I am in need of recommendations for buying a bike

[+CacheFreakTim]

So I am 28 and have not biked since I got my driving license at 16. I have recently hurt my knee and my doctor recommended biking as an alternative to running so I can keep active. I am looking for one under $400 that is good for off road riding. It will be used for Geocaching as well as just riding on paved and off road terrain. Since I have not biked in over 10 years I have no experience with bikes and what features to look for. Any thoughts to get me started?

[+mpilchfamily]

Find a local bike shop and talk to them. They can point you to a good bike that fits you and your needs.

 

I got my bike back in 04 or 05. Trek makes great bikes but are a little on the expensive side when i last saw them. The guys at the bike shop pointed me in the direction of a 24" Sedona Giant. I spent about $350 on on it at the time. In has front end suspension and an air shock on the seat. Gel seat and twist grip shifters. If it had rear suspension it would be a pretty good mountain bike. But its a great combo for on and off road riding.

Edited June 7, 2011 by mpilchfamily

[+GeoReapers]

You probably want a hybrid. Go to the shop, find out the size you need and fits that feel good, then hop on craigslist. Trek makes a fine bike for a fair price.

[+Chokecherry]

I'm going with a cheap bike for my first return to biking. Problem with the bike shop suggestion for me is that I literally have to drive 100+ miles one way to get to a bike shop. If/when this cute little stock bike works out for me then I'll look into making a trip specifically to get a better bike.

 

I don't want to pour a lot of money into something that might not keep my interest but I'm willing to look into more if it does keep my interest. So that's how I handled the bike situation.

[+BuckeyeClan]

If you can, borrow or rent a few different styles of bike to see what you like. A 5-minute spin around the parking lot isn't enough to really get a feel for how you'll like a bike for a longer ride.

[+sword fern]

Since your a PM, you should go to the off topic forum and look at the Bike thread.

[+BaylorGrad]

Plenty of good bikes in the $200-$400 range. That's the nice part about bikes--moderately priced ones can last you FOREVER. No need to go above $500 unless you're an avid biker who needs a very specific style of bike / equipment, etc.

 

My one bit of advice is that a bike with shocks is a much, much nicer ride than one without shocks. You might not have cared when you were 16, but it might matter now.

[mtbikernate]

It depends how off road you want to go and how much pavement you plan to ride. Any mountain bike can ride on the pavement. It won't be super fast, but the right tire choice can make a big difference here. But if you get something like a hybrid, you'll be limited to how far off-road you can go. You'll be limited to smooth dirt, smooth fire/dirt roads, etc. Rough trails with rocks and roots will be pretty much out of the question because the bike will be built too much for road riding.

 

There are two off-road trails near me. One of them is pretty smooth. Some small roots, but nothing too bad. A hybrid could be ridden there without any trouble. The other trail, much closer to me, is pretty technical for the area. There are jumps, drops, deep loose sand, and rocks we specifically placed to make rock gardens. That trail would eat a hybrid and crap it out like bad chinese food.

 

I commute on my ~11yr old mountain bike. I just make sure the tires on it suit how I plan to use it. I use tires with tiny little knobs because I do take it on some dirt trails on my regular commute, but they're not the meaty knobbies on my "play" bike. I still break 30mph on some sections of road, but I tend to average less than half of that.

 

Speaking to your budget, most bikes at that price point are going to be similarly equipped. There will be some differences, but those differences will be pretty subtle. Your primary selection process should involve fit/comfort of the bike. Every manufacturer's bikes will have slightly different sizing and frame geometry. Some might feel terrible, others okay, and some great. You will want to test ride several bikes to find out what is comfortable to you. A good bike shop will help you out with the aspects of fit that are vitally important (like reach to the handlebar and leg extension) that shouldn't be ignored and that will enable you to narrow them down based on individual comfort and preference issues (like standover clearance).

[sick4x4]

I have a trek 69'er and i swear by it for casual off road and pavement but diamond-back has some good bikes in your price range.....

[AZcachemeister]

Too many options, dude!

I would recommend a full-suspension model, so you can go almost anywhere in relative comfort.

[+briansnat]

I agree with GeoReapers that a hybrid might be your best bet if you're talking about light off road biking like gravel and dirt paths. If you want to over more rugged terrain then a mountain bike is your choice, but they are real dogs on pavement.

 

Your best bet is to go to a bike shop and talk to the experts. They can set you up with the right bike at the right price.

[+G & C]

If you have a REI anywhere in your area, try finding out when their next used gear sale is. If someone bought a bike and just didn't like it after a few rides, they'll sell it for a pretty substantial discount. That's how a couple of my buddies wound up with nicer bikes than me for less money.

[hoops_and_yoyo]

Too many options, dude!

I would recommend a full-suspension model, so you can go almost anywhere in relative comfort.

As an avid mountain biker, I have very soft rear suspension and knoby wheels its a PAIN to ride up hills, just a down side to full suspension.

[mtbikernate]

Too many options, dude!

I would recommend a full-suspension model, so you can go almost anywhere in relative comfort.

