Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Bike buying guides

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Bike buying guides

Old 05-13-19, 01:05 PM
  #1  
donald_s
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 15
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Bike buying guides

I thought there would be a bike buying guide here but so far I don't see one. I am so far behind the times in terms of bike technology I don't really know what to look for. I have an old road bike that I did extensive touring on, but it's older than most of you posting here. Where can I find something to help me just figure out which way to turn?

Thanks!
donald_s is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 02:04 PM
  #2  
Jon T
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: West Orange County, CA
Posts: 1,112

Bikes: '84 Peugeot PH10LE

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 397 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 55 Times in 39 Posts
What's "wrong" with riding an older bike? My one and only bike is an '84 Peugeot PH10 that I bought new. It still looks and operates as well as it did on day one. I always get a "nice bike" or two every Saturday when I ride. What's to not like, or need changing? Friction dt shifting, 3x6 gearing that will take on any grade I encounter, rat-trap pedals with cages and straps, original Detto shoes bought when the bike was. It ain't broke so no need for fixin'.
I'm just sayin'..........
Oh, just for the record, I'm 64 yo.
Jon
Jon T is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 02:36 PM
  #3  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
at the LBS there is a lot of keeping what people own, going , going on..

my 71st summer .. I don't try to keep up with the bikes at the cutting edge of technology,

though they can be a Porsche like status symbol...


NB: Bike Magazines print an annual bike buyer's guide, I expect advertisers get more coverage ..







....

Last edited by fietsbob; 05-16-19 at 08:29 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 04:36 PM
  #4  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,505

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10872 Post(s)
Liked 7,354 Times in 4,125 Posts
Originally Posted by donald_s
Where can I find something to help me just figure out which way to turn?

Thanks!
Google.
mstateglfr is online now  
Old 05-13-19, 04:44 PM
  #5  
donald_s
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 15
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Why thank you mstate never would have thought of search the web. Oh wait, I did to find a bicycle forum, where I thought I could get some help. My mistake.
donald_s is offline  
Likes For donald_s:
Old 05-13-19, 04:47 PM
  #6  
donald_s
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 15
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by fietsbob
at the LBS there is a lot of keeping what people own, going , going on..

my 71st summer .. I don't try to keep up with the bikes at the cutting edge of technology,

though they can be a Porsche like status symbol...






....
My thinking about a new bike has to do with problems with my old bike. The shifters don't work very well. They are fingertips and I don't think there are replacements. Also I don't do well with the drop handlebars anymore. My thinking was, by the time I spent the money making changes, I might be better off just getting a new bike. I am very disappointed that no one has any ideas about where to look for a guide on a bicycling forum.
donald_s is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 04:50 PM
  #7  
Lemond1985
Sophomore Member
 
Lemond1985's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,690
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1628 Post(s)
Liked 1,057 Times in 631 Posts
I think many on the board are less oriented / interested in the newest / latest equipment, for whatever reason. Bike shops love to talk about their latest and greatest equipment though, I would seek out one of those if you're interested in the newest tech.

If you eventually do decide to fix up the old bike or buy the one now you really wanted back then (@ 10 cents on the dollar) this board is probably more set up for that at present. Probably (I'm speculating here) once you've been around bikes for enough years, you eventually realize the newest tech isn't gonna make you much if any faster, so you care less about cutting edge stuff and more about the basics.
Lemond1985 is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 04:54 PM
  #8  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,505

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10872 Post(s)
Liked 7,354 Times in 4,125 Posts
Originally Posted by donald_s
Why thank you mstate never would have thought of search the web. Oh wait, I did to find a bicycle forum, where I thought I could get some help. My mistake.
It may seem like a flippant response, but it was sincere.
Google around for bike buying guides.

Type in the style of bike you want and there will be lists and rankings by various media outlets.
mstateglfr is online now  
Old 05-13-19, 05:11 PM
  #9  
donald_s
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 15
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Ok, thank you all for your responses, I appreciate that you took the time.
donald_s is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 05:11 PM
  #10  
Wildwood 
Veteran, Pacifist
 
Wildwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,294

Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?

Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3873 Post(s)
Liked 4,766 Times in 2,199 Posts
all bike buying guides are based on the biases of the author(s).
If you haven't been on a bike in many years, why not go to a bike shop?

Or, since this is a Forum, why not state your needs and take the responses as free advice.

As for technology most are still: 2 wheeled, powered by humans (tho e-bikes are growing rapidly), chained drivetrain with stem/handlebars and shifters.

If you have toured extensively, it will be easy to get up to speed.


How will you be using the bike (recreational, commuting, racing, mountain/gravel/paved)? What are your goals (training/fitness, errands, Sunday rides)? What's the budget?
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.

Last edited by Wildwood; 05-13-19 at 05:21 PM.
Wildwood is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 05:12 PM
  #11  
donald_s
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 15
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
mstate, my problem is that I don't know what I need. For example, I am thinking very seriously about straight rather than drop handlebars. But I don't know advantages or disadvantages. Thank you for not taking offense at my somewhat snippy reply.
donald_s is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 05:13 PM
  #12  
jlaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 988

Bikes: 2015 Spec. AWOL Elite,2022 Spec. Diverge, 1984 Trek 620 1985 Trek 620, 1979 Trek 710

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 394 Post(s)
Liked 194 Times in 110 Posts
Originally Posted by donald_s
Why thank you mstate never would have thought of search the web. Oh wait, I did to find a bicycle forum, where I thought I could get some help. My mistake.
Don't take it personally - this is the internet after all!

Re: a new bike - what do you want to do with the bike - pure recreation, run errands, commute, race, tour/camp? How long will your average ride be - 2 hours, 4 hours, all day? When was the last time you rode a bike? What is your current level of fitness vs. your desired level of fitness?

This type of info. will help narrow down any suggestions.
jlaw is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 05:17 PM
  #13  
Wildwood 
Veteran, Pacifist
 
Wildwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,294

Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?

Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3873 Post(s)
Liked 4,766 Times in 2,199 Posts
All the major bike magazines have buyers guides. Bicycling, Velonews, etc.
Pushing the latest and greatest from their advertisers.

Hey, go read Rivendell's take - www.rivbikes.com - that's the HOT skinny on cycling these days.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Wildwood is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 06:35 PM
  #14  
Gconan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 657

Bikes: Norco search xr

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 197 Post(s)
Liked 146 Times in 90 Posts
Go to the different bike companies and see what kind of bikes they make online. Visit all of the local bike shops and check them out. No reason to make a real quick decision . Test ride mountain bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, hybrids.

Here is a company that makes a lot of different kinds of bikes.

Norco bicycles
Gconan is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 06:40 PM
  #15  
Ironfish653
Dirty Heathen
 
Ironfish653's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: MC-778, 6250 fsw
Posts: 2,188

Bikes: 1997 Cannondale, 1976 Bridgestone, 1998 SoftRide, 1989 Klein, 1989 Black Lightning #0033

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 889 Post(s)
Liked 906 Times in 534 Posts
Originally Posted by donald_s
My thinking about a new bike has to do with problems with my old bike. The shifters don't work very well. They are fingertips and I don't think there are replacements. Also I don't do well with the drop handlebars anymore. My thinking was, by the time I spent the money making changes, I might be better off just getting a new bike. I am very disappointed that no one has any ideas about where to look for a guide on a bicycling forum.
Bikes these days have gotten very specialized. There is literally a bike for any type of riding you can think of. That, plus the massive amount of information available on the internet can lead to a little bit of overload if you're trying to 're-enter' after a long time away.

Best bet might be to go 'old school' Go to the magazine rack at Barnes -n- Noble, most of the major bike mags still do Buyer's Guide issues. Pick the one that has people on the cover doing what you want to do on your bike. Get a couple different ones, go to the cafe and get a cup of coffee and get your read on.


