Thinking about a new bicycle - any input?

[endcycle]

I haven't had a bike in a long time, and totally miss it. SO... looking around, it seems like the Trek 7.2 / 7.3 line seems to be a good cheap - midrange setup. Anyone have any experience with this line? Any other suggestions in that price range? (up to say 600, 700 tops)

I also was thinking about a single speed (not fixed!) because I like the idea of a more durable bike that I can toss around without worrying too much about a derailer. And since a lot of my riding will be all around a city and town area, I'm not worried at all about 24 gears. Anyone have any experience with those and have any thoughts?

 

[thebikingengineer]

Performance bike has some decent setups in that range. I wouldn't call that midrange, that would be low range of acceptable. Getting much lower than that gets you into bikes that will last months rather than years. What kind of riding are you going to do? How much do you want to get out of this bike? What kind of terrain are you looking at?

 

[endcycle]

Performance bike has some decent setups in that range. I wouldn't call that midrange, that would be low range of acceptable. Getting much lower than that gets you into bikes that will last months rather than years. What kind of riding are you going to do? How much do you want to get out of this bike? What kind of terrain are you looking at?

Mostly urban, I think - tooling around my neighborhood in a suburb, going to downtown sometimes too, maybe some bike trails. Nothing REALLY serious in terms of offroad, but I'd like to be comfortable taking this thing on some serious distance as well.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Do you have any hills/mountains around you, or are you going to generally stay on flats?

 

[thebikingengineer]

I only ask because I've got what I would call a mid-level road bike (~$1500 retail) and I've worn the chainrings out with ~5000 miles and very meticulous maintenance. I'd suggest picking paved or unpaved and going with that. For someone with few miles under their belt (just an assumption) I'd suggest a single speed with 28C or larger tires, a cyclocross-based build would be good, as would a Redline Monocog 29er (great bike, accepts low RR tires if you want, bulletproof durability). This lets you get around the sometimes unforgiving ride quality you can get with road bikes. That setup won't be the best for distance, but should be acceptable if you want to travel long distances. You wouldn't want to do a century on it, but it shouldn't be a problem for 20-30 mile stints.

If you go with the Redline do look into the possibility of swapping gear ratios. Stock is geared more for off-road and you may find that you'll want a harder gear for city use. Any decent shop should be able to do that for a small fee or the donation of a six pack should the need arise.

 

[Pescara]

Advice: buy from a bike shop unless you don't mind being your own mechanic.

 

[perry]

I bought a Trek 7.3 last year and was happy with it on my suburban multiuse trails and the local rail-to-trail. I don't know that I'd do much off road stuff with it at all. Feels more like it belongs on the pavement to me. I did up to around 25 - 30 miles on it and wasn't too uncomfortable.

 

[Stubblefield]

Mostly urban, I think - tooling around my neighborhood in a suburb, going to downtown sometimes too, maybe some bike trails. Nothing REALLY serious in terms of offroad, but I'd like to be comfortable taking this thing on some serious distance as well.

Well, if you are going to ride the flats and do some hills/dirt, a single speed will not be the best option. If you set your gearing for the flats the bike will be a lug on dirt hills, if you set your gearing for hills then you will be spinning like crazy on the flats. Flip flop hubs can make it less of an issue, but they are still a compromise. I'll actually suggest a derailleur for your first bike, esp since you have not been riding. And especially if you want to do distance rides on pavement, a SS is not the best option.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Right - bike people are something like razor people, they all have very strong ideas about what you should use, and nothing but the best will do!

Personally, I have a beater 18-speed that probably cost about $300 new 6 or 8 years ago. I maintain it well, it still works great, big enough tires to handle potholes and curbs, skinny enough to do some road miles, and the gears help going up and down hills. No-one is ever going to steal this bike - city parking would be a major concern of mine if I owned a $1000 bike. I'm not doing 100 mile rides, just goofing around town and the occasional long Saturday rides with friends.

If I were to get into mountain biking or serious road training, sure I would spend the big bucks, but for an all-round bike I don't think you need top of the line equipment. On the other hand, I'm starting to get serious about snowboarding and shelled out for all new gear this year, that might be why I have no cash left for a bike!

 

[Pcwilly]

I have two bikes and have been eying of a third for a while.

I commute to work daily on a GT 27speed MT Bike with road tyres.

In the end I got a spare set of wheels so that I can swap between road riding and of-road / mountain bike riding fairly quickly, rather then changing tubes and tyres. MTB Road tyres seem to have a harder seam making changing between Tyre types quite time consuming. The only down side to this is having to change the rear cassette each time I swap the wheels to ensure the chain and cassette wear evenly. The change over takes about 5 minutes compared to 15 – 30 for changing tyres. If you do go for this set up look for front forks with a lock out for road riding and disk brakes rather than V-brakes so no brake adjustment is necessary.

