Bicycle recommendations???

[cherribom1]

Would like to buy a bicycle for exercise around the neighborhood. Nothing fancy just something like a cruiser style, comfortable seat and at a reasonable price. Any recommendations???...

[not2late]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

This is what a former Manhattan bike messenger told me:
Unless you are planning on doing racing, buy a mountain bike. Mountain bikes are built sturdier, their tires have more traction (because they are built to ride over mud, gravel, and paved roads), and they are generally less expensive than road bikes and cruisers.
He used a mountain bike when he was a messenger. He also said that the more expensive bikes might not be a good investment in the long run because the cost of repairs may be nearly the price of a new bike.
I have a Schwinn Ladies mountain bike that I bought at Walmart for $124 (it was on sale.) The only major modification I did to the bike was change the seat to something more cushioned (lol) and add a bicycle basket.
I use my bike for errands and I bike to the high school track to bike/walk laps. Additionally, I bought a cycle trainer so that I can make my bike into a stationary-exercise bike in the colder months.

[thirteenlbs]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

I bike to and from work every day. A good bike shop bike will run you at least $300, but I have to say...they are worth it. Pedaling is easier, gears shift more smoothly-- an overall FAR better ride than a huffy, schwinn, or the like. I had those too, and ended up selling them on craigslist.

I recommend Giant (I have a Giant), Marin Woods, or Trek. If you get last year's models you can save a smidge more.

[jadensmom]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

Try craigslist.org I got a $700 bike for $85 Because the guys wife wasn't into exercise or getting off the couch. It really looked like she had never rode it. Try there maybe you can find a good deal! When I was fit I used to mountain bike. I like the versitility of a mountain bike versus a cruiser and you never know where you might have the chance to ride it. It was hard to try to ride even on an small incline. I rented a cruiser once at lake tahoe just to ride around down by the beach. I got about 4 blocks turned around and upgraded for a mountain bike. Not2late you are wonderful! I never fought about that a (cycle trainer) brilliant, absolutely brillant!

[not2late]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

See I don't mind the bike being heavy or hard to pedal----I figure since I'm biking for exercise, the extra effort means more calories burned. Plus, I live in a semi rural area: plenty of gravel roads, plenty of packed dirt "side walks", plenty of uneven potholed roads. And I also take the bike out on bike trails for weekend exercise----around here they are a combo of paved, dirt and gravel so I need the ruggedness, stability and versatility a mountain bike offers.

If I lived in Manhattan, I would opt for a road bike. But cherri lives in the Bronx and depending on the neighborhood, the Bronx can be very urban (Tremont Ave and Broadway) or almost suburban like City Island and Riverdale. (Yes, I spent time in da' Bronx!)

Cycle trainer: yeah, I hook my bike to it during the colder months, so I can use it for exercise when the weather outside is frightful.

[JulieB]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

One suggestion - you can get Hybrid tires now, they are pretty smooth underneath and knobby on the sides - you get a nice smooth ride on pavement, but still get extra traction "off road".

I got an expensive Mountain bike...I weigh almost 300lbs (well, I did at the time) and needed something really sturdy. I am also quite short (5'2") and need a small frame. Fortunately, my brother-in-law worked at a bike shop and got me a great deal on a used one someone traded in

Something else to consider...do you need to carry this bike up stairs or anything to store it? Bike shops will carry 'light' bikes - they are a little more expensive, but if you have to haul a heavy bike up-and-down stairs, will you use it?

[thirteenlbs]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

^^^Ditto JulieB's entire post!

[cherribom1]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

Wow, thanks guys for all your advice! I live near City Island so I can enjoy riding the paved trails in Pelham Bay Park/City Island but the neighborhood is suburban looking with paved streets, potholes and side walks, not too many hills. I don't have to carry it up any stairs. I can store it in my shed outside. I have a lowrider bicycle right now which is impossible to ride. So a cruiser might be the same thing. But I remember as a kid hating the gears of my mountain bike and the chain would always fall off. And a comfortable seat is really important to me. I guess I will go to a bike shop and try a few out...

[JohnSantos]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

Ditto on the Trek bikes, I love them. Get a hybrid tire and have them install puncture resistant tubes. You can practically ride over a glass bottle and keep going fine.

IMHO mountain bikes are harder to pedal and made my legs BURN the first few days. But then again, it's a ridiculous amount of exercise. I used to get on Google Earth and find all uphill routes for my 30 minute ride. Kinda sadistic, but the weight shed like water.

[not2late]

Re: Bicycle recommendations???

Ditto on the Trek bikes, I love them. Get a hybrid tire and have them install puncture resistant tubes. You can practically ride over a glass bottle and keep going fine.

If the puncture resistant tubes are the kind with the goo in them, then they'll add more weight to the bike. The president of the local mountain biking club told me that they hate those goo puncture resistant tires because they weigh down the bike. But if you're using it for exercise and don't mind the extra effort, then it's not a negative.

IMHO mountain bikes are harder to pedal and made my legs BURN the first few days. But then again, it's a ridiculous amount of exercise. I used to get on Google Earth and find all uphill routes for my 30 minute ride. Kinda sadistic, but the weight shed like water.

That's why I love my mountain bike---exercise. Even when I'm biking to the 7-eleven for a newspaper I get exercise just peddling it. But if I didn't necessarily want a bike for exercise, but to get around the easiest and not really work my muscles, then I would opt for a road bike.

Another thing about my mountain bike----I sit upright. I feel safer and more in control of the bike than if I were hunched over

cherri: I love the City Island/Pelham area. City Island reminded me of the Chesapeake Bay towns I grew up near. I always wondered if they ever raised the drawbridge at City Island....