simco

I live in Nashville and I don't know a damn thing about bikes.
I'll be using it to get from point A to point B, nothing more than a few miles at a time and I'll be going on and off bad pavement, grass, sidewalks, curbs, etc.
Right now I'm scouring the forum and doing my best at google to learn what type of stuff I should be looking for but the deluge of info is a little intimidating.

Are there any notably good 'starter' bikes for this type of travelling?
I originally leaned towards mountain bikes just because of the curb hopping and rough treatment but I'm interested in more of an in-between road/mountain if nothing else as far as tires go.

So, yeah, any help would be great.
I can understand this being an old discussion topic. I wish there was some kind of sticky about this.
So if you don't want to type it all out if you can at least post a link that would be swet.
Thanks.

cryogenic

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/90213-advice-new-commuters.html

That's a good place to start. As far as a bike goes, how much do you want to spend? Take a look into "hybrid" bicycles... also known as city bikes, commuter bikes, urban bikes, etc. There are tons of options out there. Specialized Sirrus, Trek FX series, Cannondale Road Warrior, Kona Dew, Giant FCR, Giant Cypress (has a front shock), and the list goes on and on... Personally I'd avoid suspension if you're going to ride mostly on-road. It only adds extra weight and saps power when you're trying to hammer on the pedals.

simco

Preferrably $300 or less.
I'm going throughall the threads and now I'm getting scared about bike locks.

Mars

You can get a nice used hybrid in the paper or on ebay. I advise staying out of WalMart or other discount type stores for your bike.

Hybrid sounds like a good choice for you and what you are describing.

Camel

Check the Nashville Craigslist occassionaly for used bikes in your area, if thinking of going used. Looks like folks list one about twice/week. Avoid the "wallmart" type bikes which get listed on all Craigslists-they can usually be bought cheaper "new"-but are crap in my opinion. Brands like: Magna, Next, Mongoose (sadly) and others.

Other options might be moving sales/yard sales-really hit or miss though.

bveraa

You sound like you have my reasoning when I bought my bike: a commuter that I can beat up and jump over curbs. I looked at mountain bikes and hybrids and decided that since I destroy all that I touch, a mountain bike would stand a better chance. I've got a (now gracefully aging) Trek mountain bike that I had the bike shop exchange the stock tires for some cheap 26x1.5 slicks. When it came time, I replaced the rear one with a Specialized Armadillo ($30 or so) because if I save 1 flat tire per year, it's worth it. I run the tires at the max rated 80psi, and they do a pretty good job of rolling. (I do a 12 mile each way street commute in about 45min with no complaints)

I also don't have a suspension on the bike. At the time, it would have broken my budget to get one, but in retrospect, I'm really glad I don't. My feeling is that a suspension is great for riding trails and jumping big rocks, but it just wastes your energy on the street. I'd gladly change that little bit of comfort when hopping curbs for some extra speed in the flat. Of course, your mileage (and sore tailbone) may vary.

Depending on how literal your "don't know a thing about bikes" is, you'd probably do yourself a favor by heading into your Local Bike Shop and talking to the guys there a bit. There's something about being face to face with someone and being able to point to a real bike that helps clarify things. Personally, I try to make at least one trip to the store and refuse to let myself buy anything, even if it's "perfect", to help relax and ignore any sales pressure, so I can learn about it.

While in the store, you'll probably hear a ton of stuff about the shifters and derailleurs and component sets and blah blah blah. Test drive the bikes. Yes, quality components last longer. But if you can't tell a difference between this shifter and that one, it probably doesn't matter that much.
And when you test drive, see if you can get all the bikes you're interested in lined up side by side, and ride them back to back to back. I found I could identify minor differences way better with 30 secs between bikes, rather than 5 minutes to head back into the store to swap.

You can get a better deal used (bikes _are_ pretty easy to work on) but if you really don't know much about bikes, a new bike is going to have a warranty, less required maintainance, and typically the LBS will throw in several free tune-ups and maybe offer some classes on preventative maintainance.

