I am going to the bicycle store tomorrow to buy a new bike. I have no idea what to ask for when i go however?

Question

I know that i want a road bike. No mountain bikes whatsoever.

I want the bike to be capable to transport me from my house to across the town to work and school. I do not want an extreme road bike that is only built for racing and such. Is there such thing is an urban bike maybe? Or one that can be used for semi-long bike rides as well as transportation?

I would want to not only use the bike for transportation, but for excercise as well. Twenty miles or so rides would be nice every now and again, so what type of bike should i ask for?

Answer 1

Its generally not a good idea to go shopping for anything if you dont know what to look for or what you want exactly.   A slick salesman could sell you a lemon.    You dont even give us any idea of your budget; its pretty hard to give advice on anything specific without knowing your price range.  

Buying a bike is a long term investment;  I'd suggest you do some research before you even think about buying.  Visit several bike shops and ask questions and test ride a few bikes.   Never buy on your first visit.  

It sounds like you are looking for a hybrid bike with drop bars.  The closest thing to that is a cyclocross bike.   I have one and love it.   A fitness or hybrid bike usually comes with straight bars;  most could be adapted with drop bars.   Again, you need to ask some experts at a few bike shops to find the place you feel most comfortable.

Answer 2

Go to your TREK bike dealer and ask for their 2008 colour catalog.  The TREK 'Madone' series are made of CARBON mixed w/ Bontrager's high-end equipment and have splendid aerodynamic design for the mega-serious road biker---

Answer 3

You have answered the question in part by stating that you are looking for a road bike that can provide exercise of twenty mile rides every now and again and still transport you to school and work.

These restrictions will limit your bike choices because with that much milieage you are going to need suspension and comfort.  Because of that yo should look at a full suspension bike.  You also didn't mention cost and pricing on full suspension bikes can run from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand.  A good basic bike is the;

http://justbicycles.com/bike_details.php...

I also recommend changing out the seat for something more 50's like you find on beach cruisers.  I have even been known to change out the handlebars for the old style ape hanger handlebars.

Hope this helps.

Answerman4147

Answer 4

Sounds to me like you are looking for a road bike with drop bars (the ramhorn-shaped handlebars) but relaxed geometry (more upright riding position, rather than the more horizontal aggressive racing position).  Trek has bikes in ther lineup like that:

With a pannier rack:  http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/200...

Without pannier rack:  http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/200...

Specialized also offers a relaxed-geometry road bike: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel...

Giant's OCR series also seems to fit your bill:  http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bike...

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Fuji and Giant sell entry level road bikes. Check out their web sites before you go.

Answer 6

Ask for an "Entry-level Road Bike" when in the bike shop. All the  major bike companies manufacture them. They're perfect for exercise, commuting and low-end competing. Try and get last year's model. Expect to pay about $1k for this years model.