Dancing Skeleton

Worth it? That's very subjective. You can spend <$1000 and get into cycling, or you can easily go >$10,000. I got back into it a couple of years ago, and I'm in it for >$5000, and it's worth every penny. I love every second that I'm on my bike (except the two times that I bonked), and I'm always thinking about my next ride. I go with a few friends, a local cycling club or just out by myself, and I enjoy every ride.
How much you should spend is really personal, some people I know think that I'm nuts, but others I know ride DA Di2, which adds $2000 to the cost of a bike just to make shifting easier. People will spend more than that on wheels.

I'd plan on spending at least $1500 - $2000 on a bike. Get a carbon frame, and at least 105 or Rival components. Then, some good pedals & shoes, a helmet, seat-pack with some tools, two cages & bottles, a basic bike computer, and a good pair or two of shorts, a few shirts, some gloves & sunglasses.
Go to a reputable local shop, tell them your wants & budget, and get fitted for everything. That's really important. If you try to save a few bucks by going on Craig'slist or the internet, you may end up with a bike that doesn't fit. You'll be uncomfortable, and you won't ride.

When you get your bike & accessories, find a local club, and go ride.
You'll love it.

javal

Going long & fast is pretty recreational. Get a roadie. Keep the hybrid. Ride all over the place.

GMJ

If you're doing this for exercise as well as fun, I say consider singlespeed/fixed gear. Chances are, you will save alot of money because of saving on components. It is physically taxing, such as taking hills and keeping a good pace when on decent elevation. Its also a lot of fun in my opinion. You said you don't plan on doing any races, so you won't have to worry about falling behind a pack.

I say go for a geared for performance, fixed for fun.

MikeyBoyAz

This. I wish I still had my flatbar to ride with the wife at 7mph... I die every time we ride when I am on my felt F5... it's like cruising the parkways in a stock car... and she gets mad when I 'rush her.'
OP. Save up your money and bust out the good cash for a beauty, you already ride and seem to enjoy it enough so go all out.

Campag4life

Yeah there is...I built a performance hybrid from a Ti 29er frame...19mm 32 spoke rims...28c tires...1X9...rigid. Its more upright than my road bike and I can keep up with average roadies on it. I wouldn't want to pick between this bike and my carbon road bike. I love them both.
OP...your question is really based upon what roads you have available to ride. If the roads are crap, then put some 28c tires on your hybrid ..Vittoria Rubino Pros are a good choice...and lower the handlebar a bit and ride that. If you have access to smooth roads, then a road bike is a great choice. I like to switch between my 29er and road bike. I prefer to ride a bit more upright thru town and on poor roads...flat bar about 1 inch below the saddle.

UCIMBZ

Na. don't bother. Unless you promise to come back and start a whole new thread about the new bike you've got for such a killer deal for your birthday.

SlimRider

Great advice from a veteran trooper...Take it!

- Slim

halfspeed

Lots of us have been there.

Garfield Cat

If you start riding a lot now as a teenager, that aerobic capacity will stay with you. But if you stop aerobic type activity for an extended period of time, that capacity diminishes over time. In some literature, it says that you cannot get it all back, even if you pick it up again in mid life.

Its a health question. The more aerobic activity throughout your life, the better for you (and society). Get the road bike because it will increase your ability to go distances and reach higher speeds, just a more efficient machine than a hybrid.

hhnngg1

In this forum, you're preaching to the choir. However, I'm not necessarily one of the choir because I come from a running background first, before getting into cycling, and still run a lot during parts of the year.

As much as I love cycling, have you considered taking up running? (The blasphemy?!)

I can think of a LOT of reasons why it could be a better choice for you given what you've told us:

1. You are 18. Which means low-paying or no job, and not a lot of your own funds. For cycling, you need a bike, parts, etc., which in all realisticness will run $1000+, and that's for the entry-level or used stuff. For running, you need a pair of $75 shoes. Which do you see yourself affording more readily in the next decade? Factor in the inevitable upgraditis that cyclists get, and you're talking thousands. Runners get upgraditis too, but even the most indulging ones will top out at about $500 of shoes, clothing, Garmin, race fees over several years, whereas cyclists will usually run $2k+ (well north of that actually) once they start talking 105 components and carbon fiber bikes.

