Road Cycling - Trying to get back into cycling...need some advice.

It's been a few years (10) since I was really into cycling (turning 16 and getting into cars will do that ;) ) and it's about time I start up again. I'm really lost as to where to start. I have my old Schwinn 564 Aluminum that I used to ride and for a few years served as my commuter bike, until someone decided they needed my rear wheel more than me. The bike needs a lot of work (obviously a new rear wheel/cassette, new cables, new headset, new bottom bracket, and others). It has Shimano Sport LX and Sante components and uses a 7 speed cassette. I was tempted to convertet it to Ultegra 18 speed, until I remembered that it was aluminum and probably wouldn't like having the rear dropouts spread to accomodate a 9 speed cassette. Is it worth upgrading or should I just buy another bike?

I don't want to spend too much (max $600- $700), and I don't mind buying used. I just don't know where to start. Can some of you guys and gals lend some advice? Should I try to upgrade my old bike (my Gary Fisher mtn. bike is also in a sorry state) or should I just start fresh? Any help is greatly appreciated since the last time I knew anything about road bikes Shimano had just introduced STI shifting. Thanks all.

Definately cheaper to fix up the old bike.. Rear wheel and caseete.. Sheldonbrown carries some 7 speed wheels still. New BB.. new headset.. you could get up and running not to to much money.

Or you can get a lower end road bike, what kind of riding do you want to do? There is a few lower end road bieks in the $600-700 range. Or a hybrid.. or cyclocross if you want to ride some light trails and roads..

You can check out some of your LBS, and test ride a few new bikes. If you are not positive you want to get back into cycling, you could pick up a used bike.

Thanks Kev-

I'm definitely sure I want to get back into it. Right now most of my time is spent doing autocross and track events with the car, and while a workout, it's obviously not the same as riding. I miss it a lot and the bike path to Mount Vernon is literally 2 minutes from my apartment (I live in Northern VA) and I'd like to put it to use.

I'd like to start off with some rides on my own (2-3 hours) for starters and then, when I feel like I can keep up, find a local group or club to ride with. I'd also probably use the bike for commuting to save me from riding the train all the time. Back when I was 15 I could do a pretty hard 4 or 5 hour ride, I'd like to get back to that point by the end of the summer. I was looking at E-bay and there seem to be some decent bikes in the $700 range, but there are so many, I really have no idea if what I'm looking at is good.

One thing I should consider is that I've grown a bit since I was 13 or 14 when I got the bike so it is a bit small for me. I have my Gary Fisher that I could fix up for no more than a few hundred dollars for trail riding, so I definitely want a dedicated road bike. I think a used bike makes sense at this point (maybe I'll fix up my current road bike and give it to my girlfriend so I have someone to ride with). What is a good starting point? Thanks for all your help.

- Matt

If you've grown up and the bike doesn't fit then don't drop a lot on to it. If you're going to ride as much as you say, an ill fitting bike is not a good idea. Contact LBSs & clubs and see if there are any swap meets in your area. You could pick up some good used stuff that fits your bike to get going without spending a bundle. Also put a post in the BUY-SELL-TRADE section, you might find what you need from another member.

I like the idea of keeping it for your girlfriend. It's always good to get others interested in our sport.

Hi,
go to some local bike shops; and see what they have. You might get lucky, and find a nice bike used. You could also take a few new ones out for a spin.
I am going to play a little trick on you now. Make sure you try the Specialized Seqouia.

Originally posted by huffman
If you've grown up and the bike doesn't fit then don't drop a lot on to it. If you're going to ride as much as you say, an ill fitting bike is not a good idea. Contact LBSs & clubs and see if there are any swap meets in your area. You could pick up some good used stuff that fits your bike to get going without spending a bundle. Also put a post in the BUY-SELL-TRADE section, you might find what you need from another member.

I like the idea of keeping it for your girlfriend. It's always good to get others interested in our sport.

Thanks for the advice...I guess I'll give my LBS a call and see what they say. Just a quick web search last night turned up a few local clubs so maybe I'll contact them and see if anyone has anything I might want. I'm seriously considering keeping my Schwinn for my girlfriend since I've had it since 8th grade and really can't stand to part with it.

