Rider is a young twenty something woman 5’11" approx 220 lbs. Most of her height is in her waist so she does not have super extra long legs. Her inseam is 31-32 inches.
Price range $300 - $500 Use is recreational street riding for exercise. Not anticipating trail usage.
What type of bike should I get?
What size should I get?
Moved (via two wheels) to IMHO from MPSIMS.
Well, best advice is to find a good bike shop and let them fit you to a bike; $300-500 should get you in a decent-enough bike, especially if they sell used bikes. You’ll want probably something hybrid-ish; that is, a bike with dropped handlebars (like a road-racing bike), but at least medium-weight frame and wheels and tires that are wider than a road-racing bike. Riding with dropped handlebars is a little harder to get used to initially, but way way more comfortable for rides longer than 10 minutes.
Finding a good shop is easier said than done, of course, but that’s the best way to go. One hint is if they don’t talk about fitting you to a bike (both finding the right size frame to buy, and setting up the seat and handlebars to fit you after you buy it), they’re not a good shop.
I also recommend reading this: Bicycling Street Smarts, for safe riding.
I wanted the same thing a couple of years ago and I picked a Trek 7100. It is an awesome bike and right in your price range. It is a hybrid with a front suspension and can handle light trails but it excels on just regular street riding on any type of road or sidewalk. You can go surprisingly fast in the higher gears and it has upright handlebars which we are requirement for me.
Yup, another vote for going to a good bike shop.
There are many, many elements that go in to finding a bike that really fits. Getting a good bike that works well and fits properly is often what makes or breaks someone enjoying bicycles.
For instance, shortish legs with a long waist may mean you want a smaller frame with a long top tube. If you can’t find that, you might want to exchange the stem or bars to get the bike fitted properly. Or a larger frame with a drop-tube could work better, but you might need to trade out the cranks. And a woman may be a lot happier with one of the seats built for women rather than the standard styles - but not necessarily; some women love 'em and some hate 'em - it’s all just what fits your body best.
See why you want a good bike shop? You don’t need to understand all that, they’ll know it and should be willing to help you find the right frame and trade parts out to get the right fit.
Also, many people learn to ride as kids in a really bad position that will cause physical problems if they ride much. Getting a bike that fits for the position you should be riding in (and learning what that is) rather than what you’re used to can prevent hurting yourself. They can show you that. They’ll also generally show you how to do minor maintenance and repairs; many offer free minor tuneups for new customers to keep the bike in top shape as it’s breaking in.
$300-$500 is fine for a beginner-level bicycle. They’ll probably also have used bikes, so you may be able to upgrade a level for the same money.
I’d look at either road-style or hybrid-style, depending on the person and their fitness level and what they’re planning to do. But the style is really really a personal-comfort thing. You’ve got to go to the shop and try bikes out. Take 'em out for a spin and ride long enough to really get a feel for the bike. Again, a good bike shop will be used to this.
Between brands - meh. Anything in the LBS will be good. It’s really just what works for you.
Anything in a big-box store is likely dangerous. Google up on broken welds sometime.
I’ll second to finding a good bike shop. Some of them aren’t. There’s a level of snobbery that sometimes goes along with the sport, It took three tries before I found one that wanted my money for a road bike.
Get something with no suspension (lighter weight, less to go wrong, not needed if not riding off-road)
Get something with smooth tires. (knobby tires have much higher rolling resistance and worse traction on pavement)
If you find a bike you like and it happens to have disk brakes, OK, but I would not consider them a selling point. Disk brakes add weight, expense, and have few advantages on-road, and virtually none if you don’t ride in the rain. Modern rim brakes on aluminum wheels work fine, weigh less, and are cheaper. Disk brakes require a heavier, stiffer fork that gives a harsher ride.
I will go against the grain on the dropped bars. They are great for an experienced cyclist in good condition. * They are fairly useless for a casual cyclist in less than great physical condition, and stand a good chance of souring someone before they get to the point of being able to exploit the advantages, They are likely to ride on the flats for comfort, with poor steering leverage, and no access to the brakes, and using the brakes from the hoods on dropped bars is awkward enough that it has lead to crashes for new users. Straight (mountain bike style) bars are better, but old-fashioned swept handlebars will be more comfortable.
Biggest newb mistake is probably seat too low/bike wrong size. This makes it much harder to pedal and can lead to knee pain or worse. A decent bike shop will put her on the right size bike and adjust it to fit her proportions. If she can put her feet flat on the ground while sitting on the saddle then the seat is too low, unless it is a dutch style bike or semi-recombent like ** stoid** has.
The more speeds it has, the fussier it will be to shift and keep adjusted, the faster the chain and other parts will wear out, and the more expensive parts will be. 9 speed rear wheels are a pretty good value point these days. If you go to 10 or 11 rear cogs it will add a lot of expense or be total crap.
