pretty quickly if fou ride often.
Bah! I bought a Giant Sedona comfort MTB for a tad over $400.00 around 2 years ago when I weighed around 150kgs and I've been hammering 20-30 kms a day into it ever since. Suspension technology has come down heaps in price and cheaper bikes IMHO represent surprisingly good value for money these days.
--www.ozcableguy.comwww.oztechnologies.com
Hear hear! For the type of riding that comfort/hybrid bike purchasers do (i.e. road/bike paths) cheap suspension is perfectly adequate and a damn sight more comfortable than rigid. Of course with the cheap stuff you don't get to win any pissing contests, just enjoy a smooth ride.
"Joel Mayes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Don't be suckered by the sales staff into buying a bike with suspension (even front suspension) in that price range it will brake pretty quickly if fou ride often.
Bah! I bought a Giant Sedona comfort MTB for a tad over $400.00 around 2 years ago when I weighed around 150kgs and I've been hammering 20-30 kms a day into it ever since. Suspension technology has come down heaps in price and cheaper bikes IMHO represent surprisingly good value for money these days.
There's a whole lota difference between a $400+ bike and a sub $200 bike which is what the OP was posting about.
Thank you So should I buy these Raleighs They look all right
Cheers "Joel Mayes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
OzCableguy said:
"Joel Mayes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Don't be suckered by the sales staff into buying a bike with suspension (even front suspension) in that price range it will brake pretty quickly if fou ride often.
Bah! I bought a Giant Sedona comfort MTB for a tad over $400.00 around 2 years ago when I weighed around 150kgs and I've been hammering 20-30 kms a day into it ever since. Suspension technology has come down heaps in price and cheaper bikes IMHO represent surprisingly good value for money these days.
There's a whole lota difference between a $400+ bike and a sub $200 bike which is what the OP was posting about.
Thank you So should I buy these Raleighs They look all right
Cheers
I'd say that's up to you, but (in my opinion anyway) if they don't have suspension and their for casual riding they should be OK.
One thing to keep aware of in any bike is `wobbles' appearing in the moving parts, particularly the bottom bracket (that's the bit which your cranks connect to). This sort of unwanted movement can cause expensive damage very quickly or, in the case of the bottom bracket, can cause irreparable frame damage.
I'm a bit sensative about this at the moment 'cause I've had four bikes come in to work this week with this sort of problem.
Cheers
Joel
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