Well, in my never-ending need to lose weight after a near-death experience a couple of years ago, I have gotten to the point where I think I can actually try sweating now (yeah, laugh it up, pal). I recall Rocketman95's post where he said he tried playing basketball for 3 minutes and saw Jesus. Well, I watched him play basketball and nearly passed out. Yes, my cardio-vascular endurance has no cardio and there ain't much vascular going on either. Now back in my heyday when I used to be a gym rat and circuit trained, I used to ride a bike 11 miles down the shoulder of Highway 90/S. Main in 95 degree heat to Alief and play basketball for about 3-4 hours and ride back. I'll be lucky now to ride to the street corner without needing a heart-lung machine. That being said, I want to get back into bike riding again. I have open areas around where I live in DFW where I can do sprints, ride long distances, and collapse in a pile and cry for my mommy. My question : what should I be spending for a new bike since I don't have one anymore? I tried riding one of those Target < $100 bikes and I felt like somebody was shoving a watermelon sideways up my ass (those seats hurt). Not to mention I felt every freakin' bump and vibration. I'll also be riding mostly on asphalt/concrete and not trails in the immediate future. I'm looking for one of those mountain bike type deals with the fat tires and not the 10-20 speed or whatever they are with the skinny tires. I always fear getting on one of those and instantly getting a blowout. I've looked around for sites related to bikes and have come up with a few hits, but don't know if they're worth anything. 1) Anybody have any names of bike manufacturers worth looking at? 2) What's the price range for a good bike, generally speaking? 3) I don't want to spend more than $300-$400. 4) What should I be looking for? Now I'll go back to looking at these bike sites... thanks.
$300-$400 should be enough to get you a low-end good, name brand bike. If you are looking for Mountain bike type rides, try Specialized or Trek (other names escape me, right now)...go to a good bike shop and ask, if they want to make a sell, they'll help you out. Look for quick release on the tires, it makes for easy transportation, wheels come right off with the twist of a lever. Look for comfort, make sure you get a bike, fitted for you. Proper size...Nothing's worse than watching some schmuck ride a bike that's too big or too small for them. When sitting on the bike, your leg should be fully extended with just a slight bend at the knee. Your knees should not touch the handle bars when you pedal. I swear I have seen people riding bikes where they can barely reach down for a full crank or their knees are practically knocking on the handle bars... I guess my only suggestion is to seek professional help. Get a bike that fits and that will last. good luck
Anybody have any experience with those AutoBikes... you know the ones with automatic transmissiions? Those look like they would be the ticket. I've only seen the infomercial. Later, I heard that Lee Iacocca was selling bikes online. I wondered if he had a similar product.
DoD, email me. I am an avid mountain biker, and spend a lot of time researching new bikes, technologies, and such. I bike, weather permitting, about 3-4 times a week at the least, but lately with the cold and rain, and ice here in the Big D, I have not been riding too much. The weather is getting better though.... Anyway, the best place to buy a bike in Dallas is Richardson Bike Mart on Coit and Campbell. Great bikes, huge selection, and GREAT, unparalleled service. All of the guys that work there are either street bikers or mountain bikers, and are a wealth of information. Use them in your selection. Here's the website: http://www.bikemart.com/ Hell, why am I helping you? You took me out of the spelling thingy. Oh well......no hard feelings. To answer your questions: 1) Anybody have any names of bike manufacturers worth looking at? For the price range you are looking at, try Trek, Specialized, and if you can find them, GT. 2) What's the price range for a good bike, generally speaking? Very generally speaking, if you want a nice aluminum frame, a good fork, and decent components, you are looking at about $700-950. 3) I don't want to spend more than $300-$400. You can get a pretty good bike for this amount, but make sure the FRAME is good before the components. The bike is only as good as the frame, and you can always upgrade the components. 4) What should I be looking for? Aluminum frame, Shimano components....but try to steer clear of Shimano Acera or Altus, as those are bottom of the line.
ALSO,Since you mentioned not going on the dirt too much , I'd suggest adding some slick tires. Around 20 bucks each, but makes the ride oh so smooth, especially on a Mtn.bike or whatever. A cheap way to upgrade your ride. and wear a helmet cuz cars don't give a **** about cyclist most of the time
What does that mean? I hope that means you have been exercising but if you haven't broken a sweat then... ? Seriously, though....I would take it easy if your out of shape. Set small milestones and work your way up from there. Here's your new bike......now take that hill!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!! You may want to check with your doctor before getting back into strenous exercise....especially since you had a near death experience cycling before. Just looking out for your well-being, Doctor. Surf
Definately not an insult Doc... What I meant was, don't go to Wal-Mart or Toys R Us, go see professionals who deal in bikes, like a good local bike shop... No insult meant in typing that, buddy. Hey... If anyone needs to get on a bike and get some exercise, it's me!! rH
If you're in Houston, try Bike Barn, they're on Kirby b/t Sunset & Rice (they may have other stores).
Lol... it's no big deal. I was only kidding. I started exercising again a while back, but am still building up endurance. The doc said this bike riding kick would be fine as long as I don't think I'm in shape when I attack it. I've had stress tests done, and the whole bit. Don't worry, I doubt I'll be doing sprints or anything anytime soon. I'm in better shape than the first time I thought "oh it'll just be like old times" and promptly ended up staring at the sky with my heart doing a drum solo. I plan on taking it easy to begin with anyway. Thanks for the concern!
They also make a certain type of hybrids (of road and mountain bikes) that are called "comfort" hybrids. They got those comfy, fat seats that don't squeeze your boys. They are typically in your price range. Some good names are Giant and Roland. (And no they don't have baskets on the front.)
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