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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
What kind of a bike should I buy? |
I know, a pretty general question and it seems to be asked a lot on here... but what's one more? I know nothing about bikes except for the fact that I know I like to ride them--as far as brand names and what kinds of things I need on a bike is beyond me...anyhow, here's some information about my riding habits, maybe you can lead me in the right direction to find me a good bike :) I ride close to 15 miles a day--about 2 miles on a dirt road, 2 miles through the woods and the rest on a nice flat paved bike trail. I hardly ever actually "mountain bike", but I'm not opposed to the idea of getting involved. I basically ride bike to get around ($3.00 for gas is outrageous) in addition to just riding to keep in shape. I've had the same cheap "Wal-Mart special" bike for the last 9 years and it's literally falling apart. I don't need the best bike out there, I just want one that will work for what I need it for. Any suggestions? Please include a price range, I am on a budget -- $300-400 Oh wow! How easy is that? Your description of the bike's trail plus its price range makes it very easy. The best clue is that it has a mixed job to do. In Europe, that's called a mixtie. Here we call it a Hybrid. There's a problem. The kind of hybrid you need is over there (except for one). In the U.S., bike makers are on a mission to bring road cycling back to us through the high speed road-ish hybrid, blatent copies of the 05 Specialized Cirrus. Specialized is the first company to ever speed up the hybrid all the way to competitive levels, thus opening a new market. Sales of Mountain bikes sort of tapered off, yet there was plenty of room for a road bike with the comfort of a cruiser at no cost to speed. None of these will take the tire that is optimal to the job you described. The 700c version of Kenda Kross Plus is slippery on gravel. However, the 26" version of Kenda Kross Plus is very secure, extremly cushioned, and very fast on gravel. It is also fast on pavement. The "Plus" version always has a brilliant yellow sticker, while inferior versions do not. "Plus" is the fast one that also has flat protection and lighter weight for speed up hills. Diamondback (Raleigh) makes an entry level "hybridized" XC racer. XC is the road-ish mountain bike, still on 26" wheels. The wheels are more narrow and the gearing is higher to provide speedy performance on a variety of surfaces. The tires you need will fit, along with several similar options, of course. SO, what we're looking for is the 26" XC, sloping frame mountain bike cousin to the Diamondback Edgewood/Winwood hybrid bike--or the Raleigh that came off the exact same assembly line. We're also looking for 26" XC narrow wheels and a 28-38-48 crankset for road-ish gearing and ever so much more flexability for going through the country, through town, to work, or riding with the road bike club on a weekend tour or vacation. #1 recommended: Diamondback Wildwood Deluxe is the nicest of these, with some very high performance and the right components (XC rims and road-ish gearing). This is a 24 speed bike, Shimano powered bike. The 8 speed rear drive is an advantage because there's no severe drop down to "grandma" gear that cases 21 speed bikes (7 speed rear) to throw the chain off at random. It also features shifters that were once considered very high end, and of course they're very good. It is also one of the few quality 24 speed bikes in your price range. #2 recommended: Raleigh Venture 4.0 is a similar, but slightly lesser product to Wildwood Deluxe. What do these need? They come with Kenda Komfort Plus tires that I have not personally tested on gravel. If you like them, keep them. Otherwise, switch to Kenda Kross Plus (yellow label goes on "drive side" of bike). They need the ecomony brake pads switched to Kool Stop brand MTB pads, because all economy pads eat rims. They need EPIC (white lightening brand) chain lube put all over the chain, deraileur, shifters. . .well, whatever moves that shouldn't get dirt. EPIC seals out dirt and it also goes inside components. Oils attract dirt and regular wax lubes don't help your chain at all. EPIC will keep the bike running well despit the gravel dust. Don't put EPIC into hubs, bottom bracket, or headset because it can remove the grease. However, ordinary automotive axle grease can be smeared (pushed) into the seams of hubs, bottom bracket, and headset one time when the bike is new and gravel dirt will never get in. Both of these better models come with XC rims that are specific for high speeds on pavement and gravel roads. At this price range, all wheels are machine made and will require a "Set" which is an extensive wheel truing, in one month of riding (same as anything in your price range). After the set, the wheels should be maintenance free. The bike store sometimes does the first truing for free. You'll need the usual under-seat flat pac, like the Bell Stow Away from Wal-Mart, extra tube (from the bike store), a few allen wrenches (99 cents, Wal-Mart), that Bell red triangle rear blinkie (Wal-Mart), a Serfas or Cateye LED headlight, an "under the water bottle" MTB air pump (from the bike store) and a couple of aluminum water bottle cages (from the bike store). You'll also need a speedometer. The Schwinn branded