Paralyzed by choice - what's a good commuter bike?

[lpep]

I'm moving back to the US in June and almost immediately heading to Canada for a couple months. I'm planning to bring a brand new bike with me, but the thing is, I have no idea what makes a good bike.

I had a Kmart mountain bike I rode around as a teenager and a Craigslist "suicide single speed" city bike (I think? It was a frankenbike) I rode to campus in college. I loved it because it was super light and quick and I could fix it myself - it was simple! And... broke down a lot. I currently have the cheapest Vietnamese-made bike money can buy here, and it once fell apart while I was riding it. I have, let's say, low standards.

When I move home, I want to get a nice bike that I can trust to take me long distances and that will last a good loooong time. I don't plan on riding on trails, but there may be some dirt roads. I think I need a hybrid or a trekking bike, but I don't really know what to look for with all of the choices out there!

Any recommendations for something in the $500 range? Should I go online or to a local bike shop (with the time squeeze, it's definitely either/or)? What should I look for if I buy in a shop?

Any guidance is appreciated!!!

[vhalros]

I'd avoid anything from a department store. The bike shop is a better idea, although you could save money by getting used.

How long distance do you mean by "long"? You could get a touring bicycle; they are made to ride all day, and the day after that, and after that, although a good one is going to cost more like $1,000 new.

Other than that, my advice is not to be paralyzed by the decision. Most people end up switching bikes after a year any way; that does cost you some money, but they hold their value pretty well so not too much. Its just hard to know exactly what you need until you have been doing it a while.

[matchewed]

Relevent.

[Sibley]

OP, just get a used bike that's in decent shape. Ride it for a while, figure out what you actually need based on your lifestyle, then determine if you need a different bike.

Example: my current bike was free from a co-worker, plus the cost of some repair. It's from the 70s. It works fine for me for now. If I get to a point where it isn't working very well for me, then I'll consider a new one.

[hyla]

If you are looking to ride longish distances, mostly on pavement and dirt, good options would be a touring or cyclocross bike.  These types of bikes will let you fit wider tires than road bikes, while still feeling reasonably fast for longer rides.  Unfortunately, good touring or cross bikes start near $1000 new.

With a budget of $500, I think used is really the most reasonable route for getting a quality bike for riding distances.  In addition to touring and cross bikes, you could also consider older (steel) road bikes, which typically are a little more practical for commuting than modern road bikes (clearance for wider tires, eyelets to attach racks and fenders etc.).  When assessing used bikes, look for a quality frame (cro-mo steel or aluminum, rust-free and not dented) and quality components (if you aren't sure, just google the names on the derailleurs and brakes, that will give you an idea how nice or not they are).  And ride the bike, to make sure it fits you and is comfortable. 

As a previous poster mentioned, another advantage of used bikes is if you buy one and don't love it, you can probably sell it for as much as you paid. 

[lpep]

Thanks for the responses! I don't know if I'll have time to buy on Craigslist or much selection in my hometown - I've been looking. Plus, I'm a 6' tall lady who wants a lady's bike, so that really narrows it down. But I can try some at a bike shop and see what I like, I guess! I do know that value speed and lightness over curb-hopping, so I think a touring bike might be the way to go.

As far as distances go, I'd like to take some day trips. Probably not multi-day trips, just a nice ride around the countryside, 100 miles max. Grocery store runs with panniers, hopefully eventually commuting to a new job too.

[TheRabbit]

How timely!

My husband and I are gearing-up to purchase some bikes off Craigslist, but he hasn't biked for years and doesn't know what he's looking for. Loved the Flamboyant Introvert article! http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/2012/01/buying-bikes-from-craigslist.html

[GuitarStv]

Don't write off men's bikes as an option.  Bike fit is dependent on your measurements, not your gender.  You're a much taller than average woman, you may actually be more comfortable on a men's bike than a women's one.  Go in to a bike store and try a bunch of bikes, the shop should be able to help you find something that fits comfortably.  Then you can ballpark what measurements work with your body when you're searching online.

