Bicycle questions

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Freeholdfarm

Inactive
This has nothing to do with automobiles, but does have to do with transportation, so I thought I'd put it here. In prepping for the possibility of not being able to use gas-powered vehicles for whatever reason, part of my strategy is to get a mountain bike and bike trailer. I haven't bought a bike of any kind in years, and doing a Google search and reading some of the pages raised more questions than answers.

How do I tell what size bike I need?

What does hardtail and soft tail mean in relation to mountain bikes?

How do I find a good reliable *durable* bike without spending too much money?

Anything else I ought to know, but am too ignorant to know I'm ignorant?

Thanks.

Kathleen

PS what would you suggest pricing a 1993 Plymouth Voyager in good condition at?
 
L

l0kster

Inactive
bikes

just my opinion based on only 1 year back on a bike after some 20 year break - so i'm no expert.

for mt bikes you want about 3-4" clearance between your crotch and top bar. Women's bikes that don't have the horizontal top bar between saddle and front won't have that clearance problem.

Unless you are shorter than about 5'2 you can probably go with 26" wheels - you want to be able to have your leg almost fully extended with the pedal at the lowest point.

hardtail means only the front of the bike has "shocks" or suspension and the back where you sit is rigid (seat rests directly on bike frame).

softtail means both front and back of bike have some kind of suspension "shock absorber" setup. These are more complex and many people seem to think they are more fatiguing to ride for long periods.

the price point for bikes is roughly around $200. Walmart and other dept stores sell Huffy and other cheap bikes that are put together by untrained shelf clerks.

Sporting good stores have some cheapies but also have some decent ones from $200 on up. Some of the better sports stores have trained bike assemblers.

Local Bike stores only sell quality stuff from $300 on up. They also sell good used bikes and are the best in terms of assembly and support.

myself I started on a crappy 10-year old Huffy piece of junk bike that I could fall down on and scratch up without concern. Once I got my legs I found a sale on a $250 aluminum mongoose which is what i ride now.

If you want just one bike I'd get a used good bike from a bike store.
If you need to "get back in the saddle" time, I'd buy a cheap yard-sale/used bike to learn on and then get a quality bike from either bike store or sports store later on.

You get what you pay for - even with the same brand. Mongoose makes cheap $60 bikes with cheap parts, but also makes quality $300 bikes with good parts.

Don't forget a good helmet and comfy riding gloves - I found my hands got all numb if I rode too long without gloves.

DO Be paranoid about cars - depending where you live, especially in cities, car drivers treat bicyclists as pests - or worse - invisible - and open doors or turn right in front of you.

Make sure you practice hitting the brakes hard without flying over the handlebars..
 
F

Freeholdfarm

Inactive
Thank you for the information! It *has* been quite a while since I rode a bike, so maybe I'll get a yard sale bike to practice on -- but I want to get the good one ASAP simply because I don't know how much longer they'll be available. If things go better than expected, maybe I'll be able to get a bike for years yet, but . . . maybe not. I was even thinking about getting two, so we have a spare. Or at least some extra parts.

I had already thought of the helmet, but not the gloves. Thanks.

Now, anyone have any advice on what price to put on my van? :D ('93 Plymouth Voyager, about 88,000 miles, good shape)

Kathleen
 
A

AKLester

Membership Revoked
Freeholdfarm said:
This has nothing to do with automobiles, but does have to do with transportation, so I thought I'd put it here. In prepping for the possibility of not being able to use gas-powered vehicles for whatever reason, part of my strategy is to get a mountain bike and bike trailer.

<balance of post snipped>
Click to expand...

If you have some form of a "bike-path" which will take you to your destination, then a trailer might be a worthy option. IMO, I would go with paniers, and fore and aft luggage racks.

I have never used a trailer, but I have ridden my bike on backwoods trails, which are rutted, mucky and muddy (in my area).

A bike without a trailer is mobile. Trailer is an anchor. I have read of the NVA transporting loads of hundreds of pounds on bicycles, down jungle trails. They did not pedal the bikes, they pushed them.

A good backpack and bags on the bike would be more versatile, again, IMO.

Pawn shops often have good deals on used bikes. Resale shops too! Got a nice 15 speed Royce Union for my daughter last week, with Shimano crank set etc for $29. No quick release hubs, but nice for a first full size real bike.

Good luck to you and have fun with biking.
 
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