NovaScotiaFluff

Hi there!
I am new to these boards....and I NEED HELP!!
I've decided to buy a bike to get back into cycling for exercise- I'm 36 yrs old and it must be 20-25yrs since I've rode a bike.

I am being told that I can get any bike as long as the wheels/tires are of top quality but I don't know what to buy! Or what to look for...

I know I want a city type bike that looks like a mountain bike- if that makes any sense- I'd like to sit mostly upright and comforable but I'm not sold on the Globe type looking bikes....too 'girly' looking to me.....does it matter if I buy a mens bike?? Cause I don't really mind the look of the mens Globe....

Anyway- back to the question at hand - is 700x32 better than 700x35 or is 700x28 the best? I have no idea...
I will be driving mostly through subdivisions and light trails....

And what the heck to they mean by a "sealed cartridge"?? I was told to make sure I have that - do the Globe bikes have that?? If not, what bikes do??

Any suggestions or advice will be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks!
Sonya

deep_sky

As to men's vs women's bikes...personally I think the whole women's specific thing is useless for anyone over 5'3". I neither fit on nor like the look of women's bikes. I will not wear any sort of fu-fu flowery pink crap on my bike, helmet, or any of my kit.

At your weight, you should be concerned primarily with the strength of the wheel. You are definitely going to want a 36 or greater spoke count wheel so that you don't continually destroy your wheels. If you are buying from a local shop, ask them what kind of warranty they have for the bikes, and what they would do for you if the wheels start breaking spokes or the rim bends.

You should be able to ride any of those size tires, although the smaller the tire, the higher the pressure must be to prevent pinch flats, and it is not quite as plush a ride. I myself ride 23mm front/25mm back and do not mind it at all, but I am less than half your weight, so I would recommend that you ride a larger tire, especially if you are just getting back into cycling after a long hiatus. low to mid 30mm tire widths should be fine for you as long as the wheel is strong enough.

I would look at a comfort or hybrid bike, although I would avoid any sort of suspension (or have the bike shop lock out the front suspension if the bike you like comes with it). You have a more upright position which is easier on your back and neck. If possible, ask at your lbs if they have any sort of saddle fitting device, so you can know how wide a seat you need. Sitting on a narrow seat is painful, and will drive you right back off the bike. The measurement is the distance between your sit bones, where most of your weight should be focused on. Too narrow, and you end up sitting on your lady bits, and trust me that is NOT comfortable.

Don't worry about anything specific as wheel hubs. You are just getting back on the bike, and what is more important is that you have a bike that supports your weight, is comfortable for you, and allows you to keep riding while you get fitter and start losing some weight.

Saltybeagle

I started with a hybrid, no special wheels or anything, just kept downsizing seat as I lost weight, weigh myself daily and constantly review my eating habits... started doing 1 mile and collapsing afterward, two years later doing group rides up to 22 mph, centuries, it is a lifestyle change. It takes time, aches and pains, effort and perseverance, you can do it. Others on this forum have great stories.. welcome.

Indoor trainer for winter time, or join a gym and do cycling specific weight program.

Wogster

Generally the advantage of a "women's design" is that they tend to have a shorter effective top tube length for a given frame size in that women generally have a shorter torso and longer legs then men the same height, they are also available in smaller sizes and have a slightly wider and shorter saddle. There are exceptions though, my SO has shorter legs and a longer torso, and rides a semi-mixte type bicycle (lower top tube and then bracing tubes from the top tube to the rear axle), which is shorter and longer.

The dropped top tube design being specifically for women in North America, is really a throwback to the early part of the last century when women riders would typically be wearing full length skirts and a higher top tube would result in modesty issues (gasp a bare ankle ), in Europe and Asia it is common for all riders (men and women) because it's easier to mount the bicycle then a raised top tube design. If you have mobility issues, that make swinging your leg over the top tube difficult, then it would be preferable, otherwise there are plenty of womens bicycles that look similar to mens bicycles, it would be hard without logos to tell the difference between the Trek 4300 women's and mens designs for example.

