How do I pick out an outdoor bicycle?

[andtckrtoo]

If you notice, a lot of people are mentioning Treks. We have 5 (3 mountain bikes, one road, and one inbetween for the kids) Treks in our family. My road bike triple chain was having issues with gear changes and my local bike shop thought I was nuts and basically kept adding grease to the gear changer (I still get a black mark on my leg when I ride that bike - they used THAT much grease). I called Trek directly, and they sent me to the best specialist in the area who diagnosed the problem, fixed it, then took a long ride with me just to make sure it was resolved. Whenever I've had a problem with one of their bikes, they are right there for me. There are other good bikes out there, don't get me wrong, but Trek stands behind their product. I would never buy another brand of bike.

 

[desertbriez]

oh goody... another soon to be cyclist convert! YAY!

ok.... again... GO TO AN LBS! and make sure it's a good one! one you can trust and that you feel comfortable with!

from what you've said... i would say don't get a mountain bike... too heavy... MAYBE get a comfort/hybrid... but if you think you are gonna like cycling at all... get a road bike!

when i got my first "real" bike... i wanted a mountain bike or hybrid... hubby basically said "no... you want a road bike"... uh... ok... whatever... we got me a road bike... i took to it like a fish takes to water.... last year was my first full year of riding... i rode over 8000 miles! (can't remember, off hand, how many miles i rode that first "year" that was actually only 6 months! but it was a lot!) i love to get out on the bike and just ride! up hills... on flats.... ride ride ride!

test riding isn't all that important if you've not ridden before... especially if you get a road bike and aren't familiar with how it should feel anyways... i didn't test ride my first bike and like i said.... rode over 8000 miles on it.... just make sure you get a good fit!

you can spend as little as 500 or 600 on a road bike... the more you spend... basically the better components you get.... make sure you leave enough in your budge for a helmet.. and a computer(doesn't have to be an expensive one.. but it's really nice to see how far you've ridden!) if you get into cycling.. you might want pedals and shoes.. and even some padded cycling shorts!

OH... and if you get the computer... sign up at bikejournal.com and you can keep track of your rides (it's free or you can pay... no need to pay if you are just logging rides!)

teamestrogen.com has a GREAT ladies only cycling forum! lots of friendly, helpful, knowledgable ladies (no matter which kind of bike you choose! you can still use both of these sites!)

p.s. all three of my bikes are specialized... specialized makes GREAT women's bikes (WSD).... my first was their dolce.... my mountain bike is even a WDS hard rock... and my current bike is an all carbon fiber ruby pro! check out the dolce's! nice bikes!!!!!!

-------------
cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!