I need a new bicycle

In My Humble Opinion
1

So here’s the short short version. I was an idiot, didn’t lock up my bike, and it got stolen. Worst part, it had the kid seat on it. I am filled with Grrrrr…mostly at myself.

But I need a new, at least to me, bike. What should I get? I am 6’3" so I know I’ll need a tall bike, and most of my riding is in town, locally to parks and such with a baby on the back. But I’m also trying to get myself in better shape, so I wouldn’t mind a bike I can get a good sweat up on when I don’t have the boy in tow. Anyone have any recs? Or anything I should avoid? Its been a long time since I bought myself a new bike, and I don’t even know who the decent middle of the road players are. I don’t want a million dollar baby, but I don’t want the Walmart special either. I’m looking at spending no more than $400.

2

This is a personal bias, but for town riding I’m a great fan of the Shimano Nexus-8 hub gear, for the following reasons:

  1. You can change all the way up, or all the way down, anytime, moving or stationary. If you’re in top gear at ramming speed and get caught by the traffic lights, you can change down to first after you’ve stopped, as opposed to jamming your brakes on and being left in top gear when you want to get under way.

  2. The thing’s bullet-proof - doesn’t go wrong, doesn’t bend, takes ages to wear out.

  3. Your chain never comes off, and is always in line with the sprocket and chain wheel so it’ll last longer.

  4. You can have a full-length, enclosed or semi-enclosed chain guard that means you can just jump on the thing in ordinary clothes. This also keeps the rain off the chain, and keeps road crud thrown up by your front wheel off your chain.

So if you can find a decent bike shop, I recommend taking one for a test ride. The sports version has better bearings.

3

The most important thing is to go to a real bike shop, not the bike department of a sports store and definitely not Walmart. If possible, find some cyclists and get their recommendation. Maybe there are bicycle commuters at your work whom you can talk to?

MTBs and hybrid bikes are pretty standardized, and there isn’t a huge difference between different bike brands. Any $400 bike would have an aluminum frame, a mix of mid-grade SRAM and Shimano drivetrain parts, and no-name (but perfectly functional) brakes and hubs. I think a hybrid bike would be sufficient - some people recommend MTBs for city riding, but I find them to be overkill.

I agree with matt that internal hubs are very nice. They aren’t too easy to find, but if you do, it’s a major plus. The 3-speed hub is more common, but for any long rides I think you want more gears. Our legs have a pretty narrow range of RPM where they are most comfortable and efficient, so you want to be able to choose just the right gear for any riding condition.

There are a couple of non-standard bike configurations that you might consider. One is “crank-forward” bikes. These look like regular bikes, but the seat is placed further back and the cranks further forward. This allows you to set the seat/pedal distance properly and still put your feet on the ground easily. The Electra Townie is probably the most common bike in this category, but the Giant Suede seems to have a better reputation based on what I read on message boards. The RANS Fusion is the ultimate in this category but unfortunately it exceeds your budget.

The other style you might want to consider is recumbent bikes. They are extremely comfortable, and many feel they offer better view because you aren’t leaning down on the handlebar. But they are more expensive than conventional (“upright”) bikes, and often heavier. Some feel they are less agile than uprights, but I think those are mostly MTB riders who are used to being able to hop onto curbs and over logs. The cheapest recumbents I’m comfortable recommending are the Cycle Genius Starling ($499) and the Sun EZ-1 (~$550).

As for carrying a baby, have you considered child trailers? I don’t have a child but I often use my bikes for errands, and the bike’s handling is better with my utility trailer than with the same load on the rack. And if you fall, a trailer will remain upright.

4

I have the CycleGenius Starling and it is an AWESOME bike! It is very comfortable as **scr4] mentioned and incredibly fun to ride… Well worth the extra $100 over your budget to something that is fast and comfortable. If you go with this option, it would be best to get a mirror so you can see behind you easier. If you don’t plan on doing any off road biking, then a recumbent would serve you well.

Mrs D. and I have a child trailer that attaches to either of our bikes and it works great. We have this one by InStep that we bought for about $100. The only disadvantage to this particular model is that you have to put an attachment on each bike that the trailer will hook into. Burley makes some excellent trailers that will attach to any bike WITHOUT the need for an extra attachment, but they are much more expensive. Another benefit is that most child trailers will haul 2 kids (as long as they are light and small enough).

5

Find a good local bike shop (ask around - not all LBS are good, and some sales people are worthless). The most important thing to make biking fun is getting a bike that fits well. How to fit the bike depends on the kind of bike you choose.

If you’re riding road and have no plans to ride off-road, a recumbent is the most comfy, although a bit more expensive. I don’t know anything about the crank-forward bikes, other than that I’d like to try one. The major brands (that you’ll find at a bikeshop) are all pretty good - the differences are mostly personal preference (e.g., relative frame dimensions, tube angles, etc.). Just try different bikes till you find one you like.

For most people talking about the kind of riding you do, I’d recommend a hybrid - they’re a bit more upright than regular road/mtb bikes, and hence a bit more comfortable. (I’m all about the comfort, baby - unless you’re wantin’ to become a racer-boi!) However, I’d hesitate to recommend a hybrid for someone your size. I’ve not looked at them in a few years, so they may have changed, but they were somewhat light-weight last I checked. (Most shops tried to sell them as women’s bikes.) I’d be afraid that a Clydesdale (mtb term for large guys) like you would crush the poor thing. If they’re sturdier now, then go for it.

Overall, I’d recommend a beginner’s mountain bike. They generally don’t have extremely wide wheels, so you can get a good ride on roads just by swapping out the knobbly tires for slicks. While you’re getting fitted at the bike shop, see about swapping out the stem and handlebars to give you a more upright posture (similar to a hybrid). Think about a comfy seat while you’re at it (probably have to pay to upgrade, though).

