Purchasing a Standard/Outside Bike

C

clothesminded

Cathlete
I've been looking into getting a bike (a standard one, not a stationary, fitness equipment one). Since I haven'tbeen on this type of bike, since oh, prob. 3rd grade, I have no idea what to look for or if biking would aggravate my knee. I can't walk much (for exercise purposes) bec. my knee seems to hate the pounding on the pavement. Step workouts aren't my friend either, although I can do one of those every two weeks, but never an Imax. Kickboxing never seems to hurt my knees, but I do modify if there are jump kicks.

Any thoughts on purchasing a bike? Does it give you a decent cardio workout? I'm looking for lower body emphasis mainly, not too concerned with upper for cardio.

Thanks. Happy Monday.
 
Our family loves to go on bike rides together. In fact we just did a brutal but fun one yesterday.

The only advice I can give you is DO NOT go Cheap!! We have learned from experience. You get what you pay for. We needed another bike so I just picked up a cheapy. What a piece of crap. The whole ride my ds was having to whack the pedal back in place. Spend the money & get a good one. Probably would be a good idea to go directly to a bike shop & be sized for one. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice, Tami. Any suggestions on what brand to buy? The last bike I had was a mountain bike in college- teh 90's. It was kinda expensive back then- $350 or so.
 
Are you looking for a mountain bike, or a comfort bike? On what surface will you ride? You might want to do a google search of bike reviews, or look things up on amazon or some bike enthusiast sites.

I think that unless you are doing lots of trail riding, you don't want a mountain bike. Have you ridden a stationary bike with the resistance cranked up to see how your knee handles it?
 
We bought Gary Fisher bikes - hybrids, since we didn't know if we would be "off-roading" much or not. You can ride them anywhere! They are great! We've never had any problems with them at all. They're a little heavier, but, other than being out shape initially, they do well on nice hills and in the dirt, etc.! We've had these since 2004 and they are still like brand new!

It is true that fitting the bike to you is important! Cycling is non-weight bearing (except on those big hilss where I have to stand up and pedal) for the most part, so it should be fine for your knees. Again, making sure you've been "fitted" properly!

Tricia

Happy Biking!
 
Does anyone have a Townie bike? It's supposed to have the pedals forward so you can flat foot the bike. Was wondering if it's a good ride or would it hurt your knees.
 
First thing, as others have suggested, is to determine what you want to use it for. Are you planning to ride the local bike trails? Do you want to train for a long ride (perhaps Team in Training and a 100 mile ride)? Would you like to get out there and do the dirt? Once you figure out the main focus of where you want to ride, find 2 or 3 Local Bike Shops (LBS) and just ask them questions about what they think would be a good bike for you (avoid the bike chains - they won't help you like an LBS will).

Ride as many as you can. You'll want something that fits you well. Many of the top brands now have Women Specific Designs (WSD) that have a shorter top tube to account for the fact that we tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos than men. Try some of these and some of the standard bikes. I find I do best with a slightly smaller men's frame with the seat elevated and the handle bars raised slightly. The WSD frames don't fit me very well. Everyone is different. If the bike does not feel good under you, it's not the bike for you, no matter how pretty. :D

I also agree that a saddle is not somewhere you want to go cheap. Bigger and puffier is not necessarily better. I ride with a Brooks saddle which is leather with no padding - and I can ride 100 miles on it without soreness. I LOVE my Brooks saddle. Best $125 I've ever spent. Others swear by Terry. There are many great brands out there - the only way to know is to try them. There's where the bigger stores can help. REI will take any saddle back after you've ridden on it.

Depending on the bike, be prepared to spend a good amount of money. For a hybrid (riding the local trails, riding to the grocery store, etc) you'll spend $400-$800. For a decent road or mountain bike - $1000+ My Cannondale Road was $1400 and it's an aluminum frame. Spend as much money as you can afford so you don't out grow the bike as you ride more (believe me, I've learned this from experience - I currently have 5 bikes in my stable).

As for your knees - a good LBS will put the bike on a trainer, have you hop on and fit the bike to you. If the bike is fit correctly, you should have no knee pain. If you experience it, adjust the seat up or down by just a little. The slightest adjustment can make the biggest difference.
 
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I've gotten back into biking after not riding for quite a few years. we went to a LBS and found two Trek street bikes for around $600 each. We got a better deal since we bought two, although they're not identical. I was amazed at how much nicer they were than a bike I bought for a similar amount of money years ago. the brakes, shifting, seats etc are vastly improved and as bikes go, these were relatively basic and inexpensive. We didn't know how much we'd be riding and these have filled the bill nicely. Most of our rides are 30-40 miles mostly in spring and summer, so we're not real hard core riders, but wanted functional and not breaking down constantly. We also bought a pair of not-terribly-expensive mt bikes, same price range, and have gotten very good performance. Again, we're not hard core riders but don't want something breaking down when we're 10 miles back on some obscure trail. Be honest with yourself about the kind of riding and frequency you expect. it's as easy to over spend as it is to underspend. but a $100 bike? No.
The bike shop we bought from takes trade-ins at a fair price if we want to upgrade, that's something to ask about.

We rode quite a few bikes around outside in their lot before deciding. not everyone is proportioned the same so sometimes the size formulas don't work but riding the bike will tell you quickly.

Save a few $$ to buy some decent padded shorts and gloves and of course a helmet.
 
Wow! You guys are so knowledge and helpful. It sounds like I need to do a lot more research and figure out what bike's best for me.

Thanks again for your advice.
 
I would really recommend just going to your LBS and start asking questions. They know more about bikes that anyone and can help point you in the right direction. Talk to several stores, too. Oh and have fun! I love getting out on my bike.
 
I have a Trek comfort bike and haven't had any problems with it. I primarily ride on bike trails or along the road. I do wish the handle bars adjusted to allow me to sit more upright.

A friend traded in her Trek last year for a Specialized comfort bike. If I were in the market to buy, I would look into Specialized. I like the way the handle bars on her bike enable to sit up more, not as much pressure it put on your wrists.
 
I was in the same position as you a few months ago. Hadn't ridden a bike since I was a kid! But in Sept, I broke my toe, and picked up my DH's bike for cardio to ride (which KILLED my crotch, it was WAY too big). But I learned I could still ride a bike and loved it!

DH bought a bike for me for my bday this year. As the others said, we went to 2 different bike shops, and asked questions, to find out a good one for me. Tried some on for size too. I ended up with a Specialized. I would mostly be riding on the road, some light dirt trails (not dirt biking, but trails). So they pointed me towards a road/off road bike. It's tires are built so it can do both pretty comfortably.

The bike shop guy also explained to me that the seat is made esp. for women, in the way it's shaped. He actually told me that it's better to buy biking shorts (padded) instead of spending a bunch on a padded seat.

For now, I've done about 1 hour bike rides and haven't had ANY discomfort from the seat (without the shorts).
 
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