Poll of the Day > Any bicycle riders on here?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I was thinking of getting a bike to ride (instead of just using my stationary one at home).

I looked at a few websites and the prices are insane....4000$ for a bicycle? What the heck?

Seriously what is up with the prices for these things. I saw some used for $450 etc, but still that is pretty insane.

Thinking of looking on craigslist and let it go etc and see if they have some cheaper.

I don't mind paying $100-$150 for a decent bike, but I'm not paying as much as I would for a freaking car!!
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I've ridden a bike before

Thrift shop bikes are good. New cables, lube the bearings, maybe a new saddle. $25 or $35 and good to go.
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I got one from a friend who had it sitting in a garage for $125. It rode fine as it was, but I decided to take it to a bike shop to clean off some of the rust and lube it up. Another $40 latter and it was just like new!

Spend some money on a good saddle though. I didn't do that originally and my taint bone was sore for the next 3 days after an hour ride...
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Lol, ok, thanks for the advice, yeah I'm gonna look for one with a comfortable seat if possible, or upgrade to one. There are 2 used bike shops nearby (those are the ones with the 3-4k bikes!!) but I'm gonna call em and see if they have cheaper bikes since there are plenty listed on craigslist for under $100.

I can't imagine the used bike shops don't have them for somewhere around that as well.
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If your wondering why I have not called them yet.

One is closed on mondays (Bog), and the other doesn't open till 10 am.

I still get up at freaking 6:30 even though I don't need to anymore, which is super annoying because tons of places don't open till 9-10 am which seems like forever.

I'm gonna be smart and call before walking down there (couldn't fit the bike in my car, so I'll just walk and that way I can ride it back.

I live about 20-30 minute walk from downtown....so it's not bad, but with a bike it'll be like 10 minutes or less. Then I won't need to deal with parking etc when I go downtown. I could even make quick runs to safeway etc (probably about 20 minutes on a bike each way), as part of my work out routine (hehe). Fresh food every day!!!!

I think it's a great idea, and will motivate me to work out more, but I'm not paying $500+ for a bike.

Problem with craigslists/let it go etc is the bikes are all far away, so I'd have to rent a truck or something.
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Ok, I called the shop that opens at 10am.

Cheapest bike they have is $450


So not paying that much.

They said if I want a cheaper bike I should check the department stores (so the mall).

It's pretty far away (not bad on a bike, but probably over an hour on foot).

I could try and get a bike in my trunk and drive home slowly or something. I have some rope around here somewhere.

Gonna go check the cost at the stores like target right now.
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wolfy42 posted...

Cheapest bike they have is $450


So not paying that much.

Realistically, if you're looking for something decent, you should probably be looking in the $400-600 range for a new one. There's a sizable jump in quality from the $100-300 range to that one. Cheaping out on a Walmart Special will do the job, but it's not necessarily going to be a particularly comfortable ride (even with an aftermarket saddle upgrade; there's a lot more to bicycle ergonomics than how comfy the seat is), nor a particularly fast/efficient one, nor a particularly durable one. Cheaping out on this first bike to see how you like having one makes enough sense, but you're probably going to want to upgrade if you end up using it a lot.

If nothing else, free parking that you don't have to spend time searching for is huge. If you're taking your bike downtown on a regular basis, you'll fairly quickly save enough time and money to justify splurging a bit. Don't go for a $4000 one, obviously (even aside from the cost, those tend to be full-carbon frames, which are bad to put in bike racks because of how susceptible they are to impacts from other bikes), but you really don't need to be scraping the bottom of the barrel.
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Yeah, I got a $500 bike after owning nothing but Walmart bikes all my life. I don't ride it that much, but I think it was worth it. I wouldn't bother with anything that's sold by a department store or a big box sporting goods store.

Also, for getting the bike home, can't you like take the front tire off and put in the trunk, and then the rest of the bike in the back seat, or would that not work?

Yeah, I coughed up the $400 for my Giant Roam, but it was worth it to not have to rely on the city bus and walking to get to work, etc.
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I bought a two year old Gazelle for 100 bucks like 6 years ago and never had any problems with it.So far the most confortable one I had.
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Given the weight and quality difference between a $100 Target/Wal-Mart bike and a $400-500 road bike, I think it would be worth the extra cash to get the better bike. Some bike stores are bound to carry used bicycles as well.

Another option might be Craig list. I have heard of some folks buying pricey bicycles thinking to get into cycling only to lose interest and trying to sell their bikes. Of course some folks probably stole said bicycles and might be attempting to make a quick buck as well.
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My advice - take up running instead.

You'll get a much better cardio workout if you're out of shape. Cycling is easy and takes more effort to get a great cardio workout, and not to mention a much longer distance. Think 20+ mile bike rides to get a decent burn.

You also have to maintain your heart rate, and since you're biking for like 20 fucking miles, you're bound to hit stoplights, traffic, pedestrians, etc.

BTW, every one will hate you, EVERYONE - drivers honking and yelling, runners cursing at you. I got honked at once even though it was a green light and I had right away AND was in a crosswalk. I also had a car clip my rear tire almost causing me to wipe out because they weren't paying attention.

Trails made for biking/running suck - runners never pay attention and will cause crashes, other idiot bikers will ride two abreast, morons will try and split lanes to pass between people. People with easily bruised egos will try and speed up when you pass, or they'll waste a ton of energy and pass you, only for you to eventually go and pass them again.

You have to have a loud voice that projects. No matter how loud I yell "on your left", some idiot will complain they didn't hear me.

And don't forget the gear. It will take you 30 minutes just to get geared up, then you have to mount your bike to your car and drive somewhere. All this time spent and you could have been doing interval running and getting awesome cardio.

