Bike recomendations
I know there are several of you on here that are avid bikers. I am interested in duathalons and would like to purchase a bike. I currently weigh 200lbs and am 5'5". I do have several bike shops in town that will help me, but I dont want to overbuy. I am finally over the worst of the "oh look I have a tailbone" pain and thought now would be a good time to start biking. I live in the south, so it is rarely to cold to ride. I havent been on anything but a granny bike in ages and I really looking forward to your advice!
Lots of 5K's, 10K's., 4 1/2 Marathons, 3 Sprint Triathlon done. 2 Olympics and my First IRONMAN 70.3 September 2013 and First Full Marathon Dec 2013 !!!!!
My blog- www.NPRunner.blogspot.com
Im totally new to cycling/bikes and really dont know a whole lot -but maybe start with a trip to the bike store to check out the different bikes - you can get on and compare a road bike to a hybrid. You'd probably want a road bike if you think you might be doing races and what not, but if you aren't too worried about speed, hybrids could be an option.
Pick the kind of bike you want and then you can look at the specific features you want within your price range.
The tailbone pain will come back when you first start riding, along with other sensitve areas. It takes some getting used to, but you do. Padded shorts are my friends - i cant sit on a bike without them.
Pick the kind of bike you want and then you can look at the specific features you want within your price range.
The tailbone pain will come back when you first start riding, along with other sensitve areas. It takes some getting used to, but you do. Padded shorts are my friends - i cant sit on a bike without them.
www.sexyskinnybitch.wordpress.com - my journey to sexy skinny bitch status
11/16/12 - Got my Body by Sauceda - arms, Bl/BA, LBL, thigh lift.
HW 420/ SW 335 /CW 200 
85 lbs lost pre-op / 135 post op
~~~~Alison~~~~~
Yeah for getting into cycling- it's an amazing sport!
Go to those local bike shops and tell the sales person exactly what you are looking for. They should be friendly and informative- if not- go to the next shop. They will help you pick out the bike that you need.
I'm with Allison, if you are going to do races then you need a road bike or a Tri bike. I wouldn't waste money on cheap bike or a cruiser/granny bike as you will just get frustrated with the heavy weight of it.
You mentioned that you don't want to overbuy, but cycling is rather expensive to start with. However, once you get the gear, it's pretty affordable. It's not like Skiing or Golf where you have to pay to play! But buying a high quality bike is not cheap. You could look on Craigslist, and you may get lucky, but you may also be buying someone else's problems...
I would also get as high a quality components as you can afford, (meaning don't waste money on Sora) but I don't know that you need a full carbon bike right outta the gate. I've got an aluminum bike and it works just great.
And yes, you will need some extras: padded shorts, water bottle, pump, extra tubes, small pump or CO2cartridges and levers for fixing flats, helmet, and clip-less peddles will help you go faster (Tho I know they seems scary at first- they are really easy to use).
Scott...what I am I forgetting?
Good Luck
:Danni
Go to those local bike shops and tell the sales person exactly what you are looking for. They should be friendly and informative- if not- go to the next shop. They will help you pick out the bike that you need.
I'm with Allison, if you are going to do races then you need a road bike or a Tri bike. I wouldn't waste money on cheap bike or a cruiser/granny bike as you will just get frustrated with the heavy weight of it.
You mentioned that you don't want to overbuy, but cycling is rather expensive to start with. However, once you get the gear, it's pretty affordable. It's not like Skiing or Golf where you have to pay to play! But buying a high quality bike is not cheap. You could look on Craigslist, and you may get lucky, but you may also be buying someone else's problems...
I would also get as high a quality components as you can afford, (meaning don't waste money on Sora) but I don't know that you need a full carbon bike right outta the gate. I've got an aluminum bike and it works just great.
And yes, you will need some extras: padded shorts, water bottle, pump, extra tubes, small pump or CO2cartridges and levers for fixing flats, helmet, and clip-less peddles will help you go faster (Tho I know they seems scary at first- they are really easy to use).
Scott...what I am I forgetting?
Good Luck
:Danni
:Danni >>>AIDS/LifeCycle 10 & 11 Finisher: 545miles on the bike in 7 days <<<
HW390/SW340/CW 208/GW170
Those are all great suggestions that you have gotten already.
Decide what kind of riding you are going to do, road cycling, recreational weekend rides with the spouse and kiddies, off road, triathlons whatever. Know what it is that you want to do and what you expect to get out of it.
There is a bike specific to any of these. There are crossover bikes but you will always be sacrificing one for another, it's kind of like trying to get your mini-van to be a Mercedes and a ferrari and a hybrid, it's never going to excel at any of those jobs.
Check with your local bike club and the local shops. You can also find club members who are upgrading or downsizing their bike collection, often at savings to yourself.
Many of the local shops have rental programs you can rent a bike for a day and they will take the rental cost off of a purchase price. You want to ride the bike for more than 5 minutes.
Take it on as long of a ride as you can.
No good bike shop should downplay any other product, they all tend to carry a couple brands as their primary bikes, but if they talk trash about any other brand, then tht should raise a warning flag with you. At the price you pay for these bikes they are all quality machines. There is no need to talk their competitiors down. It's fine to stress their selling points, but i wouldn't trust one that bad talks another.
Also beware of a hard sale or a sale that isn't what you want. Have them explain to you why that specific bike is the bike for you. If it doesn't fall into the path you want then it isn't the bike for you.
Cycling is expensive and when I started I didn't have a lot of money, I went as cheaply as I could and I later regretted it. I ended up having to replace or repair many of the components. I would have been much better off if I hadn't been so excited to start and so short on cash that I jumped at the first thing in my price range.
Scott
Decide what kind of riding you are going to do, road cycling, recreational weekend rides with the spouse and kiddies, off road, triathlons whatever. Know what it is that you want to do and what you expect to get out of it.
There is a bike specific to any of these. There are crossover bikes but you will always be sacrificing one for another, it's kind of like trying to get your mini-van to be a Mercedes and a ferrari and a hybrid, it's never going to excel at any of those jobs.
Check with your local bike club and the local shops. You can also find club members who are upgrading or downsizing their bike collection, often at savings to yourself.
Many of the local shops have rental programs you can rent a bike for a day and they will take the rental cost off of a purchase price. You want to ride the bike for more than 5 minutes.
Take it on as long of a ride as you can.
No good bike shop should downplay any other product, they all tend to carry a couple brands as their primary bikes, but if they talk trash about any other brand, then tht should raise a warning flag with you. At the price you pay for these bikes they are all quality machines. There is no need to talk their competitiors down. It's fine to stress their selling points, but i wouldn't trust one that bad talks another.
Also beware of a hard sale or a sale that isn't what you want. Have them explain to you why that specific bike is the bike for you. If it doesn't fall into the path you want then it isn't the bike for you.
Cycling is expensive and when I started I didn't have a lot of money, I went as cheaply as I could and I later regretted it. I ended up having to replace or repair many of the components. I would have been much better off if I hadn't been so excited to start and so short on cash that I jumped at the first thing in my price range.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
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