Recreational & Family - Time to get back on the bike...any advice/suggestions plz...

Hi Guys/Gals,


It has been a while since I have been on a bike and running just is not cutting it anymore. I am in the market for a new bike. I have gone to the store to check out bikes, but I am in over my head when I am talking to a sales guy. Started out with a DiamondBack years ago and switch to a Specialized when I was younger. I am looking for something that could be used as recreational bike with the possibility of going mountain biking if possible. I am 6'2" about 230lbs.

Any thoughts on what I should be looking for (Size, Height, etc.)


Thanks in advance,

Sean

Not to be flip, but if the "sales guy" can't break it down into language you understand and if he's not able to help you and give good advice, find another store or at least another salesperson. He or she should be asking YOU what kind of riding you do or want to do and then he or she should explain options, sizes, etc.

Good luck and have fun!

You might try reading the stickies in the Clydesdale forum. Good advice there too. Test ride many bikes in your price range and a little above that range. Find a bike that feels like fun - one that makes you smile. That will get you riding and keep you motivated. Good hunting.

Sean, good to see your looking at "bicycle shop" level rides, just stay away from X-Mart bikes! Ok, sounds like your my kinda rider, what I'd recommend is bitting the bullet and getting into a say $450-550 Hardtail MTB, (ie: no suspension in the rear/some suspension in the front). Most MTB's in this range come with decent level compoents, double-wall rims, quick-release wheels.

My example is my 09 Jamis Trail-X 3.0, it's easy rolling/lite enough to do some road/rail-trail rides yet if I choose it's STRONG enough for me at over 200lbs. to do some singletrack/doubletrack trails in our local area too. I don't think you'd go wrong with just about any Major bicycle MFG'er's Hardtail MTB in that price range to do what you want. I've added a "suspension" seat post to my Jamis, one to create the worlds most inexpensive softail ride, LOL, and two to compensate for my arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome, Chronic) and beat up old 50+ body!;)

The GREAT thing about a MTB is that it's totally veristal in it's usage, if you find your not doing hardly any dirt they make, "road tires", (non-knobby) for your MTB, which will let you roll faster on pavement/concrete. No you won't be able to keep up with the local "Roadie" rides but still you can zip along nicely. IF your even thinking about heading off into the dirt, DO NOT buy a Comfort Bike, they can handle easy/level dirt paths but after that the "Gearing" really limits your climbing ability, jmho, ymmv.

The shop can raise the stem/change to a shorter stem, ect. different places on the seat, ect. to get the bike to FIT you, that's VERY important for enjoying the RIDE! Hope this help's!:thumb:

Thank you all for the information. I like to think I am not naive when it comes to this sort of thing, but you never can tell! I appreciate all the info and will report back with the findings!

Best,

Sean

I recently just got back into riding myself. My requirements were simple, front suspension only, aluminum frame, disk brakes, and doesn’t break my wallet.

After shopping for literally weeks, I settled for the Trek 4300 Disk. Since my riding activities are going to be much like the way a policemen will ride their bikes, I wanted something close to Trek's "Police Bike". At half the price of a Police Bike the 4300 Disk was an obvious choice for me. Sure I give up some of the better components of the Police version, but it has disk brakes. And that is more important to me than the better forks, cranks, derailers, etc.

The only thing I changed was the tires. If you ride a good percentage on the road, the knobby tires will drive you nuts.

So, I finally decided on the bike and bought a 21" Specialized HardRock Disc. I didn't want to drop a ton of money, but I wanted a bike that could handle moderate biking. I am probably going to upgrade the seat, but anything else that anyone could recommend.

Thanks for the input guys!

I have read where people said how much knobbies slowed them down. Maybe that was with super-aggressive tread patterns or something, but the low-end tires on my old mountain bike seemed to be just fine on pavement. On advantage is that with the soft humming, I didn't have to ring a bell or anything on the bike trail, people could hear me coming. :)

So, I finally decided on the bike and bought a 21" Specialized HardRock Disc. I didn't want to drop a ton of money, but I wanted a bike that could handle moderate biking. I am probably going to upgrade the seat, but anything else that anyone could recommend.

Thanks for the input guys!

I almost purchased that one myself. I think you will be most happy with it.

By the way, which color did you get?

I got the Satin Black. They had the Gloss Red in stock, but I just said I might as well wait for the black to come in so I won't have any regrets. I should have it on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.