speedometer from Wal-Mart is waterproof and up to the job. Why? The odometer feature is crucial to keep your bike running right because you've got to change the chain every 1000 miles of gravel or 2000 miles of pavement, otherwise the gears all get eaten up and shifting doesn't work any more. This is normal for the vast majority of bikes. These particular bikes take a Shimano HG50 ($11) or HG70 ($14) chain at 1000 mile to 2000 mile increments. The installation tool costs about $4 and the job is very easy because directions are included with the chain. To tell for sure when its time to change, check the chain at random with a ruler to make sure that 24 links fit exactly and precisely to 12 inches and not one bit further, because 1/8 over the mark means it is time to buy new cassette and crankset. Inspection and odometer for a timely chain renewal will keep your bike healthy for many, many years. #also available at a rock bottom price range: listed because you might want to avoid them. . .or not Diamondback Wildwood is a 26" XC mountain hybrid that fits the bill, but the cheaper gears make it slightly heavy. It has a 21 speed drivetrain and no lack of speed on flat ground. However, the huge gap in the Mega 7 rear drive makes for slower hills as does the extra weight of this less expensive model. Wildwood Citi is cheapest made version. It is steel. Take a magnet with you. It won't stick to the frame of the better model. ;) These may be too heavy for road touring because the extra weight is taxing on hills. The Wildwood Deluxe and the Venture 4.0 bikes are a hybridized XC racer, which is a road bike that looks as much as possible like a mountain bike, with the end result of being very fast on both road and gravel, and very secure on gravel. This type of bike should never have a MTB slick tire. That would slow it down and make it unable to stop on wet pavement. While the tires recommended and the tires included are already faster than a MTB slick--these bikes can fit authentic road tires because of the XC wheels. The Panaracer Pasela Tourgaurd Folding at 26" x 1.25 is an authentic road touring tire, with the typical uphill speed boost expected in a road bike tire. The Pasela and other "about an inch wide" 26 inch road bike tires do require the specialty smaller, lighter inner tubes. Changeover to a road tire isn't required to ride with the road touring club on the weekends, but it is a blessing if there are many hills. Keep this in mind for your next bike tour (vacation with hundreds of others, all on bike). That last bit was to let you know about the very flexable nature of this bike and that you can use it for a variety of jobs with good results. Now, onto the sizing: This, being hybridized, should be expected to show a lot of seatpost. Standover height will not be an accurate measure of proper bike frame size, and would get you something that is way too large, with sky high handlebars and a very slow speed. That's right. A fitting will not work at all. Sizing methods don't apply to hybridized bikes. Test drives will work really well. The test drive is vital to insure that you get a bike that pleases you. Whichever bike is both the most comfortable and the fastest is the right size. That's the only way to tell with a hybrid. Buy the one that is the most fun. Of course, extra fun is the point of today's hybrid. Oh, shoot! I thought you meant a REAL bike! You might check into something along the lines of a comfort series mountain bike. It is a more upright riding position as opposed to the more aggressive positioning of the true mountain bike. Unfortunately they usually come stock with an adjustable stem which is not supposed to be used for offroad riding (the through the woods thing, especially aggressive off roading). You may check into the sedona line by Giant. The base model is about $320 and they go up (better shock & components as the price goes up. The Specialized equivalent is the expedition line, and Trek's version is the navigator. All will run in about your price range. I would go for a mountain bike, such as the specialized rockhopper or hardrock series, or any other mountain bike inside your price range would do. I would however, change the tires to a hybrid mountain/ slick tire, since you will be off roading, but the majority of your ride is on road. Any trek, giant, cannondale, specialized, etc. bike in your price range would be good for you if you can ride your route on a wal-mart bike. Again, main upgrade is a semi slick tire and if you want, fenders. i would go with mongoose moto-x electric/pedal. half the work and it has full suspension. at shopko lowist price in my town. I read all these answers and skimmed the really long one. You described trails that would be good for a cyclocross bicycle. This is not a hybrid because it's more aerodynamic and lighter than hybrid. Cyclocross biking outdates mountain biking, and is common in Europe. Do some searching online. I just bought a LeMond Poprad '05. It's smooth and comfortable. It looks like a road bike and I even put roadie wheels on it to replace the thinner knobbies that came with it. The guy at the bike shop told me how to do it. Generally, it's steel frame with aluminum forks. $300-$400 might get you a decent mountain bike, but your choices are limited. http://www.wheelworks.com/bikes/cross.ht... |
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