[Paulo1]

Bike question for those who know!!

I would like to buy a new bicycle. Here is my dilemma. My first bike that I bought new was a Peaugot 10 speed and I rode it everywhere until I got my drivers license and moved on to a motorcycle. I then commuted for years on a 'going out of business sale' Nishiki mtn bike. Frame too small, but I commuted approx. 15 miles/day for 4 years on it. The problem I had is that one day I was tuning it up in our work hangar and a mechanic came up to me and remarked I spent more time fiddling and adjusting the bike in one month than he spent all year on both his wife's car and his truck. He was right. I now run an old mtn bike I paid $100 for, and it is pretty much what it sounds like. The problem I have with replacing it is that I don't want a bike that costs more than a second hand car! I am 58 and am looking for a solid bike that isn't a tech marvel designed to impress. I don't wear the bike farb and have no plans for clip in shoes. Retired and don't commute. All I want is a solid bike that is comfortable, can run okay on rough pavement and the occasional logging road, (I simply stand up when the going gets rough so I don't need shocks), but....I am looking for a few speeds and a machine that will last and be as good as my first bike was. I usually just bomb around our immediate neighbourhood and may do the odd 20 km visit trip.

I would need a few gears, but 21? not likely. Any suggestions on something well made, preferably made in US or Canada by someone paid decently, and that will last like products of old? Quality and lasting is key. Not looking for trends or finicky maintenance.

I thought this question (and resulting replies) might be useful for others to utilize as we enter our 'energy independence' and can no longer afford fuel for our cars and trucks for everyday use.

Thanks in advance. Paulo

[Timo]

Paulo, it sounds like you've got your priorities nailed down pretty well. Being a road biker, myself, i think i might be able to shed some light on your situation that will hopefully get you a good, strong, reliable machine that will not break the bank in getting it. First of all, DO NOT be afraid of buying something used. There are a lot of hard core bikers who upgrade their equipment and bikes on a regular basis, and they get rid of their one or two year old stuff on places like ebay, or even at their local bike shop as trade-ins for new equipment. In most cases, these riders are trying to gain the advantages of the newest and latest technologies and weight savings by constantly upgrading. There's rarely anything fundamentally wrong with their old equipment. It sounds to me like you'd be happier with a cyclocross bike, one that does handle well on gravel roads, and also does well on pavement. Depending on where you are, any good bike shop in a metro area should be able to hook you up with a good, used cross bike for only a few hundred, and that cross bike will last you for several years with minimal maintenance, like oiling the chain and keeping the break cables calibrated properly. The cables stretch. Ditto for the derailleurs. Wheel tech has progressed tremendously the last few years, and the need to keep them trued up is almost a thing of the past. Machine-made wheels are very strong, and will stay straight for a long, long time. Mountain bikes are also very confortable and will serve you well, but they're almost always heavier than a cross bike, and thus are slower and require more energy. I'd stay away from the classic road bike. They don't handle well on dirt roads. They're stiff and can be uncomfortable, and they're more expensive. All that said, there are also a number of commuter-specific bikes on the market that are lighter and faster than your old cruiser for riding down the beach. A few hundred should get you one of those brand new. Good luck, and keep a close eye on the specific bike stores that are on ebay. You can find some very good, very affordable gear on those places.

[Plantagenet]

I suggest you go to a bike shop and talk to the people there and actually try out some bikes. Find the bike that feels the best to you.

Any good bike shop will let you ride the bikes you are interested in. If you are on a budget, some big bikes shops have a "used bike" section.

Other places to pick up cheap good bikes are police auctions and charity auctions.

I recommend spending as much as you can afford to buy a good quality bike that you like. A good bike will last 20 years or more---its basically a friend for life.

[vision-master]

Paulo1, if your looking for XL frame (21") size I can help.

[AgentR11]

can run okay on rough pavement and the occasional logging road,

You'll need the fat(ter) tires of a MTB. Suspension and stuff is personal preference, I don't much like, but others do. If you intend to get actual utility out of the thing, you'll want to look at racks and paniers. I bike for most of my grocery and routine shopping needs, can carry about 50 lbs of stuff easily enough.

On gears, its not that everyone uses all 21 gears; its that its much harder to make a small number of custom ratios, than it is to just make a quality 7-10 ring cassette (back) and 3 rings in front. I regularly use 2 in front and the full range in back.

Pedals... well, I knocked clipless for a long time, then finally tried them out... a definite improvement in every way. The shoes "click" when I walk in the store though...

If you want to ride at night, do *not* skimp on lights, most importantly, the rear lights.


Mine... has taken several thousand miles of road riding... I have broken two rear wheels, so am riding on a much stronger one now, but otherwise, its performed quite well. I've added more light, clipless pedls, and changed smartphones so it now has a different cradle.

