I just bought a bike and apparently something said on the show lodged in my brain because I ended up with a Trek 7.4.
I'm addressing this comment to the out of shape folks, the big folks or the folks who haven't biked in years and are hesitant. You should totally do it. Prior to picking up the bike a couple of weeks ago I hadn't cycled in maybe 15 years. I'm also not a small fella (215 lbs).
Even still I manage a good 10mph average speed on my commute to work and the view of the river from the bike path is a lot more pleasant than being sardined in a tube train with sweaty despondent commuters.
I feel great, I'm getting fitter and slimmer and I don't have to endure peoples' armpits in my face on the tube on the way home any more.
What's even better, for a guy with a bit of size and a lot of appetite, the pounds are falling away and I can justify eating good dinners a lot easier now.
People of NYC and other apartment dwellers, how do you store your bikes? Mine is shoved away in the storage closet on my balcony and it's so hard to get out I pretty much never use it. I need a better plan.
People often ask what bike to get, and they are usually expecting me to tell them a specific brand or model. I was never able to recommend a specific bike. I would just have to give them guidelines.
1) Something comfortable, that is the right size and shape for them. 2) Something they like, because if you don't like it, you won't ride it. 3) Something with at least a few gears. 4) Something with brakes
Well, somebody went ahead and made what's probably the perfect bike for the vast majority of people, and it only costs $400.
I would imagine a cruiser-ish frame like this gives you more leeway in terms of fit than a road frame would, since you don't really care about fine-grained performance or comfort for 100km+ rides. As long as the seatpost and headset are generously adjustable, it should be fine.
Two sizes? Skep. A bike that fits is the difference between riding and not riding.
Yeah, I guess it only works if one of the two sizes is your size. But feature wise it has all the things. I'm sure if it's successful it will be made in more sizes.
It's supposedly a really advanced and modern pedal brake. If you plan on going so fast that that brake can't stop you, this is not the correct bike choice.
I use to have crappy steel frame mountain bikes that were far to heavy and would fall apart. 'Upgraded' to a single speed alu frame bike a few years back.
I don't want a mountain bike. I want a nice light bike for commuting 8 miles on fairly flat paveway.
For most people, mountain bikes are more comfortable than performance hybrids or even plain hybrids.
For light commutes, a light hardtail with a tight front-fork suspension is super comfortable: way moreso than a cruiser or a more performance-oriented bike. A cheap hardtail with a big-ass comfortable seat is the best. Aluminum frame is fine.
If you pathologically fear the small performance loss of the front suspension (and don't care for the significant comfort benefits), but still don't want a high performing bike, get something like the Trek Verve. The lowest end one is under $500.
Yeah I would definitely consider a hybrid for just commuting. road bikes can fuck up real easy depending on the conditions so unless you plan on doing some longer distance riding or performance is really important to you its not really worth it.
I'd suggest an aluminum frame hybrid with non-nubbly tires and a nice seat for commuting. MTB tires and suspension sap more energy than they are worth IMO. Should have more than single speed, in general, and a decent range of gearing if there are any climbs (even modest ones). I'd avoid pedal brake.
I would imagine a cruiser-ish frame like this gives you more leeway in terms of fit than a road frame would, since you don't really care about fine-grained performance or comfort for 100km+ rides. As long as the seatpost and headset are generously adjustable, it should be fine.
It looks like they have a step thru line for smaller models. Just wasn't listed on the main area.
I'm going to upgrade to road bike this year. The top contender so far is the Cannondale Synapse. Going to try to find a place that has them and test ride this weekend.
Oh boy, you are going to have fun. Are you looking at the sweet one with integrated fenders and hydro discs, or one of the also sweet carbon models?
I am not sure. I'm definitely not getting fenders. I'm leaning towards discs, hydro or not. Exactly how much carbon depends on how much difference I can feel when riding and whether I feel that is worth the moneys. If anyone wants to give me a few extra thousand dollars I would get the one with the Di2 electronic shifters. I mean, who am I? Technology, yes please.
Next year is going to be an exciting one for bike tech: SRAM and FSA are both going to be introducing new electronic groupsets, so we will have 4 different options for electronic shifting. Kind of crazy to think now that with hydro discs + electronic shifting, you can have a bike with no pull-cables anywhere.
Next year is going to be an exciting one for bike tech: SRAM and FSA are both going to be introducing new electronic groupsets, so we will have 4 different options for electronic shifting. Kind of crazy to think now that with hydro discs + electronic shifting, you can have a bike with no pull-cables anywhere.
Yes! I hate cables. They stretch out and need to be recalibrated. The thing I worry about though, is that even though cables suck, I can fix them myself. If hydro discs have a problem, what the fuck do I do?
My brother's a big MTB guy, so he's been using hydro discs for years, and he bleeds them himself when he needs to. It's a different and slightly more involved process than changing cables, but it's doable for a home mechanic. GCN has a good tutorial:
Oh. That is pretty simple. Just make sure the hose is filled with fluid and not air.
Still, it will be annoying to have to buy a kit and replacement fluid. I can just fix mechanical brakes with an allen key and a screwdriver. I'll see if I notice a difference in how they actually affect the feel and power of the brakes, and also check the price difference..
The thing to keep in mind too is that hydro brakes require significantly less maintenance than mechanicals. So when you amortize out the time/expense, it probably isn't very different.
Comments
I'm addressing this comment to the out of shape folks, the big folks or the folks who haven't biked in years and are hesitant. You should totally do it. Prior to picking up the bike a couple of weeks ago I hadn't cycled in maybe 15 years. I'm also not a small fella (215 lbs).
Even still I manage a good 10mph average speed on my commute to work and the view of the river from the bike path is a lot more pleasant than being sardined in a tube train with sweaty despondent commuters.
I feel great, I'm getting fitter and slimmer and I don't have to endure peoples' armpits in my face on the tube on the way home any more.
What's even better, for a guy with a bit of size and a lot of appetite, the pounds are falling away and I can justify eating good dinners a lot easier now.
1) Something comfortable, that is the right size and shape for them.
2) Something they like, because if you don't like it, you won't ride it.
3) Something with at least a few gears.
4) Something with brakes
Well, somebody went ahead and made what's probably the perfect bike for the vast majority of people, and it only costs $400.
http://www.prioritybicycles.com/
For less than $400, you can just get a properly fitted cheap mountain bike.
http://road.cc/content/review/133194-nolobi-singlespeed
£200 when I bought mine, the single speed kills me going anywhere more than 30 minutes away, but it's been very reliable and easy + cheap to maintain.
For light commutes, a light hardtail with a tight front-fork suspension is super comfortable: way moreso than a cruiser or a more performance-oriented bike. A cheap hardtail with a big-ass comfortable seat is the best. Aluminum frame is fine.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/city/recreation/verve/verve_1/
Seriously, low-end light mountain bikes with front suspensions are a great compromise on speed vs comfort.
GCN has a good tutorial:
Still, it will be annoying to have to buy a kit and replacement fluid. I can just fix mechanical brakes with an allen key and a screwdriver. I'll see if I notice a difference in how they actually affect the feel and power of the brakes, and also check the price difference..