Bicycles - Advice

Ive been interested in buying a bicycle. Was wondering if anybody out there rode and had any advice on what to buy, where to buy or any other useful help. What Im wanting it for is some road riding, but also something I could ride on trails.

I personally think common sense is the way to go, buy a good frame with good components , I personally don?t worry too much about weight , of course don?t buy cast iron:) Right now my mountain bike is 12 years old and has several thousand miles on it.

I have biked for many years, done triathlons, etc… Suffice it to say, I have owned a fair number of bikes and I also bike to work. There is only one thing that you should take the time and money to invest in, which is getting a proper bike fitting at a good bike shop. This holds true if you are looking for a mountain bike, road bike, or something else. There is nothing worse than an ill-fitting bike to take out all of your enjoyment and leave you feeling very uncomfortable.

there was a company out in arizona my buddy got a rode bike from for crazy cheap. They are typically 900-1200 dollar bikes and this company buys last years parts, assembles them, and sells them for 350… I dont remember the name but a google search may find it.

Try a Hybrid, ie like an MTB but with the larger wheels of a roadie. Get yourself some decent tyres (tires) too, high pressure ~80-100psi is faster & more efficient on the road.

I agree with the idea of getting properly fitted for the bike. My brother bikes quite a bit and told me it makes a world of difference once you get fitted for a bike instead of just buying one, jumping on, and going for it.

That is some sickness X, damn.

Professor X knows what I really want. I went to the only bike shop around here and checked out a mountain bike at lunch. Kind of an entry level. Aluminum frame. 24 speed. No disc brakes. They had it on sale for 400.
Didnt seem like a bad deal considering the crap they sell at wal mart is close to 300.

Sounds like you are looking for a cross bike, although Professor X’s suggestion would do very nicely!

Cross bikes look just like road bikes but have slightly fatter tires that will work well for trail riding. The gearing is also a bit more ideal for both uses.

Called them. It was a Gary fisher. Called the advance.

You don’t need disk brakes unless you are a gravity racer or are really strong in the dirt.

Take the advice on the fitting. A CycloCross bike would give you the “better” of both worlds but they are generally more expensive than an MTB. And entry level road bike will run you 800 - 1000.

How much do you have to spend?

I like my Gary Fisher mountain bike. I think I paid about 800 for it around 4 years ago. It does pretty good on the road, but I doubt I’d like to log a bunch of miles on it.

Probably dont need to spend anything. I was figuring around 400. I dont want to get to far in unless I really start riding a lot. Just kinda something to play around on but I didnt want to buy total junk either.

BTW- Thanks for all the responses

What about this?

think that would be a better alternative to the gary fisher?

I think the salesman may have shown me a trek 7000. He suggested a pure mountain bike, but I think I would probably do more road riding than anything rough. And if I got off road it would probably just be trails or something. Nothing rough.

I’d probably go with a Fisher given the price option. If cycling is something you’re interested in, and might begin doing more frequently, you’ll grow out of a hybrid really fast. Of course, you can always get a cheap option now and then dump it on craigslist when you are ready to move up.

Here’s my two cents:

You may just want to grab any 'ole clunker you can get your hands on to give it a try. As you start riding though it will be obviously where you will benefit from newer/lighter/stronger parts that a newer bike would provide. I wouldn’t suggest buying anything from a ‘big box’ store. At least go to a bike shop.

For MTB’s… grab a cheap aluminum frame and probably Deore level components to start. If you get serious, you can move up to XT or XTR, but that’s where the serious money comes into play.

Always remember, rotational weight is a bigger deal than static weight, so if you had a choice of lighter wheels or lighter frame/components… get the lighter wheels.

I rocked and old Trek 4900 for a couple years and loved it. Make sure you take them for a ride before you buy! Good luck!

It is very difficult to go wrong with either a Trek or Gary Fisher. They’re both excellent makers. Two of my first bikes were a Trek 6000 and Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo. One good point about Trek is that you usually get an unusually good frame for the price. That way, you can upgrade components if you ever decide to get more serious about biking.