My Introduction

Hi Shawn and welcome.

I'm also just getting into road cycling. And I would recommend that you take some time and go down to one of your LBS (local bike shops). I think since you're just getting into it, that'll be the best path to take. They can fit you for your new bike and make any adjustments to the bike that may need to be done. A lot easier doing it this way. That's the road I took. Uh, no pun intended.

I'd say to take a look at several shops, see what bikes they offer, see what kind of deals you can get. I ended up purchasing a Trek 1500. I visited several shops and the people at this shop were by far, the nicest. They also through in a free 3-month tune up and a water bottle w/ cage. You should also get a helmet. Maybe the shop will give you a special if you buy the bike and helmet together.

Maybe you can find a better deal in the classifieds. I think it's worth it to pay a little more and save yourself some trouble and some aches. Some bike shops will even have used bikes for sale.

I say visit your lbs and see what they have to offer.

Enjoy the road!

But I would like to have a good bike that would do some great damage without getting into it too much (In case I don't like this as much as I think that I would) but being able to build upon the bike if I do enjoy it (For I read that you could, with time, create a custom bike without ever having to completely get rid of your bike or trade it in).

I want to be able to ride the bike to school, because gas is getting more and more expensive, and it could be something I could take to college to get around campus in when possible (to save even more money).

I'm a newbie too! Welcome aboard!

So it sounds like you are in high school, would like something you could take to college with you, and are considering buying something used...

Check out sheldonbrown.comframe sizing.htmlOpen ↗ for an article about frame sizing. It may be hard to find the perfect fit, especially if you are buying on E-bay or something, but this will get you close. You want to be able to dismount and stand over the frame without, ahem, risking severe damage to your future. If you find that you are leaned over too far or that you are sitting too upright, you may be able to fix this with a new stem (that you either buy new or off another used bike).

As to frame materials, steel absorbs vibration better than aluminum. Aluminum doesn't rust when you leave it parked outside at college.

If possible, I would try to find a used bike from an upscale brand like Trek, Lemond, Cannondale, Bianchi (and there are many more). The reason for this is because they use industry standard parts that you can replace when they wear out.

Also, I would suggesting taking a look at Shimano's website and becoming familiar with their groupsets (that's a fancy term for sprockets and the mechanisms that make them shift gears) and look at the new bikes on the web and see what groupsets they attach to their best bikes. If buying used, you want to get the best components for the money.

It isn't so important how many gears a bike has. A lot of bikes now sell a triple chainring in the front. The inside ring is referred to as the "granny gear" because it is so slow that even your grandmother could ride up a mountain with it. If you expect to ride big hills, you may want to look for one. Otherwise, more gears means that you can fine tune how hard you have to turn the pedals (which is important if you are trying to train your heart to the maximum). Good to have but not essential.

Finally, consider what other equipment you will need in the budget. Locks, a helmet, lights, cycling shorts, etc. can all add up. I find that these accessories mean even more to me than my bicycle itself. You also may want to go to your LBS and ask about "clipless pedals." Special shoes clip into special pedals and this gives you a lot more power.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I suppose I will go for a new bike, but it looks like a total package will cost me in excess of 600 or 700 dollars... unfortately... unless I can find a beginner's bike used, but I probably won't. I am a little more than certain that I really want to do this; we'll see if I can make up the muster to save up some extra money in the meantime for that, but I will let you know... just saying it might be a while.

If there is anyone in the area (Liberty, Missouri) I'd love to talk to you about it, maybe go riding with you if it's possible (And you have an extra bike). I'll try to get a hold of JP (The mentor I was talking about) but I am not sure if he has an extra bike or not. None-the-less thanks for the suggestions and I will make sure the bike store makes it fit.

So I went to my LBS and got some information. They steered me towards the Trek 1000 and said my inseam would be around 52 or so probably, so if I were to get the bike in stock I'd have to order it. They offered free repair and replacement with the bike, sounded like 1 year repair and maintenance for free with lifetime for the bike parts/accessories. It sounded like a fairly good deal. They wanted $575 for the bike, plus I asked them about other stuff I'd need, like helmet, shoes, pedals, etc. and they said if I bought the bike I'd get a discount off of all that stuff but they figure around $150 or $200 for the accessories. I have an inquiry about clothing and riding at night though:

It has reflectors in it, and being the scary cat that I am, I'll definently keep them on there, but also I was interested in clothing. I figure I should get some bike shorts and shirt (those clingy type) since I'm sure that they help you with sweating problems (because I sweat a lot) and also breathing... I hear that you don't wear underwear under the bike shorts, so I hope to find something comfortable for that, but was wondering on what you suggestion was for those two... do they make ones that are going to be able to be seen at night (reflective), and also, I wanted to know you insight for riding at night since I figure I'll be trying that when I first get the bike. I will keep the regular pedals on the bike so that I can learn to stay on the bike when stopped, and then probably switch to clipless pedals and shoes from then...

Also, what do you recommend for a computer? I'd like to have one that is wireless; what do you recommend?

iShawn said:

So I went to my LBS and got some information. They steered me towards the Trek 1000 and said my inseam would be around 52 or so probably, so if I were to get the bike in stock I'd have to order it. They offered free repair and replacement with the bike, sounded like 1 year repair and maintenance for free with lifetime for the bike parts/accessories. It sounded like a fairly good deal. They wanted $575 for the bike, plus I asked them about other stuff I'd need, like helmet, shoes, pedals, etc. and they said if I bought the bike I'd get a discount off of all that stuff but they figure around $150 or $200 for the accessories. I have an inquiry about clothing and riding at night though:

It has reflectors in it, and being the scary cat that I am, I'll definently keep them on there, but also I was interested in clothing. I figure I should get some bike shorts and shirt (those clingy type) since I'm sure that they help you with sweating problems (because I sweat a lot) and also breathing... I hear that you don't wear underwear under the bike shorts, so I hope to find something comfortable for that, but was wondering on what you suggestion was for those two... do they make ones that are going to be able to be seen at night (reflective), and also, I wanted to know you insight for riding at night since I figure I'll be trying that when I first get the bike. I will keep the regular pedals on the bike so that I can learn to stay on the bike when stopped, and then probably switch to clipless pedals and shoes from then...

Also, what do you recommend for a computer? I'd like to have one that is wireless; what do you recommend?

Maybe you should consider getting some $15 platform pedals to start with. If you haven't ridden for a long time having your feet attached to the pedals is a bad idea. It's very likely that you will need to put a foot down to keep youself up! You can always buy shoes and clipless pedals at a later date, after you gain confidence in riding. I like Fruit of the Loom all cotton no pocket T shirts which come in high visibility colors for about $4 at Wallmart.
Weight training gloves are just as good as cycle gloves at around $6 a pair at the local "big box" sporting goods store. As to shorts I like Mountain Bike shorts which look like "baggies" with a padded inner lining like a bathing suit.
(about $25 on Ebay) I like Bell's $18 helmet at Wallmart again. I recently bought a new one to replace one I was wearing which absorbed a severe frontal lobe impact and probably saved my life! They work. It is possible to outfit for much less than $200. Good luck and enjoy the ride!