I need help buying a new bike!

In My Humble Opinion
1

My current bike is not working for me anymore. Well, it works. I just don’t like how it is working. I want to get a new bike and I have no clue what to get. So, I need help.

My current bike is a Nishiki Blazer. It has no shock absorption at all. The seat is dreadfully uncomfortable. The lower gears slip all the time (this isn’t so bad as I don’t use them much anyway). I don’t think it’s the right size for me because I can’t comfortably put my feet on the ground. This makes it a bit difficult to stop for stop signs (or oncoming trucks).

You may be wondering why I spent money on this bike. Well, when I bought it, I only rode it in my then neighborhood. My route was 3 miles, completely flat, 1 stop sign, no traffic, no potholes and no pedestrians. That route is currently about 300 miles from me.

Last week, I moved to Upstate New York. I am so upstate that I am about 25 minutes from Quebec. Everything here is different. I now ride 3 miles to work in the morning. My route is busy. There are a lot of stop signs and traffic lights. I have to pass through a college campus, over a river, and down one of the main streets in town. It is mostly flat and slightly downhill although there are a few minor uphills. In addition to the increased traffic, I now have to deal with truly shitty roads. The bad winters have totally destroyed these streets. There is also a large amount of sand, dirt and other debris (re: college town - broken beer bottles). The shock to my body is very painful.
My afternoon route is about 8 miles. There is very little traffic but what traffic there is moves about 30MPH faster than my morning route. The view is distractingly beautiful. The roads are quite crappy and there are some hills - but not huge ones. Oh, and the elevation is about 175’ higher than what I’m used to.

Now for me…

I am 5’3" and I have a 31" inseam. I have had lower back surgery. I have bad knees. I weigh 185 - which is about 60lbs more than I should weigh (but at least is about 7lbs less than last week before I started riding again). When I started riding again last week, 3/4 of a mile was my limit and the very slight hill felt like death. I am amazed at how fast I progressed as I rode over 11 miles yesterday (including some hills) and I felt great afterwards (my lungs I mean. The rest of my body hurt like hell for about 4 hours). I am looking forward to some great exercise and some nice relaxing time to myself but I am not enjoying my rides as much as I could be.

I will have about $500 to spare in about 3 weeks. I want a bike which is comfortable. I don’t want to feel every grain of sand in the road. I don’t want my arms to get numb from the vibration. I would really like it if my back would stop hurting. I would especially like a bike with gears that don’t slip and I’d like to stop without falling over. I would love it if the damn bike butt would go away. My ass is killing me. I need something that can handle city (not much of a city but still city) roads, in addition to fairly rural roads.

I am also looking for either an area where I can attach a bag or a comfortable bag which won’t chaffe my armpits. Oh, and I need a decent lock. Right now I have your typical nylon covered chain lock and it is fine for a $200 bike but if I’m going to spend a lot more for a really good bike, I’d like something a bit more reliable. And, is there a such thing as a helmet that isn’t dorky looking?

I think I covered all the stuff you guys might need to know. So, this is only the second time in my life that I’ve bought a bike. The first time my goal was economy and exercise. Now I’m looking for quality and exercise. I am not an expert biker. I grew up in a dangerous and poor area so I didn’t get to actually ride a bike until recently. I’m not completely comfortable with the traffic, the feel of a bike and I’m in crappy shape (not a good combination). So, I don’t want a racing bike or anything else really specialized. Just a good, comfortable, durable bike which wont kill me faster than the trucks will.

Thanks guys!

2

That’s a flaw common to all conventional bikes. When the seat height is adjusted properly (i.e. you have proper leg extension while pedaling), you cannot put your feet flat on the ground without stepping off the saddle.

The only way around it is to buy a bike whose pedals are further forward; that means the seat can be lower, and still give you proper leg extension when pedaling. Such bikes are called Crank Forward bikes; they are beginning to get popular, though there’s only a couple models available in your price range. Still, it’s worth looking into. Or of course you can go for a recumbent bike like this.

If you decide to go for a conventional bike, just go to a local bike shop and tell them what you just told us. Don’t worry about different brands, there’s very little difference between them. The most important thing is to go to a real bike shop, not WalMart or a sports equipment store. (Actually I hear REI is OK, but most big-box sports equipment stores don’t have very good service.)

3

Great information, the crank forward bike is what I should have gotten. I was fooling with my bike seat today because I have the same problem. If I have my seat at the proper height for leg extension the bike is too high. If I don’t adjust the seat when I’m done riding my legs are cramped because my legs don’t fully extend.

4

Funny you should ask. I had been having many of the same problems you mention with my old road bike that I bought in college 20 years ago, when I was young and skinny.

Today the weather was so nice that I got a wild hair and went to my local bike shop, where the owner sold me a 2006 Trek Navigator 300 (closeout, yeah!). It gives me much more of an upright stance, and it’s designed for cruising rather than putting the pedal to the metal. Good thick frame and nice fat tires, none of those skinny things I had that transmit every bump in the road. And it has a shock-absorbing seat post! The test ride was sa-weet!

