New to bikes, riding, and getting out. Excited yet timid...
11-07-12, 12:14 PM
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New to bikes, riding, and getting out. Excited yet timid...
Hi everyone!
I'm not totally timid and probably more excited, but I'm hesitant just because this is going to be a first for me on many levels. I have a need for independence, a need to foster a sense of exploration, and a true need for increasing my physical fitness.
First thing I need is a bike. I actually happen to have an older bike my older brother used to use when I was a kid, it's probably going to be a little tall for me. That, and the tires are flat.
I realize my understanding of bike parts and how they work is pretty limited (as in, zero), how should I go about seeing if I can get the bike fitted to me or if I need to get a different bike altogether? Is going to a bike shop an experience I need to be wary of being taken advantage of like I would need to be in taking my car to a mechanic?
Maybe it's a misjudgement but it doesn't seem that it would be nearly as difficult to learn how the mechanics of a bike work (minus all the bells and whistles) as it would be to learn a car.
My main priority is getting a working bike, start riding, and getting more into the practice of having a bike with me most, if not all of the time. But I do have a desire to learn how to care for the bike myself, it's just that I feel my focus needs to be on fostering the relationship with riding first before jumping into a bike mechanics learning curve.
Lastly, while all this is primarily for a sense of adventure and fitness, etc. My money isn't much and a great motivation to do this is to free myself financially.
Let me know if I should re-post this to a different thread guys. I appreciate all the people who post soo much info on this forum, it's amazing to me that so many of you ride so far and in winter! In Los Angeles, I'm not sure if I can depend on the public transit or not but we'll see how far I'm able to get into this. Your input is greatly appreciated!
B
(btw a little about me: I'm a young woman who happens to live at home right now, looking to break away from the boxed in culture that is the house that I live in but haven't been able to do so for health reasons- maybe riding will help)
I'm not totally timid and probably more excited, but I'm hesitant just because this is going to be a first for me on many levels. I have a need for independence, a need to foster a sense of exploration, and a true need for increasing my physical fitness.
First thing I need is a bike. I actually happen to have an older bike my older brother used to use when I was a kid, it's probably going to be a little tall for me. That, and the tires are flat.
I realize my understanding of bike parts and how they work is pretty limited (as in, zero), how should I go about seeing if I can get the bike fitted to me or if I need to get a different bike altogether? Is going to a bike shop an experience I need to be wary of being taken advantage of like I would need to be in taking my car to a mechanic?
Maybe it's a misjudgement but it doesn't seem that it would be nearly as difficult to learn how the mechanics of a bike work (minus all the bells and whistles) as it would be to learn a car.
My main priority is getting a working bike, start riding, and getting more into the practice of having a bike with me most, if not all of the time. But I do have a desire to learn how to care for the bike myself, it's just that I feel my focus needs to be on fostering the relationship with riding first before jumping into a bike mechanics learning curve.
Lastly, while all this is primarily for a sense of adventure and fitness, etc. My money isn't much and a great motivation to do this is to free myself financially.
Let me know if I should re-post this to a different thread guys. I appreciate all the people who post soo much info on this forum, it's amazing to me that so many of you ride so far and in winter! In Los Angeles, I'm not sure if I can depend on the public transit or not but we'll see how far I'm able to get into this. Your input is greatly appreciated!
B
(btw a little about me: I'm a young woman who happens to live at home right now, looking to break away from the boxed in culture that is the house that I live in but haven't been able to do so for health reasons- maybe riding will help)
11-07-12, 07:13 PM
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Welcome toBike Forums!! A good used bike that iis the right size for your body build will make ridding so much nicer. The bike does not need to be an expesive one with all the bells & whistles. That will give you a goal to work toward.Chack your bike shops for an olde but goode, check
thrift stores & craiglest. Health wise there are a bunch of us on here that ride for our health onlly. Read the Begainers Forum post questions. There is also a Forum for ladies post there also. Good luck & safe ridding.
thrift stores & craiglest. Health wise there are a bunch of us on here that ride for our health onlly. Read the Begainers Forum post questions. There is also a Forum for ladies post there also. Good luck & safe ridding.
