capt noonie, I need to know bike info!
 

Hi!!! :) I made this public in case anyone else wanted info too.

Can you recommend a bike for me, something affordable since I would be riding recreational, but something that can do roads and trails. I am 5'4'' tall, pretty uncoordinated LOL and haven't ridden a bike in like 20 years!

My husband would need one too... same type as me and he's about 5'9'' and hasn't ridden in probably 30 years.

We are planning to ride this summer! Ask anything else if you need more info (except my weight! :D LOL)

I love the Trek Dual Sport bikes, but unless you can find a place to get ahold of 2012 or later models the prices will be a tad pricey in the range of $550.

But it is always worth asking about getting older models, my bike was $4,200 but since I found a year later model I got it for half that and ended up cracking my frame 4 months later and ended up with the new model.


http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/dual_sport/

Last yr I started riding bikes too and it had been 20 yrs for me also. You may want to start by riding on sidewalks and streets first. Trail riding is hard I still cant do it and Ive been back riding for a yr. Theres all kinds of tree stumps and pot holes in th e trail that make riding on it hard. Also the type of bike youll want for trail riding is a mountain bike what ever you do dont try it with a street bike you need the thick tires of a mountain bike I made that mistake. You can ride mountain bikes on the street but I dont like to I need a thinner tire for street riding. Once you get into bikes it gets expensive because every bike is different and made for different th ings so you us ually have more t han one. There are 3 of us and we have 6 bikes and Im getting ready to buy a better quality one.

A lot depends on what level trails she is meaning, but for the basic entry level trails the dual bikes are good for both. Tires can be a pain, some people can handle fats on the road others can't BUT you will work a LOT harder to get moving on fats on the road, I actually ride fats on the road because I am too lazy to switch over my rims sets all the time and I refuse to buy another bike right now because I prefer to trail ride only.
But yes start easy... even riding as much as I did I still came out of a sharp curve hot a patch of roots so hard that my shoes came unclipped (I ride clipped into my pedals for power) went over the handlebars and cracked 2 ribs THEN still had to ride an hour back out of the woods.

Sorry I was just made aware of this thread. I wasn't ignoring you I swear! :)

From what you have said, I agree that you would most benefit with a hybrid bike, which is what is what Guinness said of Dual Sport. That's just what Trek calls their hybrid bikes. They are mostly aluminum frames with a suspension fork. The stock tires won't be super fat or super thin, but on the fatter side. They make them in 26" rims and 700s (sometimes call them 29ers). I would recommend the 26" for you. Also they will have frame sizes, from 14" up to 18" for the most part for ladies. They have upright riding position and riser bars (straight bars). I would demo one at your local shop and start out with the smaller ones. Every company will have different geometry (specs) so one size in one company can have a totally different fit than another (just like clothes).

Now these bikes are not the same a Cyclocross bikes, or Cross bikes. Those are more like road bikes but with thicker tires, and those types of bikes are for races during the rainy season where they ride on road, dirt/mud, hop off their bike and carry it over obstacles, etc. These bikes do not have suspension. These are with drop bars (road bike style bars) and more aggressive riding position (more leaned over).

A full on mountain bike can have front suspension only (hardtail) or full suspension. These are more for downhill riding, which is not the same as trail riding. Downhill riding is like what chachi mentioned. Avoiding tree stumps, jumps, steep downhill trails. These bikes also tend to be much heavier. You can ride a MTN bike on the road, but the fat knobby tires have a lot of drag and you will have to use more effort to pedal.

If you are talking about trail, like hiking trail type, with dirt, small pebbles, and a clear path, then you don't need a full mountain bike, a hybrid will be fine.

I should mention that riding on trails or along the river bed (if you area has that) or bikes lanes at the beach is much safer than riding on the street, bc obviously the cars.

Also the prices Alisha mentioned are about right for a decent entry level bike. You don't want something too cheap bc it will feel cheap and make you not want to ride your bike. Also the advice about getting an old model is great too. Bigger shops can probably do the big discounts. I wouldn't try to get something half off from a mom and pop shop. I doubt they'd even be able to sell it for that. Markup on bikes from the big names are barely 15-20%. So to sell something at 50% off is a significant loss to the dealer.