[Timo]

Pedals... well, I knocked clipless for a long time, then finally tried them out... a definite improvement in every way. The shoes "click" when I walk in the store though...

Crank Brothers cleats don't click. My commuter/converted MTB uses the Candy pedals, and the cleat is actually recessed into the soul of the shoe. No clicking. SPD or other standard road or MTB cleats, though, yeah, you're right. High heels under the balls of your feet. Not fun. Especially on slick tile floors. They take all the fun out of ballroom dancing.

[Keith_McClary]

I am 58 ... All I want is a solid bike that is comfortable, can run okay on rough pavement and the occasional logging road, (I simply stand up when the going gets rough so I don't need shocks),

Front suspension is a lot easier on my even older hands, wrists and shoulders. Gel padded gloves help.

My mountain bike came with hydraulic disc brakes. These are better in wet and give better control. Haven't learned to service them, I take it into the shop every couple of years.

[Beery1]

I've been cycling as my sole mode of transportation for 40 years. I've done two bike tours of Western Europe and I've been commuting to and from work since 1980. I recommend a touring bike: the strongest, most solid, stable, reliable and easy-to-maintain bicycle type.

Here's the one I own: the Surly Long Haul Trucker:



It's a great all-round bike, should last decades, great quality, assembled in Minnesota (frames are made in Taiwan - but if you want an American made frame, you'll be talking at least twice the price and I'm not sure the quality or the treatment of the workers is any better). Good touring bikes are made so that maintenance is as easy as possible, because on a world tour, you don't want to have parts mailed from the US or Europe - you want to be able to use local sources and to be able to use components that are simple and available everywhere.

Touring bikes are also more comfortable than other bicycle types, as they're built for daily excursions of a hundred miles or more. Also, a touring bike is built to carry lots of weight: equip one with panniers and you can easily haul an extra 100lbs of groceries or whatever you want, uphill or against a stiff wind. It does have more gears than you'd like (I'm not a fan of gears either), but 27 gears are as easy to maintain as 10, and if you're hauling a big load, you may need those granny gears.

And strong doesn't mean heavy. The LHT weighs about 25 lbs, so it's as light as an old school road bike, and lighter than most comfort, hybrid or mountain bikes you're likely to find.

[KaiserJeep]

I have a Trek Shift 1. It is a 7-speed (rear derailleur only) with a simple twist shifter. It has an aluminum frame, an upright stance with a riser handlebar, comfortable seat, flat platform pedals, and soft-riding 26x2" balloon tires. It is a so-called "comfort bike". The MSRP is $440.



Truthfully, that is more money than I had previously spent on all the other bikes I ever owned, I am not a bike person. But I got mine free as an employee gift on the 35th anniversary of my employment, and it is a comfortable, sturdy bike that I enjoy. I am 62 years old.

There are four frame sizes. Just your inseam measurement is needed to choose one. Let the dealer set it up and adjust it for you. Trek bikes are made in Waterloo, Wisconsin, USA.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwoZNzILVnA

[Timo]

I have a Trek Shift 1. It is a 7-speed (rear derailleur only) with a simple twist shifter. It has an aluminum frame, an upright stance with a riser handlebar, comfortable seat, flat platform pedals, and soft-riding 26x2" balloon tires. It is a so-called "comfort bike". The MSRP is $440.



Truthfully, that is more money than I had previously spent on all the other bikes I ever owned, I am not a bike person. But I got mine free as an employee gift on the 35th anniversary of my employment, and it is a comfortable, sturdy bike that I enjoy. I am 62 years old.

There are four frame sizes. Just your inseam measurement is needed to choose one. Let the dealer set it up and adjust it for you. Trek bikes are made in Waterloo, Wisconsin, USA.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwoZNzILVnA

Funny. I pictured you with a Willy's with four wheel drive. I hear those can make happy any man alive.
Sorry. I spent several years being a Dead Head.

[KaiserJeep]

My Kaiser Jeep is a 1967 Jeepster Commando half cab pickup. The wife drives a 2001 Grand Cherokee WJ. My daily driver is a modified 2003 Wrangler Rubicon TJ. They are respectively the 5th, 8th, and 9th Jeeps I have owned. I learned to drive off-road in 1972 in a 1952 Dodge M-37 owned by the Federal government, in a place in Alaska without roads. When I married the wife, she had a 1952 Willys CJ-2A on Nantucket Island.

One of the things I do with the bicycle is carry it in a hitch-receiver bike carrier, and use it to get around the campgrounds.

[Timo]

I drive a retrofitted electric Hummer. It's amazing how many kwh can fit into one of those suckers, and it has the physical strength to carry a full 4000 lbs of lead acid batteries. I get a full 15 miles per charge, and that figure is actually higher than the mpg of an ICE Hummer! They don't call me Green for nothing.