T-Nole

Hello All,
I am a formerly experienced BMX racer who retired many years ago. I grew up on bmx in the 70s and 80s and quit riding and racing around 86' after a close teammate of mine died tragically ( not on his bike). My dad still has my now "vintage" GT race bike in his garage.
Anyhow, with that said, many years have passed, I just turned 39, and I have two little boys that are almost ready to get on anything with wheels so my passion for riding has been stoked again!
Here is my dilemma and I'm sure that some of you can point me in the right direction:
I am in the market for a bike for me right now so I can get my "legs" back a little bit. I live in Tampa florida and while there are alot of trails around, I really am going to be riding whatever bike I get on one of the world's longest sidewalks ( it's called bayshore blvd) and it fronts Tampa Bay. It's very cool and 7 miles long from end to end so its great for exercise. My other riding will be around to various parks with the little guys in tow.
At first, I started looking at used bikes in local ads and craigslist--stuff like that, thinking that I could get a bargain on a slightly used but maybe higher end bike that was a few years old. They are definitely available but I didn't want to jump the gun yet. Today I went to a local bike shop that has a good reputation and told the owner what I was up to. He gave me the " you should buy new" speech and talked about design advances over the last couple of years and how it will be more expensive to put gears and brakes on a older bike than it would to buy a new one, etc etc. Don't get me wrong, he was a nice guy and I remember when I was riding that evry bike that I ever rode I had built on my own and even back then in the early 80s I was riding $1k bikes ( which didnt seem crazy b/c I raced). I also did all of my own work and I was sponsored so components came cheap and sometimes even free.
So he shows me the Specialized 29er which I really dig alot but I just can't see spending $700-$1000 on a bike for a "Ham and egger" like me. I was hoping to find that $700-$1000 bike used for $350-$500!
I figure that Bikes are similiar to boats and trucks and the minute you by new and take it off the lot, you've lost 30% of the value.
So, here I am, wanting to spend about $500 but also getting what I want (which ain't gonna be a 29er I don't think). Can any of you please give me your opinions on what I should do? I know it's a long first post but I wanted to give evryone enough info to know exactly where my head is at. THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE. I will answer questions in real time if need be. THanks again! T-NOLE

gurry

Hi T-NOLE, you have a lot of options out there new or used. Went to the LBS last weekend and fell in love with a specialized crosstrail (hybrid). This summer, I bought a road bike from a guy that wanted to ride with his kids and needed a bike he could ride SLOW. If you like to build up bikes, old rigid mountain bikes might be worth a look. In the C&V forum, look at the thread "show us your vintage mountain bikes".

late

Once you start riding, other things may start to have an appeal. Group rides,
you might want to bike commute, be able to bring groceries back, you might even want to try bike touring. Or racing might creep back in.... in some form.
There are some really fast group rides out there.

So... that MUP sounds nice, as does riding with the kids. But is there anything else you might want to try?

10 Wheels

Any used bike will get your legs in shape before buying something New.
Get in shape then look for a New Bike that meets your requirements.
I started on $15.00 road bike in Jan. Rode it 1,500 miles before going to a new one.

T-Nole

Hi guys. Thanks for the responses. They were as varied as I had hoped. I'm still searching and will keep you posted on my progress and/or ask questions as I go. To Late: I'm not sure what I will do next. For now I really want to just ride, ride, ride; I can do a little over 15 miles from my house and back and forth on that sidewalk. I may have a heart attck but we'll see...hahaha. I really just need to get back on a bike for a little while and then see what is next. Maybe incorporate the wife etc etc, or maybe just use the rides for some solitude. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for taking the time to reply everyone.

CaptCranky

Making a stew of gurry, late, and 10 Wheels' ideas, I'd recommend looking for something cheap, fun and serviceable to get yourself back into the spin of things, and shopping higher up the price ladder when you've decided what you realllllllly want. Look around in the shops and online to see what's out there, and then cruise cheap-o outlets to see what you can find. There are tales told of great finds through Craigslist, Goodwill, and yard sales.

I found an older Gary Fisher rigid MTB this summer for cheap, and the seller had upgraded some of the components, which limited my upgrade costs. ($0 so far!) A little cleaning and lube, and I had a great-running beater bike.

Good hunting, and great riding!

Alan M
(expecting the year's first snow ride any day now)