Recreational & Family - Need some help picking out a bike

Hi everyone,

Well, I went to Target today and got their $67 Manga bike on sale. Well, if that wasn't a lesson on "you get what you pay for" I don't know what is. The rear brakes didn't work, after I fiddled with them they sorta worked. Long story short, after a long day out and a very short ride, this thing is going back to the store.

So, I went to a local bike store. They had primarily Trek bicycles, and the entry level was ($240 originally, $220 on sale) unbeliveably nicer than the junk one I got from Target. I can't recall the model number, though 820 stands out in my mind. Essentially, I just want a bike that I can ride on paved trails and streets as I have time (a few times a week). Does the price seem resonable or should I do some shopping around? The quality was immense, brakes that worked, gears that shifted smoothly and properly. $220 is a lot to drop for a graduate student, but if it gets me off of my butt and outside to get some exercise, it might just be worth it.

Just wondering on input anyone had!
Tim

just to clarify, I think the model I looked at was the Trek 820 (http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/mountain/820.jsp#)

Tim

It would be an incredible step up from the Magna, which is junk. The Trek will serve you well for years. What will you be using the bike for? Gravel trails, road, bike path, mix? Commute, excercise? Do you have a safe place to store it? Have any visions of riding long distances (say 40 miles or more) at a time?

The price is certainly reasonable, and most bike shops will give you good service to go along with it. They may give a discount on accesories with the purchase of the bike, helmet, racks, bags, spare tubes, water bottle and cage, etc.

Well, I think it was impossible to go DOWN from that piece of junk (it was a delight to give it back to Target). I'll mainly be using it on our paved bike trail by my house. For the time being I don't envision doing any massively long rides (for as out of shape as I am, I think that would be a really, really bad idea ;) ), but I want to use it to get out of the dorm for an hour or so a day and just ride, getting fresh air, and just enjoying being outside.

This summer I'd like to use it to commute to work (which is only about a mile or so I think). Other than that, just light recreational use on paved trails or roads, possibly some dirt trails like I used to when I was younger but I gotta get back into riding again before I jump into riding over roots and ruts. ;)

I'm pretty well set on getting the 820. We have a secure bike room on our campus here, and it will be in my garage when I'm home for the summer. If it doesn't rain all day tomorrow (or maybe even if it does ;) ), I think I'll walk to the bike shop and pick it up. Are the Incite computers worth the money? I think it's just the technophile in me that wants one. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the insight, though. I'm excited. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Otherwise I'll report back in a few days on how the bike and I are getting along.

Oh, just a quick thought before I post: is it generally considered a bad idea to have headphones in while riding? I'm thinking about getting some books on CD and listening while I ride (not loud music that would totally block out my ability to hear what was going on around me). This would be for trail use, not when on the streets. Thanks!

Tim

I'm not familiar with the Incite computers, but I will tell you that it's nice to have at least a simple one. Being able to track your progress is nice. You might find that at first, a mile or two seems like a decent ride. Then you'll be doing 5 and think nothing of it, then you'll be looking for more time to ride.

Headphones are generally frowned upon by serious cyclists, and I'd be real careful about it if there are any other people on the trails when you are riding. Someone coming up fast behind you can make a mess if you happen to swerve as they pass. A mirror (I like helmet mount personally) would be a good idea if you are going to do the headphone thing.

If you start riding a little more, and get sore, consider some bike shorts, which are worn without underwear. They make riding a lot more comfortable. I got to admit that right now I don't look good in lycra, but I'm gonna!

Oh...very important. Make sure the bike fits you right. Have the shop make sure it's the right size or you'll be unhappy.

Oh...very important. Make sure the bike fits you right. Have the shop make sure it's the right size or you'll be unhappy.

Yeah, the guys there were already trying to figure out which size would be best, 18" frame or 19.5". It was kind of refreshing vs. the Target experience, "Um, here's some bikes... take whatever one you want to the front and pay."