Also, go to a bike shop or two, and kick some tires. Figure out what you want to do on your bike, and have an idea of how much you're looking to spend. A decent sales associate will be able to show you a couple of different makes and models on either side of a particular budget, and explain the differences.
Take some test rides. Most bikes these days pull from the same groups of parts (wheels, gearing, shifters) so the differences between bikes is in the details like the geometry and the finishing 'bits' Those kinds of things are hard to get a feel for in a magazine.

So, the two big questions are; What do you want to do on this bike, and What kind of budget are you looking at?
Ironfish653 is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 06:46 PM
  #16  
jlaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 988

Bikes: 2015 Spec. AWOL Elite,2022 Spec. Diverge, 1984 Trek 620 1985 Trek 620, 1979 Trek 710

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 394 Post(s)
Liked 194 Times in 110 Posts
@donald_s,

Actually, you might want to act sooner rather than later since our genius-in-chief has just placed 25% tariffs on much of the consumer stuff coming from China - this includes some/most bikes and components. Your bike shop should be able to tell you which products are effected.

Craigslist offers steep discounts on some lightly-used, quality bikes - but you really have to know what you are looking at - lots of junk and some scams on CL. If you see something on CL that you may be interested in, post it here and you'll get some solid opinions on the bike you are considering.
jlaw is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 06:51 PM
  #17  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,431

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 143 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7618 Post(s)
Liked 3,432 Times in 1,813 Posts
Originally Posted by Wildwood
all bike buying guides are based on the biases of the author(s).
If you haven't been on a bike in many years, why not go to a bike shop?

Or, since this is a Forum, why not state your needs and take the responses as free advice.

As for technology most are still: 2 wheeled, powered by humans (tho e-bikes are growing rapidly), chained drivetrain with stem/handlebars and shifters.

If you have toured extensively, it will be easy to get up to speed.


How will you be using the bike (recreational, commuting, racing, mountain/gravel/paved)? What are your goals (training/fitness, errands, Sunday rides)? What's the budget?
Originally Posted by donald_s
mstate, my problem is that I don't know what I need. For example, I am thinking very seriously about straight rather than drop handlebars. But I don't know advantages or disadvantages. Thank you for not taking offense at my somewhat snippy reply.
I think you misunderstand @Wildwood's response---which was going to be my response as well.

"What you need" is not "What bike or what parts do you need?" What you need is 'What do you need this bike to do for you to be happy with it?" As in, "How do you plan to use this bike? How far do you think you might ride, in what conditions, over what surfaces, carrying what load, at what expected pace?"

If you want to a bike for weekend credit-car tours, light weekend camping tours, two=-week tours, or cross-continent tours, you would probably want different bikes and certainly different accessories. If you wanted to do quick spins around the neighborhood in the evenings and long, leisurely rides on the weekends, yet different equipment. If you wanted to keep up in local group rides, maybe other stuff. if you planned to ride exclusively paved roads, or pavement and some groomed packed-earth trails, or maybe some trails with rocks and roots, or mud ... if you planed to ride rain ro shine, or just in good weather ....

if you go to a career counselor prior to picking college courses, the career counselor is going to try to learn both your aptitudes and your desires. Maybe you want to be a neurosurgeon but have shaky hands and hate the sight of blood ... or maybe you want to work in customer service but hate people. Maybe you have no clue what kind of job you want but you know the stuff you like to do. Thing is, until the counselor has a clue who you are, there is no possible generic advice worth the time it would take to transmit. So when the counselor says "What do you like," saying "I don't know" is fine, it just isn't helpful.

Further: On This site, you will run into people who hate everything new and love everything old, and people who think everything old has been replaced by stuff so much better the old stuff just isn't worth the extra effort. Ignore these cranks.

Fact is, there are plenty of us who ride old bikes, or updated old bikes, or new bikes (some, all three types), and we all enjoy all of them. You do not Need the latest and greatest, and you might not want it. However, as the owner of a pair of 35-year-old bikes and several from the last decade, i would suggest that a lot of the stuff developed in the past decade or so has been pretty useful in terms of enjoying the ride, and even more so for high performance, if that is your thing (it is not mine, but I don't want to discount that for others.)

