Kingdud5

The last bike I bought was around 20 years ago. It was a cheap $100 mountain bike from Wal-mart. There was a lot I hated about it, but I did have a lot of fun riding it in between mechanical BS. The fundamental thing is that my friends all rode BMX bikes, and I wanted to copy them. I did as much as I could. If they went off a 3 foot drop, I went off a 3 foot drop (thank God for that front suspension!). If they did a wheelie, I did a wheelie. I was also obese (like 55+ BMI obese) and they were all normal size. That poor bike got the **** beat out of it by my fat ass.

20 years later, and 10 years after abandoning that bike in a move, I am looking to get back into biking. Probably 90% of the bike's life will be spent riding on paved surfaces, but I wouldn't say I want a road bike purely because I absolutely will cut across the grass, or a gravel lot, or a road with potholes, if I decide that's the path I want to take. A hybrid bike is probably closest to what I want, but a cruiser might be acceptable too. I am also no longer obese, so the bike doesn't have to contend with that problem either.

So, my main questions are:

1. How much should a bike cost? When I look at wal-mart and target (no I don't plan to buy a bike from there, but, lowest common denominator) it seems like bikes basically start around $500 now. Is that accurate? Has 20 years of inflation really been that bad?! If you asked me how much a PC should cost I could answer that question, but I can't answer it for bicycles. I'm aware there is just as much nuance to a PC as a bike. I tend to put PCs into buckets "cheapest you can go / do not go below here", "Not cheapest, but you'll appreciate the QoL improvements / longevity / performance", and "Money? What's that?". For example, I can tell you that building a reasonable gaming PC for less than $500 is going to be hard, but building a PC for $2000 is going to be something that will crush games for the next 5+ years without upgrades (or maybe 1 graphics upgrade 3-4 years in).
2. One thing I hated about my mountain bike was the brakes. They were some form of rim brake, but I forget what specific kind. The thing I hated was tuning them. Having to pull on this metal cable while simultaneously tightening a nut to get them to the exact proper force so that they engaged enough to stop but didn't rub constantly. Bleh! Hated it! Are disc brakes any better, or are they just as fiddly? In the 10 years I rode my bike I probably went through something like 10 pairs of brake pads (wore them down) so...the brakes are an area worthy of concern. Note: I always tuned my brakes so that if I fully engaged them I would lock my tires. I am the ABS, and I'm calm enough under stress to not throw myself over the handlebars, even though my brakes are setup to absolutely allow me to do that.
3. What works well in the shifting department? Derailleurs were a bane of my existence, but they were also being asked to do a lot. Are bikes with CVTs any good? Are there any geared transmissions that are worth considering? One limiting factor I'd read about on geared transmissions was that you had to declutch them (stop pedaling) to shift. Is that still a thing, or have they gotten around that problem finally? Or is the derailleur still the king of shifters, and why, if so?
4. Frame materials? This bike will be riding off ledges (think 4"-10" drops), ridden over potholes, ridden over grass at high speeds, wheelied (unless i get a CVT ), and generally treated like it's a tank that is expected to just bulldoze over whatever I ride on. I feel like that sort of abuse would preclude carbon fiber and possibly aluminum due to such a hard life creating stress fractures in the metal. Am I right? Or is steel just as likely to crack as aluminum? The $100 steel frame walmart bike never cracked, FWIW. So...maybe that datum will help you reply.
5. How universal are frame sizes? I'm 5'8 and I have a 30" inseam. That seems to indicate I'd want a 16-17" bike frame (mountain/hybrid). Is that right? If I get a medium from most companies is it going to be the right size, or is it like clothing where you really should always try it on first?

So...let's start with those and see what happens / go from there.

Ogsarg

I think you would do well talking to a bike shop that has a decent inventory. The big bike companies (Giant, Trek, Specialized) have entry level hybrids and city bikes that might be the thing for you. The frame size may be different depending on the model and they can help you decide what is the best fit. There are bikes with internal gear hubs but a decent quality shifting system that is set up properly should work just fine.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bi...ity-and-hybrid

This page should give you an idea of some bikes that can be had in the 400-700 range that would be a very big improvement over what you could get from a big box store.

theDirtyLemon

There's a lot of used stuff out there that would suit you, if you want to spend a little less. If you go that route you do open yourself up to even more opinions here than if you stick to what's new. FWIW steel frames are ideal for the kind of riding you describe. The subject of which kind of steel is good for what and why, again, is a potential morass of nerdery, but in a nutshell some form of CrMo (Chromolly) keeps the weight down, and HiTen is fun (kinda springy and eager feeling). A classic hybrid like a Trek 720 might be a good place to start. Very specialized 'fancy' bikes new or old probably won't serve you well.

Kingdud5

theDirtyLemon Thanks, I appreciate that. Any views on CVT bikes? Priority Bikes appears to make a couple different CVT bikes and those at least seem interesting. I would definitely try before I buy. I freely admit a huge part of my interest is purely because I'm a nerd and CVTs are cool.

theDirtyLemon

I know nothing of CVTs--didn't even know they came on bikes!
I like derailleurs, but they do have to be set up right. It's not hard to do, but if you only kinda-sorta know how to do it, it's crazy-making. Same with brakes.
Single speed is pretty fun, and it's really simple--both maintenance and the way the bike rides. It feels more 'solid', and your connection to the bike is more direct.
I have ridden an internal gear hub, it feels a lot like a single speed...and it gives you more gears. Downside is the range of gears is chosen for you (and may not be quite what you want), and it's heavier. On the other other hand, that weight makes your bike even more stable which can be kinda cool.

theDirtyLemon

(Sorry, I'm distracted)
A CVT would probably have a lot of the qualities of an IGH, without the limited gear ratios.

