Buying Tips

Question
Hello:  I was hoping you could give me some helpful hints on purchasing a bicycle.  I am 56 years old, weigh around 255 lbs and am 5'11".  I have not done much bike riding for years, but was considering buying one and getting some exercise and also some fun. I will be doing most of my riding around my neighborhood on paved streets, and will probably not go off road much.  From what I have read, I would think something in either a "hybrid, or a "comfort" type bike is what I would need. Since I am not sure how serious I am at this point, i would like to keep the initial cost of the bike as low as possible, as well as minimizing maintenance.  Any advice as to type, brand and price range of an appropriate bike would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Dennis

Answer
Dennis, good for you for returning to riding! Let me see if I can give you some quick hints and advice as I get through my first cup of coffee of the morning.

The bikes at bike shops may seem expensive when you first walk in, sometimes they put the "eye candy" up front and it can scare the credit cards right out of your wallet. but for less than $350 you can get a good bike, that is assembled right, and usually a discount on goods when you buy the bike. And I am thinking along your lines of either a "comfort" or "hybrid" bike. Either one would be a good choice for you but I lean towards the comfort category for you - a nice up-right ride, a bit wider tires, and a great short travel street machine. If you said you wanted to start to commute, ride 30 to 50 miles on the weekend and the like I would steer you to the hybrid.

Make sure the bike fits you. You want to have enough room between you and the top of the bike frame (top tube) so you don't hurt yourself, but you don't want it so small that you eat you knees when you pedal. By the way, you want your knees to have about a 20 degree bend when you are at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You may hear 15 degree but that is where we want to progress to as you get used to riding again. A good shop will make sure you are on the right size frame, but ride a couple of different brands as each will feel, and fit, a bit different.

Another great thing about using a good shop is that they should take care of maintaining the bike at least the first year. Some shops offer "life-time" tune-ups and that can be well worth it. Your bike will go through an initial break in period where cables will stretch, wheels will need to be trued, and other minor adjustments will have to be done. It is very important to take advantage of this first tune-up the shops offer. They may catch somethings that you won't and that can mean the difference of replacing parts in a few years and never having to replace parts. Besides the wear items of course.

I won't recommend a brand as the quality of bikes carried in shops is all about equal. I strongly recommend that the brand you choose is the bike shop. Make sure it is one that you are comfortable with, that you feel that you can ask questions, and one that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable or unwanted. Some shops have a real "clique" feel to them, like if you don't plan on spending at least $3000 for a bike... well, then... Stay away from those shops. A good shop should welcome in a newbie with open arms. After all, if we can get you addicted to cycling then you will keep coming in for more and more stuff!

Good luck, and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask! Oh, by the way, yes your butt will hurt for a while! But, really, the soreness does go away the more you ride!

Happy rides!

Tad