I love my touring bike, and would recommend a touring bike to most people . . . but they can be hard to find.  Most stores don't carry them, most people don't know what they are and don't buy them so they rarely turn up used.

[Le Poisson]

About 7 years ago my wife and I both bought bikes with good intentions at a top-o-the line bike shop. Mine was a fairly expensive Devinci Desperado http://www.devinci.com/archive/2009/montagne/Desperado1.htm it came with tubeless tires, disk brakes, a lockout fork, Shimano XT group with some XTR components, etc. etc. Nice bike, but I never rode it.

SWMBO got a KHS - not sure what model, but it looks like this: http://khsbicycles.com/12_vitamin_b_m_12.htm - hybrid tires, 18 speeds, side-pull brakes. Way cheaper than the Devinci, but totally different class of bike. She never rode it.

Then 3 years ago we got a bike trailer to haul the kids around. It was at a garage sale, and we had good intentionsof pulling out the bikes and bombing around with the whole fam-damily on weekends. Didn't happen.

Then I found this site.

I tried cycle-commuting and pulling the trailer with the Devinci, but the frame geometry and the gearing on the bike just won't work with the trailer. Add to that the trailer hitch slides back on the frame until it contacts the disk brake, and grinds. Really a bad scene. So my very expensive bike sits in the garage waiting for a mountain bike race to break out on my street. It is rarely ridden.

SWMBO's bike though - it pulls the trailer beautifully. Since the brakes are at the top of the wheel, there is no interference. The ride is way better suited to in-town cycling without the trailer. We replaced the seat with one that is more comfortable, and every now and then we tune up the cables, but apart from that, its been great.

Given the choice again, I would buy two hybrid/cyclecross bikes. Disk brakes are nice, but unneccessary. Suspension is nice to have but is an extra maintenance item. I don't really think you need it.

Agree with the other recommendations to look at Nashbar for accessories, but don't overlook the cycling section on dx.com either - its as good as cheap Chinese crap gets (we like the handle-bar mount cell phone holder for $5 in place of a cycle computer).

Personally I would avoid the bike shop route. I find the pressure to buy above your needs is huge, and you end up with more bike than you need. Also they will pressure you to get cool/competitive crap you don't need.

Check if your town is part of smart-commute or a similar agency to get free waterbottles/bike bells/gloves/jerseys/etc. for a free simple sign up. These agencies are common in Canada as an initiative to reduce vehicle trips in order to reduce congestion/pollution. The road to freebies is through their regular contests like this one (carpooling this month): http://smartcommute.ca/carpool/

[cerebus]

I just picked up a used Silverback Alpine from my neighbour's daughter for a very good price - R1200 which is around $100. I'm really not fussy about what the bike must be and it's such an upgrade from my older store brand Raleigh that to me it's riding in luxury. Maybe in a few years I'll get pickier about my bike but I think just being satisfied with what I have is a good strategy.

[misschedda]

How timely!

My husband and I are gearing-up to purchase some bikes off Craigslist, but he hasn't biked for years and doesn't know what he's looking for. Loved the Flamboyant Introvert article! http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/2012/01/buying-bikes-from-craigslist.html

Thanks for the article! This one and the one it links to about how to ride your bike safely on the road are really good reads!

[lpep]

OK, I've done more research and I'm getting really EXCITED!!!! And the new plan is this:
- Get home in June, go to Trek shop near my parents' house. Don't ignore men's bikes because women's bikes are made for tiny ladies, and I am 6' tall with giant hands. Get fit for a bike while also trying out a few different types there, including the Trek 7.2 FX because it looks like exactly what I want.
- Don't buy anything the first time. Go on Craigslist now that I know the measurements!

That Flamboyant Introvert article was really useful, thanks posters!

[GuitarStv]

If you like the Trek 7.2 you would probably also like the Giant Escape or Specialized Sirrus, they're all very similar bikes (helps to keep your search options open on the used market).