I’d also recommend a trailer for the offspring. You don’t have to worry about dumping the boy out or him getting into (too much) trouble; he can even nap back there while you do the work. I know people who regularly take their tot out on trails - she just laughs when the trailer soars into the air over logs/jumps/etc.

Pricewise, consider getting a used bike if the LBS has any. It’s often a good way to get a cheap upgrade in bikes. If you’ve got the time and energy, you can sometimes find good bike deals at pawnshops, but you have to do the research before buying or you’ll get something worthless. Check online for used trailers - most people I know bought theirs used and plan to sell it on once the kids are big enough. Lots of used trailers roaming the internets.

6
      • I will triple the recumbent+trailer recommendation, if you can possibly do it.

Most of the pain of riding an upright bike doesn’t have anything to do with turning the pedals–the riding position (and necessary seat shape) makes your butt, back, hands and neck hurt. It doesn’t matter if you spend $300 or $3000 on an upright bike, they all cause the same pain and there’s nothing you can “add on” to really fix the problem.

When you ride a recumbent, for the most part you experience NONE of the typical pain of an upright bike. You can easily ride 4-5 times as far and as long. Even a “cheapie” like a Sun or Cycle Genius will be a huge improvement in comfort over what uprights you’ve had, and they aren’t difficult to ride. Most people only need a few minutes of practice to get rolling.

…The main downsides are that recumbents still cost more than cheap uprights, and that recumbents can be somewhat more difficult to transport because their frames are longer overall. …And in this instance–you will need a child trailer, as the seat struts of most recumbents prevent adding a child seat onto the rear.
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7

Ooooh, just thought of something. I’ve you’re only riding in town, look at the cruisers. Several brands have come out with some beautiful, comfortable, old-style cruiser bikes. Some friends of mine got a pair a couple years ago; I think they were about $200 each. I don’t remember what brand, Raleigh maybe, or pre-buyout Schwinn?

8

Sorry, I just noticed the specs say “… fits most Riders 4’11” to 6’2"" so it’s probably too small for you.

I think the Sun EZ-1 would fit though. Measure your X-seam to make sure. Sun makes good recumbents - they tend to be on the “heavy and bombproof” end of the spectrum but that may be what you need. The added advantage is that they are sold by J&B Imorters, a major bicycle parts distributor, so you can buy one from almost any LBS (local bike shop). Or you may be able to find a used one on the internet - there are a few Sun recumbents on eBay right now. But if there’s a recumbent specialty shop nearby, that would be the best option.

One problem with recumbent bikes is that it can get to be a very expensive hobby. There are so many different styles and designs, and it’s tempting to collect or at least try all types. I started out with an entry-level model about 6 years ago, and currently own 6 recumbent bikes. (5 bikes and 1 trike, to be exact.)

They do look nice. But the ones I’ve seen were heavy and had cheap components. I’d be wary of buying one unless you can get a bicycle-savvy friend to look at it.

9
  • – I wouldn’t suggest a cruiser either. They have a relaxed riding position (which helps with the back/hands/neck pain) but still have poor seating position. On a normal bicycle, the relation of the pedals to the seat makes you extend your legs nearly straight down–and that means they can’t use any seat that really fits “under” you, for the most part. Riders tend to shift forward with pedalling and so bicycle seats end up mainly supporting you by your crotch. You don’t see anything else using bicycle-style seats, because they are uncomfortable.

The Rans uprights are positioned to “fix” the seat problem–their seats are much wider, suport the seat mostly in the rear-half and don’t produce much crotch pressure–pedalling forces you backwards on the seat, instead of forwards. Also noce is that their standover heights are much lower than normal–they are easier to get on and off of.

And of course typical recumbents don’t produce crotch pressure at all.

If riding a bike is at all painful for you, then buying another of the same kind of bicycle will just get you more of the same kind of pain.
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10

I have no pain when I ride. I used to, but I’m pretty sure that had something to do with falling off while riding singletrack to fast. Its really that last time I bought a bike, I had 2 options, road or mtb. Now there are infinitely more options, and while they all have good points, and I enjoy riding what the LBS had to show me, I am looking to see what other people are riding, preferably people who have similar uses and needs in a bike as myself.

11

My needs are somewhat similar to yours, well, except for the baby in tow part, so I’ll suggest looking at Bianchi hybrids.

I use my Bianchi Boardwalk to commute to work, to just tool around town, and for longer rides on the weekends, including doing a couple of metric centuries on it, and a few other organized rides. For me it’s the best of both worlds, quick and light enough to do some decent hill climbing and get a good workout, sturdy enough for trails, commuting, etc. I can get up to some decent speeds, but definitely not as fast as a road bike.
I’ve had my bike for 3 or 4 years now and I just love it. A new one might be just slightly above your price range, but you might be able to find a gently used one in your size on craigslist for a great price.

12

Well, I went and rode some stuff today and the Cruisers, while cool, are right out. I did however forward thier information to my parents, maybe they have a craving to go retro. I just can’t deal with the seating position and coaster brakes on the classic style, and the chopper style ones are fun but I can’t see myself pulling a trailer on it. I also want to do Team in Training in the spring and that bike doesn’t lend itself to that at all.

I also rode the Townie. Very cool. If it were in my budget to get 2 bikes, I’d get a roadie and a Townie. Nice smooth ride and the most comfy seating position of all.

So its probably going to be a Hybrid by Raleigh, really nice, comfy, good gearing, I can have some fun off pavement, but not enough to really hurt myself…again. I just think that my times of serious mt. biking are behind me, thankfully, and now it is time to have something that lends itself to cruising to the park.