*You power a bike by pressing down on the forward pedal. The harder you press down, the more of your weight you need get over the front pedal. Since your butt and other leg are behind the front pedal, you need to lean your upper body forward to do that. This also helps pre-load your hamstrings which can add power and improve efficiency. The harder you are pedaling, the farther forward you need to lean. This is why road racing bicycles have dropped bars…they allow you to lean way forward and pedal really hard. If you are not in good enough shape to pedal that hard, then you end up putting a lot of weight on your hands, leading to sore wrists and numb hands. You will notice that even TDF riders are not on the drops for most of the race…only when sprinting really. Drop bars are also helpful for cutting air drag at high speeds or when fighting a headwind. They also offer multiple hand positions, which can be helpful on hours long rides. Casual cyclists don’t get much use from these features.
I can’t give much advice when it comes to the right type of bike but I know about prices. The cheapest road bike I could find new was $500.
As others said, find a good bike shop. One that doesn’t cater to bike snobs exclusively. (If the clerk or owner ignores you while he chats endlessly with a spandex-clad customer, go and find another shop.)
Bicycle brands don’t mean much, especially for conventional road bikes and hybrid bikes. They all have standardized aluminum frames made in Taiwan (often the same factory), and critical drivetrain components made by SRAM or Shimano.
You might also look at “city bikes”. They are similar to hybrid bikes, but equipped more for practical use and/or style. They usually come with mudguards, kickstand and luggage rack or basket as standard equipment, while these are all add-on options for hybrid bikes. Some come with generator lights. Many city bikes have single-speed or 3-speed internal gear hubs; these are adequate for recreational riding on flat terrain, and are simpler and more robust than the 24- or 27-speed gear systems on hybrid bikes.
Some city bikes have 7, 8 or even 11-speed internal gear hubs which are really nice.
I have a Trek 7200 that’s about 10 years old that I’ve put abou 12000 miles on. It’s comfortable and has held up maintenance wise. I mostly ride on trails but it’s fine on the street. It is getting old and I’ve been thinking about a city bike like scr4 mentioned.
I also affirm that you should have a good bike shop. I love the one I use.
The whole Trek 7000 series is good for this type of thing. They are all closely related. Mine has tires that are dual purpose. They are knobby on the sides for soft area grip like dirt trails and bald on the main surface for fast street riding. It works really well. I did have a good bike shop fit me with lots of different bike. Most of them were more expensive than that but I practically had bugs in my teeth after I took mine out for a ride for the first time. You can get better bikes somewhere but it will cost you many times more. I recommend that whole series wholeheartedly to people that just want a fun and dependable bike that can go most places.
I have a Specialized Crosstrail that is pretty close to what the OP describes. Mine was closer to 750 bucks but mine has the disc brakes and front suspension. I don’t ride off road much but I do a lot of urban exploration and appreciate the suspension and bigger tires when riding on broken/rough pavement, gravel, grass and so on.
The Crosstrail comes in models with regular brakes and forks or at least did a couple years ago when I bought mine.
Specialized Crosstrail
I also have a Trek 7100 (As well as a road bike and mountain bike). I prefer my road bike for smooth asphalt, but it doesn’t work well for rough asphalt, sidewalks or crushed limestone, if I had to pick one bike I’d pick the 7100
Comfort Bikes and Mountain Bikes are really too slow for typical recreational riding so I wouldn’t look there.
I’ve been very pleased with a succession of Specialized’s over the last couple of decades (they occasionally are stolen). I have relatively short legs for a man and the frames fit me better. I find front suspension very useful for urban on-street riding.
I’d stay away from those thin high pressure tires that double as cheese slicers. Other than that the price should include extras such as back rack and travel pack. From there decide whether she wants a ram’s horn handlebar or a straight back bar. then what type of shifter setup and then the type of seat. Modern derailleurs aren’t the big decision they were years ago.
Personally, I’d get the lightest bike for dollar. And given her long legs I’d have a bike shop fit her to a comfortable frame size.
It all depends on your idea of what “typical recreational riding” is. (Although MTBs are unsuitable for street riding, at least until you replace the knobby tires for something smoother, and if you’re going to do that, why get an MTB in the first place?)
Mountain bikes don’t serve any purpose for street riding. There is no reason to pedal a heavy bike around unless you want the advantage of working harder for each mile ridden. I’d prefer to ride further and experience more of the world around me.
Rent or try out different kinds before you buy.
Go with the bike shop, and go with Trek.
I swear by the brand.
Try these–
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/latest-bikes/cruiser-bike/trek/drift-1/prd_450899_5669crx.aspx
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/latest-bikes/cruiser-bike/trek/cruiseliner-womens/prd_450897_5669crx.aspx
The Drift 1 is a lot of bike for $350 simoleons.
BTW–buy a goddam helmet and WEAR IT!
Do not skimp or omit the brain-bucket!