Thanks for the tip about the shorts. I may look into that. I may see what they'll discount a little computer for me for the bike. If nothing else, I'd like to be able to track my progress. I'm whipped today and know I only rode a mile or maybe 2 (inbetween brake "repairs" :mad: ), so it'll be good to see what kind of speed and distance I get and try to improve as I go along. Should I just ask when I buy it if they'll discount any accessories for me with it? I'm not ever much for haggaling ;)

I really appreciate all the help and suggestions. It's a little bit different world then taking my Huffy to the back woods to build a fort. ;)

Tim

Congratulations on spotting and correcting your initial mistake.

Stories like yours should be compiled and saved so that people who keep insisting on buying from Target/*-Mart/$GENERIC_DEPT_STORE can see that there are much better options. I know people who are still riding Trek 820s they bought over 15 years ago. Amortised over the lifetime of the bike, $220 is pretty reasonable and certainly a better investment than $67 for a bike that didn't work well in the first place and will most likely have to be replaced in a few months.

As far as bike computers go, I'm not sure if the Incite is worth it or not. Which model were you interested in and what was the asking price? A real basic computer that includes things like mileage, speed (current/max/avg), auto-start/stop, stopwatch timer, clock can be purchased for around $15. Check out the CatEye Velo computers.

As far as bike computers go, I'm not sure if the Incite is worth it or not. Which model were you interested in and what was the asking price? A real basic computer that includes things like mileage, speed (current/max/avg), auto-start/stop, stopwatch timer, clock can be purchased for around $15. Check out the CatEye Velo computers.

The only reason I brought up the Incite computers is because they were the only ones I saw (on Trek's website go figure :o ). the CatEye's seem pretty resonable (~$15 shipped on eBay). Is wireless vs. wired a big deal? Does the wired actually work better than the wireless, just less attractive? I'd be happy to hear anyone's suggestions for different computers as I think as long as I'm spending $220 on a bike I might as well have this little gizmo to help me use it efficently.

Tim

Not to go crazy posting on here, but I thought I'd share my favorite part of that junky bike. While my friend and I were standing in line we noticed that the "shock" under the seat was not only facing an odd direction (horizontal to the ground) it really didn't look like a shock. My friend picked up the back end and dropped it--the shock didn't move. As we looked at it closer, it was just a peice of hard plastic wrapped around a metal shaft, helping nothing and overall just looking stupid and not "cool" like I'm sure they were shooting for. Lovely :P

Does the wired actually work better than the wireless, just less attractive? I'd be happy to hear anyone's suggestions for different computers as I think as long as I'm spending $220 on a bike I might as well have this little gizmo to help me use it efficently.

It all depends on how much you want to spend. A wired computer is less succeptable to interference. This can be a bit of an issue if you're relying on your computer for training logs and such. People have been reporting interference problems with heartrate monitors and HID headlights. I have both wired and wireless on my bikes. In general, a wireless computer is nice because well, it's less wires to run and possibly break. It makes the installation look cleaner too. The downside other than intereference issues is that there's another battery (in the sensor) to worry about. Also the sensors are generally bigger than on a wired unit. I know many people that run wireless on their MTBs because that's one less cable to have to run across two pieces of suspension component. And there's no cable to break in a crash. I actually run a wired setup on my MTB because I have shocks that are electronically governed and EM from the piezoelectric valves actually interfere with the wireless signals. On my wireless setup on my roadbike, I've received some erroneous readings when riding over traffic sensors. Traffic sensors can also play havoc with wired setups too because they basically transmit an EM pulse that can trip the wheel speed sensor.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/visual_tao_of_cycling/FlightyDeck.jpg

As far as other brands to look at, I would also suggest Sigma Sports, Topeak, Planet Bike and Vetta.

As far as other brands to look at, I would also suggest Sigma Sports, Topeak, Planet Bike and Vetta.

