I am about 6'0, and weigh about 240 pounds, could you please recommend a good starters bike for me w/no exper.

Question

I have decided that I want to get a buy to ride, however I do not know much about them. Any help to what bike would be a good fit for myself being 6'0 tall and 240 pounds. I will just be riding this bike to work and back. It will just be in town, with the speed limit being 35-55mph about a five mile ride. Thanks in advance for anyone with any suggestions.

Answer 1

I agree that a hybrid should be your first choice. The second choice should be a hard tail mountain bike. If you can find one, get it without a front suspension. When it is time to replace the tires, you can put on 26x1.5 slicks with a max pressure of 80 psi. That will give you a better ride on the road. I don't think you should invest in a touring bike or a flat-out road bike until you are sure you are going to stick with cycling and get more serious about it.

Your weight is not a problem. I started cycling when I weighed about as much as you. I never had a problem with wheels, tires, or tubes because of weight until I got into flat-out road bikes with skinny tires. Then I would get pinch flats more often than my riding partners. Buying the right tires and eventually losing weight solved that.

HTH

Answer 2

i commute on an old touring bike.  basicly it is my retired racer that i have put wider tires on to resist flats and soften the ride a bit.  i like using it because a roadbike has less rolling resistance than other types.  if you get hardcore you can even add fenders and racks.  we have lockers and showers at work, so typically i dont have to carry anything.  i basicly use the same set up i train with, a tube, patch kit, some levers and a pump with a multi tool and i go for it.  my rout is mainly streets, so take that in consideration, but to me use the right bike for the right job.  if you ride the roads, use a road bike.  if your going to be off pavement, use a mountain type bike or hydrid.

Answer 3

First off, congratulations on your decision to get a bike. If you are just looking for a bike to cruise a couple miles back and forth to work every day, with maybe the occasional 10-20 mile leisure ride I would recommend going to your local bike shop and getting fitted for a hybrid bike. A hybrid is similar to a mountian bike frame, but will have "road" tires to smooth out the ride, this will give a fairly upright seating position and should be very comfortable.

If you're afraid you're going to get hooked on biking and take it up as a form of excercise in addition to your daily commute, I would recommend going to your bike shop and getting a feel for what size bike you need (At 6'0" I'm guessing a 58) and then find a used road bike to ride for a year or so. At that time, if you are riding your bike alot go back to your local shop and get yourself a nice new road bike. You should be able to find a very respectable new road bike in the $700-$900 range and you'll have a bike that youy know you'll use and will last for years .

Answer 4

For commuting I would recommend a hybrid. It is basically a road bike with some extra comfort.

As for selecting a bike I would start cheap....unless you want to drop 1k$ I would start at a sporting good store and find a bike between $150-$400 to get started. Ride that for a year and if your still riding go treat yourself to a nice $1k+ bike.

remember to get a headlight and taillight. You will need these to commute safely and they are cheap.

The sized of the bike is based on a few things but not getting too technical just get your inseam. Your jeans length will do.

throw your leg over a bar and you should be approx two inches from the bar.

The biggest newbie mistake is having the seat too low.

When you get your bike pedal it around and see how straight your leg gets at the bottom of the stroke.

Your leg should have a very slight bend (not locked out). Setting the seat right makes it so you can get the power to the wheels.