Canada1919

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to get into the sport and struggling to figure out where exactly to start. I've been browsing reselling sites like kijiji/Facebook marketplace trying to find a reasonable entry level bike, but I really don't have any idea what I'm looking for. What should I be looking for when deciding on a used bike? Any advice would be appreciated.

I was also wondering if anyone had any suggestions about manufacturers that I should take a look at if I were wanting to buy new rather than used. Are there many brands that make good quality (or at least reasonable quality) entry lives bikes that are affordable. I'm aiming to keep it below $1000 for now, but ideally quite a bit below that.

Also I have no idea about sizing. I'm 6'3 so what size frame should I be looking for?

If anyone has any other general advice or suggestions about anything I'm missing or the sport in general that would be great. Thanks in advance.

2cam16

First of all, you should tell us what discipline of the sport you plan on riding. Road only? MTB only? Gravel only? A combination of some? Then someone can lead you to the next step.

Canada1919

Not sure how I forgot to mention that, thanks for pointing that out. Im looking to get into road cycling primarily, but I suppose a combination as it could be useful to commute some days.

guachi

Any dedicated bike store will sell a good quality bike and $1000 will definitely get you a bike that's above entry level and should be able to find something you'll be happy with.

But you'll still need to tell us what kind of biking you want to do so the knowledgeable members can point you in the right direction.

Vintage Schwinn

Since you don't already know anyone currently that you could ask locally in your town for advice. Here is just a suggestion. Approach a group of cyclists before or after they embark on a group ride. Yes, you will have to be at their meeting location early and you may encounter the feeling that they initially think you are some kind of nut since you are not dressed to ride and are without a bike to ride. Be respectful of their time, but at the same time be friendly and like Columbo without being a pest! You have to communicate and ask questions without either seeming to be a pest or some kind of nut. A group of people naturally will be somewhat wary towards a stranger that no one knows or has ever seen before, especially when in todays world you have random muggings, shootings, or armed robberies. Naturally, a tall athletic man of 6-3 or so could appear more dangerous than say a 5-3 , 115 pound college girl approaching the group and asking the exact same questions. For example as long as you aren't dressed in a long trenchcoat in warm weather or in cammo dressed like Rambo with a backpack where they can't tell if you're carrying or concealing a weapon of some sort..

Basically, the more CYCLISTS that you personally speak with, the better your odds of finding something very suitable in your size. Don't laugh!!! Some might suggest that Vintage Schwinn seems to be saying approach, accost, and steal the bike from the CYCLIST who rides the bike nearest to the size range that you need.......NO, CERTAINLY NOT..............You simply ask advice and then use that advice to hopefully be better informed in purchasing your bicycle, whether from the local bike shop, the internet, or from some private party locally or perhaps from a bike shop in another city.
You will find the advice that you ultimately get is worth its weight in gold.
You'll find insight on who might have a spare bike that they'd be willing to sell. You'll learn general consensus local opinions on which local bike shops are better for what. I'm sure that they are all good but you'll find insight on on which does what slightly better. People will tell you their opinions. Remember the old saying that opinions are like________, and that everybody has one. You certainly have to determine for yourself how much weight or validity that you give to each person's advice that you may seek. Approaching CYCLISTS rather than simply initially soliciting advice from the staff at your local bike shop, well that is essentially like going to the Car Dealership without prior research and just saying fix me up with a new car.........................yeah buddy, they will fix you up....... but seriously that is the nature of the beast. If you aren't informed and you don't know anything, you run the risk of becoming a "lay-down" sale that ends up with something that perhaps is not really suitable for how you'll ultimately use it. The merchant (Car Dealer or Bike Shop) ultimately does not really care if they can close a high margin sale quickly. They cannot read minds and they really want minimal effort in doing so if you're a "lay-down". It is your responsibility to know what you need to know before you buy it. Sure, there are some great bike shop owners that really want you matched with something best suited for how you will ride but you cannot assume that is so.
Most bike shop owners will not have a suitable used product line below a certain dollar amount threshhold and cannot help you in that below certain amount territory, although good bikes can be found there, it won't be in a brick & mortar retail bicycle shop. You'll have to resort to private party individuals via friends or friends of friends or via facebook mktplace or craigs, etc.
Have a go and become like Columbo and ask cyclists wherever you can whenever you can. Be friendly and respectful of their time. You should get valuable information after you ask enough questions of enough cyclists, locally, out in the wild.

