Are there any Bicyclers out there???
I would love to go biking this spring and summer, but don't really want to always go by myself. I live in the Charleston, WV area.
Now another question? I need a new bike and would like a road/trail bike. If anyone knows anything about a good bike at a good price I would be so happy to hear your suggestions.
Again, if you know a bicycle club I would love to know about it. Any other suggestions you have would be appreciated as well.
Thank you,
Beth
Now another question? I need a new bike and would like a road/trail bike. If anyone knows anything about a good bike at a good price I would be so happy to hear your suggestions.
Again, if you know a bicycle club I would love to know about it. Any other suggestions you have would be appreciated as well.
Thank you,
Beth
Bikes vary greatly in price and performance.
I love cycling, it almost doesn't even seem like exercise.
You can get a hybrid that you can use for road or off road, or even a cycloscross bike which is a road bike but the geometry and wheels are setup so you can take it off road.
However, you will never get the best of both worlds out of them. They will never be the best for the road or for off road, just a bit of a compramise between the two.
Any of the big name brands, Trek, Specialized, Felt, Cervelo, Giant, Cannondale, you are getting what you pay for. None of them makes a crap bike. You are paying good hard earned dollars for a piece of equipment, they realize that and they produce good quality gear. Where you will see the difference is in the components, there are many levels of "drive train" gears, chains, shifting and braking components. Those can greatly change the cost of the bike.
If you can, I recommend you spend as much as you comfortably can. I made the mistake of getting into it cheaply and within a year, my bike was in the shop getting pieces and parts replaced. That is where they save the money, cheaper component to reduce the cost. If you buy a discount bike, you get discount parts generally.
If you find a bike shop that tries to tell you that brand abc is better than def, stay away from them, they are just trying to push their gear. The shops should be honest enough to listen to your requests and requirements and possibly suggest a couple different brands or styles.
Many bike shops have rental plans where you can go rent one of their bikes for a day and ride it. That is the way to go, because often they will apply the rental price to a purchase. To ride the bike for a long day ride is a better idea than to ride it around the block and decide to buy it.
Remember there are extras to buy. Helmet, safety glasses/sunglasses, gloves, possible riding clothes, shoes if you go clipless, repair gear, spare tubes, water bottles, bottle cages, tool bag for under the seat, things like that. They all add up. Unseen costs that most people don't consider at first.
http://www.mountainstatewheelers.org/
http://www.bikexchange.com/bc_a304.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6213/wv.htm
Talk to the local club members there may be someone there who is selling last years bike or they got a new one or something like that. You can often get some good deals.
Also check out craigs list or ebay.
Additionally you could check out an online discounter like http://www.bikesdirect.com/
the downside with online purchase is you aren't going to get to ride the bike prior to the purchase.
Good luck and have fun
Scott
I love cycling, it almost doesn't even seem like exercise.
You can get a hybrid that you can use for road or off road, or even a cycloscross bike which is a road bike but the geometry and wheels are setup so you can take it off road.
However, you will never get the best of both worlds out of them. They will never be the best for the road or for off road, just a bit of a compramise between the two.
Any of the big name brands, Trek, Specialized, Felt, Cervelo, Giant, Cannondale, you are getting what you pay for. None of them makes a crap bike. You are paying good hard earned dollars for a piece of equipment, they realize that and they produce good quality gear. Where you will see the difference is in the components, there are many levels of "drive train" gears, chains, shifting and braking components. Those can greatly change the cost of the bike.
If you can, I recommend you spend as much as you comfortably can. I made the mistake of getting into it cheaply and within a year, my bike was in the shop getting pieces and parts replaced. That is where they save the money, cheaper component to reduce the cost. If you buy a discount bike, you get discount parts generally.
If you find a bike shop that tries to tell you that brand abc is better than def, stay away from them, they are just trying to push their gear. The shops should be honest enough to listen to your requests and requirements and possibly suggest a couple different brands or styles.
Many bike shops have rental plans where you can go rent one of their bikes for a day and ride it. That is the way to go, because often they will apply the rental price to a purchase. To ride the bike for a long day ride is a better idea than to ride it around the block and decide to buy it.
Remember there are extras to buy. Helmet, safety glasses/sunglasses, gloves, possible riding clothes, shoes if you go clipless, repair gear, spare tubes, water bottles, bottle cages, tool bag for under the seat, things like that. They all add up. Unseen costs that most people don't consider at first.
http://www.mountainstatewheelers.org/
http://www.bikexchange.com/bc_a304.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6213/wv.htm
Talk to the local club members there may be someone there who is selling last years bike or they got a new one or something like that. You can often get some good deals.
Also check out craigs list or ebay.
Additionally you could check out an online discounter like http://www.bikesdirect.com/
the downside with online purchase is you aren't going to get to ride the bike prior to the purchase.
Good luck and have fun
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
Scott,
You are a wonderful source of information. I thank you so much. I am going to print your reply and carry it with me when I go looking. I am also going to remember all the hidden costs as well. I never took all those into consideration.
Thank you for the site addresses. May I ask how long you have been riding?
Beth
You are a wonderful source of information. I thank you so much. I am going to print your reply and carry it with me when I go looking. I am also going to remember all the hidden costs as well. I never took all those into consideration.
Thank you for the site addresses. May I ask how long you have been riding?
Beth
I have been riding for a little over 3 years. It was one of my surgery related activities. I started trying to walk and jog even before surgery, and I decided to set a goal for myself to run a triathlon or two.
I needed a bike for that, so I bought the cheapest/nicest bike I could at the time. Out of all of the sports, I like cycling the best, so I recently bought myself a nice bike and put the old bike on the trainer in the garage for rainy day or winter fitness.
The only time cycling becomes real work is if I set time limits (races) or if I tackle a lot of hills. I'm still not a great hill climber, but I suffer through that for the thrill of going 40+ on the downhill side.
Scott
I needed a bike for that, so I bought the cheapest/nicest bike I could at the time. Out of all of the sports, I like cycling the best, so I recently bought myself a nice bike and put the old bike on the trainer in the garage for rainy day or winter fitness.
The only time cycling becomes real work is if I set time limits (races) or if I tackle a lot of hills. I'm still not a great hill climber, but I suffer through that for the thrill of going 40+ on the downhill side.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
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