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Road Bikes

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jimotis4heisman

jimotis4heisman

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i have never cycled before, i am considering buying a bike. road bike i guess, someone here has to ride and have some knowledge. id be a casual type rider, couple of times a week id guess, id like a bike that could handle that but i could potentially grow into with ability to ride in some distance events. i am tall, 6-7 so that might be ab issue. any suggestions, recommendations?
 
What type of bike are you considering? Sport Cruiser? Touring Bike? Something more aggressive perhaps?

6'7.. you'll probably require a full framed bike... how much do you weigh if you dont mind me asking?
 
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Buckeneye said:
What type of bike are you considering? Sport Cruiser? Touring Bike? Something more aggressive perhaps?

6'7.. you'll probably require a full framed bike... how much do you weigh if you dont mind me asking?
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"in shape" 210-220. tad more than that now, though.

i do not know what sort of bike, that is part of the situation. id like something that is not a complete ball buster, yet something i could build up and ride up to maybe a century on? price, well id like to keep it reasonable as i am not 100% sold on this, i do not want to drop 5k to find out its not for me/i do not like riding...
 
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I started cycling about 6 years ago and am 6'3 and am not even on an XL size frame, only a L.

I bought a Giant OCR3 which I think now is called a Giant Defy3. It's an entry level road bike (skinny tires, like the ones you see in the Tour de France, only a TON cheaper.) I believe my bike was around $800. I'm doing a 70 mile ride up in Sandusky in mid-August so it's fine for long distances.

Trek and Felt are also other decently priced entry level bikes but you're just paying a bit more for the name.

Once you purchase a bike, they should fit you on the bike for free.

Do NOT buy a bike at a place like Walmart, purchase it at a bike shop.

Here's the place I purchased my bike from in Canal Winchester and they offer lifetime free yearly maintenance and labor.

Cyclist Connection :: Bikes

Keep in my mind that you will have other costs involed with purchasing a bike. Water bottles, cycling shorts, jerseys, gloves, shoes etc... But that can be purchased in time.
 
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jimotis4heisman;1741048; said:
i have never cycled before, i am considering buying a bike. road bike i guess, someone here has to ride and have some knowledge. id be a casual type rider, couple of times a week id guess, id like a bike that could handle that but i could potentially grow into with ability to ride in some distance events. i am tall, 6-7 so that might be ab issue. any suggestions, recommendations?
Click to expand...

I am in the exact same situation...I was going to stop into Roll (up at Polaris) this past weekend but never made it in there. I am looking for something similar...something to ride on the road once or twice a week to mix up the workouts. I'm 6-0 185 and have no idea what type of bike or size or whatever I should be looking at. Sounds like the best idea is to head into a bike store...I know of Roll and the new Trek store on Lane...and there is a bike store near Clintonville I drive by a lot too. Any other suggestions?
 
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I bought a hybrid..because I was never sure what type of surface / terrain I was going to be on...

The way I understood it...
Roads only - skinny tires
Off road - mountain bike / fat tires

But most of my time is on canal towpaths... or bike trails with woodchips/ground stone... so I did the hybrid... You couldn't do my trails with the skinny tires... The hybrid is the in-between tires.. There are times I wish I had a mountain bike... but then when I'm on the road.. that doesn't work as well...

No doubt.. a bike shop is going to ask all the right questions and match you up to the bike... I went with the hybrid to give me flexibility
 
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wadc45;1741089; said:
I am in the exact same situation...I was going to stop into Roll (up at Polaris) this past weekend but never made it in there. I am looking for something similar...something to ride on the road once or twice a week to mix up the workouts. I'm 6-0 185 and have no idea what type of bike or size or whatever I should be looking at. Sounds like the best idea is to head into a bike store...I know of Roll and the new Trek store on Lane...and there is a bike store near Clintonville I drive by a lot too. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

A hybrid has wider tires and higher handle bars than a road bike. It's in between a road bike and mountain bike.

Roll is fine, probably the place you are thinking of in Clintonville is north of campus, Baer Wheels.

The guy in there is a real prick.
 
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It's unfortunate but some bike shops have a elitist prick attitude and unless you ride with certain groups you get sneered at. Don't put up with any attitude! Walk out the door and find a dealer who cares.

A drop bar bike is usually your best bet because you can find a comfortable hand position on any length ride.

If you ride on rough roads don't get an aluminum bike(they transmit a lot of road surface vibration and you won't want to ride further.)
Your best bet is probably a carbon fiber bike as they absorb a lot of road vibration and you'll want to ride more! (and carbon fiber looks waaay cool!) Specialized, Giant make reasonably affordable carbon bikes. If you know your size you could even order online from Neuvationbike.com. They have great deals on bikes. John Neugent runs a one man, online business. http://www.neuvationcycling.com/

The fit of the bike is very important as it will make you more comfortable and confident on the bike. You can pay your dealer for a fit kit/service. It makes a good starting point for comfort/efficiency.
A word on tire size and comfort/durability; There's no reason to use skinny 19-23 section tires unless your a racer. Most bikes can fit a wider tire which will be more comfortable and less flat prone. 25-28 section. This was told to me by a well known, custom bike builder.
Learn to do basic bike maintenance. Maintain a reasonable tire pressure. Lube your chain regularly. Learn to change a flat and keep a flat kit on your bike. Take a cell phone with you. Because you will inevitably ruin a tire and you'll need a ride home. I run Kevlar belted tires and have had great luck avoiding flats.
Find a bike path or some place with little traffic and have fun!
 
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jimotis4heisman;1741206; said:
define "rough"

what does a carbon fiber bike go for?
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You do not need a carbon fiber bike if you're only riding a few days a week. You'll pay at least double that of an aluminum bike.

Everyone I know has an aluminum bike and they are fine. Don't get me wrong, carbon bikes are lighter but I've test ridden some and the "feel" of the road was not discernibly diffferent to me.

Here's basically the bike I have:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/defy.3/3882/37101/
 
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jimotis4heisman;1741206; said:
define "rough"

what does a carbon fiber bike go for?
Click to expand...

If where you ride has a noisy road surface and you feel it, you'll appreciate a carbon fiber bike. If the road was recently paved, you can get away with a cheaper aluminum bike.
The bigger point here is if your not comfortable when riding you'll park that bike and won't want to ride more. Lots of people buy bikes(even very expensive bikes) and ride them a couple times and park them because they're not comfortable. Your comfort is everything! :biggrin:
 
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I imagine doing most of my riding up and down the Olentangy/Scioto bike trails...I am just trying to figure out how to get a decent entry-level bike without spending thousands of dollars. Sounds like I should give Roll a try and see what they reccommend...ashamed to say it but I was just going to go to Dick's or something and see what they had...sounds like that would have been a mistake (even TDD told me I should at least pop my head in the Trek store...I think that's what kind of bike her father has and he's doing the Pelotonia).
 
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