Bicycle buying

[Tvtyrant]

So my 18 year old mountain bike seems dead. Gearing got bent and nearly everything needs to be replaced. I currently bike 1-2 hours a day and am looking for replacements.

I don't know much about bicycles, I only got this one because it let my grandparents call me fat as a teenager ("a thin frame would just break, we got the widest wheels we could.") I rode is as a commuter for a long time and now as quarantine exercise. I mostly ride pavement or the local park, looking for something lighter and less off-road based. Anyone know where to start looking or have suggestions? Budget is 500-1200.

[Peelee]

I have an older version of this, mainly because I'm fat and lazy but still want to pretend I can get in shape. And you can always just not turn the electric motor on if you want to use it for real exercise. It's awesome, though.

[Tvtyrant]

I have an older version of this, mainly because I'm fat and lazy but still want to pretend I can get in shape. And you can always just not turn the electric motor on if you want to use it for real exercise. It's awesome, though.

I hadn't been considering an electric but now I am. Thanks for making this choice harder :P

So now the big question is if I want it more for commuting and thus an e-bike, or more for hobby and so a rally bike.

[Tvtyrant]

Better get Motocross bike mate) you'll need to add about 700 bucks

That doesn't seem to have anything to do with what I was asking about. Why would I need a $2200 offroad bike to ride paved roads and parks?

[Knaight]

Biking is my thing, so I can help - but I do have some questions.

1) What weather do you tend to ride in? If you live in a place which is snowy half the year I would strongly recommend a mountain bike of some sort (nothing too fancy, no need for a back shock or anything), if you live in a sunny area where it's considered cold at 50 F a road bike or thin wheeled hybrid will work fine. If it's even snowier than I'm thinking you might even want to ride one of those ridiculous bikes with the 3" wide wheels.

2) What stance do you like to ride in? Specifically, are you on board with leaning way over or not? If not, road bikes are out, if you insist on leaning way over you have options regardless but should be paying pretty close attention to handlebar height vs. seat height.

3) About how much do you weigh? Most bikes are designed for people on the small-average end, if you're taller and heavier there are some specific considerations. Specifically you want a steel frame, though your budget is high enough that I wouldn't rule out the possibility that something titanium shows up in it (used). This will also affect what you want to use in terms of wheels; if you're heavier you want more and heavier duty spokes.

4) Are you planning on doing any cargo transport with the bike? Most of this comes down to added parts over anything else (rack, maybe paniers or a basket), but this does get back into frame sturdiness, wheel sturdiness, etc.

5) How much building do you want to do? Want a complete prebuilt bike? Want a complete prebuilt bike but you swap out a handful of parts? Want a pile of individual parts you put together?

6) How aggressively do you ride? If you ride in a city, but will absolutely ride down a staircase, hop curbs, etc. you probably want something a fair bit sturdier. If you're doing simple trail riding lighter is your friend.

[Tvtyrant]

Biking is my thing, so I can help - but I do have some questions.

1) What weather do you tend to ride in? If you live in a place which is snowy half the year I would strongly recommend a mountain bike of some sort (nothing too fancy, no need for a back shock or anything), if you live in a sunny area where it's considered cold at 50 F a road bike or thin wheeled hybrid will work fine. If it's even snowier than I'm thinking you might even want to ride one of those ridiculous bikes with the 3" wide wheels.

2) What stance do you like to ride in? Specifically, are you on board with leaning way over or not? If not, road bikes are out, if you insist on leaning way over you have options regardless but should be paying pretty close attention to handlebar height vs. seat height.

3) About how much do you weigh? Most bikes are designed for people on the small-average end, if you're taller and heavier there are some specific considerations. Specifically you want a steel frame, though your budget is high enough that I wouldn't rule out the possibility that something titanium shows up in it (used). This will also affect what you want to use in terms of wheels; if you're heavier you want more and heavier duty spokes.

4) Are you planning on doing any cargo transport with the bike? Most of this comes down to added parts over anything else (rack, maybe paniers or a basket), but this does get back into frame sturdiness, wheel sturdiness, etc.

5) How much building do you want to do? Want a complete prebuilt bike? Want a complete prebuilt bike but you swap out a handful of parts? Want a pile of individual parts you put together?

6) How aggressively do you ride? If you ride in a city, but will absolutely ride down a staircase, hop curbs, etc. you probably want something a fair bit sturdier. If you're doing simple trail riding lighter is your friend.

