I want to ride a bicycle, I want to ride a bike!

[jeffreyab]

I am in the process of buying a bicycle and I am looking for any and all advice on the topic.

[Poll #747648]

Comments

Ride 'em..

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Rule #1 As light as you can afford
Rule #2 A format that you're comfortable riding
Rule #3 A good bike lock

Re: Ride 'em..

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

What are some good brands of bike locks?

[foms.livejournal.com]

I weigh as much as you and I ride an aluminum-framed bike. The hard part, for me, was finding a road bike (drop handle-bars) frame that is strong enough. I opted for what they called a cyclocross frame. Most hybrids are configured to look (and feel and ride) like a mountain bike. Mine is a hybrid that acts like a road bike.

Your choice depends on your preferred riding position. I prefer a lower centre of gravity, less air resistance, and narrower handle-bars because I ride in traffic and prefer to ride on my pedals steer using my weight. For this, I sacrifice a bit of height (field of vision) and some comfort of posture. Some people would, no doubt, find other differences to be important.

I am completely sold on double-walled rims. I used to kill at least one rim per year before I got my first set. Not only do they resist dings, their rigidity of shape also helps the rest of the bike to deal with my weight.

I have a Jake the Snake (icky name) by Kona. It is the first bike that I've owned that was not either a cheapie bike (Canadian Tire or the like) or a second-hand bike. The bikes that I bought second-hand (a Peugeot and a Sekine) were not high-end but were significantly better than the cheapies. They were easier to ride, had more useful doodads, and were easier to maintain and repair.

The Kona is even better than the second-hand bikes. It is a dream to ride. The bike shop provides a lifetime maintenance guarantee on every bike they sell. They charge me only for major work and for parts. They'll do two tune-ups per year, replace tires and tubes, true wheels, adjust brakes, seats, gears... As long as I live near them, it makes my life easier, even though I have a proper work stand and do some of this myself. If you find that your local shop has the same deal, calculate the cost of all of the included maintenance into any cheapie that you consider buying.

I am a weirdo. I don't think that cycling helmets are for wimps, I think that they reduce safety. They are uncomfortable, which adds to distraction. They are hot, which adds to sweating. They limit field of vision. They reflect sound in odd ways. I consider the helmet question to be one of whether the potential wearer prefers to lessen the chance of an accident versus the possible damage done by and accident.

Everything that I've seen suggests that one should use at least two types of lock anywhere that bikes are frequently stolen. One should be a U-shaped bar lock and the other should probably be a cable or heavy chain with integrated lock (pad-lock shackles are just too easy to cut).

I usually use only a U-shaped lock and take my chances. To mitigate my laziness, I lock both the rear wheel and frame of my bike and take my front wheel with me whenever I am going to be away from the bike for a prolonged period or I think that the site is particularly dangerous. If I'm just going away for a few moments, I lock through the front wheel and frame. I don't lock to sign-posts as I've seen too many posts where the sign has been removed (using a simple wrench) and the bike lifted off.

As near as I can tell, the major -- possibly the only -- reason to pay the extra money for a major brand of U-shaped lock is for the guarantee/insurance. The knock-offs are mostly just as good at locking and not breaking. Since my bike is covered by home contents insurance (even when we carried the insurance for our apartment and even when the bike is not at home) I don't really feel a need for additional insurance provided by a lock-making company.

[con-girl.livejournal.com]

But he does have a very expensive Krytonite lock (top of the line). Kryptonite locks are not the best out there but they are one of the best and likely the only one available.

I was going to say everything that foms said but I will still add my perspective as a relatively new rider. I expect that accidents will happen - I don't trust my street sense to magically protect me from being car-doored. ironically my only car dooring happened while I had forgotten my helmet.

ALUMINUM - it is much lighter - even on my $500 bike than steel. Really, really, really go for the lightest bike you can afford that will take your weight. I preferred the hybrid more mountain bike style but as I had grown into a better rider I like a lower profile. Don't by the Canadian tire bike - they don't shift gears well and their parts are crappy. They will be heavier and they may not take your weight because of the flaws in the parts. Also that lifetime of tune-ups is a wonderful thing for a begineer.