WillPwr

Hi from SFV, California

I going to start riding bikes (8 years since last ride). But I don't know what brand I should go with. And knowing that good bikes these days go for 100 of dollars I don't want to buy a bike that I'll regret.

I am interested in a street bike (I believe they called them road or speed bikes) or a hardtail mountain bike. Will not really ride off-road that much, but I want something that can be abuse and last, and love the looks of mountain bike, the front suspension is a plus.

I hear that mountain or trail bikes are harder to ride on streets and not as fast as road bikes.
I'm willing to spend up to $1000.00

Will need advice and opinions.

Thank you,

-Will

BigBlueToe

If you're going to ride mostly on roads, buy a road bike. If you're going to get deeply into cycling and want to also ride off road, you'll probably want to have a mountain bike too. Neither can do the other's job satisfactorily, although I've explored plenty of dirt and gravel roads on a road bike - not great but do-able.

Some newbies are put off by the riding position of drop handlebars, so they buy hybrids or city bikes or comfort bikes. However, I think once you try a road bike with drop handlebars and get used to them you'll wonder what the fuss was all about. There's a reason the overwhelming majority of road riders use them.

$1000 will get you a good, entry-level road bike. If you buy one of the big brands (think Trek and Specialized, among others) you may pay a small premium for the name but you'll get a good bike. But there are many equally-worthy brands. I suggest you go to as many local bike shops as you can and see what they have to offer. One may have last year's model for a good discount. Try out as many bikes as you can. Buy the one that feels right, has good components, a good price, and appeals to you aesthetically. Then have no regrets, even if you see what seems to be a better deal a week later. You'll have a good bike. Ride it for awhile (a year?) Then you can decide if you like biking enough to upgrade (N+1 disease - most of us have it.) Or you can keep riding what you bought. For $1000 you should get a bike that will last a decade at least, if not a lifetime. All of my bike upgrades were because I wanted them, not because I needed them.

Enjoy.

WillPwr

Thank you for the feedback.

I decided to go with a road bike.

I found a 2008 Trek FX 7.5 for $720 or the LBS owner said he can sell me a 2010 FX 7.5 for $820, both new. At Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica they weren't offering me any deals. My thought is that they would, since I was buying one for me, my brother and a rack mount. After taxes it was all coming to $1800, but I'm guessing supporting LBS is a good thing.

I was also considering a 2010 Specialized Sirrus Sport, Trek Valencia, GT Tachyon 2.0 or Specialized Globe San Francisco 2.


I went to my LBS (sells both gt and trek), and I asked if i should with a Trek FX 7.5 and a GT Tachyon 2.0. The bike shop owner said to go with the FX 7.5 because of the Carbon fiber fork (because of the lightness) and the back derailleur. Is this a good advice to buy the trek?

I need advice as soon as possible because I will make the jump this week. Any advice on any of the models I mention.

Thank you,

-Will

Garfield Cat

I think Helen's will sell at a discount if you and your brother are club riders. That means you have to join a club nearby. Helen's at Santa Monica gets kind of busy on the weekends, but their personnel for bike fitting are really good. You probably didn't go upstairs to see their high end bikes.

jsigone

what about something like this https://incycle.com/product/10-specia...le-59483-1.htm leaves a few hundi for shoes, pedals, helmet, extra tubes, pump, saddle bag, decent shorts and a jersey or two to start.

Its not just a bike you NEED when starting out.
Another options is any of the bike direct stuff. All of the Cali peeps i know that ordered from them in Texas got their bikes in 3 days. https://bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm

WillPwr

Thank you all for the help.

So I decided to go with either the Trek 2010 FX 7.5 or the 2010 GT Tachyon 2.0.

I'm a bike newbie, so I need advice from the experts as to which bike I should go with, and why. The LBS is a Trek and GT dealer, the salesman told me to go with the Trek because it has a carbon fiber fork.

More info would be appreciated.

Thank you,

-Will

jabantik00

i think you can't go wrong as long as it fits you well and is comfortable. make it clear you want your bike to fit you well. if they offer a fitting service, it might be worth the extra money. ask your shop if they will swap stuff like stems (length, rise) and saddles (they can tape the seat rails so they don't get marked up) to fit you. set aside part of your budget for clothing, shoes, etc. these things can greatly increase your comfort.

WillPwr

Someone mention to give drop-handle bikes a try, and I started to look around and came across the TreK Road Series 1 1.2 and the Specialized Allez Sport Compact oo

Allez Sport Double .





https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...4&menuItemId=0
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/1_series/12/

Any feedback on any of those models.

Thanks,

-Will

MrClyde

I would say go drop bars. I bought a flat bar bike because I didn't think I was "ready" for a road bike. I regretted it about 3 months later. The drop bars basically have the hand position of the flat bars, plus more.

Now I have a road bike too and love it.

WillPwr

Thank you all for the help.


Man, this is hard. I'm like a kid in a candy everytime I read, research and go to a bike shop. I've been considering a road bike, and as I keep looking for one I like it more and more over the straight handle bikes.


I'm looking at multiple ones, but here are two I like so far.

Trek Series 1 1.2 https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/1_series/12/

Jamis Ventura Comp https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...racomp_bk.html


Looking at other brands besides Trek.

Give you your opinions.


Thank you,

-Will


I really appreciate all the help guys and gals.

buck65

You really can't go wrong with the Trek or the Jamis that you have linked at the bottom of your last post. Both seem to be at a really good price point and have a fairly decent component setup. If you REALLY get into cycling in the future, you can always upgrade. But in the meantime, these should be perfect for commuting, club rides, workout days, or the occasional quick jaunt to the coffee shop.

