VicenteFox

i have been thinking of getting back into shape with some cycling. i have owned a raleigh mountain bike for about 6 years and took it off road perhaps 4 or 5 times, so i think it is best i buy a bike more suited for the roads. i will be biking up and down the paved river bike roads in the los angeles area (san gabriel river). my price cap is around 500 at the moment. please leave your suggestions. thanks in advance.

LittleBigMan

VicenteFox,

Fasten your seat belt.

Nobby

You can get a pretty decent bike for $500 USD, but you can also ride your MTB if you are comfortable with it. I suggest changing out your tires for a pair of Hybrid's or semi-slicks. Try that for a bit to see if you are happy before taking the plunge and spending the big bucks.

I've been riding my MTB hard for 4 months, virtually none of it has been off-road. I'd love to have something better than what I've got, but there it is!

Just my $.02 worth.

Enjoy!

Chris L

When one converts the price I paid for my bike ($A650) to USD (either then or now), the result is well under $500. Yeah, I got a MTB, but I got some slicks and SPD pedals for it. I now cover well inexcess of 15,000km per annum on it, with plenty of hills thrown in for fun. Oh yeah, I've also 'dropped' quite a few people on roadbikes as well.

Richard D

Personally, although most of my riding is/will be on road I bought a 'mountain bike' (pity the all-terrain-bike name didn't take off), have fitted it with hybrid tyres (slick centre, nobbly outside) and can take it anywhere within reason. It's fast enough on the streets for me whilst giving me a little more confidence on a gravel track I like to use.

Why not fit slicks or semi-slicks to your bike, mud-guards or at least crud catchers and give it a go? You can always try a second-hand road bike to see if you prefer it, or consider hiring one for a day. It could save unnecessary expense.

Richard

RonH

Go to a good bike shop (or check out a few) and tell them about the type of riding, where, how often, how many miles, your fitness goals, etc. and you can get a nice road bike or hybrid for $500.
Let us know what you buy.
Good riding.

ljbike

Put street slick tires on your Raleigh. They're fairly high-pressure which reduces rolling resistance. They, like all fat tires help to absorb road vibration. IF, after doing this, and riding for awhile, you get back into serious bicycling, THEN think about a new bike.

gmason

Gee, as president of Mexico, you would think some company would give you a bike just to picture you riding it.

velocipedio

I agree with everyone who has suggested that you put slicks on your Raleigh.

You could then take your $500, put in in a special bank account that you can't access through an ATM, and add $100 per month for the next few months. By May, you'll have $1200, and if you're still interested in cycling, you could use that money to buy yourself a pretty good road bike. If you've decided that cycling isn't for you, after all, you'll have $1200 toward a trip or something.

One of the advantages is that you can use the next few months to get in shape for the new bike.

I personally prefer a road bike [skinny tires, dropped handlebars] over an MTB with slicks or a hybrid for any kind of road riding. I think you'll find that, if you get into serious cycling [riding every day -- I do about 400 km/week at peak season, but I think of anyone who does 200 km/week as serious], a road bike is what you'll really need.

The only way to find out, though, is to go to your LBS and try a buch of bikes.

Rich

Good day to you too sir!!!

I'd tend to stick with what everyone else has said, get some slicks on your MTB....those extra gears come in handy when you're tired!! :thumbup:

Cheers, and enjoy the forums!!!

Rich

stewartp

This is such a basic, excellent idea that I'll be off to the nearest savings bank tomorrow to open an account. Come Spring next year - lost of lovely dosh for the sexiest road bike ever made!

Stew

Nobby

OR! You could REALLY treat yourself good and get a recumbent!! Oh YEAH!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

cdc28p

Plenty of good advices on upgrading your MTB... If you're interested in entry-level road bikes, take a look at the Trek 1000, Fuji Ace, GT ZR5.0, Giant OCR3, and Bianchi Brava. Except for the Fuji Ace, the others are slightly more than $500. All of them are really similar with Sora components. The Brava and Ace are steel, while the others are aluminum. However, it's the time of the year when LBSes mark down 2001 bikes as they receive the 2002 models, so you might get some good deals.

Of course, the cheap way is to get a used road bike to see if you're really into this potentially expensive sport. However, it didn't work for me as I spent months unsuccesfully looking for a bike that fitted me well. Frustrated, I just bought a new road bike and have enjoyed it tremendously.

*WildHare*

That particular stretch doesn't require ANY extra gearing folks. It's a great ride to the beach (Seal Beach) and back. All flat, no cars, great trail. I do agree though with throwing some high pressure, easy rolling tires on your MTB to see if you are really gonna stick with it. If you find yourself still interested, then definately upgrade to a road bike as Velocipedio suggested. It is night and day with a nice, light weight road bike and well worth the cost as opposed to sticking with a heavy weight. But then again, you can cruise the beach a little more laid back on the MTB.

See ya on the trails.............

VicenteFox

hey thanks all for the info, i am going to look into hybrid tires this week and probly ride the trail to the beach this weekend. what should the price range be on a good set of tires?

*WildHare*

You should be able to get tires and tubes for less than $50.00 total. I have some Michelin Wild Grippers mounted on a set of wheels right now collecting dust. Since you live in the LA area, I'll sell em' to ya for $10 bucks. They have about 20 miles on them and I have at least 3 tubes to go with them. Send me an e-mail or private message if you want them.

By the way, what's your starting point on the trail? I begin at the 605/Ramona off ramp in Baldwin Park.

VicenteFox

i start off on arlington/183rd street. it's between artesia bldv and south street. i have never ridden the whole thing, been about 3 miles north of where the waterline ends past firestone and i have ridden it to the beach.

D*Alex

cheap to affordable.