What do I need to knows about bike riding? What kind of bike to get?

Question

I'd like to start riding a bike for fitness. How do I go about purchasing a bike? I'd like to stay under $200 for now, and used is fine. I'm 5'3 and will be riding on pavement. I've been searching craigslist for bikes, but I have no clue about what size wheels I need, or what speed is ideal.

Thanks!

Answer 1

If you are avoiding department store bikes (good), the best place to look for decent bikes  < $200 is craigslist. You can really find some gems there. Goodwill, yard sales, local classifieds are all potential goldmines - or might be worthless. eBay will probably have you over budget, but you'll have a big selection

On a real bike, you should be concerned with *frame* size not wheel size. Wheel size isn't much of an issue, and shouldn't be much of a factor for choosing the bike. "26-inch" mountain bike, or "700c" road sizes are the two standard adult sizes, with 700c being slighlty bigger around but usually skinner. If you are shopping for older bikes you may also run into "27-inch" sized wheels which are even bigger than 700c, but not by  much.

by "Ideal speed" I assume you mean ideal number of gears. Well for maximum efficiency you'd want a lot so you can maintain your best pedalling cadence. But for fitness (or fun) you might be happier with a singlespeed or fixed-gear bike. They have the advantages of fewer moving parts and thus less money and maintenance. It might take a bit of extra effort going up the hills, but you'll toughen up.

Go to a local bike shop and test ride a couple of bikes to see what size you are, and maybe what kinds of bikes you like. If that isn't an option, measure yourself to get your size as many places on the internet describe. Fitting well is more important than the quality of the bike, and it costs the same either way!

What I'd get:  a steel Japanese road bike under 30 years old (older or European might make parts an issue). These are great bikes that take standard parts and will hold their value. I also think they look like proper bikes.

Answer 2

Hum...

For most bikes, wheel size is less of an issue than what type of bicycle riding you want to do.

If you want to ride paved roads, you'll want a road bike or possibly a hybrid.  Road and hybrids bikes usually come with 700c wheels.  The primary difference is that road bikes are built purely for speed.  They are light and have dropped handlebars for better aerodynamics.  A hybrid will usually have flat handlebars that allow you to sit more upright.  Road and hybrid bikes will usually have either 2 or 3 chain rings in front and from 7 to 10 cogs in back.  If you are doing a lot of riding in hilly areas, I'd recommend you get a bike with 3 chain rings in front.  Higher end bikes will tend to have more cogs in back.

For off-road usage, you'll want a mountain bike.  Most mountain bikes have 26" wheels.  Nearly all mountain bikes have 3 chain rings in front and 7-9 cogs in back.

There is no such thing as standard sizes in the biking industry.  At 5-3" you'll probably need a "small."  At the very least, make sure you can comfortably stand over the bike with an inch or two of room to spare.  Fit of a bike can be customized by replacing the handlebar stem and adjusting seat height and position.  Your local bike shop will be happy to help you get the bike dialled in.

When contacting people on Craigslist, I'd recommend asking how tall the rider of the bike is.  If they are approximately your size, you should at least be in the right ball park.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

First thing is to find what size bike you need.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit

Sounds like you want a road or fitness bike.  The fitness bike is like the road bike but the handle bars provide a more up right position.

Here is a nice Forge for $200 but you have to mail order it from Target and put it together.  Very nice for the money.

http://www.forgebikes.com/athenav.asp