Bicycle Advice

[Topshelf]

Fellow CFers, can you help with a bike purchase?

I am not much of a biker but need a bike to go on rides with the wife and one year old daughter. We probably won't do a ton of biking so I don't want to buy a very expensive bike. What should I buy?

How are the Schwinn's at Target?

I live in Ames.

We will be doing mostly road riding but may one day participate in RAGBRAI or an MS bike ride.

We will also be buying a trailer for the one year old to sit in behind one of our bikes.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[zach]

I am placing an order on a new road bike this week. I am going from hybrid w/shocks to a road bike because my interests have changed...I don't have to pull my daughter around in a burly as she rides her own bike. I like to get out on the road and ride 20-50 miles as fast I can. There is a bike for everyone. Since you are looking at family rides or around town, go with a hybrid or performance hybrid. Since you are in Ames, I suggest Skunk River Cycles rather than Target/Walmart because there is a difference in quality, longevity and after sale support. In my opinion, you would be best served buying a used bike at Skunk than a new bike at Target. Don't get to caught up in the brand because there are a lot of good bike manufacturers out there and some advertise more than other...go for a price point that meets your budget.


Z

 

[MrPeske]

Yeah, since you are riding with your family, you dont need a fast bike, you need one that you can pull a trailer on. You want your wife to have a faster bike so that you two ride ~ the same speed...

Buy used, learn about the various deraillures (sp)... ride several different bikes & try to determine the differences b/n them... one possibility is a mtn bike with smaller tires (almost like a hybrid)...

1st thing you need to do is determine the size of bike that fits you then you can look for those bikes; I'd look thru craigslist too...

 

[Dopey]

I am placing an order on a new road bike this week. I am going from hybrid w/shocks to a road bike because my interests have changed...I don't have to pull my daughter around in a burly as she rides her own bike. I like to get out on the road and ride 20-50 miles as fast I can. There is a bike for everyone. Since you are looking at family rides or around town, go with a hybrid or performance hybrid. Since you are in Ames, I suggest Skunk River Cycles rather than Target/Walmart because there is a difference in quality, longevity and after sale support. In my opinion, you would be best served buying a used bike at Skunk than a new bike at Target. Don't get to caught up in the brand because there are a lot of good bike manufacturers out there and some advertise more than other...go for a price point that meets your budget.


Z

This.

If you do your research, you'll see the Trek's and Giant's of the biking world charge more for the same components. There might be something to if for mountain biking if you're convinced the frames are stronger, but for average commuter/leisure biking, there's no difference from the big boys to the smaller brands except better deals on the components.

I've noticed that FUJI bikes seem to have a really good bang for the buck as far as components go. Check out the FUJI Absolute.

 

[CySmitty]

I agree with most of the advice given above. You most certainly want a hybrid. If you are planning on doing rides as long as day of RAGBRAI or MS you should stick to a better bike than you can buy at Target. If you buy at a bike shop you will get a bike that's more fun to ride and a bike that is properly tuned. When you buy a bike at target they are just slapped together. I have worked with guys who have put them together and they get paid by the bike to put them together.

I would recommend Bike World I am biased since I worked there during college but Steve the manager is an awesome guy.