Hello all,

I am trying to return to biking and would like to get some advice on a new bike. I used to ride 20-25 miles a day, however, that was back in my teens (and that bike is no longer around).

I would like to start picking up biking again and am aiming to find a good bike that is nice for leisure rides on trails (mostly paved) and also for exercise (1 hour a day during the week and 2 or 3 hours on Sundays).

What would be the correct type of bike and what is the average price for it? With a lower budget, I am leaning more towards the cheaper side.

Thanks!

Visit some local bike shops and see what is there.

Ask for help in figuring what size you would need.

I would definitely go to your LBS and ask them for help. Find out what the correct size for your height is. After that you can search for what you want. Craigslist isn't a bad place to look or even pawn shops.

If it has been a lot of years since you last rode a bike, you are probably going to be suffering from sticker shock when you visit a bike shop and find that the price range for bikes with entry level components can reach $500. What you get with a bike shop is likely a bike that fits and has a warranty this is worth something. Many bike shops carry used bikes.

Finding a bike on CL is a crap shoot. Even if you know the proper frame size (which will be different for different frame types) a lot of sellers don't list the frame size or don't know how to measure it. I just finished looking at nationwide CL listings for an entry level recumbent trike for someone. The CL prices were crazy. The MSRP for the two models were $1000 and $1,300. Almost all of the listings were within $100 to $200 of the MSRP. Used bikes have no warranty and are sold AS IS. You would have to be nuts to pay near the MSRP for a used bike.

There are so many variations on the bicycle theme today that it would be impossible to advise you adequately well in a short post.

My advice is to first shop for a bike shop. Visit all of the bike shops within range of where you live. When you find the right one - one that has a staff that you can identify with - that's it. Once you find the right shop the rest is easy. Find a brand of bike that they carry, at a price point that you're comfortable with, and you'll never go wrong.

Like some of the other guys above, I'd suggest you drop by a bike shop to start with. Tell them where and how much you plan to ride, and they can help you get an idea of what kind of bikes would suit you ...and just as importantly, what size frames you should be looking at. You may be able to take a test ride on something and get a feel for what your preferences might be. Hopefully they'll have some things in your price range, but if not, you'll at least be better informed.

On the other hand, you mentioned cheap. If you want to go cheap, used bikes can be the best bang for the buck. Rigid (no suspension) mountain bikes in particular tend to be undervalued. You can often find good quality rigid mountain bikes from reputable brands for $100-150 or even less. The catch is that you have to be smart about what you buy. Just like when buying a used car, you need to avoid overpaying for a clunker. And that means being an informed buyer, knowing how to identify quality and knowing what you're looking for. To maximize value, you'll also need a little mechanical aptitude. Cheap bikes aren't so cheap if you need to take them to the bike shop for lots of work.

If you were to add your location to your profile so that it shows up on your posts, we've got a handful of guys around here who seem to be happy to skim your local Craigslist and point out good (and bad) bikes.

Where do you find rigid (no suspension) mountain bikes? I'm thinking that would be a rare find today.

New and recent ones would be a rare find, but I see '90s mountain bikes with rigid forks all the time on Craigslist. And possibly since they're considered obsolete by mountain biking standards, they tend to go cheap -- even some pretty nice ones.

I would look at comfort bikes for leisurely biking.

Obviously we're all giving you our opinions, I think you should look at Cross bikes, they have the downward curved handlebars like a road bike but are built with wider rims and tires to do some off road stuff as well being comfortable on the street, plus can be equipped with fenders and even a touring rack on the rear.

A really good deal is the no name Nashbar steel cross bike with the fantastic Shimano 105 components, except the brake calipers are Tektro but those can be upgraded to 105 at a later time, this bike is only $850; see: Nashbar Steel Cyclocross Bike This bike will last you many many years with excellent reliability. There are some things they skimped on like the FSA headset but like the brake calipers I wouldn't worry about it until they got a worn out, but at that price point to get 105 transmission they had to skimp on some stuff. Another example of similar quality is the Motobecane Fantom CXX-10 for a little less money and comes with the better Alex DA16 rims, but Bikes Direct customer service will not be as good as Nashbar, and they only have the chrome version in a wide assortment of frame sizes, anyway see this: Free Shipping* Save up to 60% off new Cyclocross Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom CX Clearance Either of those two bikes would be great for your purposes I think.

My friend just bought the steel nashbar CX bike a few weeks ago as a commuter/gravel bike. He is really happy with it and what little I road around on it it seemed pretty nice to me too. The big weakness is the brakes and that is mainly the pads. He claims they have gotten a lot better after breaking them in, probably put some better pads on it in the future. Nashbar runs a 20+% sale all the time so hold out for one of those if going that route.

Generally in cross riding when things get steep you just jump off and run up the hill so the inner 36 chainring isn't the greatest for climbing. Think he already swapped the 36 out for a 34 he had on a spare crank.