Cycling Thread 2

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Regular_John

This really is an excellent point, I don’t really have a hard budget in mind, looking at Mec they’ve got options from $650 up to $3,500

We’ll say somewhere the $1,000 range (+/- 20%) is a comfortable number for me.

My #'s may be out of date, but:

$650 gets you a good bike
$850-1100 gets you a very good bike
The incremental benefits beyond that are harder to notice for a typical cyclist.

ie. talk yourself into jumping from $750 to $1000, but don't worry about the next step beyond that.

[Fuzz]

I think these days $650 barely gets you a good bike, not much in those price ranges. Really your first good option will be around $800, but $1000 is a better target, leaving some room for accessories, helmet, lock etc. See if they can throw any of that in, or a discount on accessories, worth an ask.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I think these days $650 barely gets you a good bike, not much in those price ranges. Really your first good option will be around $800, but $1000 is a better target, leaving some room for accessories, helmet, lock etc. See if they can throw any of that in, or a discount on accessories, worth an ask.

If you can score a Costco Northrock bike made by Giant (tough, they are are so high in demand and the peak deliveries are over) you can do well for $700.

Decathlon has some passable road bikes in the $750 range like the Triban RC120 with road or flat handlebars but you are getting Microshift drivetrain instead of Shimano or SRAM.

I agree, I've seen nothing good for $650 aside from Costco.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

My #'s may be out of date, but:

$650 gets you a good bike
$850-1100 gets you a very good bike
The incremental benefits beyond that are harder to notice for a typical cyclist.

ie. talk yourself into jumping from $750 to $1000, but don't worry about the next step beyond that.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I think these days $650 barely gets you a good bike, not much in those price ranges. Really your first good option will be around $800, but $1000 is a better target, leaving some room for accessories, helmet, lock etc. See if they can throw any of that in, or a discount on accessories, worth an ask.

$650 will not get you a good bike. It will get you a somewhat decent bike with lower end components. $1000 will barely get you a good bike with decent components.

[Fuzz]

Ya, I tend to think if you are spending that much, you may as well up it to get hydraulic brakes. For someone who doesn't want to fiddle too much, not having to worry about adjusting cable pull disc brakes is worth the extra.

[Fuzz]

I presume powderjunkie was meaning "good bike" as in good casual bike, not higher end.

[wireframe]

We did a bike parade thing in my neighbourhood over the weekend. Nearly 200 people showed up to ride from Banff Trail to Capital Hill community centre for snacks and prizes. It was a great event.



I also received my Radwagon cargo bike this weekend. Unfortunately, it was the day after the community parade so I had to drag the chariot on my single-speed for that. It's so much more fun to go for a rip with the kids on the new ebike than any of my other bikes.

[powderjunkie]

Like I said, my numbers are probably a decade out of date since I haven't looked at new gear in a long time...should've checked what current prices look like, but I don't think I'm that far off:

Trek FX1 for ~$700 is adequate for occasional use
FX2 for ~$950 is solid for occasional commuting
FX3 for ~$1150 is good for frequent commuting (I log a thousand+ kms per year on the 15 yo equivalent model without any complaints)

The average rider won't get much bang for their buck going beyond this range.

[Regular_John]

So I know SporkChek/Canadian Tire are the wrong places to go, how’s Mec compare to a super specialized place like Bike & Brew?

[Fuzz]

Mec bikes will be fine. The Bike Shop usually has a good range of bikes in your price range as well.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Like I said, my numbers are probably a decade out of date since I haven't looked at new gear in a long time...should've checked what current prices look like, but I don't think I'm that far off:

Trek FX1 for ~$700 is adequate for occasional use
FX2 for ~$950 is solid for occasional commuting
FX3 for ~$1150 is good for frequent commuting (I log a thousand+ kms per year on the 15 yo equivalent model without any complaints)

The average rider won't get much bang for their buck going beyond this range.

I think some of the value you get is how often are you willing to adjust things or have them adjusted. If you learn to adjust breaks and deraileurs something like the FX1 will be fine for commuting daily.

I think if you don’t want to do that then buying a bike from one of the CalgaryCycle with their lifetime $5 tune ups is worthwhile more so then going up in quality.

What do you see as the benefit in stepping up from something like the FX1 to an FX3?