Good luck, and watch out for cars.
-B

supcom

Look up a nice bike shop (not sporting goods store) or two in your area. Go visit them and talk about what you plan to do. They should be able to recommed bikes for your situation and budget. They will also help you get the right size bike. Good bikes come in multiple frame sizes. Having the right fit makes cycling much more enjoyable. Most department store bikes are sized for kids.

If you know little about bikes, stay away from ebay, craigslist, and other used bike sources. You'll likely end up with something that does not fit and will have problems that you will have to pay a bike shop to fix. Better to get a good quality bike with a warranty. Brands to look at are Trek, Specialized, Giant, and Cannondale to name a few.

Good luck.

Ubie

You might want to try Cumberland Transit near Vanderbilt campus (i think they're on West End Ave). I haven't been there in a few years, but they used to be my bike shop in town, very helpfull.

Camel

Great advice. Go on a slow day-up hear, before lunch, early in the week are usually slow for shops. Sales people will have much more time available to explain things.

Be upfront + honest that you don't know a thing, and that you will NOT be buying anything that day. This will give you an opportunity to see if the particular sales person is good or not. Mind that if they are busy, ask when would be a good time to come back when they have more time.

simco

I have every intention of checking out the three bike shops I know of tomorrow.
Hopefully, I'll be able to take away info from all three places to be able to pick a bike that is best suited for what I want.
Are there any brands that I should be looking out for, whether it's to be interested in or to avoid (in the realm of parts or full bikes)?
Just being a consumer in any new market I know there are going to be little things I should avoid or be wary of if they try to press it on me, you know.
Thanks for all the help so far.

Roody

I agree with the concensus here--look at new hybrid bikes in a LBS (bike shop), OR look for a used bike--maybe a rigid mountain bike (no funny looking frames or "springs" over the wheels). Either would probably fit in with a fairly rough style of urban riding. If you buy the used bike, spend some of the money you save on getting it fixed up nice.

There are a couple dozen manufacturers of bikes and hundreds, maybe thousands, of models. This is often very confusing. To simplify your first purchase (especially of a used bike), I think you should focus on three manufacturers who consistently make good entry level bikes at good prices. These are Trek, Giant, and Specialized. I'm not saying they make the best bikes, just that they make a lot of bikes that are a good value for the money.

Another rule of thumb--decent entry level bikes sometimes have brakes and derailleurs that were made by Shimano. As far as I know, Shimano parts are always acceptable, but some lesser known brands are not so good.

MichaelW

Utilily bikes of any kind (MTB/hybrid /road) need the ability to fit a rear luggage rack and fenders. Ensure that the frame has threaded eyelets to take these.
A ridgid MTB sounds like a good idea. Its hard to get a decent new one but quality used ones should be easier to find.

sydney_b

2nd the need to check bike for rack and fender mounting. Very important.

Also, get a good bag and/or basket. It's so nice not to have a backpack or bag on a sweaty back.

simco

I went to a couple shops.

How do you guys feel about these:

trek fx 7200
trek hybrids (probably 7300 and down)
raleigh sc30, 40
specialized crossroads

I'm kinda turned off by the front suspension and just the design of the comforts.
They just seem sluggish. although, I have yet to try them out.
All the guys that helped me were nice. Didn't push anything and mostly pointed me in the direction of the lower priced bikes since I was just starting out.
They helped explain a few things.

Does anyone have any experience or know of people with those bikes up there?

Helmet Head

You can take a decade learning how to be safe in traffic the hard way, if you survive, or you can take a shortcut and read Effective Cycling by John Forester.

Your choice.

slooney

Simco-

Look seriously into a used bike- save treating yourself to a nice bike for when you know what you really want, how you're going to use it (more a question of riding style than whether or not you're commuting or riding primarilyon roads, etc.). Also, While I'm really good at wheelie(ing) and bunny hopping curbs, a suspension fork can help a lot with surmounting curbs while you learn your skills.