I'd personally go for the Trek because of the name--I understand that they're really good with their warranty policy.....don't really know anyone with a Jamis, nor have I ever had the chance to ride one. I'm sure both have a build quality just as good as the other (and I wouldn't be surprised if they were made by the same company). Per your other question: ditch the flat bar and get a drop bar setup. You'll have better shifters and much more positions. If you must have brakes while riding in the flats, have the bike store install some cyclocross interrupter brakelevers (should be around $35). You might also like the Allez (as mentioned above)....good starter bike with decent components.

Here's a shot of some interruptor brakes (gives you braking control similar to a flat bar setup and you can still brake while on the hoods or in the drops)


Lastly, make sure to do 2 test rides of each bike and then choose the one that you feel most comfortable one--that's the bike that will motivate you to keep riding.

WillPwr

Ok, so I made the jump on the Trek 1.2 got it for 790 OTD.

I'm looking into interrupter brakes and I'm confused.

https://store.canecreek.com/products/...00.56301.0.0.0

On the link above it has different type of interrupter brake levers. I would assume that the less heavy ones would be more pricey, but it appears otherwise, except for the carbon.

I like ...

https://store.canecreek.com/products/...0.56301.0.0.0?

and

https://store.canecreek.com/products/...0.56301.0.0.0?


Which one would you guys recommend?

I should get my bike by next Wednesday.

Thanks,

-Will

buck65

The second link you provided shows a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Look for anything with "cross" in the name and you should be good. Or if you go to the bike shop, ask the tech for some cyclocross brakelevers.

Be sure to tell them BEFORE they build your bike up so they don't charge you extra.

BTW, congrats on the purchase!

WillPwr

I get my bike tomorrow, I'm excited.

I will only ride it around my neighborhood since I have buy a few more things.

I need advice on a good pair of shorts. I really don't want to wear the skin tight shorts. I'm looking at MTB shorts, are good for riding road bikes?


I also need a good tool kit for repairs, saddle bag and a pump. Should I good with a pump or CO2?

Are tube liners worth buying?

Anything else I should consider buying?


Thank you,

-Will

buck65

Congrats on the purchase! Be sure to post pics.




I need advice on a good pair of shorts. I really don't want to wear the skin tight shorts. I'm looking at MTB shorts, are good for riding road bikes?
I'd suggest wearing the skin tight shorts (with a pad) under regular street clothes until your sit area is up to task. I ride with jeans about 90% of the time (and I wear cycling shorts with a pad if I do over 15 miles). Running/basketball shorts are great over your cycling shorts. Also, I'd recommend regular cargo shorts over your cycling shorts. I'm in the camp that doesn't believe that one should drop tons of money on gear to enjoy their bike. If you're going to be in the saddle for 4 hours, then a nice kit will be worth it. If you're just riding a couple hours here, and a couple hours there, comfy street clothes are just fine.

I also need a good tool kit for repairs, saddle bag and a pump. Should I good with a pump or CO2?
I think Topeak makes a good tool kit, sold at Performance Bike, for a relatively good price. It's a compact bag with a multi tool, patch kit, tire levers, and CO2 parts. I'd suggest a frame pump AND CO2 cartridges. It's nice to use your pump because it's like using free air. The last 20-30psi can be filled with your cartridges, unless you got pecs and biceps of steel.

Are tube liners worth buying?
Some will argue for tube liners, some against. It all depends on the tire you get. You can get a heavy tire that is commuter oriented, but it'll be heavy and detract from performance. Or you can get a super light race tire and risk getting flats. Personally, I'd skip the tire liners and enjoy the zippiness of your Trek. My Panaracer Paselas (700c, 28mm wide, 95psi) have about 900 miles on them without a single flat....just avoid running over debris and you should be fine.

Anything else I should consider buying?
Gloves, helmet, lights, bottle cages. It's nice to have some of the convenient accessories that are good for safety or easy repairs. Other than that, you really don't need much else. Just enjoy your bike.

atmdad

I get my bike tomorrow, I'm excited.

I will only ride it around my neighborhood since I have buy a few more things.

I need advice on a good pair of shorts. I really don't want to wear the skin tight shorts. I'm looking at MTB shorts, are good for riding road bikes?

Anything padded really makes a difference. I have both the MTB style and plum smugglers that I will wear for anything over 5 miles. The MTB style for tooling around the 'hood running errands etc, the tight shorts for longer rides on my road bike.

Don't worry, once the addiction gets a hold of you, you will have no reservations about riding around in the form fitting plum smugglers showing off the whole package to anyone and everyone.


I also need a good tool kit for repairs, saddle bag and a pump. Should I good with a pump or CO2?

I'm sure there are plenty of different thoughts but I consider a decent frame pump a necessity and the C02 as more a convienience, but I do carry both usually.

Are tube liners worth buying?

New bike, new wheelset, new tubes and tires, ehh, probably not.

Anything else I should consider buying?

BIKE n+1 !


Anyways, congrats, have fun.

WillPwr

I thank you all for sticking with me and the good advice.

I will pick up my bike tomorrow and take pictures, but first will enjoy a nice cruise.

Thank you all.

WillPwr

I finally got my bike.

It came in on Wednesday and couldn't pick it up till Saturday.

[IMG][/IMG]

WillPwr

Oh yeah...

My ass hurts, nit even a mile into riding and it was hurting. Now I'm sore. Ran to the bike shop and bought some padded gel shorts, and loving it.

alicestrong

Really sharp looking bike. I like the color scheme lots...