About three days ago, I got pulled over and as a result of that, have lost use of the car I was driving (a friend had been letting me use her’s but I doubt she’ll want me driving it anymore since I had it towed) and inherited some rather hefty fines too but still need transportation and am thinking of buying a bicycle but I have no idea what kind would be best.
Obviously, with all the fines, I am going to want something on the cheap side but would prefer something of decent quality too. It’ll be used mostly just to get back and forth from work (four miles, round trip) and for errands like groceries, going to the laundromat, etc.
And if it matters, I’m quite a bit overweight but hope to lose some of my excess by exercise.
Anyone have some suggestions on brands, types, or whatever? Any kind of advice would be welcome.
Do a search, these threads come up every month or two.
Anyway here are a couple of ideas.
Don’t buy a bike from Wal-mart, or Target et al. They are super heavy pieces of shit.
Go to a reputable bike shop and describe your needs. Test drive several models
Probably you will want a hybrid Wide tires, upright seating position, low gears, easy to ride.
Wear a helmet
Don’t sweat the weight, you will lose it soon
Did I mention wear a helmet?
If money is really tight, try checking out used bikes at thrift stores. YOu might get lucky. Beware that your $25 bike from Goodwill might need $150 worth of stuff to make it roadworthy. If you don’t know what you are looking at, you might want to skip this option.
[ul][li]Get it adjusted properly - Beginners almost always adjust the seat too low. Your leg should be not quite straight and ankle moderatedly extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The axle of the pedal should be almost exactly under the ball of your foot, not the arch. [/li][li]Same goes for handlebars - you may be tempted to have them too high and too far back. You don’t need to be in a racer’s crouch on drop bars but you want your upper body to be a little more flat than you are used to and with enough room to stretch out a bit. [/li][li]Consider getting bicycle speficic shoes - there are a lot of hybrid shoes which have a stiff sole shank but enough flex for walking. As a big person, and I know of what I speak, you will especially need to distribute your weight between crotch, feet and hands or you will hate bike riding. Having a bike fitted goes a long way torward doing this but you may find you experience foot pain with flexible sole shoes like cross trainers. Don’t start with toe clips or clipless pedals, baby steps for now. [/li][/ul]