Road Cycling - Serious newbie in need of serious beginner advince

Hi everyone:

I'm so glad I was able to find these forums. I have been searching for biking websites and none offered the amount of information I was able to find just by reading the posts here. Most people here have more knowledge about biking that anyone else I have ever met.

A little about myself: My name is Amir, and I am 18 years old, and about 5'5 tall. I live in Vancouver, Canada. Very nice for biking here... if it only had more bike roads.

In any case, let me start off by mentioning that I am a COMPLETE biking "newby". By that I don't mean I started biking yesterday. I have been biking for sometime now just for increasing my endurance and keeping in shape. However, I know almost nothing about "technicallities of biking", if you will.

What I am riding now is a $300 CND (about $150 US) FreeSpirit something mountain bike. Yes I know it is well below border line, but it has served me well. It's time for me to move up.

Due to the geophysics of Vancouver, I have become almost purely a climber. Most if not all of my rides are steep uphill roads (not trails). When I plan my biking trip I make sure there are plenty of hills on the way.

So now I am planning to get a street bike, and I am willing to invest quite a bit. In fact, I decided to keep off buying a car just to get a bike instead. My budget will allow about $1000 CND for a bike excluding all the accessories and what not.

Can anyone tell me the best street bike I can get for that much money? What should I look for when buying a street bike keeping in mind that climbing performance is a priority over speed, but it should be able to adapt if I decide to change my biking pattern.

What accessories are must haves? As avid street bikers, what kind of kits and extras do you make sure u pack before each trip?

Lastly, what can I do to make sure that my endurance keeps optimal throughout winter untill summer time? With the hectic weather of Canada and lack of bike lanes, biking anytime after October will make people think you have a death wish or something. Since I am a student, i set aside only 3 hours a week for intense traing sessions on the Keiser bikes at our University's gym... what should I do to make sure my performance remains optimal?

That was probably a bunch of stupid questions, but where else would I be able to find the answers? :)

Thanks in advance.
Amir R. P.

The most important thing to remember about buying a bike is: GET ONE THAT FITS YOU! It's a bike that you feel comfortable on. It's a bike that you can stand over the top tube witout it pressing into your groin. At 5'5'' that translates into a 15' frame. 47 or 48cm(?) Almost any brand of bike, in your price range, will do what you want it to do. An 11/32 cassette with a triple up front should get your 18 year old legs over any kind of hill.
You are used to a mountain bike so you might consider a CROSS bike which maintains the straight bar and shifting that you are used to. Don't be too concerned about brand names. Most of that nonsence is just advertising hype. Be more concerned about the quality of the equipment on the bike. Do some research at the library's magazine stacks. Or they may have some regular books to check out.
You're going to receive a lot of opinions here, and almost everyone will think his opinion is better than anyone else's. And there will be one guy who will say that everybody else is full of snot and he is going to give you the straight scoop.
Sift through it all and decide how much of that information fits YOUR needs. It's YOUR money and it will be YOUR bike. We can all tell you what is good for us, but you have to decide what is good for you. You've been riding enough to know what you want the bike to be capable of. Ask Questions at the bike shop --don't go to Wal-Mart or Sears or any of those kinds of stores you have in Canada. Go to a regular shop. But even there you have to be alert and know the difference between sales hype and what you need/want your bike to do. Now I'll turn you over to our team of experts. Good Luck!

First, let me say for the record that my opinion is best, and everyone else is full of snot! Now that we've established that...
;)
Bad news first. I don't think $1000 Canadian will get you a very good new road bike. And since you don't have experience with roadbikes, you probably don't want to spend an arm & a leg until you get a little experience, anyhow. So I'd suggest looking for a good used road bike. Some shops take trade-ins, and in general, that'd be a good place to start, just to get an idea about what size is right, etc. Also, the employees may have or know someone who has recently upgraded and has an old bike to sell. There has been some discussion in these forums about advice for buying a used bike... search the archives! In any case, find a shop that you like, and has knowledgeable, honest, helpful people who aren't just trying to sell something. It will be a valuable resource for parts and advice.

If you haven't ridden a roadbike, you're in for a treat. As lj says, fit is foremost. Shop several bike shops with the intention of test-riding several bikes. Since you don't have experience with road-bikes, you'll have to trust the bike shop and your instincts for fit. You can search these forums, or check your library for any book or back issues of bicycling mag. for a general discussion. Here are 2 links to internet resources. The second is pretty detailed.
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/
http://www.cyfacusa.com/frame_fit.htm
Since it's hilly around Vancouver, I'd suggest getting a bike with a triple chainring crank. Another "must" is step-in pedals. These can be added later. If you go that route, it should be your first upgrade. In general, I'd recommend going with a steel (actually, chrome-moly steel) frame, but since you're 18, your young @ss may be okay with aluminum. Aluminum is lighter, but doesn't flex as much, so more of the bumps, etc. from the road are transmitted up the frame to your butt.