[tmac]

Thanks for the responses! I don't know if I'll have time to buy on Craigslist or much selection in my hometown - I've been looking. Plus, I'm a 6' tall lady who wants a lady's bike, so that really narrows it down. But I can try some at a bike shop and see what I like, I guess! I do know that value speed and lightness over curb-hopping, so I think a touring bike might be the way to go.

I wasn't going to contribute, because I'm a bike newbie, but I'm a tall woman too, and had a really hard time finding a properly sized used bike. I wanted the lower crossbar, but needed a larger frame. I ended up with a new Giant Liv Alight 3, large size. I'm in love with it. It's got skinny-ish tires, so it's fast on the road, but has straight bars so it's a little more upright. The price was good for a decent bike, I think. My local bike shop had one in stock, and I had them add a rack to it.

[lpep]

Thanks everybody!

I have a couple friends with Giants who have trouble with them, so I've been leaning away from them, but maybe I shouldn't. I feel much better about surfing Craigslist with this plan.

[hyla]

The Trek FX bike you mentioned looks like a good, reliable bike overall... but, with you mentioning all day rides up to 100 miles, I would really really suggest at least trying a bike with drop handlebars.  On long rides it's really nice to be able to shift your position around every once in a while to stay comfortable, and on windy days it's astonishing how much faster you can go just being able to move your hands lower so your body is catching less wind.  I've biked with a friend who has a bike similar to that Trek (roadbikeish, but flat mountain bike style bars), and she is much stronger than me, but on windy days she can't keep up cause she's sitting high and catching lots of wind, and I can hunch down on my drop bars. 

Also, drop handlebars might feel weird if you aren't used to them at first.  I wasn't a huge fan when I first switched from a mountain bike to a cross bike, but I like them a lot now.

[lpep]

OK! I'll try it! I'm gonna try the patience of all the bike shops in my city for sure :D

[Kriegsspiel]

Like you, I was once paralyzed by all the choices. I got a Long Haul Trucker, because I figured it wouldn't suck. And it didn't

[lpep]

^^^ You should write novels. They would be very short, and very good.

[Rubic]

The most expensive bicycle is the one you don't ride.  If it's not comfortable because the bike is ill-fitting (or worse, actually causes knee pain), you'll avoid riding your bike.  :-(

Regardless of price, as others have mentioned above, the most important consideration is to purchase a bike with the correct size frame for your physique.  Almost any other component (stem, handlebars, saddle, etc.) can be swapped out, but you're stuck with the frame dimensions forever.

I rode an old steel frame fixie over 500 miles in the desert (Furnace Creek 508) that cost me $200, but it worked because the bike fit me appropriately.   If you can find a bike shop that sells used bikes (most around here don't), that may be a good value proposition.

 Over the years, the cost of bicycle replacement components (chains, cables, tubes, tires, bar tape, etc.) has always exceeded my cost of the bicycle. YMMV.

[k-vette]

If you don't mind a little assembly, you can get a good touring or cyclocross brand new from bikesdirect.com in the $500 range.  (or less)

[netskyblue]

Remember if you get a men's bike, it's very likely you'll need to change to a women's saddle.  Women tend to have wider set hips than men, and you may not be able to get your "sit bones" to fall correctly on a men's narrow saddle, and that can cause an uncomfortable ride.

[HenryDavid]

It's gotta fit! As many others have said. Test ride about 20 bikes. Get it right.

After that, consider the gears. All bikes are sold with needlessly hard gears, almost. A good bike shop can customize this. You're not racing so why would your bike have mostly the same gears as bike racers?
Yet many do. It's silly. Swap those out.

Yes to considering the saddle. Cheap ones can be found in the saddle bin at a good bike shop, cause lots of people swap them.

When you start to get tired . . . slow down. This secret advice is overlooked by many. You see folks hammering away on the bike path looking agonized. Why? Go as slowly as possible once in while. Look around. Chill. You'll naturally speed back up to a comfortable pace without meaning to.

[GuitarStv]

After that, consider the gears. All bikes are sold with needlessly hard gears, almost. A good bike shop can customize this. You're not racing so why would your bike have mostly the same gears as bike racers?
Yet many do. It's silly. Swap those out.