However, shops are able to get lists of inventory of what a certain manufacturer still had in stock from older models, so it's worth it to ask what is available. Even if it's not in the shop, they can look up what's available to special order for you, and these are closeout prices, so the shop buys is for less than normal, and hopefully pass on the savings to you. Some shops will charge a fee for special orders, or one piece special order shipping, so make sure you ask about that too. Those little fees can add up to another $50 or more.

My DH and I got new bikes a couple years ago and we just love them. They look like a regular bike but they have the rider sitting in a more upright position as opposed to leaning over the handrail. We are a bit older, not yet retired but wanted something that didn't look like the old style beach bike but had gears and was comfortable to ride. We purchased from a bike shop and the bikes are: brand (Giant), model (Suede DX). This was a few years ago but the DH thinks they still offer the "Suede" model. We purchased for around $500 each but well worth it if you are looking for a really comfortable ride.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but I thought I would pass on the info just in case it might be for you. Good luck and enjoy riding this Summer!!

I bought a beach cruiser style schwinn last summer, that has breaks & a few gears (necessities for me). It's an ok bike for how little I use it, now that I no longer live in subdivision with sidewalks & trails. But, because I now have no where to ride, unless I haul my bike to a local walking/riding trail...I wish I'd bought a better quality/lighter weight bike, as it's a pain to lift & mount on a bike rack. It sure looks pretty sitting in my garage though. It's black & pink...very pretty :D

Yeah, beach cruisers are more cute, but for the most part, really heavy (like 40 lbs for steel, 30 lbs for aluminum) and for the ladies frame, really awkward to get on a bike rack, that is if you can even lift it up there!

But I wholeheartedly agree with chachi, that you need to have a certain type of bike for each type of activity. Hybrids really are the only ones that can do more than one. I currently ride a fixed gear bike. Bf just started doing downhill on a Fuji, and he says it's so fun and a rush, so I have to try that next.

My dream bike is a Pashley bike. But the men's one, the smallest they make is a 50 (20"). They had one on display at Interbike last year oh my was it pretty! I'm hoping they'll have it again this year, so maybe I can buy the sample. But I doubt it will be the small size, they never display the small. =(
Pashley Cycles - Clubman Country

I have had bikes all my life, I used to BMX race then moved onto freestyle trick bikes then went into trail riding so I owned every price range of bikes so i will tell you that for the most part it comes down to what you want to do with the bike and just test riding and finding what feels good to you!! Also when you go look tell them you might want to do some trail riding BUT give them an idea of the type of trails you are talking about. If you want to look into Treks see if you have a Trek store near you that is how I got my last year's model for cheap, you might pay more but they have a great warranty. I ride a Gary Fisher 29er which is a hardtail mountain bike BUT unless you plan on getting really frisky with trail riding you would not need anything like mine... My idea of fun riding is stuff like this :p

Ryan has a new dream bike that he is trying to convince he NEEDS :rolleyes:

Yeti Cycles / Bikes

yea that was my problem I was convinced I wanted a beach cruser because they are so cute but they are hard to steer and you dont ever want to ride one out on a more difficult trail believe me I made that mistake had to walk the bike back

OOOHhh Thank you!!!!

So when I say trail riding I actually mean a trail in the woods, we have lots around here, but they are pretty smooth even trails, dirt, pebbles, but a defined trail that people ride all the time, kids too.

I'm going to look into a Trek bike I guess... that makes sense to me... can be ridden on the road and on trails, as long as they are not obstacle, in the woods type trails, right? We have tons of rail trails up here... paths made for bikers to stay off roads, the one nearest us actually is about 25 miles long. If we get good, we could ride 50 miles in a day!

Thanks so much for the info!!!

