kinggrant20

The bike will be used to get me to my job and for cardio. I live in a city with flat streets and hills. I know absolutely nothing about bikes. What do I need? A mountain bike? A street bike? A hybrid bike? 18 speed? 21 speed?
I have no idea**********??

no1mad 

Go talk to the people at your Local Bike Shop. Do some test rides. Even if you can't afford to buy from them, it will give you an idea of what size frame you should be looking at and what type of bike appeals to you most.

Wanderer

Yep, tell them what you plan to do with it, and they will suggest alternatives. Ride as many as you can find. You will pick one.

Lanovran

What they said. ^

Think about the kind of riding you'll be doing primarily (e.g. fitness, commuting, riding on pavement, riding on dirt/gravel, etc.). Your local bike shop is the best resource for fitting you to a bike, recommending accessories to go with it, and answering pretty much any bike-related questions you may have. By the way, about accessories...it helps to keep in mind that the price of the bike isn't typically going to equal the final bill... Be sure to budget in some extra for things like a helmet, lights, pump, flat repair stuff, chain lube, and such. Having the essential gear to make your ride more comfortable, and to maintain your bike, makes for greater peace-of-mind and more fun in the long run.

Jeff Wills

Better yet, go to a couple shops. Ask the same questions at each, try to do a similar test ride in each place. Go with the bike shop that gives you the warm fuzzies.

In general, bikes are a commodity. The same money will buy you a similar bike no matter where you. Since you're just starting out, you'll have lots of questions that make sense to you but will get you laughed at in some shops. Avoid them, and give your business to the shop that respects you.

FWIW: I've been riding bikes for 40 years, with a 12 year career in the business. It's a hobby now- I have a garage full of bikes. I'm still figuring out what kind would be best.

fietsbob

1st pick the Shop, talk to them , see if you like the shop. then Buy a BikeThere. ..

Add:
Kind .. Is TYPE of bike , Not Brand of bike. Bike companies try to make most-all Kinds.

Looigi

Educate yourself by availing yourself of the many available sources of information; books, magazines, websites, internet forums, LBS employees. It's best not to rely on any one source. I know if you asked me, my own personal biases would have me point you in a direction that may not be the optimum for you.

Of course no need for analysis paralysis either. Jumping in and getting started is often a good way to learn more about it. A reasonably appropriate bike can serve you well for years as you become more fit, learn more about cycling, and what you want to get out of it.

cplager

There's a lot of wisdom here.

I'll also point out that this is the bike that will help you determine what your next bike is.

Even if you get the perfect for you now bike, it won't be perfect for you in N years, and you'll get another one.

So the goal isn't to get the right bike, it's to get the right right now so you'll ride it a lot bike.

rydabent

Again as always, test riding will be the only way for you to pick out a bike that best suits your needs. And as a bent rider, at least ride one or two bents and maybe even a trike. Bents let you sit up straight so you cant see and be alert to all the traffic.

Fastfingaz

I think the bike of the times right now is a Hybrid ,,, a heavyer frame and wider tires like 28's and you can do and go most anywhere,,,,,,,,

Condorita

The right bike is the one which says "Take me home; I'm yours."

Fargo Wolf

+1

jon c. 

Only by riding can you tell what works for you. I started a few years ago having not ridden a bike in 30 years, The overwhelming advice was that I should get a hybrid with straight bars. For me, that set up was hard on my wrists and shoulders and I didn't like it at all. I got on a road bike and all the problems disappeared. But that's just me. We're all built different and over time develop small physical issues that impact our comfort on different bikes.