2. Running is far more physiologic than cycling. Not saying it's harder or necessarily better, but for sure, humans were genetically evolved and born to run. We were not made to bike (or swim). If you're a good runner, you can have those skills x-over a lot of different sports. There's a lot less x-over from cycling ; in fact, strong runners usually are strong cyclists right off the bat, whereas strong cyclists with no run training are terrible on the run.

3. If you quit cycling, you have just spent $1000+ish on a piece of furniture. Not true with a $75 pair of running shoes.

4. You can run anywhere, anytime. You can even train like a pro, nearly anywhere, anytime. Just get out and run. Hard if wanted. You cannot do this on a bike anywhere as easily. Traffic,stoplights, weather, will interfere with your workout far more than running. Here in SoCal, most folks DRIVE to the bike-friendly roads and avoid the city roads as much as possible. Runner don't need to do this anywhere near as much.

5. Running is also a far more efficient workout for time used. With no coasting, and less traffic issues, you can get an equivalent HR-based workout on the run in 50-75% of the time it would typically take you on a bike. When you're pushing 4+ hour bike workouts, this becomes huge. Although in your defense, you likely have time to burn on weekends as an 18yr old.

I love a lot about cycling and find it more 'fun' than running. You get to see more scenery, it's often easier because of coasting, and group rides/pacelines are an established thing, whereas it's not so for running. Still, I have no doubt in my mind that when time crunched or money crunched, or a combo of the two, running is the way to go.

robberry

Yes, yes you should.

bikerjp

That's not exactly the route I took as I've always been moderately active and have always owned a bike of some sort. However, I did slowly put on weight over the years eventually topping out at 218 (I'm 6'3" so I wasn't THAT overweight). I started biking regularly about a year ago and am in much better shape now. Imagine if I had been doing this since I was 18...

OP - get a bike, ride it as often as you can, commute, enjoy life.

dahut

You've offered some good arguments in favor of running. I have to agree with much of it. You have left a hole or two, however...

1. Bicycles DO NOT have to cost $1000 or more. I have a garage full of quality rides and I don't have that much in ALL of them, together.
I buy used for the most part, of course. I do my own wrench turning, too. But there is no reason a decent bicycle with spare tires and tubes, the needed tools and various accoutrement cannot be had for $200-300. And this doesn't have to be paid out all at once, I might add.

2. Running will beat you to death. We humans are actually best suited for "flight response" running, .i.e. getting out of danger by sprinting. Our normal, "evolved" mode of getting around is walking. Early man did not spread across the globe in a pair of running shoes, after all.
Now, while you are young you don't notice the pounding you get from distance running. I USED to be a runner, myself, over decades. Today I know the effects caused by years of this pounding. My joints remind me often.....

3. Bicycling can be done almost anywhere - just like running.
Yes, you can run almost any place - you can run in-place, in fact, if you are really motivated. I used to say this very thing about running..... until I started cycling in earnest.
Now I find that cycling has nearly the same advantage in this regard as running. I cannot think of a time I have been denied the ability to ride my bike by my external environment, except for severe weather. You can cycle virtually anywhere, with the the same ease as running.

PS - There are places I would much rather cycle through, in fact, than run through. Certain "troubled" urban areas come to mind here. I would much prefer the speed a bicycle offers in such places. In fact, I know many people who DRIVE to places where they can safely run.

4. Bicycles make you smarter. Bicycles are machines and involve a lot of both technology and science. Metallurgy, geometry, physics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, electrics, economics.... the list of techno-gadgetry and general "smart stuff" connected to bicycles is long.
Running, by comparison, requires very little of this. A pair of shoes from the mall, some shorts and a sweaty T-shirt, well... those don't exactly tax the limits of one's brain power.
But try to calculate the power curve of the average bicycle's gearing scheme, and you'll wish you'd paid more attention in school.

5. A bicycle is a vehicle - it leverages your efforts exponentially. You can carry stuff on a bike you could never put on your back while running.
You can ride a bike at night with lighting systems that rival the sun - effective "running" lights amount to weak reflectors.
You can cover more distance and see more scenery, as you put it, on a bike. Indeed many people take to commuting or touring on bicycles simply for these advantages.
When it comes to double, or triple, duty practicality, the bicycle winds hands down.

