Biking: A Starting Point

Hey guys, looking to get into biking, because I have heard it is even better than running. Not off-road or anything like that, just around my neighborhood and such. Anyways, any tips or advice from anyone who does? What kind of bike should I get? I am only willing to spend maybe 150-200 dollars.

 

bump.

 

For under $200, you're better off going to a garage sale or craigslist and getting a used bike.

You might be able to find a cheap bike from Target or Walmart but it's going to be really shitty.

I'm not really sure what kind of bike you could get, since the ones my family and I own are 800+.

But I do know that you should probably get a road bike since you won't be doing any off-roading.

 

Any suggestions on a certain brand or anything like that?

 

Trek, Schwinn, Cannondale.

Those are all reputable brands, but you're going to have to buy used in order to get a brand like that.

 

Definitely go for a road bike (ie. skinny tires with dropped handlebars). Much faster with more of a sensation of speed, so they're a lot more fun to ride.

You won't get anything new for $200, as others have said you'll need to look for something second hand. As a general rule for beginners anything with shimano parts should be reliable.

 

Personally, I would go for trying to setup a BMX bike. They are smaller, lighter, and more reliable. Plus, if you decided to get into BMX biking then you could start learning tricks and etc.

 

A BMX would be hassle to ride around his city all the time imo, i'd go for a mountain bike due to the comfort.

 

I said I would be riding it around the neighborhood, and you can also clearly tell I intend to use it for exercise, so fuck no.

 

So I found this bike that retails for about $200 for $100 out of box on craigslist, reviews online said it was a good starter bike. It is oddly a GMC Denali street bike.

 

Thats an O.K bike to start with, good luck with your goal mate.

 

Make sure you get a bike with the right size frame for you.If you plan to cycle a fair distance on a regular basis it would be worth doubling the cash you have at present.

A second hand racer for $400 would be an ok starter bike and as stated in previous posts, shimano parts are always great for a new cyclists as parts are easy to come by.

Make sure you have a good understanding of your bike too. What I tend to do when I buy a new bike (be it a downhill, racer, tourer or mountain bike) is take it apart,clean it and put it back together. This gives you a great understanding of your bike and saves you countless $$ in the long term as you should be able to fit new parts when old ones need replacing.

Buying a cheap speed-o-metre could also be useful as you can set yourself speed/distance/calorie goals for each individual cycle.

But as I said at the start, the SIZE of the bike frame is the most important thing, which many people overlook. If you are riding a bike that is noticably too big or too small for you, you could end up with serious problems in the future.

 

Yeah, I measured my legs and looked up on the web what size bike I should get, and the one I got was perfect.

Any ideas on about how much a speedometer would cost?

 

Ive seen very basic ones for £10 in the UK so I would imagine $15-20 for the most basic. Just shop around, try e-bay etc?