bicycle ?

[possumman]

Do look at some bike shops- a hardtail mountain bike with slicks is a great choice for the casual rider that spends most time on the road, and dont get a too soft mushy saddle-uncomfortable in the long run, buy some padded shorts and use a real bicycle seat. Dont spend a ton of money on something you may ride 5 times and park in the garage - you can always upgrade later. Ten year old high end bicycles can be had for very reasonable $ but you need to know what you are getting or what you are looking for.

 

[brewergeek]

Second the idea of looking at hard tail mountain bikes. Best bet if you are unsure of where you want to ride it at first. Good for hard pack trails, paved trails and cross country. Plus you are more upright than on road bikes, although if you are daring you might want to look at a cyclocross bike: it's basically a road bike, but a bit more upright and can accept wider tires that can go on non-paved trails.

You can always change the saddle. There is just one (or two) hex bolts holding it on and there are a lot of choices for more comfy seats. Avoid "gel" type seats since they don't help if you ride longer than a few minutes as the gel stuff just settles down to the spots where you don't need the support.

If you live near Mt Airy you should check Mt. Airy Bicycles (http://www.bike123.com/). I'd avoid going to a major big box sporting good store for bikes if you can.

 

[dwb1987]

I have a specialized sirrus, love it. Only thing I changed was the seat. Great bike for the money IMO.

 

[RedBaron1]

Check Henrys bike shop in pike creek, de. Great bikes, service and prices.

 

[frdfandc]

Check Henrys bike shop in pike creek, de. Great bikes, service and prices.

Matt, the owner of Henry's, and a good friend of mine, is top notch. Or you can come visit me at Wooden Wheels right on Main St. Newark, DE.

 

[radial]

Another vote here for a cyclocross bike. I bought a Surley Cross-Check a few years back, and it's been great for riding in this area. It's configured like a road bike, but has all sorts of features that make it work great on irregular surfaces as well. If you buy a mountain bike, it will work well on trails, but you'll be hating life if you try to keep with road bikes on hard surface routes. If you buy a pure road bike, you won't be able to ride on trails or gravely routes like the C&O. A cyclocross bike performs pretty well across the whole spectrum.

Mine was kind of expensive, but that's because I opted for high end components and bought a whole second wheel set thinking it would be great to have the option to swap out the knobbies for skinny tires. The second wheel set turned out to be unnecessary. I just run the knobbies on both trails and roads. It works out fine unless you are riding with a bunch of speed demons.

Anyway, you could do a cyclocross bike for a lot cheaper if you went with lower end components and skipped the second wheel set. If you end up riding a lot, you'll really appreciate the good choice you made. And if you don't, you can always sell the bike. Surleys are well-regarded, so there would be no problem with recovering most of your costs. I see that REI is offering Surley bikes these days. Easy enough to chek them out.

 

[krucam]

Haven't seen the OP back since the 12th post. I've been riding since forever and finished my 8th bike ride across IA last summer (RAGBRAI). Am doing a metric century tomorrow in 95 degree heat in TX also: http://www.tourditalia.com/

Don't buy a Mountain Bike unless you know you'll only be doing offroad riding. Skip the suspension, front or rear, as well if you realistically feel you'll only be doing road and/or soft trail riding. Excess weight isn't your friend.

Most MTB rides are not used for their intended purpose IMHO.

Since you're asking for advise from a bunch of strangers, I would venture to guess you would probably benefit most from a hybrid right now, something in between a road bike and a mountain bike.

A hybrid will have lighter but capable 700x28 tires which are a good balance between the others. The price point will be around $600-900 regardless of brand.

Ride that hybrid till it becomes "insufficient", not sore or boring. You should always be trying to improve your times, distance, enjoyment, variety of ride.

A riding partner is a must after a while as well. Riding solo = boring. Seek out organized rides in your area. Nothing beats riding with hundreds of kindred spirits.

Must continue "carb-ing up" for tomorrow. A brewski awaits....

My road bike is shown below, something to strive for once you know you're in it for the long haul.

 

[justsand]

Thanks guys went with a gt 29er performance bikes had 1 2012 left msrp was 950 sold for 599 plus join there membership thing for 30 bucks and got 30% of purchase back as store credit so I've got 170 to buy accessories with will post pics after i pick her up

 

[rico903]

Please show a pic. I'm in the mkt for a bike and wonder about the geometry of these. You don't say how old you are. I bought my first newer bike when I was 42. Got talked into a hybrid as a happy medium. I soon got bored with riding on a trail so bought a used Trek MTB from a friend to ride the fire trails. Added a front suspension fork and was very happy. Rear suspension only comes in handy on serious down hills. Now 20 years and 3 back surgeries later, I'm ready for an old man bike just so I can ride. Need to be way more upright than either bike I own I'll also skip the suspension for weight reasons.. I guess I'll put them on Graigslist . They are quality bikes in excellent condition. Better than any cheap crap from a WM or pawn shop. The good thing about quality bikes is that anything can be fixed or replaced on them. I did find that getting a seat made for guys anatomy made for better long rides.
Good luck with your purchase. Sounds like you got a good deal and Performance is a good shop.

 

[justsand]

I am 32 and top the scales around 350 i am getting a bike for exercise

 

[Skins_Brew]

I dont wanna start a new thread, but since bicycle people are watching this thread, maybe they can provide some insight.