So do you think this is a good bike to start with? I hate to spend $500 on a bike and say "A good starting bike!" LOL

Trek 7100 - www.goodalesbikeshop.com

Yikes. That Yeti's frameset alone could almost buy two of my Clubmans. :D

I could probably do that walking without tripping and falling. :p

I don't sell Treks here, so I don't know too much about pricing. but just do some research online, and you will know if it's a good deal or not. Keep in mind, that even though $500 is a lot of money, anything less than that you won't really get a good quality bike. The components will be really cheap, no name, or made out of plastic. Try to look for a bike that is made in Taiwan as opposed to China. The price will be higher but you will be able to tell the difference in quality.

Think about it this way. Spend a little more on a good bike that fits you well and is fun to ride and that $500 or more will be put to good use. Or spend $200 on a POS and have it sit there in your garage bc you hate it, and that was $200 totally wasted.

Oh and let me warn you now.... you will have to break in those lovely sit muscles so for the first week no mater how bad your bum hurts just keep riding :p and here is one upgrade you might be interested in... A nice little shock for your bum if you are riding wooden paths.
Welcome to Thudbuster.com

PS... some of the bikes you are looking at might have reviews here for you to get an idea... Mountain Bike Product Reviews - Mtbr.com

LOL I always forget to warn people about this! And this is what makes most people stop riding! I have a 40+ year old Brooks on mine so I kinda forget about that.

HAHAHA!!! I did a spinning class only 1x. I walked out with the sorest 'sit muscles' EVER and said NO WAY to ever doing it again!!! LOL That was the only thing that was sore for days on end, walking like cowboy so one cheek did not touch the other! LMAO!!!!

Anyways, our buddy has 2 Trek bikes he bought 20 years ago. They are garaged and off the ground, always have been. His (now ex) wife rode hers 1x and he rode his a handful of times, but this is 20 years ago. We are going to check them out and maybe borrow them for awhile to see how we like it this summer. If we love it and do it often, we'll go buy our own bikes (unless he just gives us his) I don't know much at all about bikes or bike technology, so no idea how a 20 year old bike would differ from new bikes, but I'm thinking if it was a good bike back then, it has 2 wheels, handles bars and pedals, it's worth trying it out right?

Yes! If he's willing to let you borrow them why not? Technology has changed but not much in the lower end of the market.

How long have the bikes been sitting? You should take them to your LBS and have then check them out. Most likely will need new tubes and tires if they've been sitting for a while, and maybe a light tune up.

I was thinking the same thing, then my brother (whos an avid rider with $6,000 bikes) said that new tubes and tires for the bikes could cost $100 each? Is that true? Thats not something I want to buy for someone else's bikes... I'd rather pay $500 and get 2 new bikes with all new tires! LOL

Maybe for his $6000 bikes, yes. But you have to think about what shop you go to. Labor rates can vary dramatically. We only charge $7 to put in a tire or tube. The shop down the street charges $20. Then tires can range from $15 for cheapy no names, up to $100+ for high performance; and the tube itself around $7 each. Then times that by 4 (2 tires on each bike, and 2 bikes).

Simple tune ups are also going to run anywhere from $25-70 depending on what you want done and if you need anything replaced (cables, chains, etc).

If you just want to try out the bikes for a day, see if the tubes will hold any air. It really depends on how long the bikes have been sitting. If it's been more than a few months I would really suggest getting at the very least new tubes. If your brother can help you change them out, then you don't have to pay the labor for the shop to do it for you. But since tubes are rubber, they can dry out. When you inflate a dried out tube, it will create fissures and air will come out.

However, the money you have to pay to get these bikes up and running will be about $100 or more, but remember that $500 will get you ONE new bike with new tires, so if you get two that's $1000.

Maybe you can strike a deal with your friend. Once you give him back his bikes (all newly tuned up with new tires) maybe he can pay you some of it back, maybe 50% since you got them fixed up? Or is he willing to just give you these bikes? If these bikes are in overall good condition (no rust or anything like that) then maybe it might be worth it to keep these old bikes. Check to see if the wheel spin true also (no wobbles). Trueing a rim can cost $20+ each.