Pre-newbie looking for guidance!

[mooseamerica]

Hello everyone! What a great community.

I'm a half marathoner that may have to give up distance running due to some intestinal difficulties. The doc suggested I take up cycling instead, and I'm really interested. I'm 50 this year and aside from riding a mountain bike here and there, haven't ridden since I was a kid.

Any suggestions on bikes for the brand new kid? Do you buy the cheapest Giant and then upgrade later, or do you start off with something a little more techy? Since I have to buy everything, the cost is a bit scary.

I'm really interested in any newbie info, including how to learn to ride with clipless pedals and proper shifting. Do you join a group right away? Are there any old gals like me in North San Diego County? I need a buddy.

[KnottedYet]

How much do you want to spend on a bike?

What kind of riding do you want to do?

[mooseamerica]

I suppose that info would be helpful, huh?

I'm looking for a road bike. DH and I just checked out the Giant OCR 3W ($650) and the Trek 1.2 WSD ($750). I don't want to spend too much on my first bike because I don't know what kind of riding I'll be doing, how far, etc. I just want to get started!

Or do you think I would be better off with one or two levels above the basic model? What would you do in my shoes?

[KnottedYet]

I'm incredibly, horribly, indubitably biased. I'd be looking for a steel frame bike that fit perfectly in that price range (maybe used) and planning to upgrade components as my needs changed in the future.

But I like steel.

A lot.

Whatever you get, get a frame that feels wonderful to you when you ride, that feels like it's part of you, that you just can't wait to take off on. Components can be swapped later. The frame is the heart and soul of a bike, the frame is the part you can't change.

Feel the bike love, and don't be afraid to go with what (literally) moves you!

Knot-2-lugged-steel-bikes-and-2-TIG-welded-steel-bikes

(most of the steel bikes I'd recommend are in the $800-$1000 range, which might be more than you're thinking of spending. Try looking at used bikes in your area. Sometimes used can be a really good way to get started.)

[Ana]

I would test ride everything in your price range that you would consider purchasing (hybrids, flat bar road bikes, road bikes with drops)!!! Personally, I like to keep a chart with the bikes that I have my eye on and then I can add ones that the bike shop points out and record the price, components, what I thought about it, etc.

Ride to your hearts content at different stores in different sizes (keep in mind that most people fit 2 sizes--which is usually comes down to a fit preference) and chances are you will know which one you want!

Also, keep your eye out for a friendly bike store you like with staff that are friendly and willing to help you try all these bikes! They should be able to ask you about your riding style, your goals, etc to make some good suggestions about the kinds of bikes that would best serve you. One of the worst things is having to buy a bike from a store with unhelpful people because a lot of shops offer you free tune ups if you purchase your bike at their store so you're most likely to return So pick a place that seems professional that you would trust to work on your bike and are not only friendly but also willing to accommodate your desires as a customer!

One way to tell is if they offer to adjust the seatpost height for you when you test ride (if they don't offer, ask them so you can get the most accurate approximate fit when you test ride)! They should also be able to tell you something about the fit of the bike when they see you on it (too small, too cramped, not enough standover, etc).

OMG, this makes me want to go bike shopping

[Zen]

Did you ride either of those bikes?
I have a the Pilot 1.2 and I like it a lot, but that's me.

[kelownagirl]

I'm incredibly, horribly, indubitably biased. I'd be looking for a steel frame bike that fit perfectly in that price range (maybe used) and planning to upgrade components as my needs changed in the future.

But I like steel.

A lot.

Whatever you get, get a frame that feels wonderful to you when you ride, that feels like it's part of you, that you just can't wait to take off on. Components can be swapped later. The frame is the heart and soul of a bike, the frame is the part you can't change.

Feel the bike love, and don't be afraid to go with what (literally) moves you!

Knot-2-lugged-steel-bikes-and-2-TIG-welded-steel-bikes

(most of the steel bikes I'd recommend are in the $800-$1000 range, which might be more than you're thinking of spending. Try looking at used bikes in your area. Sometimes used can be a really good way to get started.)

And the rest of us drool over carbon...

[NbyNW]

I love my steel bikes -- very smooth rides, very responsive. And the chro-moly steel of today's bikes is a wonderful material. Steel does not necessarily mean heavy!

Never been on a carbon bike but I'm sure there's a reason why people love it, too -- it probably just comes down to personal preference.

Try out lots of bikes and don't let anyone rush you into a decision.

Good luck and have fun!