Yes to considering the saddle. Cheap ones can be found in the saddle bin at a good bike shop, cause lots of people swap them.

When you start to get tired . . . slow down. This secret advice is overlooked by many. You see folks hammering away on the bike path looking agonized. Why? Go as slowly as possible once in while. Look around. Chill. You'll naturally speed back up to a comfortable pace without meaning to.

I'm not sure that this is particularly good advice.

First, all that you need is a wrench and a 10$ cassette removal tool to swap out your cassette.  Paying the bike shop to do it doesn't really make any sense if you plan on cycling very often.

Next of all, unless you're in very poor shape you'll probably find yourself using those harder gears soon enough if you stick with cycling for a while.  Swapping them out is a decision best left until you've got a year or so of use.  If you're really concerned about having super easy gears to use to climb hills and haul heavy stuff around, look for a bike with three front chain-rings.

Finally, if you give up every time you're challenged . . . you're not going to reap particularly great benefits from your physical activity.  Don't settle for mediocrity, be awesome!  The time to chill is when you're relaxing at home, not while exercising.

[lpep]

Finally, if you give up every time you're challenged . . . you're not going to reap particularly great benefits from your physical activity.  Don't settle for mediocrity, be awesome!  The time to chill is when you're relaxing at home, not while exercising.

I totally agree with this, but I think HenryDavid's point was that it's not always a race or for exercise. Stop and smell the roses, etc. And I totally agree with that too!

My plan after this thread and a bunch of research: go to Trek store and get sized. Try a few different bikes that they have, and if there's something that seems completely perfect and is priced right, sleep on it and then possibly buy it (with the saddle swapped out for a women's)! In the meantime, cruise Craigslist for any good deals.

My last and current bikes have been single speeds, so I'm probably mostly going to stay on 2-3 gears when I get started. And my motto is "if it's not broken, don't fix it," so no bike shop work yet :)

Thanks for the input.

[metastache]

I've had good luck buying used bikes from bike mechanics who were my size. I just strike up a conversation with them at a trusted bike shop and tell them that I'm interested in a used bike for a certain amount of money. Many of those guys have four or five bikes at home that they have loaded up with great components. And if they're not selling any of them, they often know people who are.

[lpep]

I've had good luck buying used bikes from bike mechanics who were my size. I just strike up a conversation with them at a trusted bike shop and tell them that I'm interested in a used bike for a certain amount of money. Many of those guys have four or five bikes at home that they have loaded up with great components. And if they're not selling any of them, they often know people who are.

Good idea! I've seen a few that way on Craigslist. Thanks!

[poorboyrichman]

A nicely spec'd steel tour bike is what you are after. If it's a bike for life, you want to get something you love to ride every day and for the foreseeable future.

I would look to spend ~$1300 for a well spec'd mid range bike... but remember a good steel frame (with lifetime guarantee) is a bike for life :)

Amortization cost over 40 years... $32/year.

Obviously there will be maintenance costs for new components, I budget $5 a month, but that's still pretty cheap.

Compare this with my fancy pants aluminum road bike with a frame that lasted 5 years and cost $1000;

Amortization cost of $200/year.

Steel framed touring bike is the way to go, and if you buy a bike that lasts, your doing your bit for the environment.

[cerebus]

Well since I'm most likely going to move to the USA in the next while, I'll need to buy myself a bike again so I'll be looking for your help. I think I'll start with a budget of around $200 and go on Craigslist to find it. In fact, I'll be coming on here a lot to get help with purchasing things like cars, furniture, etc on Craigslist and identifying what I should be paying.

What would you reckon would be something to look at in that price range? I'll be doing probably 20-30km daily commutes depending on where I get a job, and I'll move close to wherever that is to limit the distance. A decent road or hybrid would seem to be the thing, except I might also want to go mountaining at times - but that might need another bike purchase.

[GuitarStv]

20-30 km a day rides can be done quite comfortably on a hybrid or road bike.  A mountain bike would need the knobby tires swapped out, the suspension is just unnecessary added weight, and they're often geared easier than road bikes so it might annoy you.