Looking at the Sigma Sports BC1600. Looks pretty nice for a decent MSRP, so hopefully I can get it at the shop for the same price as I would online w/ shipping. Any thoughts 'yea' or 'nea' on it?

Tim

The best way to spend you ££ is to get some semi-slick tyres with kevlar puncture protection. They will be quite usable on well prepared trail but much faster than knobbly tyres on the road. A dealer should swap out the tyres when new.
There are some other accessories that are really useful for a utility bike:
If you get rain, then fenders are a good way to stay clean.
A luggage rack and pannier will enable you to carry quite heavy loads with ease.
Toe clips are a cheap way to increase the efficiency of your platform pedals.
A set of lights will enable you to ride in the dark.
Helmet and gloves will procide some protection if you take a spill.
A computer will do nothing to help you ride better and may even be a distraction.

I used to have the old skool Sigma BC800. The unit was good and functional, but I had the misfortune of having to replace it after some 3 years of use. This was due to rough handling, I don't blame the comp. No biggie, except that Sigma had redesigned their handlebar mounts. I missed the old models sellout and could not find the old mount BC800 anywhere, so I was looking at buying not only a replacement unit (a BC1200 - they changed comp specs, too) but 2x wireless setup as well. So lots of bad luck there.

After going out of their way to try and find an "old" BC800 for me, my LBS finally gave me a very sympathetic deal on a VDO comp, so I changed brands. If I had got an equally good deal on Sigma, I would have bought it. But I do suggest you have a look at VDO too, if they're locally available, I've been very happy with it.

--J

Thanks for all your suggestions. Michael, I will for sure stow your list away as a good one to reference (especially getting lights for night time riding!). For now I think I'll just get the computer as I have little concept of time (and even less of distance), it would be nice to have something reasonably accurate to judge things by. If the rain holds off here for another hour, I'm going to walk down on my break to the bike shop and pick it up.

Thanks once again. If you have any more tips for a total newbie, please post them here!

Tim

Well, I went and got the 820 today at the shop. I'm just thrilled with it. I supposed it was good that I got the junk bike from Target first as now I can really appreciate what a quality machine is. I can't imagine what the uber-expensive bikes are like, as I'm very, very happy with this one.

I took her out for a spin tonight as God withheld rain from us in eastern Wisconsin for the whole day. It's a bit chilly (55), but I was bundled up pretty well and was just comfortable warm while riding. I spent most of the ride tonight fussing with the gears (which shift SO nicely!) trying to figure out what the right gear was to keep the right spin without working too hard (the right "cadence"? Learning all sorts of new definitions for words while I learn about this. ;) ). I noticed that there seemed like there was a bit of tension in gear 7, in that it kinda felt like it was trying to shift (thought it was on the last gear). Is that something I can take to the shop and have them look at and fix? I've got a year of free adjustments.

In the end, I rode about 11 miles round trip I think, which I didn't think was too bad for a first time out.

Thanks for all your suggestions and help. If you've got any suggetrsions for a regular schedule to keep, I'd love to hear it. For now I'm going to try to get an hour or so in a night.

Tim

I noticed that there seemed like there was a bit of tension in gear 7, in that it kinda felt like it was trying to shift (thought it was on the last gear). Is that something I can take to the shop and have them look at and fix? I've got a year of free adjustments.

I'm not sure what you mean by tension in the gear. However, most bikes have a certain break-in period. It's usually within the first 100 hours of riding. Cables stretch, some things loosen up upon initial use... Most shops encourage you to take the bike back after the break-in period and get things tuned up. So don't be alarmed if the shifting starts degrading slightly in the next couple of weeks. Just take the bike back and while they're doing the tuneup, ask if you can watch or ask them to show you what they did so that you'll know how to make the minor adjustments yourself without having to always take the bike to the shop. One good online resource for learning how to work on your bike is the Park Tool Co. Repair Help (http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml) webpage.

Ah, ok, that makes sense. I'll give it a few weeks and see how it works out, and then for sure ask them to show me how to do some minor adjustments!

daroga