i need to buy a bicycle: any suggestions?

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I'm fairly close to most of the places I go to in my leisure time (movie theaters, bookstores, coffee shops, record stores, etc) as well as being very close to a park. Many of these places aren't quite walking distance, but they're withing biking distance, and quite frankly I'm sick of dishing out so much money for gas, much of it being used up on these 3-4 mile round trips. Plus, biking is better for exercise. anyway, any suggestions on what to get? I'm on a budget, so I can't afford something that expensive.

― gear (gear), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

great question! i'd like a recommendation as well. all the people I know with bikes become "bike people" and talk over my head about them. when I was a kid a bike was not such a complicated thing. Surely a good bike can be had for about $300? How many gears does a person really need?

― kyle (akmonday), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:27 (twenty years ago)

(that was not meant to be a pun)

― kyle (akmonday), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:27 (twenty years ago)

of course you can get a bike for $300 and a nice one too! probably too nice really. It'll get nicked. Gear, you're an LAer or OCer aren't ya, check out the recycler (no pun intended neither) and see if you can find a TREK 700 or such for $150 or less. Lite weight enough and does the trick.

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:31 (twenty years ago)

gas will continue to go up and up so bike to the rescue. If it's not too wet this year I intend to start biking to work.

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:33 (twenty years ago)

I bought a REI Novara bike for $280 in 1997 that I'm still riding. It's a great bike, and I use it a lot for getting groceries, getting to friend's houses and so on. If you're going to use it for shopping, get a good bike messenger bag. I used to try to use my backpack, but it's really hard to breathe with a heavy bag pulling on both of your shoulders when you're on a bike. I don't buy enough food to need panniers, but they might be a good idea if you will.

Actually, I just had the seat stolen off my poor bike at some point between Wednesday and Saturday afternoon - AARRGGGH. It was locked to the rack in my apartment's secured parking garage, so some *(#)@ resident of this building is probably guilty. I'm mostly annoyed at the stupidity of this because now I have to walk the bike to the closest shop to see about getting a new seat, and they're closed today and tomorrow. What a pain.

Oh, and at my college, in the spring LOTS of graduating seniors would be selling their bikes for really cheap. I'm not sure if as many would be available in the fall, but maybe look around & see if you can get a lightly used one.

― lyra (lyra), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

There are a lot of factors to think about. Do you plan to bike off-road? If not, you should limit your search to hybrids and road bikes. Is your environment hilly or generally pretty flat? If it's flat, a single-speed bicycle can give you a lot of speed any less parts to worry about. If you're in a hilly environment, the more gears, the better.

If you're in relatively good shape and are using this bike mostly around town in a not-too-hilly environment, I really recommend something like this Pista: http://www.runmuki.com/pista.html

If you're not exactly an athlete but still just running around town, get a hybrid "touring" cycle with road tires (not mountain tires):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touring_bicycle

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

Lyra OTM. Also just a thingy that you to the rear wheel and slide a cardboard box on to carry stuff works too. You don't have to wear it, nor worry that it will be stolen - who wants an old cardboard box?

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

doh! s/b bolt to the rear wheel. and unlike a backpack or messenger bag you don't have to wear it.

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

A little off topic, but WHO THE FUCK STEALS A BIKE SEAT? I've been a pretty serious bike rider for on 20 years, and haven't had a saddle stolen, I suppose because I use a bolted seatpin, but...why the hell would you steal someone's seatpost/saddle?

Get a used mid-level mountain bike with a real 4 point rack. Enjoy.

Here's one with a "fake" rack, but if you're carrying only 20lbs or so, it'll do. $100. Perfect, no suspension to worry about either.

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/95391175.html

― Hunter (Hunter), Sunday, 4 September 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, what I want to know is who wants a 8 year old bike seat with the REI logo on it? WTF?
I've been lucky, no one has ever stolen anything off my bike before-- or stolen my bike, even though I'm still using one of those locks that you could crack open with a Bic pen.

I've been told by friends who do actual mountain biking (as opposed to grocery fetching downtown on a mountain bike biking) that the lower gears are 'granny gears'. Whatever, they're useful out here, Seattle has such really steep hills that many times I give up ride half a mile out of the way to just avoid the worst of them. I will probably never bike up Broad St or Madison between Alaska and 1st in my life.