I will say that biking with clipless pedals will greatly strengthen your legs.
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Yeah, I think i'll pass on the target bikes for now. A store nearby is selling $599 bikes for $399, which is a pretty good deal, so I may check that out (and it's close to home so I can get there easy on foot).

I may see if they rent bikes anywhere nearby. They do in Seattle, but I don't think they do in Olympia. That would let me try it out and see if I really like riding a bike around or if I'm just gonna use my car anyway.

Don't wanna blow $400 even and then find I don't actually like using the bike!!
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wolfy42 posted...

Yeah, I think i'll pass on the target bikes for now. A store nearby is selling $599 bikes for $399, which is a pretty good deal, so I may check that out (and it's close to home so I can get there easy on foot).

I may see if they rent bikes anywhere nearby. They do in Seattle, but I don't think they do in Olympia. That would let me try it out and see if I really like riding a bike around or if I'm just gonna use my car anyway.

Don't wanna blow $400 even and then find I don't actually like using the bike!!

You get what you pay for. Target bikes are huge pieces of shit. They way a ton, and have bottom of the barrel parts that will not last.

The real cycling bikes cost a lot for a reason - they are farrrrr more comfortable, are lighter, and last longer. You also want to make sure you get a bike that fits your height. Riding on the wrong bike can destroy your knees in no time.
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I just looked up the place that is closed on Monday....and they sell used bikes (Still expensive though), but more importantly they also rent them!!!

So I'll go tomorrow (in my car as I have to hit the bank and go shopping), and try a bike out, and then I'll know if I like it and want to use one in the future!:)

I don't think I could fit a bike in my trunk even with the front wheel taken off, although that is a good idea to try (since it's not hard to do that I'm guessing).

Probably be easier/safer to walk to the place selling the bike, then ride it back, but I can always come up with another solution. Worst case it's like $20 or something to rent a truck for an hour usually (or at least used to be).
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@Renraku_San

Get a bell, dude

wolfy42 posted...

I don't think I could fit a bike in my trunk even with the front wheel taken off, although that is a good idea to try (since it's not hard to do that I'm guessing).

Not the bike, just the tire, with the bike in the backseat. Or vice versa, you can try either.

My advice - take up running instead.

Running is incredibly hard on the knees. Plus with biking you can basically use it as an easier form of transportation. For example, instead of driving 5 minutes to the farmer's market, bike instead. Or bike to work, save on gas.

Running has benefits over biking, but I honestly haven't met a runner who doesn't have messed up knees or back.
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I hate running, it just makes me hurt. I feel like when I ride my bike I can keep my heart rate up, but I rarely feel out of breath or like I'm struggling unless I get on a long uphill stretch

Yeah, running is out as my right ankle goes out on me sometimes and running would not work with that. I can walk ok, but running is out.

Biking can get me to most places almost as fast as driving would, so that is pretty good, but I don't need a super expensive bike to ride it 10 minutes each way.
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Yeah but if you ever want to take your bike out besides just for running errands and whatnot, you'll wish you had a better one

ITT: People who failed at running get upset when I recommend running over biking.

Also ITT: People who really haven't biked in urban environments or much at all provide less feedback than I did and act like adding a fucking bell to your bike is going to solve all the problems I mentioned.
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I wasn't acting like it would solve all your problems, but when one of your complaints is about having to yell "on your left", it sounds like you don't own a bell. Sometimes when I hear people yell "on your left", even though I know what it means, it doesn't always register very quickly, especially if there are other people around talking. With a bell you can just mash on that thing quickly and it's easier to get the point when you hear one.

Do they have bells that sound like car horns? Cuz that would be useful where I live...
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Eh, I try to avoid urban biking and won't try to pretend like it doesn't suck. I live in Colorado though so a lot of towns try to be pretty bike-friendly, but there are inevitably places where it just isn't feasible to put in a bike path.

I get much more annoyed as a driver than a cyclist in urban situations, though. I know "share the road" and all that, but sometimes they just act so entitled. I hate when they ride side-by-side, for example, or when you have a three-foot-wide bike lane but they choose to ride basically on the painted line for the lane.

Blue_Thunder posted...

Do they have bells that sound like car horns? Cuz that would be useful where I live...

I usually use an air horn. They are louder then car horns in most cases.
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Dikitain posted...

Blue_Thunder posted...

Do they have bells that sound like car horns? Cuz that would be useful where I live...

I usually use an air horn. They are louder then car horns in most cases.

lol I can just imagine riding up behind someone on the sidewalk with one of those.
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Dikitain posted...

Plus with biking you can basically use it as an easier form of transportation. For example, instead of driving 5 minutes to the farmer's market, bike instead. Or bike to work, save on gas.

That's the biggest thing. Running may be better exercise, but you have to dedicate time to exercising in order to run. Biking allows you to get a non-trivial amount of exercise just by adding a couple minutes to your commutes and errand runs, which makes it far, far easier to integrate it into your life.
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DorkLink posted...

I wasn't acting like it would solve all your problems, but when one of your complaints is about having to yell "on your left", it sounds like you don't own a bell. Sometimes when I hear people yell "on your left", even though I know what it means, it doesn't always register very quickly, especially if there are other people around talking. With a bell you can just mash on that thing quickly and it's easier to get the point when you hear one.

For some reason in this area I live in, "on your left" is the standard. I hate it. I will yell it out to walkers and they will either get startled, turn around, or randomly move right or left.

And bells don't work either, same exact reaction.

I find it's easiest to just say nothing at all and pass people in the grass if possible. But then you'll get yelled at for not notifying them. It's literally lose/lose here and why I grew to hate biking in urban areas or on trails.
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