1. I live in Oregon, it rains on and off 9 months of the year but only snows about 1 week. Basically it is sunny or rainy, we have several mud seasons punctured by droughts.

2. I prefer a more upright posture. The online guides suggested rally bikes as essentially an upright road bike, but I don't know if that is true or not.

3. I am 6' 280.

4. Probably not? My primary hobbies have been hiking and weight lifting but they both got banned by the quarantine, so I have been riding about 10 miles a day and want something for cardio afterwork. Maybe commuting, although showing up hot and sweaty isn't a great idea in my industry.

5. Almost certainly on the prebuilt end of the spectrum. I'm not mechanically talented by any stretch of the imagination, I can assemble some stuff with instructions but putting it together from scratch is beyond me.

6. I try to avoid going over bumps and curbs because I shattered the rear axel on my bike when I was heavier and finished it off by bending a gear tooth recently. I might get a cheapo mountain bike later so I don't have to care about it, but I'm looking for something more pavement oriented for daily riding.

Thank you for the help! :)

[Knaight]

At 280 you want a steel frame* - and while there are road bike parts which work at that weight you're probably better off going with something more on the mountain bike end. You're in the US too, which helps in terms of brand recommendations.

Basically: Get a large framed steel bike which fits your approximate shape preferences in the $500 range. If you're buying used this is in the $300-$400 range instead. Make sure it's from a reputable manufacturer, which I'll list below. Absolutely make sure it's not by Sama, because they are trash. Then get two heavy duty wheels that fit the frame. You're probably looking at 26" to 29" wheels depending on what exactly you get. The wheels will run you another $150ish, but then your days of broken spokes are behind you.

There's some flex in terms of tires on a wheel, which is where you're going to get customization in. Basically, you want about the thinnest tire that still fits okay, to get it a bit towards road bike like tires. Pump these up to about 65-70 PSI. This will be more than recommended on the tires, it's well within engineering tolerance and that 40-60 range is more an estimated rider weight range than anything anyways.

Reputable Manufacturers, Listed From Favorite To Least Favorite
Raleigh
Specialized
Schwinn
Trek
Giant
GT

Manufacturers to Avoid
Sama
Huffy
Sama



6' is short enough that finding functional seat-handlebar configurations won't be that big a deal.

*I speak from experience, though admittedly I will absolutely ride right down some stairs loaded up with cargo.

[Tvtyrant]

Thank you! Lots to work on there :)

[snowblizz]

I have a Trek "hybrid" bike of some kind. I thought it was a nice compromise between a full on mountain bike and something that can't handle terrain at all.

For exactly the purpose of commuting mostly and doing some terrain biking on paths for excersies. It's got shocks on the front wheel only. Not quite as beefy tyres.


Something I'd recommend though get tyres as puncture resistant as possible. When bike was new, within a year I had 3 punctures due to the stones used to sand paths during winter. This may not be a mayor concern ofc. I then got tyres rated at 40%, whatever that means, and so far not had the stones punch a hole clean through. Only drabback is I got less of tyretracks with it, so more roadwheel types than I'd like.

I'll also point out I noticed when biking on runningpaths that were very soft I probably would have wanted a mountainbike style set of tyres on. It was absolutely exhausting digging into the ground. As long as going on fairly solid ground, whether pavement or a forest path, it works well though.

[monomer]

At 280 you want a steel frame* - and while there are road bike parts which work at that weight you're probably better off going with something more on the mountain bike end. You're in the US too, which helps in terms of brand recommendations.

Basically: Get a large framed steel bike which fits your approximate shape preferences in the $500 range. If you're buying used this is in the $300-$400 range instead. Make sure it's from a reputable manufacturer, which I'll list below. Absolutely make sure it's not by Sama, because they are trash. Then get two heavy duty wheels that fit the frame. You're probably looking at 26" to 29" wheels depending on what exactly you get. The wheels will run you another $150ish, but then your days of broken spokes are behind you.

There's some flex in terms of tires on a wheel, which is where you're going to get customization in. Basically, you want about the thinnest tire that still fits okay, to get it a bit towards road bike like tires. Pump these up to about 65-70 PSI. This will be more than recommended on the tires, it's well within engineering tolerance and that 40-60 range is more an estimated rider weight range than anything anyways.

Reputable Manufacturers, Listed From Favorite To Least Favorite
Raleigh
Specialized
Schwinn
Trek
Giant
GT

Manufacturers to Avoid
Sama
Huffy
Sama



6' is short enough that finding functional seat-handlebar configurations won't be that big a deal.

