(no subject)

[ktron]

i think i'm shopping for a bicycle. i haven't had one since i moved up here; the bike i had in cookeville spent the winter outside and rusted enough that i didn't want to deal with moving it.

since i'm now gainfully employed and living in a house with a garage, there's no longer a pressing need to automatically default to the cheapest bike i can find.

but i don't have a big budget, either.

anyone have any advice? what features are important if one desires to be a casual bicycling hobbyist? i know i want the quick-release front wheel so i can stuff it in my car and go someplace with less traffic, and i'm pretty sure i'll go for a mountain bike over a road bike since i'm not so much on the racing but could forseeably want to tackle rougher terrain. but other than that i'm kinda clueless. help?

Comments

[noritha.livejournal.com]

my parents were some hard core bikers back in the day, and not the kind with motors.

I would get a road bike because the more narrow the tires the easier to pedal and they have just a general better build, more slender and lightweight. A mountain bike you're going to be peddling harder, and they use wider tires which allow for more road friction. You get the idea.

My parents ALWAYS got gel seats. That might be standard now, I dunno. Rapid fire shifting was my favorite trick, allows you to switch gears much faster and easier, which is a plus in a hilly city like Ktown.

Over the years we ordered a few bikes (one a sport tandom, ohhhh it was sweet) from bike nashbar, www.nashbar.com. We also ordered shoes, jackets, helmets, everything from them. I have to say, their stuff lasted through us, and my family use to tear the shit outta things.

Good luck finding what you want. :)

[ktron.livejournal.com]

thanks so much! ah, and the mention of bike nashbar reminded me that just because my dad's a much more serious biker than i have any intention of becoming doesn't mean i can't ask him for advice on this one... we always had the nashbar catalogues around the house when i was a kid. also, the performance bicycling ones. i wish there'd been more family biking -- the tandem sounds awesome! just asking for advice has already got me an offer of a helmet that's too small for him. and rapid fire shifting sounds awfully nice - my last bike tended to get stuck in certain gears, so i eventually just found the comfiest one for level ground and stuck to it. which makes hills extra-good exercise, i suppose, but not much fun.

[mollyguru21.livejournal.com]

My dad is a bike nut. If you don't mind driving to the maryville/alcoa area, there's a great bike shop near the Mr. Gatti's. I can't recall the name of the place, you'll have to look it up, but the guys who work there will actually help you build one and won't push any crap you don't need on you. Tell them you're a friend of Bill's daughter and my dad might even build you one himself... At least it will get some of the parts out of my parents' basement. I also found a schwinn women's road bike in the dumpster up here. It needs a little work, but if it's too small for me, you're totally welcome to it.

[ktron.livejournal.com]

neat-o, mucho thanks, will certainly have to try driving down that way. and maybe, if he ever comes to visit, dragging over my dad the bike nut who i didn't think to ask until you and norma mentioned parental bikers. (i work in lenoir city, and a lot of people i work with drive from there, so it can't be that far, right?) good find on the schwinn, too -- my first ten-speed was a schwinn :) alas it's too little for me now. actually, what got the whole drooling over bikes things started here was happening to notice a mispriced schwinn at the wal-mart in lenoir city... i eventually decided that even though it was cheaper than it ought to be, the lack of quick-release wheels plus being a bit banged up made the bike at wal-mart a little less than ideal.