Yet Another Bike Thread...Which to Buy

[Rob Channell]

OK. So I am 6'1", 235lbs and not in great shape. I decided it was time to lose some weight and live a little more of a healthy lifestyle. A buddy is doing a sprint triathlon in August and I decided to sign up as a way of committing myself to the changes required. I have started running/walking and would like a bike. I have no aspirations of winning or even being very competitive. For me it's all about losing some weight (lowers both my weight and my car's at the track), being more healthy, having more energy and endurance, possibly sleeping a little better, etc... For the race my first goal is to just finish with the secondary being a time as near to or under an hour and a half as I can get.

I took my old Shogun CroMoly 300 bike (vintage 1983) to the local bike shop where they said they could straighten the rear wheel(aluminum) and do new tires/tubes,seat post(was cracked), brake and shifter cables and the associated cleaning and adjustment for $234. It has a few small surface rust places but nothing major. That may not be a lot of money for the work being done but it is a fair amount to end up with an old steel bike with friction shifting. Even the $229 Schwinn at Target has indexed shifting now, although the frame is a mid 50s cm frame so "one size fits some" applies.

The local bike shop (LBS) has a Scott Speedster P4 flat bar road bike for $415 and a few other Scott and Fuji models for more. They also carry Felt and Lynskey but I think they are a little pricier than I need. They also had a used Cannondale R200 in a large frame size that looked fair for an older bike. I think it is probably 8 years old or so and does have indexed shifting but has the shifters down low on the front down tube. The upside is the used bike is about $300. The shop guy said if I did buy that one it would not be too hard to sell it for $150 or so should I change my mind. I plan to do some street riding and also ride some of our local bike paths. At this point I am thinking of these two bikes but could be persuaded to move up the price scale a little if the value is a lot better. I don't need a super light bike as the easiest way to get a lighter biker/bike combination is for me to run and ride more and lose the extra 30 lbs off of me instead of the bike.

The things that do interest me are reliability, good personal fit, and indexed shifting. I do tend to lean towards the flat bar road bikes as I am no speed demon and typically enjoy a more upright position. If I got the used Cannondale I might be tempted to try a flat bar on it along with one of those gel seats for comfort. I plan to go back when I have a little more time and ride several of the bikes before deciding. Any recommendations or advice? Any features that are worth the extra money?

Thanks in advance.

[Hebrewhomeboy]

I would say no matter what you get, definitely spend a hundred bucks or so on a good seat. Gotta protect the manly bits, and bicycle seats aren't too friendly on the taint.

[herr_oberst]

Ask the bike shop if they'll work with you on the flat bar conversion. Since the shifting is already set up for indexed, you could get some nice push/push levers (used) from a mountain bike to go with the flat bar, (the derailleurs would be fine) then you'd need to replace the brake levers and go ahead and get all fresh cables. Point is, you don't need new stuff for an older bike, ask if they will dig around in the takeoff pile and hook you up a little.

I'd make sure that good personal fit is the key to this purchase or you won't ride. Any decent bike is reliable as long as you occasionally look to see what's about to fall off, you might have to learn to fix a flat on the road.

Indexed shifting is the only way to go.

If any one part of your body is causing great grief, be it the taint, wrists, knees, back, etc, then your bike is not fitting. If you don't know what your are looking for, let the bike shop know.

But really, enjoy the ride. It's a lot of fun to commute to work. And the money saved in gas will astonish you.

[nostatic]

Fit, fit, fit. A $400 bike will be fine. You can get a better "bargain" buying used, but you have to have some knowledge, and if it doesn't fit, then it is no bargain.

Flat bars on the road have some disadvantages. Road bars are shaped like they are for a reason - they provide a number of different hand and body positions depending on terrain, speed, etc. If you get some nice wide road bars (maybe 46cm given your height) and a frame/stem combo that puts them high enough, you might be surprised at how much you like them. Often the reason people don't like road bars is that they are way too low, whereas flat bars usually have a rise stem putting the seat/bar differential less.

That said, I have put many miles on my mtn bike with flat bars and bar ends. I can't live without the bar ends though.

And for another alternative, consider mustache bars. In fact, lots of good reading here about bike fit as well. I have their "noodle bar" on my road bike:

http://www.rivbike.com/article/components/bars_and_tape

http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_fit/fit_sizing_position

[Zef]

Welcome aboard the tri world...you'll love it, and watch yourself...it's addictive.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
Some pics from my last tri on June 6....

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Flat bars on the road have some disadvantages. Road bars are shaped like they are for a reason - they provide a number of different hand and body positions depending on terrain, speed, etc. If you get some nice wide road bars (maybe 46cm given your height) and a frame/stem combo that puts them high enough, you might be surprised at how much you like them. Often the reason people don't like road bars is that they are way too low, whereas flat bars usually have a rise stem putting the seat/bar differential less.

That said, I have put many miles on my mtn bike with flat bars and bar ends. I can't live without the bar ends though.

+1 on the bars. If you go with flat (MTB style) then definitely get the bar ends. They give you more hand positions (comfort) and allow you to pull harder with your upper body (power) for steep climbs. I ride lots of road miles on my MTB and spend 75% of the time on the bar ends. That said I would never put a flat bar on a road bike - the drop style bars have many more hand positions. I liked the wide ones that opened my chest (I have broad shoulders) with a comfortable tape job.

Like me you're on the "heavy" side when talking about cycling so make sure the wheels and brakes are up to par.

Lots of miles are key to any bicycle fitness strategy. Bottom line you have to put miles in the bank. Start at a comfortable (slow) pace that you can ride for 90 minutes or so. Keep a higher pedal cadence - 80-90 RPM min. You don't want to finish the ride completely tanked. A few weeks of this (3-4x week) and you'll start to see improvement.

[dd74]

Good gawd! Get the Lynskey and forget the cost.

The Linskey has been said to be one the best riding/handling, yet resilient and comfortable frames in the world right now. And they're handmade in Tennessee by the builder who started Litespeed.

For your size, I'd avoid carbon; particularly if you're new to the sport. One crack or even a good-sized ding, and the frame is toast.