There are some cranks and narrow-minded people here but there are also a lot of really good people, who will work hard to help fellow cyclists get what they really want and need. All we need, is for you to answer the basic questions I listed above and maybe a few others: "How do you plan to use this bike? How far do you think you might ride, in what conditions, over what surfaces, carrying what load, at what expected pace?"

Bikes are tools. You can get specialty tools that only do one thing exceedingly well, or general tools which do a lot of things sort of okay, or anything along that spectrum. You can also buy the completely wrong bike for the jobs you have in mind. That is why there cannot be a Generic Bike Buying Guide® which is actually worth the time to read it.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 07:03 PM
  #18  
Last ride 76 
1/2 as far in 2x the time
 
Last ride 76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Northern Bergen County, NJ
Posts: 1,935

Bikes: Yes, Please.

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 499 Post(s)
Liked 285 Times in 222 Posts
Originally Posted by jlaw
@donald_s,


Craigslist offers steep discounts on some lightly-used, quality bikes - but you really have to know what you are looking at - lots of junk and some scams on CL. If you see something on CL that you may be interested in, post it here and you'll get some solid opinions on the bike you are considering.
THIS!
Welcome!
Many folks on this forum really know their stuff. If you can narrow down your needs and wants, then people can share their knowledge and experience. That's what forums are about. No one gets paid to do some sort of guide to "The best bike for anyone in every situation." That's what magazines and consumer guides are for. Here you will find (mostly) helpful people who speak from personal experience.
Last ride 76 is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 08:04 PM
  #19  
veganbikes
Clark W. Griswold
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,227

Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4229 Post(s)
Liked 3,841 Times in 2,563 Posts
Go and test ride some bikes at your local shop. Ride some different stuff and compare it all. Then come back with something more cohesive. There are billions of bikes out there and saying I have an old bike and want a new bike doesn't give us a good way to narrow things down. Maybe drop bars are right for you or maybe some of these new alternative bars are good like the Velo Orange Crazy Bars or Koga Denham bars or a moustache bar or maybe a flat or riser bar makes most sense. Maybe you are looking to do more touring and want better gearing for being fully loaded or maybe you are looking to do some faster rides with local clubs or groups. Maybe you want to hit the dirt or you are pure road. However we don't know any of that because you have given us almost nothing to get started.
veganbikes is offline  
Old 05-13-19, 08:16 PM
  #20  
PDKL45
Senior Member
 
PDKL45's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: South Korea
Posts: 780

Bikes: Merida Speeder

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 233 Post(s)
Liked 165 Times in 115 Posts
Buying a new bike can be difficult. There are a few things you can list that help others to help you, though (borrowed from r/whichbike on ******):

- Your level of experience with cycling:

-What's your price range and have you considered second hand?

- What's your intention with the bike - commuting, fitness, touring, sport, etc.?

- How far will you be riding, and how often?

- Riding conditions: roads, pavement, trails, single-track, off-road? Flat or hilly? Traffic and weather.

- Your location:

- A bit about yourself: height, weight, and level of fitness can all help people understand your needs better:


Just listing that stuff for yourself can help to clear your mind and get you focused on some of the major decisions you need to make.
PDKL45 is offline  
Old 05-15-19, 02:39 AM
  #21  
bruce19
Senior Member
 
bruce19's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Lebanon (Liberty Hill), CT
Posts: 8,456

Bikes: CAAD 12, MASI Gran Criterium S, Colnago World Cup CX & Guru steel

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1722 Post(s)
Liked 1,272 Times in 734 Posts
Originally Posted by mstateglfr
It may seem like a flippant response, but it was sincere.
Google around for bike buying guides.

