Poor Cyclist

[fikustree]

I am kind of struggling with the cycling world. I am poor. I wanted to start riding for exercise and to commute to work. I didn't realize how much fun it was going to be! Now I want to learn all sorts of things about cycling but everything seems very geared towards buying things, taking your bike to get tuned, having computers etc.

Are there any other poor cyclists out there who got a bike from a garage sale and are trying to figure out where to buy cheap cycling shorts? I almost got sick when I went into a bike shop and saw how much they cost. I was thinking maybe I could afford 20$

Any tips would be so appreciated. I feel alone.

[Tuckervill]

Depending on where you live, you should be able to find a bike for cheap. It doesn't really matter what you buy--if you want to ride, you can make it work.

Garage sales are the best place to find cheap bikes, IMO. I'm sure you can find something. Where DO you live?

Karen

[mimitabby]

hey Fikustree

I just bought a pair of used bike shorts for 25 bucks including postage.
you need to shop around. in the meantime, check craigslist and garage sales for bikes.
We all savor a good bargain. You're right, a lot of us are putting $$$ into bicycles, but some of us don't have much money and are still riding bikes and having a great time.
Must have: a helmet/ gloves.
gloves were on sale at Performance bike the other day for 10 dollars.
Helmets can be gotten fairly cheaply too.
And bikes? my son found one last year that was marked "FREE" and he rode it home!

[Popoki_Nui]

Value Village, Salvation Army, Goodwill. This morning I did my monthly circuit of these stores. On other outings I've seen bike shorts, tights, helmets, and occasionally even some decent bikes. It pays to be persistent; keep going and you're bound to find much of the goodies you need/

[Trek420]

...bike swap meets are my favorite way to save a buck or two.

Check your local cycling club. I've gotten wonderful deals. Stick around here and you'll learn ways to make the sport affordable and welcome to TE.

[teigyr]

Take it slow and buy things as you need them. You don't need a computer, especially right away. The shorts? See how far you start riding. Could be you can get by with what you're wearing until the distance is such that you are uncomfortable. Check with local cycling clubs to see if there are swap meets around where you are.

You need gloves, a helmet, a multi-tool, tire levers, and tubes/patch kit. Oh and you need a pump. After that, just see how far you go with it!

I've seen bikes listed for very reasonably. There was somebody in Washington from TE who had a whole bunch of bikes she was selling for about $100/ea +/-.

You can do it

[singletrackmind]

We have a used bike store in our town that sometimes has bargains....another place to look. My first road bike was a Flandria for $60 at a garage sale. I rode it for 16 years before the mountain bike bug hit me. I wore regular shorts on all my rides and while I admit there's a plus to bike shorts, I was ok with what I had.

Familiarize yourself with good and bad components if you haven't already, so you can sort the difference between good cheap and bad cheap. Stamped steel brakes come to mind. Flat and you could prolly bend 'em with your hand.

[Python]

I bought my bike for £18 ($36). Tyre repair kit which included tyre levers - 98p (under $1). My helmet cost more than the bike £26.99 ($52). Cycling shorts were £14.99 ($30) and cycling shirt £11.99 ($24) - both items were sale prices. I'd a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms - what you call tights lurking in my wardrobe. They cost me £2.99 ($6) just over a year ago when the local sports shop had a sale on. They're not cycling tights but are fine for my 2 1/2 mile commute to and from work. You don't really need any special clothing if you're only going short distances. Normal T-shirts are fine

[dex]

I was wandering through Target this afternoon and saw padded cycling shorts for $25. I don't know how good (or not) they are, but they might be worth a look. I've also occasionally seen used ones for cheap ($8-10) at various thrift stores.

[RolliePollie]

For cycling clothes, gloves, saddle, pedals, etc., I've had great luck with shopping online. Ebay, Sierra Trading Post (my favorite!), and Campmor are great. REI has an online outlet that's pretty good too (and shipping is free is you have it sent to your closest REI store). Also, check out the sales right here on TE. I bought my bike new from my LBS, but I did see some pretty nice used bikes on Craigslist too.

I paid $42.99 for a new Terry Butterfly saddle and $19.99 for a new pair of Pearl Izumi Attack Shorts on ebay. And I picked up some Canari jerseys from Campmor for $19.99. I basically refuse to pay full price for anything if at all possible. Even my cycling shoes...I went out and tried on a bunch of brands and sizes, then checked around online and got a pair of $95 Pearl Izumi's for $24.

