Recreational & Family - Brand New to Cycling - Advice Needed

Hello,

I just found these very informative forums last night. I am looking to buy a bike to get a bit of exercise. My plans are just to ride it around the neighborhood and maybe some longer rides (longer by my standards anyway, maybe 10 miles max). I don't want to spend much more than $150 and I'm looking for a comfortable bike, one I can sit upright on. Based on my readings on this forum I've ruled out buying from WalMart or Target. I found an interesting option on the Performance Bike website, a Schwinn 2006 Voyageur Sport ( http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=628 ). It's pretty much in my budget and I like the fact that I can bring it in to their store and have them assemble and fix it up for me. What I'm unclear about though is the sizing. Performance Bike only has a medium. I'm 5 foot 8 inches tall so medium seems ok to me but I'm no expert. Does a medium sound reasonable? And is this bike a decent choice for me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

David

bike looks decent enough for your purposes, I have some of the same components (my bike is also somewhat cheap but I take it on trails and whatnot), make sure you try it out somehow, in your case it's more a question of comfort and stability rather than a question of components. Try finding some reviews of the bike as well, making sure there is nothing terribly wrong with it.
Ciao

Eventually you will feel the desire to ride farther and farther, until ten miles seems like a minimum. Get a bike you will not outgrow when your ambitions increase, or do not be surprised when you want to trade up.

If you are able and willing to do some of your own mechanical work, that is a plus. You can keep the shift mechanisms properly adjusted and working well. You can keep the wheel and crank bearings properly lubricated and adjusted for long life and better performance. There are good books about these things, but also a lot of good free information on the Internet. www.parktool.com (http://www.parktool.com) is a good resource.

Most components on bikes are easily replaced with newer, better components. If you like your basic bike, you can improve it later with upgraded components. Also, do not overlook the possibility of getting a good used bike in your area on Craigslist.org or at a swap meet or a police auction or at a garage sale.

If you have not already, get a safety rated helmet that fits well. Helmets are not that expensive, but brain injuries are. I like a mirror on my helmet to help me see traffic before I hear it.

You will enjoy the sense of well-being and physical improvement that comes as you ride more and more.

If I could give one piece of advice, always ride to enjoy your rides rather than strain to push yourself. Improvement will come without pushing so hard that you do not enjoy riding.

Having just had a friend buy this same bike in this same size, MEDIUM=17 inch per my salesperson . She is 5'5. She will only be on sidewalks and paved MUPS and hopefully a piece of the C&O so this bike works well for her. Agree with the experts posted. Enjoy!!!

A 17 inch frame should work. I'm 5'8" and have an old 17" Hardrock, you will have a lot of seatpost showing.

Ok. So after visiting some bike stores this weekend I have some new questions. The first shop I visited sold Raleigh bikes. I looked at the Venture and the Venture 3.0. They both seemed very comfortable. I liked the price of the Venture better than the 3.0 but the owner of the shop felt pretty strongly that the 3.0 was the better buy as I'd outgrow the Venture quickly. He was making some sense so if I go for the Raleigh I think I'd spring for the 3.0.

Today I visited Bike Line. Major difference from the local shop I went to yesterday. The teenagers working there had no interest in helping me. They were more interested in talking about what they were doing for dinner tonight. But I was able to look at a Trek 7000. It seemed nice but I'm not sure what it's advantages are and the sales people were no help.

I'm leaning towards the Venture 3.0 at this point. But that may be due to the better experience at that bike shop. Can someone tell me how the Raleigh compares to this Trek bike?

Maybe the Raleigh and the Trek are made in the same factory. The shop owner was nice but he did urge the more expensive bike. Get it anyway. If you stay with cycling you WILL buy more bikes. In 50 years of riding I have gone through 11 standard bikes, two tandems (one semi-recumbent), two folders, and one recumbent trike. Please go back to the nice shop and ride several different sizes, not just the one recommended. Then buy.

If you are new to cycling, the most important thing is that the LBS will setup the bike right for you. I bought what it basically the Schwinn you mentioned in your 1st post, for my mom at Target for about $180. The bike is pretty much identical in qaulity to the Schwinn my wife got a few years ago at a LBS for about $275. I've been fixing bikes since I was 6 years old, so with about 30 years of experience, I have a reasonable understanding of how to adjust everything. If my mom had tried to ride the bike the way it came assembled at Target the bike would have been dangerous. The brake adjustment was all wrong and the front brakes pretty much would not have stopped the bike. The extra money my wife spend at the LBS ensured that the bike came delivered properly adjusted and therefore safe to ride. In my case we were trying to find a descent bike for mom that was good for some 5 to 10 K MUP rides, and would be a lot easier to get up any possible hills than her 1960's Raleigh 3 speed. Before she was allowed to ride the bike I spent some time adjusting the bike and making sure that everything worked right and that the seat and handelbars were comfortable and setup efficiently. If you didn't know what you were doing the bike shop would have charged about $75 for the tune-up. Therefore a novice consumer will spend about the same amount at a LBS and they will at Target. As a side note, any of the bikes that were less than $180 appeared to be total garbage, and would probably be ineffient, and would be likely to fall appart in no time. Finding good bikes used is pretty easy for kids bikes, but for adults this appears to be harder. I looked at craigslist for a while but either the bikes were anchient, or they were practically new and the owner thought they could get $400 for a $450 bike they rode three times... sorry but you can usually by last years model for better savings than that at the LBS. Than you might as well buy new and get support.

Happy Riding,
André

Well, on Friday I stopped at my LBS and I am now a proud owner of a Raleigh Venture 3.0. Yesterday was my first ride and I only managed 3.5 miles which was less than I had hoped. Today I went out again and rode 8 miles. I'm horribly out of shape but hope to increase my miles per ride each week. Thanks to everyone for their help.

Don't get discouraged when you get the saddle sores and you will get them if you ride longer distances. Your rear will feel like it is bruised and sensitive. You may even get chafed between your legs.

Keep riding through the sit bone adjustment. Consider it sore muscles after a hard workout that just need to be worked a little and warmed up to stop the pain. If you do get chafing, check back with your shop about potential seat recommendations and/or riding shorts.

Enjoy the bike.