*I speak from experience, though admittedly I will absolutely ride right down some stairs loaded up with cargo.

It's interesting that you have Schwinn in the reputable category, since around here, they are the "Higher End" department store bike, while Huffy and the like are their regular models.

I agree that a steel frame would be optimal, but do the reputable manufacturers even still make steel frame bikes? I think it would be hard to find a steel frame without defaulting to either a lower-end bike company or a specialty bike, like for couriers.

Truthfully, if performance isn't really a requirement, I would probably first check out Costco and see if they have anything that fits your needs (assuming the OP is a member). You may need to brush up on some minor maintenance skills since their assembly isn't great and you won't have the support you get from a dedicated bike shop, but they're well priced for what you get, and if anything breaks, Costco has the best return policy in the industry.

[Tvtyrant]

Taking the advice here, Fuji has steel touring bikes rated at 355lbs. That seems like a good way to go; I don't really want another mountain bike as the shocks absorb some of the pedaling and they weigh more. 30lbs and a stiff body seem like a good compromise.

[Bartmanhomer]

Wait what does bicycle buying has to do with science?

[Rockphed]

Wait what does bicycle buying has to do with science?

Choosing the right bicycle is an act of engineering optimization. This forum is "Mad science and Grumpy Technology (i.e. engineering)".

[Bartmanhomer]

Choosing the right bicycle is an act of engineering optimization. This forum is "Mad science and Grumpy Technology (i.e. engineering)".

Oh really? I didn't know that.

[Knaight]

Taking the advice here, Fuji has steel touring bikes rated at 355lbs. That seems like a good way to go; I don't really want another mountain bike as the shocks absorb some of the pedaling and they weigh more. 30lbs and a stiff body seem like a good compromise.

That mostly looks like a good bike, but I do have a few concerns.

1) That seat is a bit over halfway up at the moment. You might end up putting it higher (depends on leg length and the like). Even at that halfway point it's already above the handlebars.

2) The positioning of the brakes basically requires you to lean over a fair bit to use them. If that's a comfortable position for you, go for it. Personally I really, really hate that brake configuration.

There is a pretty big variety of options for frame size, so if you get an XL frame* you'll be able to sink the seat a bit and solve issue 1. The $300 left in your budget will partially get eaten by taxes and shipping, but you'll probably still have enough left to do some handlebar and brake customization to a more mountainbike-like configuration. I can't see the shifters, but I suspect they're not ideal either.

Then there's the pedals. Swapping out pedals is a total non-issue (including if you have a bike shop do it), but clips? Ugh. They might be removable though.

If you do end up doing anything cargo heavy though, that rack is beautiful. I'd be surprised if it was rated for less than 30 kg, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was rated for 60.

One last comment - you probably want lights. I reccomend Serfas as a brand, for the simple reason that Serfas uses a standardized connector, which means that if you swap out lights the connector works, and more critically if the connector gets damaged or stolen you can replace it and not a bike light. It's a $5 part, bike lights absolutely aren't.

[Rockphed]

So, somewhat related to the actual topic, if I want to outfit my family (myself, wife, 6 yo, 3 yo, 1.5 yo) for taking up biking, what are good ways to include the tiny ones? I should probably note that at present the only bike we have is a department store special for the 6 yo to learn to ride on.

[Peelee]

So, somewhat related to the actual topic, if I want to outfit my family (myself, wife, 6 yo, 3 yo, 1.5 yo) for taking up biking, what are good ways to include the tiny ones? I should probably note that at present the only bike we have is a department store special for the 6 yo to learn to ride on.

One of the bike stores I've been to has (had?) a recumbent tricycle that looked super fun and comfortable. My wife swooned over it. Something like that could probably be great for the adults, if not the children (and possibly the children at that!). Downside was the price tag, four figures made us sad.

Also, we have a balance bike for our toddler! He hasn't started in on it yet, but I love the idea of learning balancing and then later pedaling instead of having to learn both at once.

[Radar]

2) The positioning of the brakes basically requires you to lean over a fair bit to use them. If that's a comfortable position for you, go for it. Personally I really, really hate that brake configuration.

There is a pretty big variety of options for frame size, so if you get an XL frame* you'll be able to sink the seat a bit and solve issue 1. The $300 left in your budget will partially get eaten by taxes and shipping, but you'll probably still have enough left to do some handlebar and brake customization to a more mountainbike-like configuration. I can't see the shifters, but I suspect they're not ideal either.