[RichieRich]

So I do a fair amount of biking, have several different bikes, at one point had 6 but no longer so have relegated myself down a few. One being my hardtail commuter - when I bought it back in ~2008'ish I had a lot of friends and family think I was foolish for spending ~$1500 plus a few upgrades. My "real" bikes all cost multiples of that. So the commuter originally a decent front suspension fork but I went rigid after first winter. I have ridden it 4-seasons/yr until 2020. Had 2 wheelsets - one w/ cyclocross wheels (oooh 33's were big back then) and another w/ 2.1". Seasonally one would have studded tires. Easily put over 50k on that bike... don't regret buying better quality for a bike that had the flexibility to be a comfortable commuter that I could also do 2-3 hour rides on in the spring when there was more gravel around. I rode that bike more than all my other bikes combined since I made sure the fit was good and I had a carbon handlebar and carbon seatpost (best thing ever for a hardtail). Sadly Covid wasn't kind to it and it suffered some kind of embolism resulting in total fluid bleed-out of main vein (hydraulic brake). Haven't gotten around yet to replacing the brake and rotor. General maintenance has been pretty simple as long as you periodically wash it down, do some servicing, and learn a little about adjusting cables.

In short... spend a bit more for a quality product that has some flexibility, learn some skills, and don't be afraid to ride. Ride often, ride hard, ride whenever you can and it just gets easier and reduces the impact of life stresses. And not just cos you can ride away from them. Because a new bike is cheaper than any shrink!

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by wireframe

I also received my Radwagon cargo bike this weekend. Unfortunately, it was the day after the community parade so I had to drag the chariot on my single-speed for that. It's so much more fun to go for a rip with the kids on the new ebike than any of my other bikes.

How are you enjoying the Radwagon so far? A word of advice - don’t let your battery get cold overnight. I’ve made that mistake a couple of times and notice a huge decrease in battery capacity. Oops

[Kybosh]

When I first started getting into cycling as an adult, I went through two cheap online vendor bikes first. I very very quickly "outgrew" them though as the ride quality, speed, weight etc. was so far below even a base model from a LBS. I recommend just paying more from the start and getting something that you'll enjoy riding and won't have crappy components. It'll save you money in the long run to buy the bike you want from the very beginning.

I currently have a road bike, mountain bike, and a cheap single speed for breweries and such. I would really love to get a new single speed from Bike & Brew but it's definitely not necessary haha.

[wireframe]

Originally Posted by surferguy

How are you enjoying the Radwagon so far? A word of advice - don’t let your battery get cold overnight. I’ve made that mistake a couple of times and notice a huge decrease in battery capacity. Oops

I'm loving it so far. How cold is cold overnight? Are you leaving yours outside overnight right now, when it's well above 0 degrees?

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by wireframe

I'm loving it so far. How cold is cold overnight? Are you leaving yours outside overnight right now, when it's well above 0 degrees?

No a couple midslips where kids distracted me and I left the battery on overnight in the fall and one this spring. Perhaps got to 4C on those nights. Normally I bring it in every night.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Regular_John

So say guy hasn’t owned a bike in 15+ years, but is interested in a basic commuter/city bike for getting to work and running basic errands.

• For those who commute North of DT, what’s the best strategy for the massive hill into Crescent Heights/Renfrew area?

I’ve no interest in spandex or performance gear, just looking to expand my human powered radius.

First of all, awesome thinking. I used to live in Renfrew and commuted to Quarry Park every day for about 2 years. My preferred route was to take the switchback at the end of Russell Rd, but I lived on Radford, so it was mostly about directness. Bridge Cresent was another option I took. I tried the Telus Spark switchback a couple of times, but it wasn't my favourite.

I know it's more expensive, but if you can swing it, get an eBike. It'll change your life. It'll make those hills feel like nothing. But if you can't, don't worry about the hills so much, you'll work up to it. I don't own any spandex and my usual attire for cycling is whatever I'm wearing. Especially living on the top of the hill, I could worry about showering when I got home if I was a sweaty mess.

I really miss my cycle commute. Such a great way to prep for the day and unwind at the end of it. Now I get 10km/day riding my kids to school on painted bike lanes in Victoria. Stresses me out!

[calgarygeologist]

What a miserable ride home today. I'll admit that I wasn't prepared for the conditions and it was cold, wet and slow trying to ride into the stiff wind. Luckily I drove to Edworthy Park today instead of riding all the way from home so that saved me about 20 minutes of suffering up the hill to Varsity. Maybe next time I will bring a jacket.

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

What a miserable ride home today. I'll admit that I wasn't prepared for the conditions and it was cold, wet and slow trying to ride into the stiff wind. Luckily I drove to Edworthy Park today instead of riding all the way from home so that saved me about 20 minutes of suffering up the hill to Varsity. Maybe next time I will bring a jacket.

No joke but pack a larger grocery bag as an emergency wind break. Learned it from another all season rider and also an adventure racer. The bag handles go up to the top of each shoulder and bottom hopefully to your waist give or take. The other thing is an ultralight jacket that packs down to a roll of socks size.

[Northendzone]

I always have some type of jacket in my pack. On commutes home where the weather looks iffy, I move it up to the top of my pack so it is an easy find if I need it quickly.