Author Topic: Looking for a new bike  (Read 3786 times)

April

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Looking for a new bike
« on: November 20, 2012, 02:24:01 PM »
I have myself a very nice bike for leaisurely riding.  But as I've now decided to bike not only to leisurely transport myself somewhere but also work up a sweat and loose a little weight, I'm thinking my single speed beach cruiser may not be the best fit.

Like this:
http://www.mazlow.com/details.asp?view=yes&id=379&type=Cruiser

What can you recommend?  The hybrid bikes have caught my interest so far. I'll be looking on craigslist for a used bike, so general guidelines and brand names to look for would be most helpful, as I likely won't be able to find a specific model that might be suggested.

alandjackson

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2012, 02:35:05 PM »
Generally, get the bike that suits where you are riding.  A road bike will be the most comfortable for long rides (even though they seem awkward at first).  If your routes are too rough for a road bike, get a hybrid, and if they are too rough for that, get a mountain bike.

Cruisers and other "comfort" bikes are only comfortable for a short ride.  For longer rides, you'll want your weight split between pedals, handlebars, and the seat. 

Personally, I had a mountain bike and almost got a hybrid because it was closer to what I'm familiar with.  After getting the road bike, I only ride the mountain bike when necessary.  I find the road bike much more pleasant to ride if I am staying on pavement.

Sparky

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2012, 10:58:49 PM »
Look into the realm of touring bikes. They are designed for long distance travelling, hauling gear and overall being comfortable. They kinda look like a blend between a road bike, hybrid, comfort and  mountain bike.  You can break out a sweat in them too:).

The negative about touring frames is generally weight and sometimes length. You'll get use to it.

A very popular, affordable bike is this one (you must assemble it yourself or bring to a bike shop) :

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm
« Last Edit: November 20, 2012, 11:02:07 PM by Sparky »

twinge

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2012, 04:18:10 AM »
I have had much difficulty finding a bike that suited my form well and felt right to me. Not all women experience this, but a good portion do.  The issues for me were 1) my legs are disproportionately long (my husband who is 5 inches taller than me wears the same 34 inch pant length that I do) so my legs suggested a different size/positioning of everything than made sense for the rest of my body even on a women's bike, 2) something puts stress on my knees (My intuitive sense is that many bikes are not designed for a woman's curvier shape and that my knees tend to slant in a bit on many bikes unless I consciously keep them straight--I haven't gotten much support for this idea from the bike pros----albeit all men --I've talked to though).  Growing up, the men in my family were avid cyclists and had many high quality bikes and knew how to fit someone for them and brought me to good bike shops etc. and they could look at my form for what I was doing "wrong" but it was hard.  I'd find a bike that felt great initially and then it would hurt my knees and just feel awkward. (And I'm a runner so I'm used to doing things that stress knees--but my knees don't hurt while running but they do in cycling). 3)  Since childbirth I'm much more bothered by saddle soreness as the greatest pressure is on the exact place where I, like many women, got stitches after childbirth. I haven't found the perfect seat/position for this problem yet but the general seating advice to refine the tilt of the seat and position my weight evenly among handlebars/pedals helps.

All this is a long-winded way of saying finding a good fit--especially for women--is not just a matter of wheel size, positioning seats and handlebars, but is also figuring out what model works for you.  I still haven't found a road bike that is perfect for me--I did have a Trek mountain bike  that was designed for women that felt good but that doesn't make sense if you're mainly on pavement.   Women's bikes generally work better for me, but you're likely going to have fewer options on CL for those.  I'd suggest hitting the bike shops and trying out a range of bikes to get a sense of which models work for you--not all women are better fit by women's bikes (I would recommend tipping anyone who gives you significant help if you're really holding out to buy a used bike--and using their business for your other biking needs).

galaxie

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2012, 10:23:14 AM »
I second the suggestion for touring bikes.  My own bike is a cyclocross bike -- mostly a road bike, but it can take fatter tires and have more stuff attached to it.  You're unlikely to want a hybrid if you're going more than a couple of miles... especially when you realize how much faster & more efficient you'll be on a road bike.

boy_bye

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2012, 01:00:10 PM »
i just got a raleigh hybrid -- i like it because it has a cruiser-style comfort seat but is fairly lightweight and zippy. i had a cruiser before, an electra townie, buti really did not like riding it it. too heavy and hard to get up a hill.

http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2012-hybrid/detour-2-5-12/

i am 5'10" with a 33" inseam and got the large size in the women's design and it fits me great. i have yet to take it out for a ride longer than 6 miles or so, but my booty doesn't hurt at all when i ride it.

Sparky

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2012, 09:52:30 AM »
There are plenty of bikes on the market designed for a woman's body. I use to ride one (it fit me...). And there is always the custom frame route, which is going down the pricey side of cycling...

twinge

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Re: Looking for a new bike
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2012, 12:03:53 PM »
Quote
There are plenty of bikes on the market designed for a woman's body. I use to ride one (it fit me...). And there is always the custom frame route, which is going down the pricey side of cycling...

Since I'm the one who brought women and fit up, I just wanted to clarify that it's not that I don't think there are bikes that fit women, but to make the point to the OP that fit matters and that she might want to make the rounds of bike shops testing out what works for her rather than to just begin by searching craigslist for models known to be "good." (In my own case, this is more of an issue as I'm about 5'7 with 34-35" inseam which exaggerates the male/female difference in proportions--but I think it's a point for quite a few other women--hence specially designed bikes!). I know in my case when I got a cheap deal on a bike that didn't fit well the end result was that I didn't ride it all that much and it wasn't a deal :).

 

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