REI bikes online: http://www.rei.com/rei/gearshop/novara/index.html

― lyra (lyra), Sunday, 4 September 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

I bought a great Magna mountain bike at Target the other week, brand new, 21-spee, Shimano components - $80.

― Jena (JenaP), Sunday, 4 September 2005 23:43 (twenty years ago)

This apparently happens on the University campus here every now and again. Your saddle gets nicked so you leave the bike locked up while you try and sort out a new one. You come back the next day ready to fix it and the rest of the bike is gone. :o(

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 5 September 2005 07:09 (twenty years ago)

some people will just rip anything off just for the hell of it.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 5 September 2005 07:19 (twenty years ago)

any recommendations for under £150, pash?

― cozen (Cozen), Monday, 5 September 2005 08:42 (twenty years ago)

For under 150 quid, either buy used, or try to get an end-of-the-line bike.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 5 September 2005 08:57 (twenty years ago)

My car was totalled on Holiday in Wales (Head on with some fucker doing 40 on a road about 6ft wide). I'm not going to replace the car so I'm about to put together the cyclocross bike with racks I've been dreaming of. With disc brakes for the hell of it. Compact 2 ring crank rather than a three ring. Easton Sagitta wheels. Frame as yet undecided although the Uncle John by planet-x looks good (I will go for titanium, probably sibexsports Cossack if my pay raise is good this year). Any ideas for a front fork? (700c + disc + lowrider lugs is not going to happen, is it?) Winwood Muddy Disc looks amazing but may be a little too much for me.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:00 (twenty years ago)

I've been told by friends who do actual mountain biking (as opposed to grocery fetching downtown on a mountain bike biking) that the lower gears are 'granny gears'.

I hope you told your friends to shove their supermuscled arrogance up their collective arses.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:04 (twenty years ago)

Cozen, for a bit more money, but not much, Dawes and Giant bikes look like quite good value. There's also the Edinburgh Bike Co-op that designs and specs it's own 'Revolution' range of bikes. Almost bought one of their courier bikes when I was looking for something to commute on, they seem to do a really good job of building just a basic solid bike to get around on with no extraneous crap on them.

(Eeek, Ed, hope you're okay after your crash)

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:13 (twenty years ago)

Aha, Dawes sell remaining stock off at the end of their model year, though, don't they? I'm not a stockist anymore, but the "discovery" range of hybrids was very good.

I don't know about other parts of the country, but 'ere in NE England, it's a ridiculous buyer's market for used bikes, especially road bikes. I had a Duralinox framed road bike, w/mixed Shimano 600/105 gear in perfect condition take 2 years to sell, and I think it eventually went for 150 quid! Crazy man, Last year someone boaught a Jack Taylor frame road bike w/old-style Campag record gear for under 200 quid. Never mind high-end mountain bikes, they're even worse for losing their value. A bad time to sell, but a good time to buy...

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:23 (twenty years ago)

Crash was OK he managed to skid some of his energy away and we only hit wing to wing insurance write off was probably due to the bus that hit me the day before and an acumulation of dents aquired whilst being parked in Rome a couple of years ago. I'm sick of cars now and petrol is so pricey (plus insurance, tax, parking permit).

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

Well, hope you get a reasonable wodge of cash back from the insurers. BTW, I'm not entirely sure what lowrider lugs are, but Kona do a disc-specific Project Two road/cross fork for only forty quid that have mudguard eyelets or something on them. I've got some P2's on the go at the moment (but not those), solid as hell, good steering and braking stiffness, but not so severe that you'll dislocate your shoulders on bumpy stuff.

Secondhand bikes here are well overpriced it seems compared to oop north.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:37 (twenty years ago)

Low rider lugs are threaded holes about halfway up the fork to attach front racks to. (mudguard eyes are fine for high front racks but they make steering a little less precise and the bike a bit more top heavy).

Pash, what's the story with Lowriders and mounting at the moment. Are there any models that will three/four point mount between mudguard eyes and caliper/canti mounts?

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 09:53 (twenty years ago)

Ed, these are pretty close:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=Kona&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=&ProdID=5360017602&UberCat=0

― mei (mei), Monday, 5 September 2005 10:46 (twenty years ago)

That is definately in the mix, although I'd like to see what is available in between those and these:

http://www.winwoodbike.com/muddydisc.html
http://www.winwoodbike.com/dualist.html

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

http://www.lrbike.com/LRfreeAccRefub.htm

no more confusion and wasted energy trying to shift gears yourself with this patented autoshift technology!