My two cents here:

1. Aside from making you lean over, road handlebars are very narrow, which affects the way you steer and balance your bike heavily. It is not that difficult to learn, but it is a significant change from a regular straight handlebar or a typical citybike one.

2. Shifters are lockated at the ends of the handlebar (zoom in on the second photo), which is very unfortunate, since in order to switch gears you have to move your hand from its regular position near the breaks. For me it is a big no-no. With race handlebars I recommend shifters merged with the break lever. Those are not cheap unfortunately.

Otherwise a straight handlebar is a much simpler solution, since any kind of shifters can be comfortably fit close to the breaks and mounting of additional accessories (speedometer, lights, GPS or whatever you want) is also easier.

So, somewhat related to the actual topic, if I want to outfit my family (myself, wife, 6 yo, 3 yo, 1.5 yo) for taking up biking, what are good ways to include the tiny ones? I should probably note that at present the only bike we have is a department store special for the 6 yo to learn to ride on.

For the youngest a bike runner (also called balance bike) might be a good idea (or will be in a short few months depending on the development of the child etc.) and the 3 yo can already learn to use a proper bike (with side wheels obviously). For the balance bike I would avoid those weird wooden ones where you cannot steer the bike properly and take one with regular rubber tires if possible - a lot of them have hard plastic wheels that just look like tires.

If price is a concern, then there should be a lot of offers for second-hand bikes in good shape, since kids tend to outgrow them fairly quickly. If you have some basic experience with tending a bike, then those for kids are even easier to maintain, since they do not have gears and such. They do often have torpedo breaks though, which might be more difficult to fix, so check those when you buy a used bike.

edit: for longer trips there are also some solutions like child bike seats mounted usually above the rear wheel (usualy with upper limit of 20 kg or close to that) and bike tows for kids on their own bikes so they can either help you pedalling or just rest and be pulled by you.

[Knaight]

2. Shifters are lockated at the ends of the handlebar (zoom in on the second photo), which is very unfortunate, since in order to switch gears you have to move your hand from its regular position near the breaks. For me it is a big no-no. With race handlebars I recommend shifters merged with the break lever. Those are not cheap unfortunately.

I thought they might be - that handlebar configuration is one where I've seen this nonsense before. Another reason to swap to straight bars, as far as I'm concerned.

So, somewhat related to the actual topic, if I want to outfit my family (myself, wife, 6 yo, 3 yo, 1.5 yo) for taking up biking, what are good ways to include the tiny ones? I should probably note that at present the only bike we have is a department store special for the 6 yo to learn to ride on.

I'm just going to toss some pictures your way. You want two bikes, one for you and one for your wife. Then you want these beauties:



There's a few different brands for each, which you get honestly doesn't matter much. Just check to make sure it's not a recalled model, there were a handful with pretty bad connectors. I personally spent many hours as a small child behind my mom on first an enclosed trailer (picture 1) then on the alley cat (picture 2), before I could keep up reasonably on an actual bicycle. Good times.

[Radar]

https://images1.americanlisted.com/nlarge/alley-cat-shadow-trek-mountain-train-bicycle-attachment-for-children-50-americanlisted_33531653.jpg[/url]

Instead of this I think a regular bike along a bike tow bar would be better, since an older kid will have an option to actually ride at least a part of the trip. Since those also lift the front wheel and lock the handlebar position, they should be just as stable as the trailer on the picture.

[Knaight]

Instead of this I think a regular bike along a bike tow bar would be better, since an older kid will have an option to actually ride at least a part of the trip. Since those also lift the front wheel and lock the handlebar position, they should be just as stable as the trailer on the picture.

That does look just as good.

[Tvtyrant]

That mostly looks like a good bike, but I do have a few concerns.

1) That seat is a bit over halfway up at the moment. You might end up putting it higher (depends on leg length and the like). Even at that halfway point it's already above the handlebars.

2) The positioning of the brakes basically requires you to lean over a fair bit to use them. If that's a comfortable position for you, go for it. Personally I really, really hate that brake configuration.

There is a pretty big variety of options for frame size, so if you get an XL frame* you'll be able to sink the seat a bit and solve issue 1. The $300 left in your budget will partially get eaten by taxes and shipping, but you'll probably still have enough left to do some handlebar and brake customization to a more mountainbike-like configuration. I can't see the shifters, but I suspect they're not ideal either.