[OakLeaf]

And the rest of us drool over carbon...

Except for us crash-prone riders of carbon frames, who drool over titanium

Here we go spending someone else's money over their budget again

[mooseamerica]

Did you ride either of those bikes?
I have a the Pilot 1.2 and I like it a lot, but that's me.

I did today. They seemed fairly equal. But I just rode around the parking lot to get a feel.

What steel bikes are you endorsing?

[KnottedYet]

Oh, you must ride more than the parking lot!

My LBS lets me take bikes out for 10-15 mile test rides. It's hard to know with just a parking lot ride. Half an hour or more is good, I think.

Steel: I have a Surly Cross Check ($900). Surly Long Haul Truckers are nifty ($950) Jamis Aurora are sweet and smooth ($850). Trek 520 are classic, but more than $1000. Really, if you can find used steel it will be cheaper than new. There are enough steel nuts on TE that you can get plenty of guidance as you search through steel used bikes on Ebay or Craigs.

[VeloVT]

Just for another opinion...

I really like the IDEA of steel bikes. When I bought a commuter I was sure I wanted a steel one. I tested lots of bikes in my price range and it came down to a lightweight steel cyclocross bike (Lemond Propad, before they put disc brakes on it) and an aluminum cyclocross bike (Bianchi Axis). I tried some heavier steel bikes (Bianchi Volpe, for one) too.

So, I bought the alu bike. They were about the same weight (~20-21 lbs, with pedals and knobby tires). The Lemond had a silky steel ride, nicer than old steel even. But it just wasn't as fun. Some of this might have been geometry related, but a lot of it was that aluminum is noticeably stiffer and snappier than steel, even good quality steel, and this really makes the bike feel faster, even when the weights are the same. (Of course, just as there are different grades of steel there are also different grades of aluminum, and I rode one cheapy alu bike that felt like a tank...). The heavy steel bikes are, well, heavy. However nice steel feels doesn't make up for an extra five pounds, for me.

I just bought a carbon road bike. But if I were looking to buy a less expensive road bike that I was going to spend a LOT of time on (not just an errand bike), I'm almost certain I'd choose alu over steel again. It is a more jarring ride, and lots of people hate that, but for me the stiffness makes up for it.

I totally get why people love steel, it is a very smooth ride, and I wouldn't knock them for it any more than I'd knock people who like vanilla instead of chocolate. But all in all, I think if I were just buying one bike and wanted maximum bang for my buck (and my budget didn't allow carbon or ti) I would pick aluminum over steel.

There, I've said it, let the stoning begin .

That said, I've never ridden ti, but I think ti bikes are gorgeous aesthetically, and I have a feeling I might like the ride too. Hmmm....

[KnottedYet]

Kona makes some very nice aluminum bikes in your price range. My LBS calls their alu frames "bombproof."

(I had an alu Kona Dew. Great bike! Sweet geometry. Very fast for a hybrid. Incredibly comfortable for short rides around 20-30 miles.)

[Trek420]

$0.50 tour & over generalization of bike frames:

Steel - buttery smooth ride, inexpensive, repairable! - crash it into the carport, get it fixed, beautiful, classic heavy . Don't drool on mine, it'll rust.


Aluminum- fast, light, zippy, stiff, CHEAP, stiff responsive sprinting machine . you'll feel every candy bar wrapper you go over .

Carbon - fast, light, zippy, stiff take out a 2nd mortgage expensive, has less "road feel", feels dead

Ti - buttery smooth steel-like ride, light, fast , sell your soul on e-Bay EXPENSIVE, some find it "noodly", not stiff enough for sprinters or climbing .

Now, enter the designer!!! And the builder and your LBS!

With the right combination Ti can be stiff, zippy, with the buttery steel-like ride, carbon can have great road feel and still be a racing machine (but they are still both expensive-sorry, nothing changes that), aluminum can be comfortable and still zippy yet inexpensive and steel .... now, nothing rides like steel and steel can be light.

Now, get out there and find your LBS (that's local bike shop) and try bikes, try bikes, try bikes! What are you doing reading this? We're living through you, all the thrill of hunting for the right bike but with your money

Get out there and we want to hear the ride reports.

*disclosure, I have 3 bikes and counting, all steel ranging from a free-project bike, a 25 year old commuter, to Italian full-custom dream machine. Yeah, I like steel too but they are all great bikes!

[KnottedYet]

Necessary disclaimer: all Trek420's bikes are steel. (as are all my bikes)

WE ARE BIASED!!!!!