How much better will my cycling be with clipless pedals? I currently ride 5 miles a day, twice and am starting to get into longer weekend rides. My 5 mile commute is a slow five miles (curbs, traffic lights, etc.) but I feel like clipless pedals will really improve my ride. Thoughts? Am I going to look like goober riding an older 10 speed with clipless pedals?

 

[Mickey the Dragon]

I dont wanna start a new thread, but since bicycle people are watching this thread, maybe they can provide some insight.

How much better will my cycling be with clipless pedals? I currently ride 5 miles a day, twice and am starting to get into longer weekend rides. My 5 mile commute is a slow five miles (curbs, traffic lights, etc.) but I feel like clipless pedals will really improve my ride. Thoughts? Am I going to look like goober riding an older 10 speed with clipless pedals?

Well, you won't look like any less of a goober on an old 10 speed with platforms, if that makes you feel better!

I just started riding my bike "seriously" this year and I started out with platforms because I was scared of being bolted to the bike. My commute is 6.5 miles each way and I definitely noticed a difference when I finally made the switch a few months back. Clipless pedals allow you to use more of the muscles in your legs, so you won't get tired as easily, which means going faster and farther. Plus, if you're riding in the rain or snow, your feet are less likely to slip off the pedals because they're actually attached. Everyone I've talked to says that clipless pedals are the single biggest upgrade you can make to improve your riding.

And don't worry, once you figure out how to pop your foot off the pedal, it's not all that scary. You can also ease yourself into the whole process and get a set of campus pedals, which have a platform on one side and a spot to clip in on the other. That way you can clip in on your longer rides and wear normal shoes on your short rides.

 

[GoGoGadget]

I dont wanna start a new thread, but since bicycle people are watching this thread, maybe they can provide some insight.

How much better will my cycling be with clipless pedals? I currently ride 5 miles a day, twice and am starting to get into longer weekend rides. My 5 mile commute is a slow five miles (curbs, traffic lights, etc.) but I feel like clipless pedals will really improve my ride. Thoughts? Am I going to look like goober riding an older 10 speed with clipless pedals?

They make a world of difference. Clipless pedals enable you to make power by using circular pedaling. That is to say, you push on the down stroke and pull on the upstroke.

You will notice immediately that you can ride much faster. Just practice clipping in and out before hitting the road to avoid embarrassment.

 

[ofofhy]

Just practice clipping in and out before hitting the road to avoid embarrassment.

And injury! Nothing like the dreaded 0 mph crash. I know someone who recently broke their collarbone in one of those.

 

[Hit and Run]

I have a 23 yr old Treck, well maintained and still going strong....

 

[Skins_Brew]

Well, you won't look like any less of a goober on an old 10 speed with platforms, if that makes you feel better!

I just started riding my bike "seriously" this year and I started out with platforms because I was scared of being bolted to the bike. My commute is 6.5 miles each way and I definitely noticed a difference when I finally made the switch a few months back. Clipless pedals allow you to use more of the muscles in your legs, so you won't get tired as easily, which means going faster and farther. Plus, if you're riding in the rain or snow, your feet are less likely to slip off the pedals because they're actually attached. Everyone I've talked to says that clipless pedals are the single biggest upgrade you can make to improve your riding.

And don't worry, once you figure out how to pop your foot off the pedal, it's not all that scary. You can also ease yourself into the whole process and get a set of campus pedals, which have a platform on one side and a spot to clip in on the other. That way you can clip in on your longer rides and wear normal shoes on your short rides.

yea, I was looking at the dual use ones, as I take my kids for rides quite often in the trailer. I might order a set and go hit up REI to take a look at some shoes. I need the mtb kind though, as I do a fair bit of walking after my commute (Union Station => metro => work)

 

[GoGoGadget]

And injury! Nothing like the dreaded 0 mph crash. I know someone who recently broke their collarbone in one of those.

Very true. Happens to the best of 'em.

If you crash, it's much more manly to have an excuse like, "someone clipped my wheel", or " I lost control on some gravel"; than it is to say, "um, I came to a stop and just fell over.."

 

[brewergeek]

You might want to go to a bike store and ask about getting tandem wheels on the bike instead of normal wheels. They are a lot stronger and will last longer. A friend of mine got that for his father-in-law when he needed to loose weight to manage his diabetes. I'm (now) 250lb and pushing the limit on the high end road bike wheels which assume a tiny European is riding. Mountain bikes tend to have stronger wheels (assuming more bumps and all).

I haven't ridden in a while but trying to find time to get back. When I was really riding I went from 240lbs to 200lbs in less than a year.

 

[ofofhy]

I am 32 and top the scales around 350 i am getting a bike for exercise

FYI, there's a place called http://www.bikeforums.net that has a ton of information. Also they have a forum specifically for the larger rider (http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/248-Clydesdales-Athenas-(200-lb-91-kg)). There are some good threads on gear / upgrades for a sturdier ride. Good community over there as well.

As the previous poster mentioned, an upgrade to the wheelset might be necessary.

 

[smdub]

x10 on the clipless. If you do any walking, think about getting mountain bike shoes and pedals (they are different than road versions.) Shimano SPDs are far far the most common. There are tons of 'normal looking' mountain bike shoes that recess the cleat completely so you can walk around on them like normal. But I don't know if any of them work well w/ a pedal that has a platform. Road shoes are slick bottomed and the cleat protrudes so its like wearing a high heeled shoe backwards when trying to walk around. Plus it goes click, click, click