hesson81

Hello, I have been really wanting to break into road biking... I have no idea where to start and I can see that it may be a little costly.... I'm looking to spend about 600 to get a bike. I would rather get something that's used so I can get more bang for my buck..

My question.. For a begginer... what kind of a bike shall I look for?? I'm 6 ft exactly? How big of a bike would that be?? If anyone remembers what it was like to start i would like to hear what you have to say. Especially if you would go back and do something different...

Thanks for your help...

gazelle5333

go to a bike store and actually test ride a couple so you can feel what they are like. They SHOULD size you correctly so you can know exactly what size to look for. Then go from there

Homebrew01

A 58cm is about right, but could be a bit bigger or smaller depending on your inseam.

What's your budget ? Check CraigsList & Ebay for used bikes

dsx724

I found my first road bike on amazon. It was a iron horse triumph 5.0 from the season before for $600. Full tiagra gear with tektro brakes. It's not the best but 9 speed is plenty for a beginner. How much do you weigh and do you think you can handle race seats?

kwrides

Here's my advice. YMMV.

If you want a Road bike, buy a Road bike. Don't buy a hybrid or a flat handlebar. If you do, it will be no time before you wish you had gone Road. I have nothing against the other two, but I see so many people get scared off by saddles, or shifters or pedals or whatever and then 4 months later say, "Should have bought a roadie".

Definitely start at a bike shop where they can help you get a "general" feel for the right size. You're probably somewhere between a 54 and a 60, but that's a BIG range. Also, some manufactures use M, L, XL, so you want to know what fits you. You don't HAVE to buy from a shop, although I would recommend it, but at least start there and write down the bikes you like and what size fit. Then, you can go home and research the geometry of the bike online to get a feel for which other bikes might fit you, especially if you decide to buy used.

Test ride many bikes, and try to ride them for a few miles, not just in a circle in a parking lot. Think about the fit the whole time. Do your arms, legs, neck, back, etc., feel comfortable.

Don't worry too much about the saddle and if it is comfortable - you will almost definitely end up replacing it. Focus on fit.

Good luck!

hesson81

I weigh about 190lbs. 6ft. I'm not sure about the racing seat . that might have to be trial and error. I deffenetly don't want to go on a 36 mile ride and have discomfort is certain areas....

hesson81

Thanks for the advise. I kinda was in that direction already. I know that I don't want fixed gear, and i don't want the straight handle bars.

hesson81

Two more questions... IS Schwinn Crap???



When I see a bike that says 700C tires.. what is that?? Should I not even be looking in that category..

kwrides

Some is, some isn't. The stuff at Walmart is.


That's a standard road bike size. MTB is 26 inch, Road is 700c

gazelle5333

you'd be surprised at how comfortable some of the seats are, even though they don't look it

surfengine

I recommend going to Target or Amazon and getting a $200 bike. Then ride that for 3-6 months and decide if road biking is something that you would enjoy.
I honestly feel that spending the $600 is wasted because after a few months you will probably want to push up to a ~$2k bike.

Unless you have a freind that is gonna set you up with a nice bike for $600, I think you will outgrow the $600 bike just as fast as you would have the $200 bike and simply paid and extra $400 for the priviledge to ride it.

My last thought about this is that ebay prices are always super high. either the buy it now prices are about 30-50% higher than they should be or else some fool gets into a bidding war and ends up paying 80% of the price that a new bike would have costs for a bike that is 5 years old and probably 15k miles on it.

jasyn

I'm a beginner as well. This approach has been working for me:

Measure yourself and buy something cheap on craigslist that fits you well. Go for something made after 1985, it makes service a little bit easier.

Take the time to learn how everything works on the bike. "Zinn and the art of Road Bike Maintenance" has been very helpful for me. I have taken apart and rebuilt a few bikes now and I learn something new each time. This website is great too: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Buying something used on craigslist will allow you to turn around and sell it if you want to try something else.

joe_5700

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...turasport.html