Bike Recommendations

[show me the money]

Hello all,

 Still somewhat new to the community, and love it here. i am really trying do anything i can to get to FI as soon as possible. i have not had a bike in over ten years, this is a big problem i know. i have been looking at nashbar, amazon, guys, and a few other places, the problem is i have no idea on which kind of bike to get.

i used to ride mountain bikes as a kid, even though we have mostly paved roads here, ive been looking at commuter bikes and hybrids, not too interested in road bikes.

the biggest issue for me is size, when i was on nashbar the bikes had sizes, and i have no clue what i would need, i am 5'10"

same thing with my wife, she is 5'2"

what sizes do we need?

[James]

Where are you located, are the bike shops you can walk into?

The bike should have some room under your crotch when you stand over it, and should feel good when you ride it. Other than that there isn't any solid rules about size, though the guidelines can get you close to start with.  But best recommendation I can give on size is to walk into a bike shop and try out at least 2 sizes of at least 2 or 3 different styles of bike. Also try different brands.  Yes, it takes time and is a pain. But it's worth it.

Edited: Ask them about used bikes and about sales they are having. If they have the right used bike for you at the right price then great, and if they have a wonderful year-end sale maybe it's worth it because of the service they provided trying the bikes, but otherwise I would use craigslist once you know what size and style of bike you are looking for. Just go back to that bike shop for parts and service as needed. Other opinions might vary about using the store this way, but those are my thoughts.

[theSchmett]

Definitely use the bike shops for this.

I know its not mustachian to pay other people to fix your bike, and to buy parts (tubes etc...) anywhere but Nashbar or Amazon but on the off chance you won't be able to fix a broken derailleur (did I even spell that right?) yourself or with the help of a friend, your local bike shop will be the go to spot.

If they aren't the naturally helpful sort, and you've got choices, go somewhere else.

I will say that I buy almost everything on Amazon that I can, but I support my local bike shop.

[show me the money]

other than the room under the crotch that James mentioned, i know ill have to go to a bike store to try a few, are there any brands or types in particular that i should be looking at? i dont need top of the line, but i dont want junk either, i figure $300 - $400 would be a good place to start for new

[olivia]

Get a hybrid/commuter bike. I've had the Giant Escape for around 6 months and it's been great.  There are several levels and price points depending on the components.  You may want to add fenders and pannier bags if you plan to commute regularly.

[MichaelR]

I also concur with going to a bike shop (or two) to get measured up for size. Also to try them out. Bikes have come a long way in 10yrs.

One thing I hadn't realised is how good a hydraulic disc break is compared to the old cable breaks. Much smoother and easier to apply, and most importantly works just as well in the wet. A lot of rain where i live and that is a real safety feature.
Another important decision is around gearing. If you have a lot of hills to negotiate then mountain bike type gearing is important particularly while building up your bike fitness. On the otherhand if its mainly flat then a more road-style bike is probably the way to go.

I bought a Merida Crossway (on sale of course!) which gives the option of turning the front fork suspension off for the road and on for the trail. Again depends on your needs.

[Freckles]

I went through this myself recently.  I'm 5'2" and got a 14 inch bike.  I probably would have been fine with a 15" as well.  She probably wouldn't find higher than 16" comfortable.  Hope that helps!

[markbrynn]

Advice from a biking nation (Netherlands): if you're not planning on doing anything too heavy (off roading, racing, big hills), then get a city bike (I think it fits into the hybrid category in the US). The key feature (that I'm advocating) is that you sit quite upright. It's very comfortable for cruising around town. You can enjoy looking around at the world.

You only really need a few gears if the hills are minor (the Netherlands is VERY flat, so I may be underestimating this; on the other hand it's vey windy, so that tends to even things out).

Agree on going to a shop. Professional advice on sizing is helpful.

Good luck.

[lackofstache]

If you go to a shop, make sure it's a shop that's focus is what your focus is on. Many of the racing-centric shops will fit you on too small a bike. If you're looking to commute and use the bike for general errand-running, you'll want to be comfortable. That usually means being able to get the handlebars as high or higher than the saddle. The other thing to think about is reach. I know most people advocate crotch clearance, and you'll want some, but I'm 5'9 and CAN ride a 60cm bike & once I'm on it, it's fine. Reach, however, dictates the shape of your back, where your weight is put while riding, etc. I have a few bikes, as I like to tinker, but for regular riding I advise a hybrid, w/o suspension of any sort, that can fit fat(tish) tires & fenders. I prefer swept back bars to both straight bars & drop bars, but that's a personal preferance that took a lot of riding to get to. An older mountain bike from the 80's & 90's w/o suspension make great city bikes.

[show me the money]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, will be going to a store tomorrow to try some out.

[cosmie]

Not to co-opt show me the money's thread, but I figured I'd post here instead of starting my own.

I stopped by three local shops today, and for base level commuter/hybrids was shown a Specialized Crosstrail ($700), Giant Escape 2 ($500), and an Opus Trajetto ($600). Those are starting prices; I was also shown upgraded versions of each (locking suspensions, disk brakes, lighter weight, fenders, better components, etc). I was only able to test ride the Giant due to rain, so I'm not sure how well the other two ride.

I liked the way the Giant rode (caveat being I have no other experience to compare it to), and the other two looked quite nice. However, these prices seem a bit steep from what I was expecting. Or should I expect to pay a minimum of $500 for the base bike? Do you guys see anything on my local Craigslist that would be worth checking out? I'm 5'10", 160 lbs, 4 mile one-way commute in hill country with a mix of paved greenways, sidewalks, and poorly-paved streets.

[GuitarStv]

I use a Giant Escape 2 as my winter commuter, and it's a pretty good bike for that purpose.  I picked mine up a year old on craigslist for about 300$.  Figure out exactly what models you like and what sizes you need and then spend a couple months waiting for one from a couple years ago to pop up on craigslist if you want to save some money.  The main benefit of buying new is that most bike shops will have the bike properly set up and will do free adjustments for a period after you purchase the bike.  You might have a little bit of haggle room on the price of the new bike in the winter when they are looking to clear out last years models.

Also, don't ride on sidewalks.

[cosmie]

Thanks for the tip on winter. The free adjustments on a new bike would be nice, but my university also has a fully staffed bike (maintenance) shop that provides free maintenance for students.

Also, don't ride on sidewalks.

I'm aware of this general rule, but in Tennessee it's not only legal but on certain stretches it's recommended (even by local bikers). In my case, it's a section of road leading to the greenway that is full of parallel and broken storm drains. There aren't many driveways through the sidewalk on that stretch, so it's suggested to just ride on that until you get to the greenway (which is actually the same sidewalk that's been widened and repaved).

[Left]

not sure if it's because you are looking for it, seems to happen to me on CL a lot, when I need something, it appears on CL :D
https://knoxville.craigslist.org/bik/4055620232.html if you haven't seen it

edit: not that I have a lot of experience, just being into bikes for about a week. But I like my old 1980's bike pretty well (and the $50 price tag on it). Sure the parts are old, but they seem to hold up if taken care of. The problem that I've found are the different tire sizes, but I've found them online so not a big problem (I'll order a set in about a month). What I had planed was not to spend so much money that if I decided I didn't like biking, I wouldn't be out too much with an older bike. And while I didn't want to go for  "cheap" bike, the older road bikes seem to be "quality" as well so I shouldn't expect it to fall apart either if I did want to put miles on it until I get a newer bike. Put of my reasoning was that while I'm learning to bike, I didn't expect to pick out the best bike for me right away because I may learn things that I want in a later bike so I'll sink more money into the next bike. This might help you to decide if you want to spend $500+ on a first bike.