Canada1919

Completely forgot to mention that I'm interested in getting into road biking. If I were to drop my budget down to $400-600 would I realistically be able to find much?

PeteHski

I would keep your original budget. $400-600 is not going to get you much bike. As for brands I would look first at Giant road bikes, as they are about the best value for money and most shops sell them. Buy new if you can. Used bikes can be a bargain, but it's a minefield of crap if you don't know what you are looking at. Ideally you want to find a local friendly bike shop that can hold your hand from the start.

livedarklions

There's something to be said for just paying a couple hundred bucks on getting a rideable used bike just to get out there and get some idea of what kind of riding you really want to do. "Road cycling" is too general a category to get really specific about the bike. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect you don't really know whether you want to ride solo or in groups, do 10 miles regularly or take much longer rides, and about another zillion factors that go into choosing. For example, are you mostly going to ride on city streets or more rural roads? Have you ridden drop bars? Good pavement or bad? If you're commuting, what are you going to need to carry?

If you can't answer that stuff, it's because you really don't know what you're going to enjoy or hate. We really only learn that with experience. I know too many people who have tried to get into biking by spending a bunch of money on their first bike only to find they can't stand to put miles on the bike they bought.I

Frankly, I wouldn't know how wide your tires should be, what kind of handlebars, rack capacity or whatever based on "road biking".

Maybe the best way we can help is if you give us a pretty specific idea about where you think you'll be riding for the first month or so and under what conditions. Beyond that, my guess is you really don't know at this point. You might be like me where I very quickly up the distances or maybe you just want something comfortable for tooling around town. It's all biking, but the suitable equipment is very different.

Dima Kozhanovsk

in Russia and Belarus we use Stels Brand ! it is good and cheap ! I am chose for myself bike from Hi - tech Steel

Motorazr

I can't give you any advice but I can share my own experience. Back in 2010, unsure of where I wanted to end up or how much I should spend, I bought the first bike I've ever owned that was worth upgrading. At only $600 for a hardtail mountain bike with mechanical disk brakes, within a few years I ended up upgrading every single part of the bike except for the frame itself. Not a very economical approach but I did end up with a bike built exactly the way I wanted. The parts that came off were either sold cheap or junked. The lesson for me was to avoid buying a bike with components that are worthless in the first place. A couple of expensive full-squish mountain bikes have come and gone too and I've done many demo rides over the years, trying out different bikes.

This year, being unwilling to spend $2k for a new gravel bike, I was lucky enough to find a used, one-year-old Specialized Diverge Elite E5 for $1,200 (retail price was $1,600 a year ago and $1,900 now). Within two months, I had doubled my initial investment with a new wheelset, pedals, saddle, seatpost, handlebars and stem to get a bike that I'm extremely happy with. The used bike cost me more than a brand-new gravel bike but, again, I have exactly the bike I want. If I upgrade to another bike in the future, MTB or gravel bike, I have nice wheelsets, saddles, pedals and other components that I can carry forward onto the next bike. The stash of lightly-used take-off parts in my closet I'll keep to go back onto the Diverge if I sell it after a bike upgrade in a few more years.

I could spend $3k or $4k on a brand-new bike and still not get exactly what I feel most comfortable with. I mean, at a minimum, I'm still going to add pedals, change the saddle and probably the stem. A seatpost or handlebar that I don't like wouldn't stop me from buying a new bike costing that much so those might change too. Alternatively, you might be someone who is happy to ride a bike exactly as bought without being so particular about all the individual components.