[cerebus]

20-30 km a day rides can be done quite comfortably on a hybrid or road bike.  A mountain bike would need the knobby tires swapped out, the suspension is just unnecessary added weight, and they're often geared easier than road bikes so it might annoy you.

Thanks. I saw for instance a 17" Schwinn hybrid 21 spd for $150 with a very minor suspension on the front. I'm not sure of brands in the US, I've searched for local good brands and they're not easy to find there. Does that seem like something worthwhile?

Btw I can't believe how low prices are on Craigslist compared to locally. 2ndhand iPhone6's go for $150-400. Here in SA we can't get them 2ndhand under R7k (around $580). It looks like I could sell my car for cash here, and buy the same model for pretty much the same price there. Could work out to be not that expensive of a move after all.

[Matt_D]

Schwinn isn't really worth the money - they bank on people remembering that they used to make decent bikes, but they don't anymore!

Used Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, and Giant bikes are common and all quite reasonable quality (none of them make a bike that's bad). There are of course other good brands, but those are probably most available and don't use any hard-to-find parts.

[cerebus]

Schwinn isn't really worth the money - they bank on people remembering that they used to make decent bikes, but they don't anymore!

Used Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, and Giant bikes are common and all quite reasonable quality (none of them make a bike that's bad). There are of course other good brands, but those are probably most available and don't use any hard-to-find parts.

Thanks that's good to know.


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[BlueHouse]

I'm not a bike expert, but I recently bought a step through, Amsterdam-style bike and I love that it lets you sit upright and look around, enjoy e view.  It has a wide seat and is very comfortable. Definitely not as "efficient" (fast) as a road bike, but I ride 5 mile commute and it's a nice sweet ride. I guess if I wanted to get there faster, I could get a lighter bike, but it's such a sweet sweet ride, why would I?  Mine has fenders and baskets and racks so I can carry all kinds of shit on it.

I wish more bikeshops had step through options, but I think the reason they don't is because you can't mount them on a wall without a cross bar.

Oh and mine has internal gears in the back wheel which makes stopping and starting easier if you have a lot of stop signs. It means you can change gears while the bike is stopped without worrying about the chain falling off.

[cerebus]

I'm not a bike expert, but I recently bought a step through, Amsterdam-style bike and I love that it lets you sit upright and look around, enjoy e view.  It has a wide seat and is very comfortable. Definitely not as "efficient" (fast) as a road bike, but I ride 5 mile commute and it's a nice sweet ride. I guess if I wanted to get there faster, I could get a lighter bike, but it's such a sweet sweet ride, why would I?  Mine has fenders and baskets and racks so I can carry all kinds of shit on it.

I wish more bikeshops had step through options, but I think the reason they don't is because you can't mount them on a wall without a cross bar.

Oh and mine has internal gears in the back wheel which makes stopping and starting easier if you have a lot of stop signs. It means you can change gears while the bike is stopped without worrying about the chain falling off.

I was looking at one of those on Craigslist yesterday, I like the idea of that. Especially being able to add baskets easily.


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[Matt_D]

My wife has an Electra Townie 7D (seven gears, regular old derailleur) with a step-through frame and for what we use it for , it's awesome - I sometimes ride it too. I wrote a review on it a couple years ago here: http://www.bikecommuters.com/2012/08/09/product-review-electra-townie-7d/

Since writing that, we've added a Topeak Rack that works with both the Babyseat II rear-mount seat or a wire basket (also by Topeak) that locks into the rack but can be taken off and used as a grocery basket (it's about that size). Either of those things does run up against the back of the seat pretty closely - but that may be different if you didn't need the kid seat and could use the Electra brand rack. We could probably add a front rack too, but we've got another kiddo coming so we'll be needing that front-seat space again soon!

Anyway - I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a longer or hillier commute, but for moderate distances at a slower pace it is pretty nice. Because it's a cruiser style, I always feel like I'm on vacation whenever I hop on it...