Two bicycle related questions

[Mayer]

I'm wanting to get into biking, especially to work everyday.

First question is, how much do you need to spend on a bike to ensure you're getting good quality? What I want is one that I can ride on the roads, as well as do some mountain biking in the dirt.

Second, edit: nm, found a good one.

Thanks

[arloiginla]

probably the wrong forum.

[CaptainCrunch]

To answer your question, I'm glad that Boyd signed, the Oilers suck and never trust whitey.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Google harder. I am not going to be your google whore.

[Mayer]

Originally Posted by arloiginla

probably the wrong forum.

$%&# me. You'd think I was new at this or something

Could a mod please move this thread to the Open forum?

[flamesfan6]

asked a cooworker your question and he's an active bike rider who knows his stuff.

For the road, you'd probably not want to go for less than $400

For mountain you'd probably not want to go less than $600-$700

These are for like more of beginner bikes, not for like racing. He said that the parts on these price range should last a while

[You Need a Thneed]

http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/...thways_map.pdf

For riding to work and some mountain biking I certainly wouldn't buy anything from Canadian Tire or Wal-mart. Go to an actual bike shop. I wouldn't get anything with rear suspension until going over the $1000 mark for sure. Get the lightest bike with the best components that is within your budget. You be the most satisfied with that.

[Table 5]

For going to work and back, definitely don't waste your money on rear suspension. You might want to figure out how often you'll be doing any sort of off-road riding.... because if its very little, you should just gear your bike more for the road (and just get some thicker tires than standard road bikes have). The lighter the bike, the better, especially if you have to lift or carry it up the stairs.

I used to be into bikes a lot, and back then I would say you had to spend about 600 bucks to get a good bike that you can beat up and depend on. I doubt things have changed that much. For a grand, you can get a very solid machine that for most people is more than enough.

[Rifleman]

I saw this in the Fire on Ice forum and thought you wanted to ask two questions regarding Bicycle Bruce.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

If you go to www.pinkbike.coom they have a good forum in which they will be able to answer any real technical questions you may have.

That being said make sure that you get a bike that feels right for you and that will mean spending the time at different bike stores, take them out for test rides, see what suspension that you want, if you want a mountain bike or a downhill bike or if a road or a touring bike would work out better for what you need. You can spend your life savings on a bike and have carbon everything, but if the bike isn't what you need and doesn't feel right for your body, then you won't ride it.

Past that, make sure you get some quality biking gloves, a good helmet, nice bike shorts (you can get some which look like normal shorts with a liner built in if you don't want to rock the lycra look) and most importantly bike shoes, and by that I mean learn how to ride with clips, you will likely fall a few times but just try them out on the grass before you head out onto the roads. You will get more power and performance because of greater energy transfer.

If you have any questions I have some family who are bike mechanics and I can get some honest advice for you from someone who knows their stuff and won't be trying to sell you anything... granted most guys who work in bike shops are standup guys who just want you to be happy with what you get.

[Methanolic]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

That being said make sure that you get a bike that feels right for you and that will mean spending the time at different bike stores, take them out for test rides, You can spend your life savings on a bike and have carbon everything, but if the bike isn't what you need and doesn't feel right for your body, then you won't ride it.

.

Well said.

Never buy a bike just because it's: the frame size you want, It's got the components you want, It's got the Index/Grip shifters you want..... You absolutely have to TEST DRIVE EVERYTHING! before you buy it.

The last time I bought a bike, I chose one that I could do both road & off road, I test drove several and ended up with (I was surprised) a 14 " Asama that turned out to be the most versatile bike I ever owned. I even had a second set of (ready to go wheels) with slick tires for summer road riding. The smaller frame was awesome for mountain biking for handling, and also excellent for road because of the lower riding posture. BTW..No suspension on that beast. Suspension is over rated.