miss kenton

My son and his wife will be moving to Tucson in the near future. They are well aware that Tuscon is supposed to be one of the best cities in which to ride. They want to purchase road bikes as he is looking forward to riding there. While he has done some riding in high school/college, he has never purchased his own bike and his wife will be a new rider. They are newlyweds and on a budget, but expecting a small windfall once they arrive in Arizona.

He has asked me to suggest which road bikes they should consider. Of course I am thrilled he has even asked my opinion and happy to help. I am a long-time Trek devotee, but don't think it fair to them to limit suggestions to my experiences only. Therefore, I am soliciting opinions from the members here. Considering the combined years of experience here, I am hoping to get some good insight. Naturally, they'll need to ride them to know for themselves, but under the given circumstances, which bikes would you suggest as options for them to look into?

P.S. Both are healthy twenty-somethings. She's an RN. He is a mechanical engineer and a USAF second lieutenant, if that helps to give you a profile.

Additionally, if any readers here have recommendations for bike shops in Tucson, we would welcome those as well.

B. Carfree

Since they are of limited riding experience, I'm going to assume they are also limited in their ability to assess the fit of a bike and deal with the various routine, and not so routine, mechanical issues. Thus, I would suggest that the actual bike is the least of their concerns but the shop they choose to purchase at is very important. If the bikes don't fit well and they aren't maintained in a road-worthy way, then the best bike in the world won't meet their needs. On the other side, even a mediocre bike can be the ticket if it fits well and is well maintained.

Hopefully someone from the area will chime in with some suggestions for the best places to make the purchases. I wish them the best of luck in all ways.

Biker395 

Lemme give that some thought, but the first thought right off the bat is for them to get something with good climbing gears. Nearby Mt. Lemmon is an amazing climb but it is long.

Tuscson rocks ... great place to cycle.

zonatandem

Come on down!
Yes Tucson is a great place to ride. Yes, you can ride year 'round but be forewarned it gets 'warm' in summer. Many days over 100 degrees but normally with low humidity (as low as 2 %). So ride early. But then in winter/spring/late fall it's great riding!
Many bike shops in Tucson to try out bikes.
Hard to recommend what bikes to get. However, twice a year (spring and fall) near 4th Avenue (downtown) there is a huge bicycle swap meet (picture 2 to 3 thousand shoppers) sponsored by the Greater Arizona Bicycle Assoc. (GABA) and you can get some really great bargains on used bikes and cycling gear, from cruisers to antiques, to racing bikes to even a few tandems.
Enjoy the Tucson lifestyle . . . been here sine 1978.

osco53

Tell them to find the local bike shop,
It should be a busy one,
One that's been In business for a while,
Buy from them,
Trust their advice,
Support them,
They will need them

They will learn ,,,,,

Biker395 

^ That's cool.

jeromephone

LBS says it all.

qcpmsame 

You might want to tell them to start looking at the shops here, when his flight schedule, and her shifts, allow them some time. Cyclesports of Pensacola, Truly Spokin' and the new Trek Store on Cervantes St., will have some different levels they can investigate. Let them know that they can call anytime, and I'll be glad to help out, if they would like. As said above, start investigating the LBS in the Tucson area now, with some on-line reconnaissance.

Bill

10 Wheels

Visit The Ordinary Bike Shop for much help.

They will like The Tuesday Night Bike ride at the college.

Tusky

We live in southwest Tucson for the winter and the Pacific Northwest for the summer. I have a mountain bike and a road bike in both places. My wife has a mountain bike with city tires in each location. We are over 65 and don't ride clipless.

In Tucson my wife likes to ride the off-road paved trails along the Santa Cruz. She can't figure out how to shift the triple rings and does not have a great time. I should have got her a light hybrid without the front suspension. Her friends ride the Rillito river trail.

We have Robles Pass of Tucson Mountain Park at our back door so I spend a lot of time riding trails.

My road rides are south on Mission to Green Valley and from Green Valley to Arrivaca when I need a change.

Amado to Arivaca in Green Valley, AZ, United States | MapMyRide

Green Valley to Madeira Canyon when I need to climb.

Green Valley to Madeira Canyon in Amado, AZ, United States | MapMyRide

If I was your son I would try out different types of bikes at Performance Bikes to see what works (try PB where he lives now). I would probably look at light hybrids. If they are going to be riding together it is important that his wife is comfortable and enjoying the ride. If they get the bikes on sale they can probably sell them on CL for what they pay if they decide to upgrade after riding for a while. Did I say that it is all about making sure that his wife feels safe, is comfortable and is enjoying the ride?