Originally posted by late
Hi,
go to some local bike shops; and see what they have. You might get lucky, and find a nice bike used. You could also take a few new ones out for a spin.
I am going to play a little trick on you now. Make sure you try the Specialized Seqouia.

Will do, thanks for the advice! I'll give the Seqouia a shot to. ;)

- Matt

You already making the right moves, by taking on this forum.
My .02 cents worth would be to start fresh. You have changed a lot in 10Yrs. and those bikes dont fit and they where for a kid anyway.
I would look in the local bike shops (lbs) see whats out there.
and you get a change to test ride a few bikes. see what size fits
you. (fit is the most important thing in a bike). if you can talk to people. and do lots of reseach. deals can be had with used bikes
but only if they fit you and the stlye of riding you will be doing.

Becuase fit Is so important I do not like buying a bike I cannot test ride. becarefull when shopping on ebay..
good luck!
K

Look for a new or at least new to you bike.

Bike prices have increased dramatically in the last 10 years but don't underestimate what impact 6-700$ (esp. if you can do it in cash) might have on a LBS manager in these times. If you can find a shop that has a few bikes that have been on the floor awhile you might do better in the new market than you'd think. Christmas is a long ways away. A few years back I picked up a brand new Univega for about $600 and it's a more than fine bike. Otherwise that's enough money to look at a broad range of used bikes.

Btw until I read that you don't think your old bike quite fits anymore I was going to suggest the refurbish. Never can go wrong saing some $ when you're starting (back) out. By all means though, find yourself an inexpensiverear wheel and get that Schwinn rolling.

Thanks for all the help! OK, so I've decided in the very short term to get the Schwinn back up and rolling and wait to get a new bike until I find a deal I just can't pass up. This way I can pass the Schwinn on to my girlfriend and have a riding partner. Now I have a few questions.

I just went down and measured the frame, it's a 56 cm...I guess I wasn't much shorter at 14. I thought I remember it being small, but it's only 2 cm smaller than my "recommended" frame size. Unfortunately, it's also been sitting on the ground of my parking garage since my wheel was stolen. It looks like when they took my rear wheel, they just dropped the bike back down and the rear derailleur and chainrings hit the ground since the front wheel was locked up seperately. The derailuer is in pretty rough shape (sucks too because it was a nice Sante unit) and I'm guessing it will need to be replaced. I've tried searching for 7-speed wheels and haven't turned up much. My rear dropouts are 126 mm...is it possible to squeeze a 130 mm freehub back there or is that 4 mm too much for an aluminum frame?

I'm thinking I'll just upgrade it with Shimano 105 parts if I can. Right now I can see that I need (in addition to a new rear wheel/cassette) a new chain, derailleur, outer chainring, and pedals...and the bottom bracket and headset should probably be replaced or overhauled. Could you guys give me some suggestions on what the best route is? I'm pretty handy and used to do all my own maintenance, but it's been a very long time. Should I try to find this stuff and install it myself? Where should I look. Sorry for the multitude of questions, but I really want to get my bike back on the road, it's been far too long.

I agree with ahuman...start fresh. You can get a good new bike for less than modifying your existing. I haven't seen anything in these posts about the cost factor to assemble the mods if you are unable. It could be as much as $100 to get it done. Go look here, $500 bikes:

http://bicycleblowout.com/RoadBikes.htm

If you don't live in Nevada, no tax, no shipping costs. all money to the bike.

Snowblower

Thanks Snowblower

Those are great prices. I'll definitely check there in a few months, but I really think I'm going to try to fix my current bike up first. One of the reasons behind that decision is so my girlfriend will have something to ride when I get a new bike. I also want to make absolutely sure that I want to start riding again before I add yet another bike to the stable. Thanks for the link though, I really appreciate the help! :)

You could fit a 130mm wheel in their just basiclay force it in :) But you can find a 7sp wheel easily enough. Check out harriscyclery he still sells them. Or another option check out your local thrift shops etc, might get lucky and find one to strip parts off of and would be cheap :) You could get a newer wheelset and get a spacer to put a 7sp cassette also if you decide to go that way.