I looked at a few of the woman's bike and they where all to fluffy looking for my taste *bike designers need to come up with new concepts* Pink jerseys rock though *just bought pink bike biking shoes I stayed up till 2am reading the forums last night. I think I am really going to enjoy taking up biking. My father 80 yrds goes for day long excursions and I will start biking with him. I already have started trying to figure out items where I can reduce the weight of the "hounder". Can you tell I like to research the hell out of something and dive in.

Also I am going to be looking for a boys bike soon. My son has out grown his, any one have any tips for a decent single speed for a 5'1 8 year old???Thank you guys so much you have all been very helpful!

Don't worry about making your hounder lighter. It's fine the way it is. Close the computer and go ride the heck out of it.

Time for me to take my own advice

Hey there Kitsky!

If your son is growing that fast, just take him to Walmart and tell him to pick out whatever he wants!

Welcome and Craigslist does have some gems in the sub $200 range. May be a 2-3 year old bike that has been sitting in someone's garage but worth it. Scored a $500 Specialized MTB with disc brakes for $200 a while back. Craigslist.

For a growing boy who might only use the bike for a year or two, Craiglist seems like a good idea. Lots of people trying to sell bikes their kids outgrew. Walmart/Target/Costco would be fine too if it has to be shiny new.

LOL I am the shortest one in my family most everyone is 6' plus and my son is going to be super tall as well. I will check used as he is a boy and is ruff on things. I taught him how to skateboard *which he loves* and he never wanted a bike till I just bought mine.

Sounds like it'll probably be a good fit. As you can tell, you can get into cycling as much as you want to. People here are helpful, though, as you can see. It is good you have family/friends nearby that has all the extras like tools, bike pumps, etc. - that stuff is what can really add up with a new bike.

Once you get it, just get a helmet, a lock, and ride it. All the other stuff can wait if it has to. Also, unless a bike is a severe misfit, there is usually considerable room for adjustments with the handlebars (up/down), seat (front/back), and seat, again (up/down). Usually things can be tweaked to get a good ride if the frame is about the right size. Plus, there is fit then there is fit. Things only get really, really picky if you are on that saddle for 50-100 miles.

I commuted with a backpack for a year before I got a rack. Even then, I just put on a rack then attached a plastic crate to the top of the rack with bungee cords (poor man's pannier). It worked for a couple years and was much cheaper than pannier bags. I was teased on a community ride about it once, though...I said, "what are you talking about, that's an aerodynamically-designed $350 carbon fiber crate."

So, no worries...enjoy.