When one considers the amount of "fitness" we humans actually need for good health, the extremes to which we carry "exercise" becomes more about obsession than anything. I do agree that running gets you to the right level of fitness with less gear and financial outlay. But I do hill interval training from my front door, on a $100 bike that rivals any work out I could get running. It also strengthens upper body muscles in ways running alone does not.

We could probably do this all day, argue running vs. cycling. It's fun aint it?

Accordion

This is a really awesome post and one that I completely agree with. I used to run, too. At 6'3 and 220 I was miserably slow and had the natural gait of a drunken sloth. Shin splints, ankle problems, toe issues, constant foot/arch problems, knee issues, etc. I have friends that can run like the wind but I wasn't cut out for it and as I posted previously I really hated it.

Start riding bro!

baj32161

Who are you, and why are you here

ParkingTheBus

Thanks for all the advice. Turns out I did buy a bike. My first choice was a giant tcr or defy 1, however they are all sold out in my area. I got on reliable and similar, if not better with 105 components and acarbon fork. It is the devinci silverstone sl4. Regularly 1600, got it, shoes and dual pedals and a computer with cadence for 1600 in a deal.. I hope to hit the roads tomorrow.

Garfield Cat

Good, and keep in mind that your biking experience just might come in handy at your college campus. Just get a beater bike and a U lock.

SlimRider

Welcome Aboard, Matey!

Sounds like you're one of us now...

After you ride her, don't forget to come back and tell us how she feels!

- Slim

PS.

Don't forget your 2 locks..The NY Fahgettaboudit U-Lock and the OnGuard Beast.

* Don't even think about taking that bike to any college campus!*

*****Perhaps maybe your hybrid, but NOT that bike!*****

ParkingTheBus

Here it is: https://www.devinci.com/bikes/browse_13#13_41_144

I won't even think of bringing that bike up to school; MAYBE to a store if i'm allowed to bring it in. My $500 hybrid is safe to lock up though (I use 3 heavy duty locks and remove the seat)

devinci is a Canadian company for all those who don't know. Gotta support home grown material .

SlimRider

Hey! Looks like you done good, Boy!

Nice Bike...

- Slim

hhnngg1

@dahut: Off topic, but I actually disagree with almost all of your reasonble-sounding points. I liked your reply though - don't take this as a personal attack and I like the debate!

1. Bikes for $200? Are you kidding me? Ok, if your dad or friend GIVES a bike to you, maybe, but you won't get anything but garbage on CL if you're buying. And the hassle of buying and worrying about it at that price point makes it not even worth spending $200. In the heyday of nonrecession, maybe, but nowadays, $200 won't get you anywhere in cycling - factor in helmet, shorts, and god forbid, clipped shoes, and you're easily there and beyond. It's possible at $200, but I'd guesstimate that less than 1% of cyclists who ride more than 3 days per week spend this little in their first year.

2. Running will NOT beat you to death. Contrary to what us cyclists think, there were convincing big-time papers in Nature journal (most prestigious in the world) that had a convincing argument that humans evolved specifically to RUN, and to run FAR - to track and hunt down prety using dogged persistence, and intelligence. Walking is a part, but running is something our legs are evolved to do. (We could have a much less complicated leg if all we were doing is walking.) A lot of cyclists think they cant run, but have never really tried to do an honest , organized buildup on a plan. There is NO reason why bigger guys can't run and run a lot.

3. I still stand by that running is far easier for location than cycling. Yes, you could conceivably cycle anywhere, but it's way easier to find a short running loop that an a low-car long stretch, esp in urban areas. I live in near bike-heaven (Norcal) and I STILL have to drive to get to a lot of the quality rides if I want to have a relatively low-car ride.

4. Bikes making you smarter? Errr, sorry - bike technicians aren't known for going to high powered academic places. I see your point, and acknowledge that it's more technical than running, but the bar is so low that you'd be laughed off any non-bike job interview if you said you were smarter because you learned to fix bikes. You'd get far more cred saying you taught yourself web programming.

5. The only thing I do agree with in your post is bicycle as vehicle. That I definitely agree with. Bikes can be great vehicles, even haulers. Running is still surprisingly useful (I ran commute for 2 years - bus 6 miles one way and ran 6 miles home - couldn't do it with a bike due to theft risk and city traffic) and in heavy urban areas, can actually be more flexible than cycling, but bikes definitely >> runnning for transportation.