I have looked into fixed/single speeds but figured that in the end I'm better off with two sets of wheels rather than two bikes.

My other bike is a Felt road bike that has been spec’ed up so I have better forks and components.

Whatever you buy try and stick to the better known manufacturers as you will get a better value bike in terms of build and components. I generally only look at Giant, GT, Felt, Trek, Specialized, Kona, Scott, BMC.

Like anything the more you get into it the more you will want to spend on carbon fibre drink bottle holders, and genetically engineered seat posts.

If the derailers aren’t your thing a few manufacturers have started adding integrated hubs to off –road bike which need generally no maintenance but still give you the gears you need to get up hills.

 

[proxymoron]

Have you thought about Motobecane?

Bike snobs thumb their noses at them and no, you probably shouldn't buy a road bike without trying out the geometry for yourself, but if you want to roll the dice on a solid deal...

Most bikes in the LBS come from the same three factories in China anyway. These guys just sit closer to the supplier than the retailer.

 

[tblech]

I'd find a good bike shop and ask for advice, get fitted for a bike. Tell them what you plan on useing it for or want out of it and I am sure they'll be able to put you into something you'll love!

 

[TimmyBoston]

My dad has a 7.3FX from last year, he likes it, but getting a road bike would have been a much better decision.

 

[Live2Ride]

I was in your position a decade ago. I got lucky with my first bike: the bike fit. I would never presume to tell you what bike you "NEED". However, you do need to find a good bike shop. Talk with friends, check a couple shops out, do whatever it takes to find a good shop. As mentioned above, you need a shop with people who listen and can recommend a bike for the riding you think you'll be doing, plus some room for growth.

In my case, I picked the bike in my avatar: a 2000 Specialized Hard Rock, because I figured it would go on the trails or road. Found I really enjoy distance riding. No problem: switched the mtb tires with slicks, later got a second set of rims, eventually a full suspension bike and a road bike.

My point is, when I bought my first bike and was thrilled with my first 5 mile spin on the River Trail, I had no clue that 5 months later, I'd be riding it in my first century (103 miles). The fact the bike fit made it possible for me to ride longer distances comfortably and that has made all the difference.

Good luck and always enjoy the ride.

 

[Wendy]

My dad has a 7.3FX from last year, he likes it, but getting a road bike would have been a much better decision.

I agree. I bought a 7.3 FX last June then in December I bought a Bianchi.

 

[Ignatius]

I haven't had a bike in a long time, and totally miss it. SO... looking around, it seems like the Trek 7.2 / 7.3 line seems to be a good cheap - midrange setup. Anyone have any experience with this line? Any other suggestions in that price range? (up to say 600, 700 tops)

The Claud Butler is thought of as the best in that range here (UK) - don't know if you guys Stateside have better deals from other manufacturers.

 

[TimmyBoston]

I haven't had a bike in a long time, and totally miss it. SO... looking around, it seems like the Trek 7.2 / 7.3 line seems to be a good cheap - midrange setup. Anyone have any experience with this line? Any other suggestions in that price range? (up to say 600, 700 tops)

I also was thinking about a single speed (not fixed!) because I like the idea of a more durable bike that I can toss around without worrying too much about a derailer. And since a lot of my riding will be all around a city and town area, I'm not worried at all about 24 gears. Anyone have any experience with those and have any thoughts?

Have you thought about a conversion kit and turning an old bike into a single speed? That's what I'm wanting to do right now.

 

[koso]

I've been commuting on a Trek 7100 for five years. No complaints with it at all. I've put a skinny saddle and road wheels on it, had to replace the chainring and the brakes are about shot. But, I've ridden it much harder than it was ever designed to be.

If you're looking for something hybrid-ish with suspension, I can recommend this line. I'd probably go to a higher model for better components standard knowing what I do now.

 

[Doc4]

All I have to say is to point out the Endcycle is going to cycle again!!

 

[LeverTime]

Have you thought about Motobecane?

Bike snobs thumb their noses at them and no, you probably shouldn't buy a road bike without trying out the geometry for yourself, but if you want to roll the dice on a solid deal...

Most bikes in the LBS come from the same three factories in China anyway. These guys just sit closer to the supplier than the retailer.

+1, you are going to get the most for your money with a bikesdirect.com bike. (Motobecane is one of the brands they own.) They have a number of SS options, as well as some 3/5 speed internally-geared hubs which should be just as low maintenance, but possibly more suitable if you have hilly terrain.

Another good option that many people overlook is buying a used bike. There are tons of well-made bicycles on eBay, craigslist, etc for very reasonable prices.