A good condition, reasonably fitting garage sale bike, tuned up a the local bike shop, will serve you fine for the first 500 miles of commuting at a fraction of the price, and you can get a new bke that you love to ride when you get your kinks figured out. As I've said to other beginners, too bad you're not in Denver, I've got a bike I'd let you have.

BTW- My daily commuter, and the bike I would use for longer urban rides if I chose to make them, and the bike I've been using the most for the last 13 or 14 years of riding is a Trek 930 mountain bike- rigid fork, hard tail, older front and rear der's, friction shifters from an '84. It's reliable, easy to adjust and keep in tune, and has thousands of miles on it. I'm about to go get my kids (with the trailer that is now conected full-time) on it right now. Can't be beat.

simco

I would love to get a used bike.
I'm just apprehensive since I don't want to get a POS or something that's going to fall apart in a week.
Were I to know someone I could take a bike to to check it out, I'd feel a lot more comfortable. But I don't. And, I don't want to go into a shop and say "hey,thanks for helping me the other day...is this used bike any good," you know?
I wish you lived here, too. Actually one of the shop guys was a messenger out in Denver in the early 90's before moving to Nashville.

AndrewP

It is more important to get a good bike shop than a particular brand of bike. All the bikes you listed should be OK. Ask the shops if they have any used bikes that will fit you. If they have fixed fork or hard tail mountain bikes, that will be fine if you put slick tires on.

simco

I plan on dropping back down there tomorrow and doing some rides.
I'm glad no one has come out and been like "holy crap don't get that one!"
I'll see if they have any used ones.
Do shops typically have used bikes to sell?
And what's hard tail?

slooney

Hard tail = No rear suspension

MacTech

as stated before, the most important thing is to find a good LBS first, then worry about the bike angle, a decent shop shouldn't really care if you buy your bike there or not, after all, you'll be buying your accesories and getting your bike tuned up there anyway, you'll be a regular, repeat customer....

and speaking as someone in the retail trade, i'd rather have a good, reliable customer come back for numerous small ticket items/tuneups, than a one time customer dropping big bucks on the latest uberbike as a one time purchase

at my preferred LBS, i'm on a first-name basis with the staff, the mechanics will put my bike on their stand for some quick wrenching and not charge me for it, heck, they're even teaching me some basic DIY maintenance steps, John, the head mechanic, upon hearing that i didn't know how to install or shorten a chain, grabbed his chain tool, and a spare chain and showed me exactly how to do it, handed me the tools and said "now you try it", he showed me the secret of installing tires without relying too heavily on tire levers, he's helped me build my first singlespeed bike, all at no charge, because he knows i'm a regular customer, heck, when it's not busy we'll simply hang out at the service counter and talk shop

guess how many bikes i've bought from this shop, go on, guess.....







none....

....i *want* to, but they don't carry the bike i want to get ('06 Redline Monocog singlespeed MTB, or Raleigh Rush Hour singlespeed roadie), i keep telling them that i really *want* to buy a bike from them, but they don't carry what i'm looking for, sadly

(yes, i'm one of those rabid new singlespeed converts....)

maybe i'll break down and buy a decent entry-level roadie from them at some point, but my tastes have become too esoteric for them....

....all i want is a good, basic *STEEL* framed rigid bike, is that too much to ask? no, i'm not interested in an aluminum framed bike with a carbon fork, thanks, still too buzzy, gimme steel!

that said, i *have* purchased all my accesories from them, my lighting arsenal, rack, camelbak, slicks for both MTB's that spend more time on the road than off, singulator for the singlespeed MTB.....

more importantly, i've sent more customers their way, when someone asks me the name of a good bike shop, i name my primary LBS

work on creating a relationship with your LBS, and they shouldn't care where you got your bike, the fact that you're riding and having fun will be enough.....

simco

Check the thread I just made to see my relationship with one of the lbs.