What you are looking for is a Hybrid, this is basically a cross between a road and mountain bike -- a flat bar road bike has skinny tires and tall gears, a mountain bike has flat bars, wide tires and low gears hybrids have the flat bar of the mountain bike, medium width tires and moderate gearing. It's a good place to start until your fitness and riding style are more well defined and you can decide if you prefer long road rides or off road. The key is fit though, can the saddle be placed so that you can pedal efficiently and can the bars be placed so that you can ride comfortably. Something to consider are the crank forward designs, these are shorter frames, but the crank is placed further forward on the frame, to give it proper leg length when riding, in the 1970's they were common and nearly every kid had one with ape hanger bars and banana saddles (often so you could take your kid brother or sister home with you and not have to walk to school, them hanging onto the back of the bar, it's a wonder us kids of the 60's and 70's ever survived).... The crank forward design kind of died out until Electra reintroduced it with their Townie series for adults (sans the ape hangers and banana seats, thankfully) a few years ago, now there are a bunch of them.

Tires, for heavier riders, wider tires are better, because they don't need really high tire pressures, you also want a higher spoke count wheel (32 or 36), although most hybrids have higher spoke count wheels, because bicycle weight and aerodynamics are less of an issue. The key on wheels is spoke tension, which for heavier riders is easier to establish with more spokes, and if a spoke does break, your less likely to damage the wheel.

HTH and Welcome!

Don't worry about sealed cartridge, it was a big deal about 10 years ago, when they found that mountain bikes with non sealed bearings ridden in a lot of mud and muck needed bearing overhauls much more often. Manufacturers all moved to cartridge bearings because the cartridge could be sealed, all bottom brackets (where the crank goes) are sealed now. Headsets (steering) don't really need it, because they don't get that much water in there. Hubs, some use sealed units, some use sealed bearing cartridges, Shimano IIRC went from traditional bearings to sealed units, to just sealed bearing cartridges, then found a better way to seal the whole hub and moved back to traditional bearings again because they worked better.

cyclokitty 

Hi NSFluffy! I have the sort of bike you are thinking about. It's a hybrid, comfort city style bike by KHS model name Town and Country 100. Easy to google and check out the specs and compare it to what you are thinking about. I started riding when I was about 300 pounds and have managed to avoid crushing, bending, or wrecking the wheels or any other part of the bike with constant use.

My bike has 36 spokes in the wheels, the rear was replaced with a double rim but the front is the original wheel. I kept the original tires until I upgraded to heavier, flatproof tires. But the originals were fine at 2 inches and the new ones are a
tiny bit narrower at 1.75 inches. I tried a couple of different saddles including a super plush, bouncy sprung saddle. The gushy soft saddle
was hideous and turns out the harder original saddle is actually quite comfy once I set the saddle angle to suit me.

You definitely need to try out loads of different bikes. Road bikes, touring bikes, expensive bikes, affordable bikes, made from steel, aluminum, with drop bars, and with flat bars. Get what suits you and your riding style. Wheels are gonna be your main concern and the general rule of thumb is plenty of spokes and someone who can build the wheel properly.

Then, go ride! And bring us pictures. We love pictures!!

NovaScotiaFluff

OH MY GOD! You guys are AMAZING!!!! Thank you SO much for your suggestions/recommendations!!
What a great help you are!
I am going to visit the lbs today/tomorrow - with these posts in hand! haha
Have a great day

NovaScotiaFluff

Clyclokitty - thanks for the tip on the KHS bike - I really do like the look of that one for sure! Approx how much does this bike run? Also- how much more did they charge you for the double rim for the rear?

CliftonGK1

Just a clarification: It's a double wall rim. A single wall rim has a cross section like this...


And a double wall rim looks like this in cross section...


The additional bracing of the second wall adds strength and stiffness to the rim, making them more suitable to us larger riders. A single wall rim can be built up into a strong wheel, but the overall durability will be greater with a double wall rim.
Prices would vary depending on the materials. If the LBS has pre-built wheels then all you would need to request is that the wheel is hand finished to correct and even tension. (Most machine built wheels are undertensioned for Clydes/Athenas). If they do not stock wheels, then having one built up can be done for (relatively) cheap by using an entry level hub and inexpensive rim. A Tiagra or Deore hub is only $40, a strong double wall rim like the Sun CR18 or RhynoLite is only $30 - $35, and spokes shouldn't be more than about 80 cents each. Most shops charge around $40 to build a wheel, so you could do it for about $150 at the low end.

andrelam

Here are a few other toughts. I visited Halifax two years ago and was amazed at the large number of cyclists we saw. It may not be to the number of Portland or some other cycling mecas, but certainly you have lots of cyclists. I am certain you will enjoy your self. Here is one problem I noted... Halifax has some steep hills in and around the city. They may not be tall like a mountain, but it looked a lot like San Francisco to me... short but steep.

You may be best suited on a mountain bike. 24" wheels tend to be inherantly stronger than 700C wheels you get on most hybrids. Today you also have the choice of 29er wheels (basically they are beefy 700C wheels). With the mountain bikes you will also get lower gearing that might be of great help when you start riding. For most people get back on a bike hills are a killer at first. With the extra greats you'll be able to keep moving without having to push quite as hard on the pedals. I bought a mid range hybrid 3.5 years ago and started to commute with it (Gary Fisher Nirvana for abtou $550). The bike came with very descent shifting components and 700Cx35 tires. I weight about 225 Lbs, and carry about 30 Lbs worth of bags, equipment (lock, food beverages, clothing etc) with me every day. After about 800 miles I started popping spokes in the back. I received a replacement warentee wheel and it lasted till about 3000 miles. At that point I started to lose a few spokes right in a row.

Early on I had a custom 32 spoke built by Peter White in NH because I wanted a generator hub for front lights. That wheel has been absolutely perfect for over 5000 miles. I had PEter built me a 36 spoke rear wheel a little over a year ago and that wheel has been perfect we well for about 2000 miles. Getting a higher quality wheel is possible, but it will cost about $200 for a rear wheel. Unless you have a real need to run 700C wheels I consider getting something that will be more likely to hold up without needing to spend more money soon.

No matter what you end up buying, the most important thing is to ride a variety of bikes. Different bikes makes and models with have slightly different geometry. You need to find out what fits for YOU. There is definitely the issue of bikes that might be too large or too small, but even with a bike that is the right size, you want to find out what bike feels the most natural and comfortable.

Happy riding,
André

cyclokitty 

Clifton: yup, you're right. I shouldn't type late at night. Thanks for explaining the diff between single wall and double wall rims.

NSFluff: the bike was $350.00 and with the upgraded rear wheel and taxes the total was about a bit under $500.00. I ride my bike practically everyday for fun, exercise, grocery getting, commuting, and to wander around in the sun. Since buying her, I've added a front basket, rear rack, fenders, lights, bell, bike computer, the grips, fiddled with the saddle, switched tires, and replaced the brake pads with much better salmon Koolstops. After the riding, the best part of owning a bike is changing around the bits and pieces and personalizing it for your needs and likes. I wanted a commuter/shopping/cheerfully geeky bike.


Mah bebe! My plans for the future is to add colour to my bike. I'm thinking when the time comes, to replace the cable housing from somber black to red. I'm keeping an eye out for red fenders and red grips (or use handlebar tape).

Argus

Hi NSFluff

If you in Halifax proper go see Jack Nauss, he was on Robie St the last time I was home. He does some really good work and will work with you.

NovaScotiaFluff

Thanks Argus! I just googled him- he's on Agricola now- I'll head there tomorrow!

And thanks SO much EVERYONE!

I'm getting excited!

Wogster

You know most fenders can be painted, even the plastic ones, you just need to find a plastic friendly paint. Where was that pic taken, doesn't look like TO, the road looks too smooth

cyclokitty 

hehehehehe that road is a lot smoother than most of my routes. It's in front of the Todmorden Mills off Pottery Road close to the Don River trail. The exciting part of this section is the Dairy Queen at the top of the hill.

NovaScotiaFluff

Hey Argus - I went to Jack Nauss' bike shop- Jack actually passed away a while back and his son took over- his name is Dave, a retired firefighter...and a VERY knowledgeable and MORE than helpful man! Made me feel VERY comfortable going in there at my size and asking for recommendations- thaks for your tip...

Dannielle

I have a Globe Carmel and love it. I am female yet have the men's version...a Globe Carmel L (large) in bronze. The only reason you wouldn't be able to use a men's bike would be if you're not tall enough for it. I'm 5'10" and have the seat raised a couple of inches...so it would work for someone a bit shorter.