Then there's the pedals. Swapping out pedals is a total non-issue (including if you have a bike shop do it), but clips? Ugh. They might be removable though.

If you do end up doing anything cargo heavy though, that rack is beautiful. I'd be surprised if it was rated for less than 30 kg, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was rated for 60.

One last comment - you probably want lights. I reccomend Serfas as a brand, for the simple reason that Serfas uses a standardized connector, which means that if you swap out lights the connector works, and more critically if the connector gets damaged or stolen you can replace it and not a bike light. It's a $5 part, bike lights absolutely aren't.

My two cents here:

1. Aside from making you lean over, road handlebars are very narrow, which affects the way you steer and balance your bike heavily. It is not that difficult to learn, but it is a significant change from a regular straight handlebar or a typical citybike one.

2. Shifters are lockated at the ends of the handlebar (zoom in on the second photo), which is very unfortunate, since in order to switch gears you have to move your hand from its regular position near the breaks. For me it is a big no-no. With race handlebars I recommend shifters merged with the break lever. Those are not cheap unfortunately.

Otherwise a straight handlebar is a much simpler solution, since any kind of shifters can be comfortably fit close to the breaks and mounting of additional accessories (speedometer, lights, GPS or whatever you want) is also easier.

If not for quarantine I would go and do a test ride, they have a dealership in my city. Darn quarantine making everything harder!

How hard is it to switch shifters, breaks, handlebars out?

I am really greatful for all the advice, finding a bike that suits me is harder then I thought.

[Knaight]

How hard is it to switch shifters, breaks, handlebars out?

Tricky enough (if you're not used to working on a bike) that I'd recommend having a bike shop do it. They're often considered essential businesses, for basically the same reason car mechanics are.

[Tvtyrant]

Tricky enough (if you're not used to working on a bike) that I'd recommend having a bike shop do it. They're often considered essential businesses, for basically the same reason car mechanics are.

The endless abyss of spending deepens :0

Do you know a good steel mountain bike? I might just give up on the rally form and go with your recommendation.

[Knaight]

The endless abyss of spending deepens :0

Not really - it'll be maybe $50 for the work, unless there is a huge discrepancy in bike shop costs between our respective towns. It's not nothing, but your budget is pretty high.

[Tvtyrant]

Not really - it'll be maybe $50 for the work, unless there is a huge discrepancy in bike shop costs between our respective towns. It's not nothing, but your budget is pretty high.

A localish bike shop has a version of the same model with disk breaks for $100 more, so that's a nice benefit. Also some better pictures of it, I'm ordering it Sunday.

[The Fury]

I'd recommend looking at Surly bicycles. Most of their frames are built pretty sturdy, all of their models are made of steel. They're pretty pricey if you buy new though, maybe you'll find one within budget if you buy used.

Years ago, I bought a track bike from a site called Bikes Direct-- the site still exists and it seems like they still sell that model. The bike I bought was called a Windsor Clockwork, my thinking was that the components one the bike looked to be good enough quality that if the frame failed, I'd still be ahead. So far the bike's held up pretty well. I know that what I got is probably not what you were after, but I can't personally testify to their other offerings.

[Palanan]

There seem to be some experienced cyclists in this thread, and I have a question directly related to the thread topic.

For years I've wanted a handcycle, or any related kind of arm-powered ride, just for upper-body exercise. Cycling is one exercise I enjoy and do whatever I can, and an arm-powered cycle seems like a good complement to my ordinary ride.

But I've had a hard time even finding handcycles, much less evaluate them--and I've been shocked and discouraged at the prices I've seen. I don't have a large budget, and the few prices I've seen have been far out of my range. Are there any basic, reliable handcycles that aren't sky-high expensive?

[Knaight]

I don't know of any. There's a serious economy of scale issue here - the main market for handcycles is people with disabilities that impede pedaling with legs, for the simple reason that if you don't have one of those disabilities your legs are almost certainly going to be stronger than your arms. On top of that they tend to overlap a bit with trikes in terms of parts, and beyond being heavier and more complicated innately trikes don't see the scale of bikes at the best of times*. That makes things really expensive.

*I was looking into cargo trikes recently, because transporting lots of heavy stuff by bike sucks. They were running $900+ used, which is well outside my budget. Fortunately when I tried one out at the shop I didn't like riding it anyways.