What to buy

Question
Hi,
I would like to buy a bicycle as a birthday gift for my husband. He is about 6 ft & 225 lbs. We live in the Los Angeles area, with lost of ups & downs in our neighborhood,  so I'm guessing a mountain bike is a good choice - is it? Also how I do I know what size I should get? Is it based on his height?

Is there a difference in buying it from a bike store VS Target like store?

THANX!!!!
Jayanthi  

Answer
Hi Jayanthi,

You can purchase a bicycle that would fit your husband at a Target or at a shop. The main difference being the quality and the price. The Target store will be cheaper and have a reasonably decent bike, most of department store bikes now being imported are products of a company called Pacific Cycles, even the Schwinn name is now owned by Pacific, Mongoose is also.

A 26' Mountain Bike can easily be adjusted to fit him. Most of the 26" mountain bikes will carry the weight. In fact I purchased a 26" Roadmaster for myself back in 1997 and was 5'9 and in excess of 240 at the time. This was before I realized how out of shape I had gotten and started really doing something about it.

A mountain bike would be OK. If he is planning on doing all road riding, all on pavement and possibly in traffic then a road bike may be even better.

You can get a bike at Target and it may last a few years. It depends a lot on how much it will be ridden and what type of riding he plans to do. If he plans to actually take the mountain bike to the mountain trails and actually do some mountain biking, stop at a bike shop and buy something a lot better. Same with the road bike. you can pick up a 27" Schwinn Varsity at Wal Mart which will fit him OK, but if he is going to do some major rides, like the Centuries that I do or he wants to race it at all, go to a shop and get a good bike. The prices at the Bike Shops are not that much higher than the Target stores and the quality is almost always superior. Not to mention that a decent shop can help fit the bike properly, recommend the proper care of the bike and many will even do some tune-ups after you have had the bike at no charge or for a very small fee. It cost me 45.00 to have my entire bike gone over once a year, I do that usually just before the Golden Olympics.

Having a good shop and using them is an invaluable asset. Many times you will be able to call them and ask them questions, you can make some great friends at the shop and meet other people interested in cycling there. Some of the shops I have been in are sort of like social clubs for the cyclists. They meet there for their rides, they help each other with anything that has to do with cycling. Many times the owner or owners are riders themselves and will go the extra mile to make sure you are satisfied. I am sure there are shops that are not as friendly and helpful as those in South Georgia, but I have been met with very good experiences in Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Orlando, so I have a feeling that most of the good shops are just ran by good people that really love cycling and cycles.  

Hope this helps

Have a great day

Jerry