Beginner ready to get started!

[LAM]

I'm probably not even considered a beginner seeing as I do not have a bike or any equipment yet. Sad I know. I am a college student in need of a good bike. I am moving to NAshville, TN for school and i am really wanting to start cycling seeing as its a perfect location for it. I have been taking spin classes at my gym for a while now to prepare for it, and I feel ready. I just need some advice first. I was wondering some good but not too expensive brands of bikes that would be good for me. Also, I was wondering if their is any beginners advice you have for me. Its greatly needed and appreciated! Thanks

[Trek-chick]

The best bike is one that fits you well. I would have a fitting done at your local LBS when you are ready to start looking. Also, test ride lots of bikes....all sizes are not created equally. One brand 54cm may be like a 52 or 56 on another brand bicycle.

You can search the forum about component choices.....what may be better than another....Happy Hunting!!!!:D Let the fun begin.

It took me months to find the right bike but, it was so worth it:)

BTW, welcome to the forum

[MartianDestiny]

Welcome to the forum and to the crazy biking habit!

My advice, forget brands for now; that's less important. You need to be thinking about what style of riding you want to focus on, what features/abilities you want in a bike, and what your budget is (for the bike AND for all the necessary startup accessories).

Some questions to think about for yourself (and answer here if you want feedback on bike types/brands/models that we'd recommend):

What type of terrain is my primary interest (mountain single track, groomed double track/packed trails, paved trails, roads)?

What types of terrain do I want to be able to handle even if they aren't my primary use?

What is/are my cycling goal(s) and what is the priority order (commute, commute to school, road group rides, fitness, racing, mountain biking, tricks, etc)? (This question will actually feed into a list of more specific questions to ask yourself later!)

What is my current fitness level and difficulty of terrain I plan to ride on and what equipment do I need to make that workable? (we can help with the second part)

What is my budget?

What are my storage options (inside most of the time, needs to be locked outside, needs to be locked outside sometimes, security level of locations, etc)?

After you get those somewhat sorted out in your head (and it's ok if some of the answers are "I'm not sure, but I'm thinking maybe....") you can head back here or to your LBS (local bike shop) and get lots of good suggestions for bike types and brands to try out and some other questions to think about.

[tctrek]

oops.. wrong post.

[LAM]

Thanks for the advice. I definitely am more focused on paved roads and roads in general. As far as my fitness level goes, I'm not sure. I make it through a hour spin class pretty easily, but seeing as I haven't been able to ride outside yet, I'm not sure how much different it would be...I'm expecting a lot. I want to get into cycling more for fitness than anything else, maybe commute to school. As far as budget goes...I'm looking more on the cheaper side unfortunately, but I will be able to keep my bike in my apartment.

[Catrin]

You will find that spinning class is more intense than riding outside of mountains :) Spinning is great for building endurance, it has been a blessing to me in that way. I started spinning last October - 2 months before stepping over a bike for the first time in my life and it has been very helpful. Of course a spinning bike isn't the same, but it is a great tool and far better than those regular upright bikes at the gym.

I still spin twice a week though it is riding season - I enjoy it and it is more intense. Our instructor is an avid mountain biker who also does road riding and he kicks our butts :p I can see the benefit of the work though, it has made me much stronger and has increased my endurance. We have pretty much the same group in class each time so he knows what our goals/needs are.

As a new cyclist myself I can't speak to your choices - but I wanted to say that you have found a very supportive forum to join. These wonderful gals have been very patient with me through not one but TWO bike purchases in 4 months and have provided great advice along the way. Like you, when I first joined I did not yet own a bike.

There are some decent bikes to be had at the lower price points, you can always upgrade components later if needed/desired. It's great that you can store your bikes inside, both of mine share my living room :rolleyes:

As someone from Tennessee, and who lived in Nashville for most of the 1990's, you will need to consider the hills when you start looking at bikes. Central Tennessee may not have mountains, but there are steep ridges and hills - and depending on where you wind up living there can be significant grades. Are you going to attend Vanderbilt?

[LAM]

Actually I am attending Tennessee State University. It will definitely be different from what I am used to (being from a small town and all), but I am a speech pathology major and they are the only school with that masters degree...I will be living in an apartment just outside of the downtown area..hopefully. So should I get a certain bike because of the hills there? And I was just wondering what was considered an average cost for a decent bike...I know my yoga instructor just spent 1500 for her new one, and that is completely out of my price range...I'm worried I won't be able to find one that I can afford.

