Buying a Bike
I am looking to purchase a bike to ride around Shore Rd and the pier. I dont have any experience in purchasing a bike. Any recommendations of what to buy and where?
I am looking to purchase a bike to ride around Shore Rd and the pier. I dont have any experience in purchasing a bike. Any recommendations of what to buy and where?
guikazoid,
I only glanced at the used bikes for sale at the Flea. I had assumed that they were ready for use. I guess I should have looked more closely.
After telling you how to buy a bike which may be more than you want, I feel I have to share that my wife bought a $200.00 hybrid (12 yrs ago $200) from Sports Authority. There was nothing wrong with it: we did switch the tires to something high pressure and she rode that bike for a season and at the end of that season did a 107 mile ride with me. But, she was one of the folks that soon upgraded – to a Cannondale.
Steve
@Bob I saw them at the flea today. They were kind of pricey and rusty! My girlfriend wanted one of those vintage looking ones but required lots of repairs.
I noticed a large selection of used bikes at the opening day of the Brooklyn Flea today (Saturday).
Don’t get a cheap bike like the ones sold in Sears and Walmart. You’ll spend more money fixing the bike, and it still will feel like a piece of junk. Try to get something decent. You’ll have to spend about 350 to 400. Cannondale and Trek’s are a good bet. You’ll be comfortable on a hybrid if you just want to tour around the shore.
I recommend Bicycle Habitat in Manhattan. (BicycleHabitat.com) The store is located on Lafayette Street, near Spring St in NYC. This is one of the best bicycle stores in the City. They will advise you properly, and will not rip you off.
All good advice…but it also shows what’s wrong with the state of biking here; it’s intimidating to the newcomer when it shoudn’t be. You should be able to walk in and buy a bike without worrying about components and styles.
Get a bike with an upright riding posture. It’s the best unless you want to look cool in spandex (and don’t buy spandex). Weight is also not that big an issue for casual riders, so no need to spend more on lightweight frames. Suspension is a waste of money. Get a good saddle…firmness is important as soft saddles tire you faster.
Though more expensive, you might want to consider a hub-gear bike (I have an Jamis Commuter with an 8-speed Shimano hub) which is bullet proof, easier to shift and you’ll never have to rethread the chain when it falls off, as it does sometimes on derailleurs.
And…the best lock you can afford!
unless you plan on doing any serious road riding or mountain biking, I would recommend a hybrid. I am a former long distance road cyclist and when I moved to the city I bought a moderately priced hybrid. It was not long before I realized how much I missed cycling and began using the hybrid for trips to the east end of the island or down to the Jersey shore. I share this with you because it shows the versatility of a hybrid in the event that you really like this and start to take it seriously (I have seen too many people buy an ok bike only to find out in a month that they really want a better bike to really ride).
Also, when buying a bike, particularly if you are not sure how much you will use this, you may want to inquire more about the frames than about the components. Find which bikes have the same frame that you like and then buy the bike with the cheaper components – that way you still have a good frame and if you find this is something you want to spend more money on, you can always switch out the components, piece meal, later. When i bought my last cannondale, there were three or four models with the same frame – I bought the lower end one which was $500 less than the upper end model with the same frame.
If you buy and want to upgrade components later, it is best to wait until the winter and then shop for the prior year’s component line up from Nashbar or Perfomance bike. When they have their winter sales, they sell the old stuff at a massive discount. When I upgraded my cannondale to the stuff I could have bought on the bike if I chose a better model, I did so at a fraction of the cost – and got really top of the line stuff.
I have tended to stay with double wall heavy spoke rims in the city – I had a few of the cheaper ones fail on me here early on. Mavic rims are great – but again, buy the bike with the stock rim and if this is something you really like, wait until the winter sales at Nashbar and pick up your rims there.
It’s a great sport; enjoy.
Steve
buy something as light as you can afford. It means do not buy full suspension bike! Also mountain bikes look cool but people who want to cruise do not like them because of uncomfortable position.
Bikes can be stolen. So buy something you will not cry about when it is stolen.
“Motobecane USA” proven to be cheap and reliable choice for me and a few friends. Some of them sold on ebay and some from this online site: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mountain_bikes.htm I seriously doublt shop would beat these prices.
I second Bessie2’s suggestion of Roy’s. It’s not just that they’re nice—they’ll do an excellent job fitting you for a bike and won’t treat you like a chump if you’re new to riding, gear ratios, etc. Still enjoying a Cannondale bought there in 1993.