Kingdud5

Yea, I didn't know bikes had CVTs either until a month ago. For E-bikes I can see them as being extremely valuable due to the high torque available from the motor. For pedaling...I'm not sure how I'd feel about always pedaling at one speed. I'm also not sure how it would react to me standing up to pedal on it (for those times when you need all your body weight for max torque!). The worst feeling in the world is standing up to pedal harder and just sinking down with no resistance. Like I said, I'd really need to try before I buy. I live in southeast TX, so it's basically flat here (compared to the Appalachians of TN where I grew up). I wouldn't want a single speed though purely because when you get enough room to actually accelerate up to 20+ MPH it's fun to actually go that fast. Realistically though, out of the 18 speeds my old bike had 4 of them represented 95% of my usage. ...Part of that was because I couldn't reliably shift into two of the 6 rear gears even when the derailleur was new.

Random11

Here's my experience after not having a bike for 40 years. (I was a runner, but my knees couldn't take it anymore, so I bought a bike.) I went to a bike shop unsure of what I really wanted and left with a $450 Giant which was great to get me started. At the time that seemed like a lot to spend on a bike, but two years later I had a better idea of what I wanted and bought a lot nicer bike (for a lot more money). A lot can change in 20 years, so my thought is to start out with a good serviceable bike, and a year or two down the road you'll have a better idea of what you really want in a bike. I'm still a newbie (only had my new bike for 9 months), but it seems to me the best way to get back into it is to start with a lower-end bike unless you really know what you want. Bikes have changed a lot in the last 20 years. My new bike is a gravel bike (Specialized Diverge) which is good on the road, where I do most of my riding, but also works off-road on dirt trails where I ride from time to time.

Kingdud5

I really need to learn how to sell stuff. My biggest holdup doing things like this is...I hate waste. A lot. I thankfully am not a hoarder, but that's mostly because I just never buy anything to begin with. I wouldn't upgrade my bike until I sold the old one. I'm a great engineer, but that makes selling things frustrating because I just want to say "This is the price" and have someone buy it like they would an item in a store. I hate the assumption (that is warranted) that I'm out to screw them, or they can sweet talk a deal, or that I'm scamming them, or whatever other crap comes from trying to sell stuff. I get exhausted just thinking about it. You are fundamentally right, I'm just a bit...sub optimal.

Context on the "that is warranted" thing: Craigslist, ebay, etc, are well known for having people out to screw others. It's warranted for them to view me, a stranger they don't know, as yet another scammer. Regardless of if I am in actuality or not.

theDirtyLemon

(....I have four bikes, why limit yourself?)

theDirtyLemon

(You can do a lot with four gears!)

Just for the record, that is TERRIBLE performance for a derailleur--something was wrong. Normally they do actually get you all the gears.

FlMTNdude

How much should a bike cost? Tell your wife about $4000 and you should be good! Realistically, on the cheap end of a hybrid (from your description I would go full suspension mountain, add 750) from $600 on up, quality comes with price up to a point. $1500-2000 would be a comfortable number for me to start out with.

Brakes Off road I would definitely go disc. On road it is a toss-up. I am still running rim on the road and they do pretty fine.

What works well in the shifting department? The only derailleur which gives me any issues ever is the front. Plenty of 1x options to fix that. Any semi-decent derailleur on a matched system can be adjusted pretty easily to consistently work until you crash.

Frame materials? Not a lot of steel out there new anymore. But if you can find an old Stumpjumper for a build, snag it. People are riding aluminium and carbon without issues, it really comes down to $$ and personal preferences.

How universal are frame sizes? If you haven't ridden for a while, and haven't tried on a few bikes, they are not quite universal. While a bike may say 56cm, the stack and reach may be different between brands. And then there is the trail, head angle, etc. Simply put, try them on and see what is comfortable.

PoorInRichfield

I'm trying to get a feel for what kind of bike you're actually looking for. There's a very specialized bike called a "trial bike" that kind of sounds like it might be of interest to you. What is a trial bike? Well, if riding like Danny MacAskill appeals to you, he's on a trial bike...


However, if you don't plan on doing stunts but just plan on riding fast over anything in your way, it sounds like a full suspension mountain bike is what you're looking for. In either case, a trials bike or full suspension mountain bike are quite expensive. They come in both aluminum and carbon fiber and should be able to take a lot of abuse, unless of course you smack the frame itself on a rock.

And finally, there are several old-school BMX bike manufacturers that are making replica BMX bikes, just with bigger wheels and tires than the 20" bikes of the past (I think they're sometimes called "cruiser bikes). These are a bit less expensive, but have no suspension. Haro and Skyline come to mind. For example, here's a 26" Haro Freestyler:

https://harobikes.com/collections/le...styler-26-2020

Kingdud5

PoorInRichfield Yea, he's way better than I am. From all that has been said, I'm thinking I'll start off with either a hardtail mountain bike or hybrid and go from there. Something in the $500-ish range. If I find something it can't do or that is just miserable, I've spent enough to identify a problem with properly working equipment (IE: no ****ty $200 amazon/walmart/target bikes) and it's cheap enough that I don't feel so bad replacing it / am able to sell it used and recover a meaningful amount of value (assuming it isn't destroyed).