stupid sales guy vs. newbie
 

hi. i want to start riding. i really think that its a sport i could get into to. i dont want to spend much on a bike until i know im into it. ive been searching for a dirt cheap road bike, and in fact i almost bought a first price, very basic, tiny bit too small, road bike today from a sports store. however, the sales guy said that he would strongly suggest that i not buy i road bike if i am not acostumed to riding one. instead he wanted me to buy an 'all purpose', 35+ lb, bike - saying that a road bike would make my back hurt too much and that the back pain would discourage me from riding. i told him i wanted something i could use to ride with my local road club and he said that the all purpose bike was the best bet for a beginner. i didnt like his answer very much. was he right? if im new to the sport should i start with an all purpose?

No. Find another shop.

Are you new to the sport or are you new to riding bikes? :-P If you aren't the latter, then disregard his comments.

no, im just new to the sport.

Think about this. Just about anyone who had any part of their adolescence between 1968 and 1982 probably went from riding a schwinn stingray one day to riding a 10 speed road bike the next. There were no questions about ergonomics, bike handling skills or comfort. You just rode the damn bike.

Also, for just about anyone, a properly fitted road bike is the most comfortable bike, especially for longer distances.

Get a good used road bike at a dirt cheap price.

Old Japanese lugged steel from the 80's.

Miyata, Univega, Fuji, Giant, Nishiki and some Ralieghs had lugged steel frames as good as anything French or Italian at the time.

In general, you get 12 or 14 speeds, good friction shifters on the downtubes, and exceptionally good brakes (the 25 year old Shimano Exage brakes on one of my fixed gear bikes work better than any other brakes I have)

If you are patient and shop around, you can find these bikes in good condition for <$250. Higher end models, like a Miyata Six-Ten might be more.

As time goes on, these bikes are entirely upgradeable if you wish to outfit them with fancy wheels, modern STI shifters and 9 speed derailleur systems. I actually did this to a Miyata One-Ten for which I paid $75. Now it's a fixed gear, but for a while it was running a full Shimano 105/Ultegra/Dura Ace groupset. I am as fast on this frame as I am on any other bike.

sorry, can't go along with that statement. A road bike is NOT the most comfortable bike for long distances. I've pretty much ridden just about every style of bike out there now. Road bike can't touch a recumbent for comfort. sorry

I would like to add however that he probably can't find a recumbent for dirt cheap though. Better stick with looking for a road bike.

Kick that salesperson in the crotch the next time you see him. Go buy a road bike from someone else.

+1. that guy is totally wrong.

find a decent shop, get a fitting for frame size, then go on craigslist and look for a decent used bike.

Sounds like you've never ridden a road bike. Do you know how to ride any bike? Ever used gears before?

Sounds like you haven't done enough research into buying your first road bike.

Sounds like you pretty much told the sports store sales guy you're a complete noob and he's just trying to help you out. I'm sure he could have taken your excitement and probably talked you into buying a nicer new bike that may have just been out of your price range that you'd probably scrape up $ for (did you even think about jersey, shorts, helmet, water bottles, pump, tubes, clipless pedals, shoes, etc? They add up and suddenly your $750 "cheap" road bike costs less than all the ancillary gear you bought.

Probably not but I'd start out with at least riding some bikes. Tell us more about you - how old are you? Are you athletic? Do you just want to ride on the weekends or daily to work/school?

Sounds like you should talk to the guys and gals in your local club that you want to ride with. They'll give you good advice and let you try some of their bikes. I'd be willing to bet that at least one of them has a great, maintained, used bike that would be better than anything new you can buy with the $ you have to spend to try out a sport you don't even know you'd like.

That exactly what I did. My parents still have the Stingray in there garage. :)

A 30-something year old ex-BMX racer showed up on our club ride with a new Bianchi who NEVER rode a road bike in his life except his new bike around the parking lot. He bought his bike at a pro shop so they knew what they were doing and fitted him properly.