[MartianDestiny]

Price wise, a true, drop-bar road bike is going to run you in the neighborhood of $1000 for an entry model. Like this:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/avail.3.light.blue.white/3881/36266/

A flat bar road bike can be had for closer to the $5-700 range. Something like this: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/dash.3/3876/36254/

(I'm just using Giant as an example; plenty of other brands out there). Used may be a good option, especially if you have someone knowledgeable that can help you with fit. Relatively new, used roadbikes tend to start in the $500, whereas more vintage ones can be had for $100-200 but may need a lot of work.

[sundial]

I am a college student in need of a good bike. I am moving to NAshville, TN for school and i am really wanting to start cycling seeing as its a perfect location for it.

Are you wanting to commute on campus as well?

I would first locate a bike shop and ask to make an appointment with their fit specialist. I would determine if a women's specific design or a unisex design would fit you best. Then you can start narrowing down your options.

May I suggest a versatile multi road bike such as a Specialized Sirrus, (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCExperience.jsp?eid=4356&menuItemId=12189) Trek 7.3 FX (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/fx/73fxwsd/) Jamis Coda (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/10_codacomp.html) compact for starters. If you are wanting something with more of a road bike feel, a Specialized Dolce (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45718&menuItemId=0) comes to mind.

[staceysue]

I'm relatively new to this, as well. I got a lot of very good suggestions from the ladies on here last year and I couldn't be happier with the bike I chose. Because I got a bike I absolutely LOVE, I spend a lot of time riding it.

I didn't have much to spend and I wanted a high-quality bike I would really enjoy riding, so I decided to go used. It took me a little extra time because I had to find somebody selling one in my size, but it was definitely worth it.

I hadn't even considered a road bike before I came on here. The skinny tires and dropped bars intimidated me, and I thought I should be looking for a comfort bike or a hybrid. I am absolutely THRILLED with my road bike. It's fast and responsive.

I would feel comfortable riding it around campus, if it had paniers on it to hold books etc., but I would worry aboutsomebody stealing it. I bought mine in a college town and while I was shopping I found a TON of really great deals on used mountain bikes in the LBSs but very few road bikes. If I was still in college, I'd probably get an adequate used mountain/hybrid bike for school and a good used road bike for "real riding'.

[ColoKate]

I just wanted to chime in with staceysue...I was against a road bike with skinny tires and dropped bars and special shoes because it intimidated me, however I waited to make a decision and passed on quite a few hybrid bikes I was SURE was "the one" and I'm so glad I did. I mulled it over and got lots of input from others, all who steered me toward a road bike. I was impatient and wanted to jump on every bike I looked at, but again waited and snagged a great deal on craigslist - a $1200+ bike hardly used for just $400. It's serving me well on the downtown roads and paved bike paths so far. Just loving it. Good luck searching, and enjoy! :)

[LAM]

Thanks for all the advice...I looked at my LBS and they had a used FUJI road bike for $400, and they told me it was the size i needed. I was just wondering if anyone had any feedback on this brand. He also said it weighed 24 pounds, and I was wondering if this is considered too heavy?

[staceysue]

I don't know anything about the different brands but if you use the "search" function at the top of the page you can see what everybody's said about their Fujis. If you know the model and year, you can see what it cost new. Did you give it a test drive?

[roguedog]

Thanks for all the advice...I looked at my LBS and they had a used FUJI road bike for $400, and they told me it was the size i needed. I was just wondering if anyone had any feedback on this brand. He also said it weighed 24 pounds, and I was wondering if this is considered too heavy?

Lam, can you provide a bit more info like model and componentry? Fuji's are pretty good bikes. I think of them as good value bikes.

Also were you able to take it out for a decent ride .. like 40 minutes or more? HOw did you like the ride? Did you feel any discomfort? Did it feel rough or sooth? How did you like it?

These days there are good deals on craigslist for used bikes. As someone mentioned will you be using this for road riding or for commuting to school? IF the latter, I'd be afraid of getting too nice a bike.

And I dunno bout TSU but my college had auctions for bikes on campus. These were run by the campus police and I got decent deal on a bike.. which I think got stolen, if I recall. :cool: