rekmeyata

The only bike that Dicks has that's worth considering at your price is this one: Diamondback Adult Haanjo Metro Road Bike | DICK'S Sporting Goods This one is the most highly rated in reviews for the price, but it is a new bike, you won't get as good of a bike as you could buying used, but if you're leery of buying used then that Diamondback is the way to go.

Performance might have some closeout prices on last years models, so check those out...again you'll get more for your money buying used.

Artfahie

I'm in the same position... 6'1", 193 lbs... but 69 years old... I live in rural Maine and we have plenty of long hills. Last week (exactly a week ago today) I purchased a Trek FX7.2 .... yes... a "hybrid" bike (dare I say it)... along with a computer to track miles/speed etc. In these first few days I've managed about 40 miles... not much for most here but a good start as I see it. The folks at my LBS told me that "when I get it" I'd be back for a road bike. Thanks to the interchanges on the web I'm already starting to envision that possibility... I just have to see if I stick to "it" before investing the money... at this point it's too early to tell... BUT... the FX 7.2 comes in at just under $500 and is a highly regarded ride... I like it... some may disagree... but earning your "wings" with a hybrid isn't necessarily a bad thing... I'm having fun, it's keeping me enthusiastic... and just recently having lost 50 pounds myself I know what you're going through. It might be just worth a consideration. In the meantime I'll continue gleaning information from this very enthusiastic and knowledgeable bunch of folks on this board.

Artfahie

After reading this post I took a ride into our local Dick's.... they only had one brand marked at $9.97, but I was able to get two different colors (red & orange) in my size (large)... nice shirts... thanks for the heads-up ! (Also some great deals on bike locks)

rekmeyata

The problem with hybrid bikes is that most people with those bikes move into road bikes within a year or two after purchasing one. I think instead of a hybrid if a person wants something like that is to get a cross bike instead because then you have the ability to slap on skinny tires and rims and play roadie or slap on wider tires and rims and play in the gravel and dirt, plus if you ever get the hankering you could use a cross bike for touring.

ltxi

I'm an advocate of using a good LBS for a new rider. A really good one will sell you what they believe you actually need and will full refund or credit exchange within 30 days. The only gear you actually starter need, imo, is a helmet. The rest can come later. If you're tentative about sticking with this you can get into a quality brand entry level bike for $600 or a bit less. But you can outgrow that quickly. If you know you're gonna be serious I like something a bit more upscale endurance road such as a Cannondale Synapse. That cwuld serve well either forever or, certainly, until you really get into cycling and develop more focus. One other bit...stock saddles at entry level tend to be a literal pita....don't let that deter you, it's a fixable issue

MRT2

That Diamondback looks decent, and I like the simplicity of 1 x 9 gearing. But if I were a newbie, I would stay away from Dicks. At least my local Dicks has no service department at all for bikes. That and, they sell a few decent bikes and a lot of junk.

rekmeyata

That particular bike got the highest rating of any bike near that price range, plus it uses mainline parts so any LBS can repair it and find parts for it unlike Walmart and Target and the such. Dicks service sucks almost as bad as Walmart and Target, however most Dicks stores have a bike mechanic on duty that can repair any bike they sold in or out of warranty, see: Bike Repair, Tune-Ups & Assembly at DICK'S Sporting Goods Granted the mechanics are high schoolers or college brats needing some part time money, but that's what you find at most LBS's anyways.

sjanzeir

If you're just starting out, why not start with an upright city bike with a wide gearing range and high-volume tires like the Trek Shift 2/Raleigh Venture 4.0/Giant Sedona DX to feel your way into the sport? If you commit to riding long and often, by late summer you'll be ready for a fast hybrid or even a road bike.

Here's my 0.02's worth of advice:

1. Don't pedal with your hips! Learn to use the proper gearing to keep your cadence somewhere between 50 and 80 rpm with slight to moderate resistance. Keep your body steady on the saddle and use only your leg muscles, not your hips.

2. This is the most important thing - Keep the ball your foot - the widest part - on top of the pedal's axle. Use toe clips if you have to. A quick Google search should render plenty of information and images about proper foot positioning.

3. Don't spread out your knees. Keep them pointed straight ahead and close to the frame.

Good luck!

jefnvk

Yeah, just their store brand. I've got a few of their jerseys bought on different sales, I like them, especially the fact they just look like a normal polo when I walk into a stop at a bar. All I really care about is the back pockets.

I don't think that is a problem at all. I didn't go hybrid when I moved away from my long time MTB, I went vintage road bikes, but I am glad I didn't just jump into a fancy high dollar bike. After a year of riding it, if I were to want a new road bike, I'd be far more comfortable walking into a shop (or ordering online) and knowing exactly what I wanted in a bike. I could far more competently talk about what fit issues I had, what tire preferences I had, what riding style I preferred. I kind of hold the impression that any first road bike I would hav ebought from an LBS wouldn't have been exactly right to begin with, and likewise replaced after a year or two.

All the Dicks by me have bike service. The reason I tossed it up there with REI and Performance is the bikes I've looked at there seemingly have standard components serviceable anywhere, opposed to the XX-Marts with who-knows-what on any particular bike. Certainly not top of the line, but widely serviceable at least. That said, I'm not going to pretend I've looked at every last offering there to make that a definitive statement.

rs23

I went to my local dicks and they were super helpful! I ended up getting the GT Adult Talera 4.0 Hybrid Bike and a bunch of accessories. I even rode it when I got back home and really enjoyed it as well as it was comfortable. I know it's not the top of the line but I got a great workout and excited about adding it to my routine. They did the safety checks and etc also. Thanks for all the help!

jefnvk

Enjoy it, don't let anyone drag you down because it isn't what they would ride!

rs23

Thank you! I really enjoyed riding today

rekmeyata

As Jefnvk said there is no reason to let anyone drag you down, besides once you've ridden it for 2 to 5 years or so you'll know more about what kind of bike to get the next time, maybe you'll get another better hybrid, or a road, or a cross bike, or a MTB, it takes a little time to figure out what kind of riding you'll enjoy the most. And you can still use the then older Talera for perhaps commuting or camping, so hang onto to it even after you get a better bike. You got a starter bike and you didn't pay a lot for it which is good for a starter bike.

Don't forget if you have any questions about the bike or the accessories or what other accessories you need or repair or training or whatever, just come back here and ask the forum, people are always willing to help and we all want to see you stay in the sport for a very long time and the community here will try to help you do that.

Congrats on the new bike.

rs23

Thanks a lot!! I got a helmet and a bottle holder. I was looking on amazon for a pump, led light and since its gonna be a hot summer some nice reflective tshirts so i can be more visible. While i was riding a i saw a lot of people today riding and it was great energy. Met few neighbors too.

I was looking at this https://www.amazon.com/Xtreme-Combina...ke+accessories

Thanks!

rekmeyata

That is a good starter kit, the light is not extremely bright unlike the ad would want a person to believe, but 250 lumens (which is probably closer to 125 to 150) is a to be seen light and not so much a light to see the road with, but could work as a commuting light in the city where you have a lot of street lighting; I seriously doubt the pump will get to 120psi but on a hybrid you won't need to get that high anyways; the lock cable is not the best defense against theft, they're just playing word games to sell their stuff.

The biggest issue with that kit is the lock, if you plan on locking up your bike outside while you leave it unattended for a long time someone could steal your bike with nothing more than a pair of cable cutters bought at any home improvement store. if that bothers you then I wouldn't buy that kit, and instead buy the stuff individually perhaps over time as you get more money and in order of need. A good relatively inexpensive
lock is this: Amazon.com : Kryptonite Kryptolok Series 2 Standard Bicycle U-Lock with Transit FlexFrame Bracket (4-inch x 9-inch) with 4-Foot Flex Cable : Bike U Locks : Sports & Outdoors OR THIS: https://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-Kee...d+mastiff+8020 Do not buy a lock due to it's insurance, to collect the insurance is all but impossible, also realize that no lock is theft proof, with modern battery powered angle grinders the best lock can be destroyed in 30 seconds to 1 minute at the longest, but most bike thieves are looking for expensive bikes, some will take low end bikes if the lock is cheaply made.

Cost wise this pump would be better than the one in the kit you showed, https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...opic-mini-pump This is a decent low cost pump that claims it can get to 160psi on another web site but I haven't found any mini pump that can reach those lofty psi claims, probably closer to 120. All that psi crap means is that this pump would be easier to get to 100psi than the pump you showed in that kit.

As far as lights go, and price goes, this is the best light for the money: https://www.amazon.com/GUARANTEED-Rec...bicycle+lights Again, like pumps, generic lights tend to over inflate their lumens capability by quite a bit, I doubt this light will have 1200 lumens but it could put out 450 to 600 which is a lot more than the light in your kit and not only will you be seen but you will be able to see the road.

Of course you need a tail light, this is the best for the price: https://www.amazon.com/Blitzu-Recharg...le+tail+lights Again, like headlights the lumens are probably over cooked so instead of the claimed 168 lumens it's probably closer to 50 to 60 which is again way better than the kit one.