I went looking online tonight for a picture to show my hubby (bike won’t have all the toys installed – rack, kickstand, etc. – until Wednesday) and found it usually listed under “Comfort Bikes,” so I’m guessing that’s what you’re looking for. This seems to be a great time to catch closeouts on 2006 and even 2005 bikes, judging from my persual of local bike shop Web sites. I saw some for $300 and less (although my total today was six bills and change, and I didn’t even get everything I need!) so your $500 should cover a nice bike, rack/bag, lock, and helmet. If you haven’t bought a bike for a while, you’ll be amazed by the changes.

Good luck!

5

Wow, such a long post. You really must want a new bike. I use to work in a bike shop so I should be able to help you out.

First thing we will do is talk about your old bike. I think I found some pictures of your bike, a Nishiki Blazer . It is a typical mountain bike with a solid steel fork. You said that you can’t comfortably place both feet on the ground when you stop so you definitely have a bike that is too big for you. I’m assuming that you mean that you can’t put both feet flat on the ground when you get off the saddle.

You also said that your chain skips on the rear cogs. This means that either your chain, the cogs, or both are worn out. I’m betting that you have replaced either in a long time. If you plan on selling the bike, get a bike-knowledgeable person to help you check and replace these parts.

You also said that your current bike jars you and gives you lots of vibrations, causing you pain. You also said that your back aches. Getting a bike with front suspension can help with some of the jarring and pains. However, the root cause of these problems for you is that you are on an incorrectly sized bike and you are likely stretched out too much front to back. This makes it difficult for you to distribute the weight of your body correctly between your arms, butt, and legs. A correctly sized bike will allow you to use correct technique to absorb most of the shock through your legs by using them as shock absorbers.

Additionally, wear some cycling gloves to absorb the high frequency vibrations. You will have less back pain when you shorten the horizontal length of your bike.

Now, for your new bike. I hope you are going to a proper bike shop to buy your bike because you will need the knowledge of the people there to help you in your decision. Do not go to Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. Go to a place that just deals in bikes.

You said you want a bike that can handle rough city roads and some rural ones. I’m assuming that you will travel over some dirt/gravel roads in the rural areas. You also want some more shock absorption. For this, I recommend that you get a recreational mountain bike with front suspension. Avoid the mountain bikes with both front and rear suspension because that is overkill for what you will be using the bike for, they are heavier, more complex, and cost more.

For your height, you should try the recreational mountain bikes with frame sizes around 12"-13.5". The sales people at the bike shop will help you sort out which exact size you need. They will also help you adjust your seat height, stem length, and handlebar height. You should feel comfortable and balanced when you find the correct combination.

You also complained about your aching butt. This is normal for someone who is getting back into cycling. Give it a couple of weeks. Your butt will adapt. If you want to, you could ask the salesperson to allow to try a few different seats to see which one is more comfortable. However, keep in mind that the seat which is more comfortable for you will change as you lose weight.

Examples of bikes that I recommend you look at and are in your $500 price range are: Trek 4300 and the Giant Rincon .

For your helmet, I’m assuming that you have one of those geeky early 90’s helmets that should have been replaced ages ago. Besides being a fashion disaster, your current helmet would most likely have deteriorated over the years and won’t give you the same protection as a new helmet. Designs have changed a lot over the years and newer helmets look much better with more ventilation. See here for examples.

On the issue of the lock, don’t worry about it too much. $500 bikes are fairly common. Many house insurance policies will cover the cost if it gets stolen.

For a place to strap your bag, you can either get the bike shop to sell you a basket for the front of your bike, or a much better idea is a bike rack for the rear of your bike. This way, you can either get some bungee cords to strap your bag on with, or you can get proper pannier bags for the rack.

6

Why don’t you leave the seat at proper height extension for you legs and get off the saddle when you come to a stop?

7

I don’t think this is a flaw. You are suppose to get off the saddle when you come to a stop on conventional road / mountain bikes. When you move the location of the bottom bracket relative to seat, you are screwing around with the biomechanics of pedaling and the weight distribution of the bike. For the Crank Forward Bike, too much weight is being placed on the rear of the bike.

8

Not necessarily. The saddle is further back, but the rear wheel is also further back. I owned a RANS Zenetik for a while and the handling was excellent. (I sold it because I prefer real recumbent bikes.)

9

I think I’ll try that tomorrow. I guess I’m used to having the saddle so that when I’m sitting my feet touch the ground and it makes me a little nervous.

10

This is what I was used to also, from the few bikes I had owned. Apparently I’ve never had a properly fitted bike.

My current bike did come from a bike shop but I was limited on how much I could spend at the time. I also didn’t realize that there were so many options for making a bike comfortable so it never occured to me to save for a better bike.

Chasing Dreams : I remember someone else asking for bike help and I tried to remember all the information that he was asked for. The last thread was so thorough that I had a pretty good idea what you all would need to know. I haven’t had much work done to the bike but I have brought it in for a tune up every year. The problem with the gears slipping has been happening ever since I bought it.
Anyway, you guys are awesome. I have so much more to go on now and I have an excellent idea what to ask when I go to the bike shop. Luckily there are two pretty good bike shops very near me. I’ll print out this thread to make sure I remember to ask about everything.

Thanks guys!