They will like Tucson. They may be able to bike to work. You will be able to visit in the winter.

berner

My suggestion is not a brand but to focus on function. In view of newby cyclists I would suggest versatile bikes with capacity for 28mm to 32mm tires and mount points for a rear rack and bag to haul stuff around. Such a bike will be slightly more upright than a race inspired configuration and more comfortable for new riders. Eventually, such riders can install a longer stem and drop the bars a bit if needed for comfort as biking fitness improves over time.

Garfield Cat

Yes, and since they're in Arizona, chances are they will be going off road.

miss kenton

Thanks, Carfree! I concur; even the best bike makes for the worst ride if it doesn't fit properly. He knows that and I hope he takes the time to make sure she gets a bike that is comfortable. I will stress to him that her fit could ultimately determine if he'll have a beautiful partner to show off while he rides--or he'll be riding solo.

miss kenton

I am looking forward to your input, Biker.

miss kenton

Thanks for your response. I have already mentioned bike swaps, I had a great experience with a bike swap, but he shot me down. He is a young grasshopper and is not aware of the N+1 equation yet. He'll learn. I'll show him these pictures. Maybe he'll see you out on the road.

miss kenton

Bill,
Pensacola is behind him now. He is has been in flight training for his plane in Little Rock for the past 10 weeks. He'll be heading to Tuscon soon. Thanks for the offer. If I'd had known of his plans sooner, I would have told him to contact you. I can only imagine bike shopping with a pair of engineers!

I am sure he has been online shopping, but you can can imagine how overwhelming choosing a bike might be to the uninitiated. That is why I am flattered he asked for my help, and I, in turn, am looking to my old buddies here for assistance. Naturally, as his mom, I'll hear about it if I give him poor advice. You know what they say, "A good scapegoat is nearly as welcome as a real solution."

miss kenton

Thanks for that tip, I'll pass it along!

miss kenton

A lot of good information here. I think I'll steer him toward this thread. Thank you for taking the time to post!

miss kenton

Good advice here, too. I'm sure as an engineer he may eventually become intrigued by the thought of modifications to improve form and function!

miss kenton

I think that could happen, too ...and we are back to N+1!

miss kenton

I am still looking for opinions from those who have owned different brands of bikes and have learned what they may have liked/disliked about a particular brand. No need for comments about box store bikes, he knows better.

I do agree with those that have suggested finding the right LBS is key. I never leave my own LBS without feeling 100% satisfied and happy I shop there.

Garfield Cat

Still, not to answer directly to your question. But he is a mechanical engineer. Maybe he would like to hear from another mechanical engineer who's been around for a while with a very good reputation. This link may not be the answer he wants to hear; but he will gain some insight as to road bikes by reading in between these lines. This is an interview format with Damon Rinard back in January 2015.

On the move with Damon Rinard - Slowtwitch.com

qcpmsame 

Miss Kenton,
Sorry I didn't know he had been winged, and on to a RAG squadron (or whatever the Air Scouts call their familiarization squadrons.) Hope he got the -15E that he was hoping for, when we went to dinner last November. Best wishes to him, and his beautiful bride.

Best wishes to you, and Mr. Miss Kenton

Bill

ModeratedUser150120149

Well, here is what I did and have recommended to others:
I had a Huffy. It was a fine bike. Cheap, reliable and could climb almost anything at some speed. I had it tuned and adjusted so it fit pretty well. I'm not talking about a fit like most here talk. I'm talking about one where all the components are functioning well and smoothly and since at beginner level technique varies from day to day anyway.

When I started I liked the IDEA of cycling as opposed to just kicking around the neighborhood. After some time on the Huffy I knew I liked THE REALITY of cycling. Big difference. Then I went shopping for a bike shop bike.

Lets face it most people who start cycling give up. They give up not because of the bike; but because they discover the reality doesn't match their ideas. Then they "don't have time".

berner

You asked for bike recommendations so here goes. My bike, which I'm very satisfied with, is a Specialized, aluminum Secteur. I use 28mm tires but it may fit up to 30mm tires but that would be the limit. I can ride it on gravel roads for short stretches and sometimes ride through a short section of woods trail at the local state park. I can hang panniers on it for grocery shopping and but use the bike for just about every other errand in town such as trips to the post office or library. I've done several weekend. tours with another forum member. I've learned to pack fairly light for backpacking so I've only put 25 pounds on the bike for tours and the bike is happy with that. This bike cost $800 5 years ago with bottom of the barrel shifters which have worked perfectly for 17,000 miles.

If I were searching for another bike, I'd consider a cyclocross bike which can take quite large tires for seriously off road ventures. Barretsvc has a carbon cross bike he assembled which looks very nice. Cross bike are sort of a rugged racing bike that may appeal to grasshoppers.