Canada1919

Hey, you're completely right that I really don't have a clear answer for a lot of those questions. My thought is that I'd like to get into doing longer rides pretty quickly, primarily on more rural roads, but mixing in some city roads likely. Varying qualities of pavement/potentially having to ride on gravel at times. Never ridden drop bars but my understanding is that they're a fair bit more comfortable, particularly if I'm aiming for longer distance rides.

I appreciate all the input and suggestions. I'll likely be calling around to some local shops this week.

PeteHski

Talking it over with your local shops is a good idea. Then maybe come back here to discuss what the shop guys tell you before committing to buying a bike. It sounds like an endurance road bike or light gravel bike would fit your needs well. Something like a Giant Contend AR, which would be just about within your budget.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca/bikes-contend-ar

zilauk

I was in the same situation as you and a friend of mine which is an experienced rider, told me to buy the Cross GRX7 as a starter and after a year to upgrade to something better. but I would not change it for the next year. It's just perfect for the city rides. and it was about 350 euros, so not such a big deal. i would say that you should give it a try

kahn

I really like the different hand positions that drop bars offer. I had to add bar end adapters to my mt bike to get some additional positions. I will say that my neck is not as enamored of the drop position as it once was and I've raised the bars.

LSUFANDAN

I live near dallas, tx and look at facebook market place often. Your biggest issue is going to be finding a bike in your size used. I am 6'1" and rarely see size 58 or 61 road bikes. I personally ride a size 58. You will need a 61 or XL frame likely. You might be able to do a 58. You won't have many options used and will likely have to wait a long time to find what you want.

Id try to get a name brand bike(Trek, Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, etc) with Shimano 105 groupset. Once you start looking at the bikes go to the main retailer websites and read about the bikes.

spelger

You have a dark outlook on the world. I feel sorry for you.

spelger

There are a few local shops near me that sell used. Sure, more than craigslist but you Also have someone knowledge to ask questions of. And typically lots of sizes available too. They may not have something in your size at the time but they would probably contact you when something right happens along.

livedarklions

Make sure you test ride at least one drop bar bike before you buy. They're not for everyone. You'll probably be fine, but I've known a fair amount of people who can't make that transition. And as someone who does a lot of long distances, make sure riding the hoods is comfortable on the bike. I find that some brifters really don't fit my hands well, which can be very annoying over long hours.

grizzly907la

A 62 cm frame should fit you. There are some sizing guides on the internet. https://bikexchange.com/bike-size-charts/

I'm 6'2" and I need a bicycle big enough so I can stretch my legs out (arthritis and old age,) while I am riding. I am certain that you can find an entry level road bike to suit your needs, and budget. Keep in mind you can upgrade parts as you go, once you have ridden a bit. A bicycle is a frame and components. Shop around, ask questions, and test drive a bike before buying it. I would recommend that you avoid CR or eBay, because bikes purchased there can turn into a rabbit hole of repair madness...unless you're mechanically inclined and have the spaces to do repairs. Good luck. Hope you have a great time riding!

fettsvenska 

Hi @Canada1919 and welcome to cycling. I've tried to help some of my family and friends get into cycling (with various degrees of success). I like multiple disciplines of cycling including road cycling. One thing that you will find is that there are many road oriented bicycles that, to a beginner, may look the same but are actually quite different. You're probably familiar with the light and fast road bikes that you see cyclists riding in their fancy jerseys and shorts. There are also other types of bikes that look sort of like these road bikes, such as cyclocross and touring bikes. So when you refer to road cycling, what does that mean to you? What is the vision that you have of yourself on a bike? Is it more like the serious road cyclists with their fancy colored outfits and sunglasses and you want to take up the sport and become as fast as you can and maybe even enter some competitive events or do you see yourself as more of a recreational cyclist where you would use your bike for recreational exercise or possibly transportation to and from work? I'm not suggesting that you have to be exclusively one or the other but if we have a better understanding of your motivation, we might be able to provide some more precise suggestions that will meet your wants and needs.