He was actually faster than the rest of us and had better bike handling skills.

ive been riding bikes for quite a while actually, since childhood - like most people. i know how to use gears , etc. And actually, the bike that the sales guy was recommending was 3 times more expensive than the road bike (130 euro). im 26, rowed at Notre Dame, spent a yr at USNA (track team). ive always been involved in athletics and am looking for a new sport. i love bicycles. im looking for painful training and adrenaline. i want to train 3-5 times a week and eventually race.

I agree find another shop, but... your lower back will have to be stretched and put into road bike shape, so you might have a little pain or issues initially if you have not ever ridden one in a while. But after a few rides you should be ok.

What is a "sports store"? Like a sporting good store?

Frankly, after he left you (if that's the case) he went to sell some golf balls, then a baseball glove.

Go to a real bike shop and get some help. Dirt cheap for a road bike will be in the mid $600 range.

I bought my 10yo daughter a nice road bike, a specialized dolce vita, and she got on it and rode. She'd never been on a road bike before. It took one loop around the park and she was shifting like a pro. While she isn't going to win any races yet, she really does ride well. Her twin sister is a few inches shorter, too short for a full size, if small framed, bike and won't ride with us anymore because she just can't keep up. Maybe next year for her.

In any case, just get the bike YOU want, not what some salesman says. Find yourself a good shop too.

For the purposes of this forum a recumbent is not a bicycle ;)

I disagree. I rode a recumbent for a year for medical reasons. (Turned out to be an incorrect diagnosis, there was no need to give up the DF bike) They're really not that comfy. You're basically trading one set of discomforts for another. I didn't like the fact that it's really hard to move around on the bike, whether for comfort or for bike control. It bothered my shoulders more, and my butt went numb.

On my regular road bike, I can move around and change positions to ease the numbness and help blood flow. With a Brooks saddle, I no longer have any problems whatsoever with saddle issues. I did a 200 mile ride last year and never even thought about the saddle.

It just depends on what you want, and how willing you are to fix whatever issues you may have.

Az

First, find a shop that caters to roadies. Second, find a salesperson and tell them up front what your budget is and what you plan to do with the bike, ie: "I have $800 to spend on a bike for club rides." Most likely, you'll get some questions about what components you'd like (Campy/Shimano, Compact/Standard/Triple, etc.), and then be on a test ride.

If you get any static, say thank you and move on. Eventually you'll find a shop that will want to help you find the right bike.

By the way, plan on spending extra on bottles, cages, and tools. You'll not only need them, but you'll also make the shop owner happy.

As usual, RW is 100% correct. Maybe because he is in the retail bike business. You should go to his shop.

By the way, nobody rides recumbents in the real world, so let's leave the Fred Nightmaremobiles out of this.

I think the sales person's concern that your back will hurt- at least compared to an "all purpose" bike- is not unwarranted. When riding for more than like 30 minutes, my back muscles start to tighten up so I stop and stretch, refill my water bottles or whatever and then get back on the bike and repeat. Lame, yes, but that's how I do it and when I get back on the bike I'm having fun again.

I think that such discomfort could be discouraging to some people but a 26 yr old guy who has been athletically active for much of his life is probably just the kind of person who overcome muscular discomfort with conditioning or would just work with it as I do.

I don't think you should get an "all purpose" bike if what you want is to road cycle. There are many of us who started out with such bikes only to outgrow them within a few months and if you get one, you'll do the same and you'll take a loss when you resell it to get the road bike you wanted in the first place. Get a "sport" road bike, i.e. an entry level bike which is designed to spread you out a little but not very much. The emphasis is a compromise between comfort and performance. This is in contrast to an all-purpose bike which will sit you too upright and will compromise both aerodynamics and pedaling power (being more bent at the hip actually gives your glutes more leverage for the downstroke of the pedaling cycle) or a high-performance/racing bike which will spread you out quite a bit, place bigger demands on your lower back muscles and perhaps would indeed make you uncomfortable enough to discourage you from riding a road bike at all.

Thank you. Let this be your guide.