Entry Level Bike Recommendations - Mile 0

What would you recommend for an entry level bike for a beginning cyclist who is starting from Mile 0 as far as fitness and stamina?

For a woman starting out who is not fit, and not able to spend a lot of money (a LOT less than $300), and who has never been in a real bike shop, what is your recommendation? I know mine will be "test ride at at least 3 local bike shops, ask questions, ask about discounts on last year's model, and get a proper fit."

Is there a make and model, very basic, very economical, that you would recommend to an absolute beginner who has been almost completely sedentary?

Should friends never let friends buy bikes alone?

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I feel like I let a friend down Saturday, because I told her she'd probably need a new bike for a charity ride we're doing in June. Her old Schwinn had been in her parents' garage for 20 years, and would probably have needed new tires and tubes. I tried to get her to take the old bike in to a LBS to have it checked over but she didn't get it done by the weekend. She's not fit (yet), and like me she's diabetic and would really benefit from the exercise.

We were to meet for a practice ride Saturday, and I told her not to worry about bringing her old bike, she could ride my n+1 bike, a Specialized women's Crossroads.

To my surprise she showed up with a new bike that she had bought that morning at Target.

It's pink, it has only 7 speeds, and has no mounting points for water bottles. My male cycling friends (both gearheads) stated she needed to take it back. But my female cycling pal and I aren't so sure - it's lighter than expected, and the point here is to get her moving.

She had no idea how to shift so the simpler SRAM shifter and gearing made it easier after I coached her a bit. I doubt she could get much better in her budget - only about $200.

http://m.target.com/p/schwinn-womens...k/-/A-14917330

It's not heavy, but I felt awful that she had spent the money without asking for advice - the meetup point was at an excellent LBS that had a tent sale with 2014 bikes on sale for 40% off. She still would have paid more to get a better bike, even on sale.

She barely made it around the loop and had to dismount for the slightest grade, but she still wants to ride, which is good. I'll continue to encourage her and the next ride will be on straight, flat rail-trail, no boyz allowed. I may still being my second bike along to let her try out the better gearing.

Just wish she'd talked to me first.

Yes, I was wondering if anyone had similar stories of friends impulsively buying a bike, and recommendations in general for beginner cyclists. My friend ended up with a Schwinn from the big box store, so that's a decent quality entry bike at least. But she got no actual fitting or advice, and her test ride was apparently IN the store. The LBS tent sale where the group ride met up had some good deals, but she didn't want to spend money for something that may sit in her parents' garage for years. I hope to get her to where she enjoys riding, but it'll be touch and go at first.

Well for $200, yes she could look for a used bike but probably would have no idea if it was right for her and could end up with something ill-fitting. Her struggling during your ride with her could have been due to lack of fitness more than the weight or gearing of her new bike.

I think buying a new bike can be overwhelming. Even for someone like me who cycles a lot and knows the people at the LBS by name -- I have no idea about some of the types of bikes they sell. Really when I look at the advice we sometimes give people, I think "too complicated -- they're going to get discouraged."

The right bike for your friend is the one she enjoys riding. If it's a pink bike from Target, but she's having fun, it's fine. Especially since she has you to encourage her and lend her another bike when she's ready to try something else.

The hardest part is getting off the couch and turning the first pedal stroke. And she's done that, which is great!! If people are telling her she's done it wrong, she could get discouraged and give up. But really what matters most is having fun.

How long is the charity ride going to be?

I basically did what your friend did :)

I was way too scared to go into an LBS alone so i bought a $300 bike from a sporting goods store. (They offered to let me test it by riding up and down the store aisles, which i declined) I had to walk up a LOT of hills in my neighborhood at first. But I rode once a week, learned to use the gears, and LOVED my 15mile charity ride. At the end, I had the bug to ride more, so i bought a better hybrid afterwards. I think my cheapie bike was actually a good thing for me because everything seemed so easy afterwards.

Your friend is lucky because she has you to teach her how to use her gears. If you are willing and able to ride slowly with her, I think she'll be fine on her cute pink bike :) I'm not sure I could have been convinced to spend more on a bike in the beginning considering I had no idea if i would like riding.

You know, provided that one makes sure that the bike is actually assembled properly, it's not so bad to start out on an inexpensive bike. Start slow, start simple. No need to start changing things if you don't have to. Yes, she could have gotten a decent used bike for that money, but it can be hard to know what to look for. If she's having fun and nothing hurts (except perhaps sore muscles), it's all good.

Great suggestion about the universal cage mount. I will meet my friend for some easy rides near her home, she's currently doing the 10 mile ride, very easy on a riverside bike path.

We adjusted her seat higher but her pedaling is very knee-out (not sure how else to describe it). As she gets herself sorted, will see if she's interested in minor upgrades.

Basic fitness is something she needs to work on

We're looking forward to a free bike fit offered by Performance Cycling, a local sponsor of the ride.

Novice rider update: I met my friend at her apartment for an easy, no pressure ride around her area. This woman's parking lot connects directly to a lovely network of park MUPs, and there's an on-street route nearby leading directly to a set of famous rails-to-trails bike paths. I told her how jealous I was of her location! We explored the park paths first, and she opted to go for second loops. We also rode a couple of neighborhood streets to connect back to the park loops.

She has a long way to go toward basic fitness, but did really well. Basically I tried to emphasize basics and told her about a recent "women's night" that I attended at my LBS. I did feel bad that she'd wasted money on a silly slip-on saddle pad that promptly slipped off the first time she dismounted. I had to nix the way she wanted to carry her purse by wrapping the strap around the seat post, though! I hope to haul her to the other LBS that's offering the basic fit-adjustment this week.

After a very slow ride with her (about 3.5 miles) I left and drove south to try to find a spot to park near the rail-trails network, and found a sweet park that's earmarked for our next ride. Blew the dust off with a quick 5 miles (not quick by most sane TE standards, but quick for me) before meeting DH to see a movie.

I'm seeing my LBS fitter tonight for a fit adjustment - this is at the shop where I purchased my Vita. I'm passing on the free one offered by Performance for the charity ride, but hope to accompany my friend when she goes for hers. Hoping to get her to just set foot in a real LBS instead of buying silly stuff at Target and making do with bungie cords to hold a water bottle and a bag of snacks. ;)

It's confidence building and learning to shift gears at this point, as she has to stop and rest after just a tiny upgrade.

Also we have some health challenges (diabetes and asthma) and she has to be careful to bring snacks.

She IS fitter than she thinks she is, though. I'm excited for her, as she discovers the joy of cycling.