 

At a $400 pricepoint, a full suspension bike is going to be a pile of $#!+. The fewer bells & whistles the bike has at that price, the better overall bike it will be. It used to be that you had to spend about $1,000 to get a decent full suspension bike. Nowadays, that number is a bit higher with inflation. If it was me with that budget, I'd probably opt for a rigid singlespeed. You'll wind up with a higher quality frame and higher quality wheels than you'd get on a comparably priced geared bike with suspension. It'll be likely to last longer (if taken care of), too. A pretty decent one can be built from closeout parts for cheap. I built one several years ago from a bunch of parts I collected from ebay, friends, and my spare parts box. I only had to buy a couple of things new (like a headset and bottom bracket) and I think I spent about $250 altogether, including shop labor to install the parts I lacked tools to install myself. But, I knew exactly what I was after and was able to hunt down the stuff I needed.

 

As an avid mountain biker, I have very soft rear suspension and knoby wheels its a PAIN to ride up hills, just a down side to full suspension.

I'm not sure what being an "avid" mountain biker has to do with having a very soft rear suspension. Either the bike you have has a poor suspension design or you don't have it set up very well. Except for downhill bikes, most full suspension bikes nowadays are designed with pedaling uphill in mind and set up properly for the rider's weight (with any gear on person or bike) perform just fine going uphill. And on technical climbs, they're actually better than bikes without rear suspension because they maintain traction better. I've been riding one for 8yrs now (the same bike, in fact) and I will keep riding it until it falls apart on me.

 

Your best bet is to go to a bike shop and talk to the experts. They can set you up with the right bike at the right price.

This is worth repeating. Don't go to used gear sales or buy from craigslist unless you know exactly what you're after already. If you buy the wrong size, you're going to hate riding it. If you buy something with hidden damage or is in disrepair, you're screwed.

[+Manville Possum]

I have a old American made Murry 6 speed with fat tires. Also a cruiser and a hybird from Wal-Mart. I like the fat tire bikes best. The ride is better than the comfort hybird 21 speed. We really like the rails to trails, and I have some geocaches placed along some of them in our area.

[+GeoGeeBee]

I'm going with a cheap bike for my first return to biking. Problem with the bike shop suggestion for me is that I literally have to drive 100+ miles one way to get to a bike shop. If/when this cute little stock bike works out for me then I'll look into making a trip specifically to get a better bike.

 

 

The problem with this approach is that you lack a standard of comparison. If the "cute little stock bike" from the department store doesn't work out for you, you are likely to decide that you don't like cycling. Whereas if you had a lightweight, properly fitted, bike from a good bike shop, you might have loved it.

 

Yes, it really does make that much difference.

[knowschad]

Too many options, dude!

I would recommend a full-suspension model, so you can go almost anywhere in relative comfort.

As an avid mountain biker, I have very soft rear suspension and knoby wheels its a PAIN to ride up hills, just a down side to full suspension.

 

Why is that? Does some of the peddling energy go into pumping the shocks when you are peddling hard to climb a hill?

[+kwcahart]

Okay, my 2cents worth. I bought my Wife a cheapie "toys-r-us" piece of $%^& because she didn't want to spend a lot of money on a bike. We took it back in two days because it wouldn't shift half the time, then went to the bike shop and got her a really good Schwinn. That was 12 years ago, she still rides it, and I've only had to adjust the shifters once.

[+bflentje]

I have a pair of Schwinn hybrid type bikes and a Gary Fisher mountain bike. None have let me down. The kids have off the shelf bikes from Target and they're always in need or repairs and adjustments.

[+Panther&Pine]

Right now I've got a bike from a local non-profit that works for what I need it to, which is just getting around town. For 65$ I can get around town, town isn't very large or have large amounts of terrain change. Of course once you leave town proper we've got some killer terrain and activities.

At some point I want to get a nice 8 speed cruiser but that is a while from now.

 

Go to a bike store, they should ask you about what you want in a bike and help match that to your budget. Around here a great many people own three or more bikes so we have a lot of selection.

[Clan Riffster]

At a $400 pricepoint, a full suspension bike is going to be a pile of $#!+.

True. With bikes, as with anything else, you get what you pay for. As an old fat crippled guy, I can't claim any particular expertise on bicycles, but injured knees is a topic I can touch on. You might not want to go the mountain bike route at this time, because of all the added strain such peddling is going to add to your knee. Your health care provider could possibly add to, or debunk that theory. The best advice I can offer, regardless of what type of bicycle you end up buying is to avoid places like Wally World. There are no quality bikes to be found there. As many have mentioned, a bike shop can go a long way toward pointing you in the right direction. My first non-Wally World bike was a Raleigh, which was stolen off my front porch. I replaced it with a Cannondale Comfort, as I wanted double walled rims and that's the only model my bike dude offered at the time with those. Neither would be appropriate for serious off road peddling, but they are both great intermediary bikes.

[+dcrep]

I've been extremely happy with my Specialized Hardrock Sport, which I paid exactly $400 (before tax) for brand-new a few years ago. It's the lowest-end model of Specialized, a well-respected brand.