Type in the style of bike you want and there will be lists and rankings by various media outlets.
I'd discount that reply you got. It was just thin skinned and immature. Maybe just a bad day.
bruce19 is offline  
Old 05-16-19, 07:28 AM
  #22  
teejaywhy
Full Member
 
teejaywhy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: AZ
Posts: 278
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 141 Post(s)
Liked 116 Times in 69 Posts
Originally Posted by mstateglfr
It may seem like a flippant response, but it was sincere.
Google around for bike buying guides.

Type in the style of bike you want and there will be lists and rankings by various media outlets.
So easy...

A visit to the LBS:

"I want a road bike."

"OK! Do you want a Race bike? Endurance? Aero? Gravel? Cyclocross? Touring? TT? Triathlon? City? Comfort? Cruiser? ... "

"uhh...maybe a mountain bike would be better?"

"OK! Trail? Downhill? Cross-country? Enduro? Sport? Fat? ...."

<head explodes>

This is what I faced when I decided to buy a bicycle three months ago. I was not able to find a definitive source that explained all this. I hadn't bought a bike in 20 years and in my mind, there were road bikes and mountain bikes. I managed to sort-of piece the info together from visits to several bike shops and the internet. It was unfortunate and frustrating, many of the sales people were incapable of explaining the differences to me, unable to use familiar language.

I think it can be hard for some with a high level of knowledge on a subject to be able to break it down to the simple basics for a neophyte. Perhaps that's why you get extremely unhelpful advice like "just google it." For me, figuring out the the unfamiliar language was key.

Decide what kind of riding you want to do. Go to the bike shops. Ask lots of questions. Look at the manufacturer's web pages - the info is there but not always easy to parse out. May seem overwhelming at first, but you will then be able to narrow down and focus on a particular "style" of bike. Good luck with your quest.
teejaywhy is offline  
Old 05-16-19, 08:33 AM
  #23  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
# 1 , Pick your favorite Bike Shop .. then get a bike there,

They will be helpful before, helping with selection, and after the sale , with service and maintenance .

[post 20 is the typical Q&A for walk in customers, to sort those out before you go on rest rides ]




..

Last edited by fietsbob; 05-16-19 at 08:37 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 05-16-19, 03:09 PM
  #24  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,431

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 143 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7618 Post(s)
Liked 3,432 Times in 1,813 Posts
@fietsbob always has the same advice ... How can someone know if it is a good bike shop? The staff could be friendly and totally venal, really fake and great as offering pretend brotherhood, then sell the guy that benefits Them the most ... or the staff could be busy because they get all the work from all the serious local riders, so between phone calls and different workers asking questions, a customer might feel like he or she is being put "on hold" a lot ... and might not like the experience even though it is the best shop in town with the most knowledgeable staff who care the most about getting riders on the right bikes.

Got to forums like this and describe not some bike you don't understand, but what you want that bike to do.

Bikes Can be highly specialized, or can be built to do many things pretty well ... but shops might try to narrow you down to whatever popular models made by their favored brands happen to be in stock. The hardest part is being really honest with yourself about how you plan to use the bike. If you havn't been riding much, you might be best off spending $500 for a low-end road bike and riding for a season ... you might focus in on what you really use a bike for, as opposed to what you recall doing and think you might do. or, if you are REALLY certain about exactly what you want to do with that bike, ansswer some of the questions above, and people here will write you a personalized, specific buying guide.

That, my friend, is service No bike shop will ever give you.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 05-16-19, 03:17 PM
  #25  
Ogsarg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Hollister, CA (not the surf town)
Posts: 1,721

Bikes: 2019 Specialized Roubaix Comp Di2, 2009 Roubaix, early 90's Giant Iguana

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 634 Post(s)
Liked 1,483 Times in 541 Posts
I would say to first familiarize yourself with the different types of bikes and try to figure out which one would be best for what you want to do. Race bikes, endurance bikes, gravel bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, hybrids, and a half dozen others.

My advice would be to go to a local shop that has a large selection and look at the different types. Maybe do some test rides. If you can narrow it down to the type of bike you want and a budget, you'll get plenty of suggestions.
Ogsarg is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.