You can do it on a budget! Good luck and happy shopping!

[enzed]

Getting back on the bike didn't cost me that much.

After a couple of years walking alot & using public transport, my elderly neighbour offered me a old mountain bike. I had been doing some errands for him & he said I could keep it.

It came with a helmet & a safety vest. I brought a cable lock, a pump & a patch kit - not much $$. I had this bike for 9 months, before I retired it. Though it wasn't flash, it got me back into cycling & gave me alot of freedom.

My next (& current) bike was a Trek 7100fx. In July 2005 I was at my LBS, getting my mountain bike gears adjusted.
I eyed a sleek silver bike in the back & it caught my eye. It was a lightly used bike somebody had traded in, but it hadn't yet been priced for sale.
$220 later, it was mine. I reckon it was fate - we were meant to ride together
My old mountain bike was traded in for a good set of bike lights, and has since been serviced and resold to a good home.
The good thing about buying from a LBS, is that the bikes have been serviced & they offer a waranty (in my case it was for 3 months).


My first pair of bike shorts were actually shy shorts brought from my local charity shop but for a few months I rode in normal shorts without too many problems.
I used to ride in normal teeshirts all the time, until I saw a bike top on sale at my LBS. Most of my bike tops were brought for 1/2 price, just like all my bike shorts. I can usually get a good pair of bike shorts for less than $50.

Good luck, the bargains are out there.

[RoadRaven]

Alot of our bike parts... frames, wheels, bars, aeros, pdeals, cleats etc we have bought from the NZ equivilent of EBay... TradeMe.

We have also picked up a few excellent quality bikes at half to two-thirds of the price they would be new.

A great way to save a few bucks

Happy shopping

[Torrilin]

You don't need a ton of specialized gear to enjoy your bike. And you certainly don't need to buy every bit right away.

Make sure you focus on the safety equipment and the maintenance equipment first. A bike shop will charge a fair bit for repairs, and often it will be cheaper to buy the tools and do it yourself. Then the next time it comes up, you have the tools. If you're not sure how to do the repair, check your local library. Ours has a good half dozen books on bike repair on the shelves at any given time. And well, safety equipment is there to prevent expensive medical bills. A bike light or a helmet is a lot cheaper than a hospital stay. Note that a water bottle is safety equipment. Dehydration is dangerous.

If most of your rides are under 10 miles, regular pants or shorts will be fine. I have yet to go farther than that, but it seems like a fair number of people can handle even longer distances in regular clothes.

Oh, and tailor the special equipment to what *you* are doing. If you're in the upper midwest, and the nearest mountains are hundreds of miles away, mountain biking isn't realistic. If you're in Pennsylvania and every trip you take features at least one mountain and normal Pennsylvania roads, racing isn't realistic. Special "sports bars" and "sports drinks" can be useful... if you're doing things like a century race on a regular basis. If you're not, people ate regular foods for millenia. Most people still do. Regular food still works when you bike .

[margo49]

The first thing to remember is that whatever road or distance you ride on your bike has already been ridden by a woman on a Raleigh Sports with 3-speed Sturmey-Archer gearing in the 1930's. If she could do it, so can we. There is also a story here on the boards somewhere of a TE girl riding up a steep hill in Pennsylvania being overtaken by a traditionally-dressed Amish lass on a Dutch bike!
I agree that gloves and helmet are essential. Shorts you can wait till you are uncomfortable . I did all my youthful long-distance touring and messengering in regular Cut-offs. You do not say your age but my experience is that the Female Nether Regions are Never Quite The Same Again after the children, so if you are a mother you might need them straight away.
In our intimate relationships (of whatever combination of ages and genders), most of us started out with not very much "stuff" and gradually put together a Good Home; and even looking back remember how happy we were with so little.
Same with biking (another Intimate Relationship if ever there was one!!). You do need a bike, but it doesn't have to be the latest or fanciest. You will always love your first bike the most anyway, whatever you end up riding!

Stick around, nobody here ever puts anybody down because of their equipment, accessories or lack of them. The Women here have so much experience and knowledge and stories to share. We don't have time to engage in negative comparisons (in between biking, the rest of our lives and the TE forums!)

[rij73]

nashbar.com and performancebike.com are both really good places if you are on a budget. I never buy anything unless it's at least 50% off...