"you can spend more time watching where youre going and enjoying the outdoors"

― brian braindeath (badwords), Monday, 5 September 2005 11:02 (twenty years ago)

^--as heard on tv!

plus if you get the optional indoor trainer you can ride your bike in the comfort of your home at anytime - day or night rain or shine!

but instead i bought a beat down crapper mountain bike from a neighbour dude for $20 last month and did about 200 miles on it so far by my google earth estimates. i havent had a bike in a decade. cycling roolz. tour de nova scotia.

carry on.

― brian braindeath (badwords), Monday, 5 September 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

How do Winwood forks weigh so much? They have carbon out the ass, but 680g is not light. My Redline's fork is alloy/alloy steerer and on a postal digital scale was 570gs. Now, it doesn't have a disc tab, which is possibly 60g or 70g, but still.

Out of curiosity I went to look up the Alpha-q to see what light really looks like and found. I think the Redline fork is actually built by Kinesis, which would be about right--my fork's steerer is cut down for a 56cm frame=~50g.

http://www.truetemper.com/performance_tubing/images/chart_cx.gif

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 5 September 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

I'm guessing that they have to beef up the fork as the braking moment exerted on the fork has moved from just below the headset to just above the axle. Plus, for a giveing braking force on the road the force exerted on rim brakes will be less that that exerted on a a disc by a factor of 4.375.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

(160mm disc)

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

It therefore follows that the force due to braking, exerted on the headset will be of the order of 8.75 times greater for discs than for rim brakes hence more material. The difference between 620g and 680g doesn't seem that much when you take all of that into it.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

a few weeks ago, i picked up a new raliegh mountain bike for about $250. it works,is fairly lightweight, and the seat is flawed. good thing the seat can be replaced- still annoying though.
in the past, ive had 2hand treks and 10speeds i had found in the street- so i might return the raleigh and pick up something from the used bike emporium place down the way, where they 'build to order' or something- but i dont know if i can deal with the whole vibe of the store.

― kephm (kephm), Monday, 5 September 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking roughly the same, Ed--that the force exerted on the disc tabs is much greater than on the canti studs due to the leverage, and so the left leg might need to be strengthened, and the maker probly just strengthens the whole thing.

It doesn't seem right to me that the decellerative force at the fork crown/headset interface would be any different tho. That lever arm length does not change regardless of the brake location. It's from the axle to the crown?

Sorry to hear about your car, Ed, glad you're alright.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 5 September 2005 18:36 (twenty years ago)

I don't know where you are, but here on Martha's Vineyard all the bike rental places near the ferry terminal sell used rental bikes in the fall. They're cheap and decent. Bike shop guys totally disapprove of them, so you have to gear yourself up, gear, to withstand their withering scorn.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Monday, 5 September 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

There are effectively 2 levers in operation, the wheel and the fork. With a disc brake you have two high velocity ratio levers, folded back on each other, increasing the force at the load transfer points quite dramatically. One of the reason that the rim brake system is so good is that it keeps the moment at the headset down to an absolute minimum (two levers with VRs of 1.01 or so). We had the difference between disc and rim brakes set as a first year dynamics problem (The dynamics lecturer ran the sports engineering and biomechanics research team at my uni, Very keen on tennis racket and arm as a multi lever system example).

One of the clever things about bike braking systems is that the brakes act in opposition to the normal loading of the fork, which is in effect an unloading under braking, however it's not as simple as that as the braking load occurs at a different position to the ordinary running load putting a shear load on the fork. Disc brakes exacerbate this, as the loading is closer to the centre of the fork.

Why did I stop engineering this stuff is so fascinating. Oh to do some finite element modelling on fork and frame designs.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

I check a couple of cycling books out of the library and it's clear now that as a person who taught myself to ride a bike at age 11. Like I never learned how to shift or how it works and I still find that really confusing (these books assume you have are familiar). I didn't know you could pull up in the pedals as well as push down. I rode a bike all the time in Boise but everyone just liked cruisers and being fucked up while you ride them. I think I want to get for real with this because it's one form of physical activity I actually like.

ANYWAY what's a good bike for commuting around a city?

― high five delivery device (Abbbottt), Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:29 (thirteen years ago)

ALso a good website for explaining really stupid bicycling fundamentals like you would to a very simple child (which is really where I am at with cycling!)/

― high five delivery device (Abbbottt), Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:31 (thirteen years ago)

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