So there's no "correct" answer. But if you have some helpful bike shops, it's fun to try out different types of bikes to see what you like.

rekmeyata

I like Jeff Wills advice too. To add to that advice set yourself on a budget and stay with that, make sure you leave enough money for accessories you might need to commute like front and rear lights, handle bar bag or a rear pannier to carry stuff to work and home, tools to fix something that might break on the way like tools for flats including pump, patch kit, spare tube, tire irons, and component repairs tools like the Park MTB 3 mini tool; don't forget to get a spare tube and leave it in the box to prevent damage, of course you need to carry that stuff so you need a seat bag. You might also need water bottle cages and bottles.
As a side note, if your commuting by bike ride to work on a non work day to see how long it will take you then add an half an hour to that in the morning just in case you have a flat or some malfunction you'll have time to fix it. Most employers won't like it if you show up to work late too many times and you will have more flats on a bike then a car so prepare for that. And if you not real good on fixing flats, watch some You Tube videos and practice doing it over and over till you can do it in your sleep! That way you won't be scratching your head for an hour trying to fix your flat on your way to work. With practice you should be able to easily repair a rear flat in 15 minutes and a front in 10 (most flats do occur on the rear so practice on the rear only because the front is easy due to no derailleurs and chains to worry about).

willieswonka

Sorry, i dont have an answer to your question, but i have the same one for me.

I am 58 years old and pretty active, walk the golf course, former h s athlete.
Biked all over the city as a teenager. I want to get back into riding and want
to know what i should buy. I'm 6'- 5" - 270 lb. (should be 250)

thinking about $150-300 but if there is just the right bike out there i might
go up. I think i'll stay on the street/ rural roads. Most of the land is flat here
but there are a few hills in illinois.

Maelochs

This.

Go to one shop and they might be good ... or not.

Some shops will sell you what they need to sell, some will help you find what you want to buy.

Brands mean very little. One brand's bike of a certain style at a given price point is little different than the competition's.

Also, this:
You might get a bike you like today but if you ride it a lot you might find out you really want a different kind of bike later.

A lot of people think they need suspension, flat bars, and upright seating ... and outgrow those things in six weeks. Some ride those bikes six decades.

The only thing I might caution is don’t go to any extremes. No full-suspension mountain bikes, no really heavy bikes, no really light bikes, no racing bikes.

mcours2006

3.5 year thread.

I think OP probably found a bike, maybe rode it to work, decided he didn't like it, sold it and has sworn them off forever.

Barabaika

First of all, you need a very large bike. The size should be larger than 25" or 63cm. Probably, even 27".

Check these bikes:
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/6138319889.html
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/bik/6150370643.html
https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/bik/6148425220.html

This one is missing parts, but it's really big.
https://lasalle.craigslist.org/bik/6121695594.html

With a flat surface, you don't need to shift often, so downtube shifters should be Ok.
This Bridgestone is newer with indexed shifting.
You should be able to negotiate the price down.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/6152469264.html

kuroba

That is one HUGE bike! o:

DomaneS5

Definitely a Trek.

Barabaika

Yes, if he needs a huge bike, Panasonic offered huge frames.
He may have to expand his search area to get it.

Hiro11

At the risk of being labeled a snob, I'll never understand why people think something as complicated as a bike should cost $150-$300. Welding, forging, hand assembly etc is involved in making bikes, these are expensive processes. Bikes have lots of parts, all of which are complicated to produce. In order to hit that kind of price point, major corners are going to be cut and the resulting bike will have some serious compromises. And yet, many new riders that post here think that this price range is what bikes should cost. It's like saying you want to get into golf but only want to spend $50 on clubs... what do you think you're going to get?

The thing is if you spend just a bit more, maybe $450, you can get something reasonable. Other than that, you're looking at used.

mcours2006

The BSO's are what most people see, and usually at box stores which cost 150-300. This is what they think a good bike costs. Most people I come across think that spending more than $500 on a bike is utterly ridiculous, and when you tell them your bike costs $2000 they are completely floored. You get less of a reaction when they find out you paid $70000 for a car, which I think is ridiculous.

BTW, you can have a lot more fun with a $50 used set of clubs on a golf course than you might think. A straight putter and a couple of wedges gets you half of all your shots.

Barabaika

For $450 and even for $200 you can get a used bike in mint condition.
It'll be 30 years old from the bike boom times. It'll need cleaning and regreasing, changing brake pads and cables.

For example, this Miyata 1200.
You can negotiate with the seller, and he can sell the bike for $300.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/bik/6148425220.html

It's a very nice racing bike.



I would personally prefer the touring Miyata 1000. But you can't get one in the mint condition for low prices.
Why would they scratch such a nice bicycle?
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/6146395035.html