renaissance Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 I haven't owned a bike since I was in middle or high school, but I'd like to change that. Looking for something that I can ride around for fun on paved and perhaps some light off-road trails. Not sure of my budget because I don't know what's out there, but I'm in the hundreds range, not the thousands. Can anyone with some experience offer advice about what kinds of things I should look for in a bike, brands to avoid, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Best advice I can give you is buy a used one. Do you have a bike shop in town (note the difference between a bike shop and bike store)? If so, make any purchase of a used bike subject to the inspection of the shop. They also may have a list of used bikes or people looking to sell bikes. Alot of it is preference after that. You'll probably need to test a bunch of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 What kind of bike, road, mountain, cross over? what kind of riding are you going to be doing, where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dictator Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 I feel it's pretty important to have circular tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 What kind of bike, road, mountain, cross over? what kind of riding are you going to be doing, where? Just want to start riding for fun/exercise in the DC metro area. Will probably be on paved trails, but want to be able to go out on non-paved surface too. No hard-core mountain biking and no road races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejaydana Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 It sounds like you might be a casual bike rider. I would go with Craigs List to scout for used bikes first. The value of them, like almost anything, depreciates incredibly fast so you can own something decent for a small amount. I don't know if it's the same for girls but a comfortable seat is paramount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Definitely wheels, and a means to steer. And most importantly, the ability to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Hybrid bikes exist for your need. They have more robust tires than a pure road bike but much less friction than a traditional mountain bike. My wife has one that works great on paved surfaces but also is just fine for grave/dirt such as the W&OD Trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Kilmer's right, buy a used one. Weight is also important unless the idea is to get tired as quickly as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikbug Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Please just don't buy a walmart bike or other big store bikes, even though they sell bikes with names you might recognize, those brands have been sold off and are now made as cheap as possible to be sold in those stores. I 2nd checking CL, I've bought and sold probably 50+ bikes on there myself. Check out the Cannondale hybrids for the type of riding you are going to do, I had one and really enjoyed it before I switched to riding FG only, plus they aren't too much new, I think around $300? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 You want one with big wheels: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.