Keep in mind that most of this stuff I mentioned, except the lock and the pump, are generic stuff, they're cheaply priced and won't last as long as better more expensive stuff, but they will last you about 3 to 5 years and by that time you can get better stuff as they fail. A lot of people have reported really good success with the headlight, and the nicer headlights with replaceable batteries will have batteries that cost as much or more then the battery and light combined do that I showed! So that headlight while cheap may be worth it, and even if the battery dies just buy another new light.

Like I said, just buy one or two items that are the most important to you to have right away and then work your way down in order of need, that way you're not coming up with $100 all at once unless you want to of course.

rs23

Thanks a lot for all this information. I am ordering the front/rear light and pump right away. I need a phone mount. any suggestions? I used strava yesterday to track my ride. Are there any apps you guys recommend?

sjanzeir

I use GPS Essentials to track my rides and save them into KML files which I can then open in Google Earth. All nice and free of the seemingly mandatory involvement with social media other apps force you into.

jefnvk

I use a tracking app on my Windows Phone, and just toss it in my back jersey pocket with the app running under the lock screen (one of the reasons I love jerseys so much). Unless you have something ubiquitous like an iPhone or a Galaxy, you're probably going to have to try mounts with your phone to find one you like that fits it. I have yet to find anything that fits my phone (although, I have been looking for something fully enclosed). I find that the screen running that bright for a bike ride tends to kill the battery anyways.

For constant distance/speed knowledge, I just use whatever cheap wired computer the local XX-Mart has on sale. Most have mine cost around $10, and when measured against GPS are within about 1% accuracy, plenty good for my uses, dropping the need for a phone mount.

As to the pump, one of the best things I have ever done is to buy a GOOD pump. I have some cheap ones I still keep attached to bikes that are sparingly used, but once I got one of these, I realized how awful the cheapies were: https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Road-Mo.../dp/B004GDBQO6. If you are patient, you can find them for $25-30 on sale. When my floor pump went out, I actually used this for a while until I replaced it.

Locks, I don't put much thought into. My bike is just locked up when I stop at a store or a bar on a ride, it doesn't sit outside. I've got something good enough to keep the honest folks honest, if someone really wants my bike any power tool will take care of any lock I care to pay for with little trouble.

rs23

Thank you!! I will look into it. totally agree about the battery life. i just used strava and had the phone on my arm band. I rode 9 miles today and felt great!

Is there a way i can get a different saddle or seat cover. I felt little uncomforable with my current. Just a bit not a deal breaker!

MRT2

Keeping honest folks honest. I like that. I, too don't really leave my bike unattended for long, ever. Usually just long enough to take a bathroom break or get lunch, or whatever.

What lock is adequate to keep honest folks honest depends on where you will be leaving your bike. If you bike a lot in a large city or college area, then you really should go with a U lock, or a folding lock from Kryptonite or Abus. In a lower bike theft area, a chain or cable might be adequate. I keep a cable in a small front bag along with a master lock. When I ride with my wife and rarely, my son, we will use a Kryptonite lock, along with two cable locks. Lock two frames together with the U lock, then secure the wheels with the cable locks. It isn't perfect, but I am surprised how many people riding nicer bikes than mine use no lock at all. I figure if a thief has a choice, he will steal the unlocked bike, rather than the two bikes secured with 3 locks.

MRT2

Forget about seat covers. They are a waste of money. As for saddles, it is a personal thing. You might want to get accustomed to riding before switching saddles. If after a month or so you are still uncomfortable, then by all means start looking for another saddle. Look for something that is a good fit, and stay away from soft, heavily padded models. In the long run, they are less comfortable than firmer saddles.

rs23

Is it normal to have knee pain when someone starts riding? I use this when i run but i can feel it in my knees. Could be my riding form?

https://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Jumper...rt+for+running

Thanks!

MRT2

No, knee pain is not normal. Could be your saddle is too low.

sjanzeir

When you're new to the sport, slight pain in the few hours that follow a ride is to be expected. Extreme pain, however, means you're doing it wrong: either you're using the wrong gears (most beginners, under the false impression that the greater the effort - and the pain - the greater the athletic gain, make the mistake of just setting the bike to the highest possible gearing leaving it there,) or you don't have your feet on the pedals properly (the balls - the widest parts - of your feet, and not the bottoms, should be over the axles of the pedals,) or both. I learned this the hard way when I first started riding regularly as a means to commute and for recreational/amateur racing more than 20 years ago.

sjanzeir

^^^^ that, too.