This is still mostly just scratching the surface, and didn't answer a lot of your questions.

Good luck and happy hunting,
Raodbuzz

Thanks ljnike and roadbuzz for your advice. Why do I get the feeling that I'm younger than most people here ;)

My most recent rides have been with a mountain bike, however I do have enough experience with road bikes as well, so the transition from a mountain bike to a road type won't be that huge of a deal.

In fact, the the straight bar and the shifting on mountain bikes are two things I'll be gald to get rid of.

Does anyone know of a any good retailers from the Vancouver area by any chance? Of course, I won't be checking out the bikes at the local Kmart :)

Roadbuzz you mentioned that $1000 CND may be too low of a price limit for my purposes? Well, since this bike will have to serve me for the next 3 years, I want to be sure I get something adaptable as I progress. It will be a big investment I won't mind considering more expensive bikes, as long as I won't have to file for bankcrupcy (already loaded with student loans :D)

And about bike buyer's books, any suggestion on the author or any specific ones that I should look for?

Once again, thanks a lot

What goes up must come down... :D I think your biggest concern may well be gearing since you are a mountain goat of sorts. You should get quite a few perspectives from this thread...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3511

I ended up with a double and find that 53/12 gearing going down hill is a bit of a spin. My mountain bike down the same hill with 44/11 gearing is much much worse... My legs just can't spin that fast :) But I like speed (relatively speaking). If you like to grind it out up the hill as opposed to flying down the hill, the triple is probably best for you.

I agree with roadbuzz about buying used. If you're gonna be climbing alot then you want a light bike with a good set of wheels. You may get lucky with it being the end of the year and find a close out, but you will more than likely get more bike for your money if you go used.

Remember you can always upgrade as you go, so get yourself a good foundation to start with (FRAME). There are alot of nice frame sets out there. I have only limited experience in that department, so I'll let the experts point you in the right direction.
Someone mentioned not to get hung up on name brands. I'll second that one. It's got to fit. You may find a gorgeous bike that makes you drool at a killer price, but if it doesn't FEEL right, forget about it ;)

That's my .02 cents for now. Happy hunting... And welcome to the forum.

I'd have to agree with most of what is being said here. I believe you will be able to get a much better bike by going used. However, you need to be careful when buying a used bike. You can end up spending good money on a bike that you end up dumping more money on just to keep it going. If you can't evaluate the mechanical condition of the bike yourself find an experienced person that can.

It might be a good idea to join a local bike club. Many times you will meet people through the club who are selling a bike or just have one sitting around that they will sell you.

I also like to recommend Sheldon Brown's website for just about anything bike related you need to know.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

Don'r be intimidated about age. As you become more familiar with the forum, you will find other guys your age and younger. But this forum is not about age. It's about bicycles and bicycle riding. That makes us all equal.

Hi Amir, and welcome to a really great forum! They have been a huge help to me this year, and they can be for you too! Never worry about asking stupid questions, that is how we learn!

You have gotten some good advice. Fit is critical for your comfort and performance. And used bikes are a great way to get started. My first road bike is 11 years old, and I paid less than one quarter of what it's new cost was. Eleven years old may sound bad, but it has a steel (Chro-Mo) frame, and barring accidents or extremely hard use, should easily last 30 years. I put 1400 miles on it in 10 weeks, with never a minutes trouble. Although I replaced it with a nicer bike (that's actually a year older!) I now have my first bike mounted on a training stand, so it continues to serve me well.

Which brings me to the answer of one of your questions, how to keep in shape during the winter. There are several types of trainers available, on which you mount your bike. They use fans, weights, or just rollers, which along with your gears, gives you resistance so you can get a good workout.

As far as what I carry with me, I have a good little tire pump, and a spare tube. I also carry a tire patch kit, a few basic tools including a chain tool, a multi-tool and a small roll of electrical tape. All this fits in a pack mounted under the saddle. I also carry two bottles of water, and on long rides, I also wear a hydropack.

I hope that this has helped, and maybe even made you think of more questions to ask!

Have fun!

Seems like the forums were down for a good while.

Thanks a lot for the help everyone, I definitly catched a lot of info here that I wouldn't have else where.