I hear you on the fact that you can do all the bike workouts on a $100-$200 bike, but let's be serious here - how many serious road riders do you know who actually ride a bike like that? I don't know a single one. Not one. Of hundreds of cyclists in the 3 local bike clubs. One thing bike advocates are guilty of is pushing unrealistic scenarios often - and riding hard on a $100 bike and another $100 of gear is a commonly heard one. Sorry, but it never happens. Never. My estimate of $1000 is actually on the VERY LOW side for most cyclists who ride more than 3x/week, and even for pure commuters who do it at least 2x/week.

halfspeed

For the most part I agree with you, but there's more to it than that. Running is just plain more likely to cause injury and contemporary man doesn't live the way we evolved to live. I found that even trying to build up slowly to do some running as a cross-training tool caused me enough achilles tendonitis to scare me away.

dahut

Well alright - if you like I love it.

1. Good bikes for under $300? I do it all the time. As for all that other crap you mention - shorts, helmets, shoes and so on... none of it is necessary.
There is a vast gulf between being a roadie and riding a bike. What it possible and what we are made to believe we must do are very different things.

2. Running not beat you to death? I'm willing to bet you haven't hit 40 yet.... Keep it up for decades as I did and you may feel differently. Get back to me in about 20 years.

3. Riding is riding. If you remove the "quality" requirement and just get out and do it, it can be done anywhere. You don't need redwoods and chipmunks to get the benefits.

4. Who said anything about job interviews or winning Noble prizes in physics because you fix your own bike? Wow. Everything you do does not have to appeal to an employer. But tell an employer that, unlike the video gaming web programmer, you've taught yourself how to make a bike run like a top.
It may mean nothing, of course. SO might your stint in the Young Democrats But it may also be that HE can't figure out gear ratios.

hhnngg1

I'm nearly 40 - and planning to run many years after that. There are TONS of fast runners out there who are 50+, if not 65+. There is zero evidence to show that running necessarily = injury - that's a myth propagated by ignorance. Running is harder on the body than cycling due to the pounding, but we were adapted for it - it's well without our range of ability, and actually helps coordination and bone density. There is NO scientific evidence to show that run more = earlier breakdown in joints. If anything, it's the opposite.

I still think you're fantasizing about riding more than trivial amounts on <$200 of gear. If I told others to do it on that budget, nobody would get it done. If you're already an expert wrench, with lots of connections, ok, but for a newbie with no experience and limited knowledge, forget about it. You're asking the impossible.

Yes, you can ride anywhere, but if it's rush hour in LA, or any urban area for that matter, how many cyclists are out there? What if it's snowing or more than a small amount of rain? I don't bike in any of those conditions, but I run regularly in all of them. Having been in LA for a few years, I can also tell you that the # of rush hour cyclists is near zero in downtown. Again, telling a newb that they can 'ride anywhere easily' is false information. It's not that hard to find great roads that are very bike friendly, and that's perhaps one of the best ways to get someone into the sport - as opposed to fighting car traffic with fear of death in their first few times out.

And about the 'getting smarter because of cycling'- that's something you brought up. I'm just refuting it - sounds like you agree with me though.

I'm just being dead realistic here. I see your points, but I feel they're far, far too optimistic for a new cyclist.

dahut

Yeah we wouldn't want to promote any of that, eh?

You are right about running though, it can be done anywhere.

My fatal mistake is this - I'm an ex-runner, but not a road cyclist. Im in the grey area of "a guy who rides bikes."
Oh, I have nice road bikes, but I ride them for the joy of it - I actually wave at passersby while riding them.
I think we may have screwed the pooch on the question, "Should I take the road bike plunge?"

From what I can tell, the OP already made his choice....

Thanks for all the advice. Turns out I did buy a bike. My first choice was a giant tcr or defy 1, however they are all sold out in my area. I got one reliable and similar, if not better with 105 components and a carbon fork. It is the Devinci Silverstone SL4. Regularly $1600, got it, shoes and dual pedals and a computer with cadence for 1600 in a deal.. I hope to hit the roads tomorrow.

Apparently, cost was of no real concern. He has tasted the Kool-Aid. God help him, now.