magilla

Hi All - I have searched and read for two hours now, but nothing is really helping me.

Just turned 40, gained about 35 lbs over the last 2-3 years, with ups and downs. Was never over 275 and then hit 295 the other day. The madness has to end.

They just completed a bike bridge across the Arkansas Rver in Little Rock, so I have been riding back and forth to work - 16 miles each way, all of it on a bike trail. (Yes, I am really lucky!!)

All flat other than two hills, one at each end.

I have been gutting it out on my 1989 Tuffy $79.00 Special MTB, 18.5" frame with 14" seat tube, BMX handle bars, and these HUGE tires from hell. Takes 1 hour and 05 minutes each way.

"Cheap POS" does not do this 70 pound monstrosity justice....

The front of my knees hurt because the seat cannot be raised anymore; my hands are numb by the end of the ride, and my shoulders and neck hurt because of the angle.

6'4", 32" inseam, 39" sleeve (hence the "Magilla").

I have authorization from the accountant to spend $350.00 I know, not a lot of money. But that's the most I can spend for right now, until I "prove" that this is not a fad like the stupid exercycle I bought but never used.

So far, 5 days and 10 lbs later, I love riding. The route is awesome - it goes through two parks, so it could not be better! And I ride twice a day.

I figure a cyclocross or touring bike is my speed, especially for a daily commute.

Here's my question:
After looking at cycle shops online, I am really confused, and feel weird because in most places, the cheapest bikes are out of my price range...

So, what do y'all think would be the best bike for me for around 350.00? 60cm is the size I need.

Jamis Citizen 1.0 $325 Touring
Windsor Stratford $399 Cafe
Motobecane Elite FS $379 Cafe/Hybrid
2007 Dawes Lightning 1000 $369 Road
2007 Windsor Dover $380 Road
2007 Schwinn Voyager GSD $379 Touring
2006 Schwinn Super Sport $399 Sport/touring
Motobecane Jubilee trail $299 Comfort
Micargi RS888 Road racing $314 Road
Marin Kentfield $369 Hybrid
Bianchi Avenue $369 Hybrid

What d'y'all think would be the best direction?

centexwoody 

Many BFers will recommend that a good LBS with support & service is almost as important as the particular bike chosen. Obviously there is a balance but if you're going to be commuting daily, then having a service dept. available for a quick stop & adjustment is pretty nice. Maybe you do all your own wrenching and so this is not an issue for you. For me, having my favorite LBS a 1/2 mile from work means I can run by & get them to tweak something for me and that convenience is really useful for me. 32 miles RT is over 150 miles per week & your bike is going to need regular attention & servicing.

I've been commuting 8 miles RT on my Surly LHT. Dreamy bike but last week I had to take my steel '02 Giant Boulder off the garage hook (LHT was in the shop) to get to work. I really liked getting back on the ol' bike and riding upright. But my commute is short & yours is long. If you can ride 16 miles in around an hour, you're really kicking butt, IMO. My Giant was ~ $275 new and with some modifications, has been a very sturdy road/commuter bike. I'm 6'4", 230, 35" inseam and the modified MTB bike is solid with a range of tire size & type options. You don't list any Giant bikes...? No dealers near you?

I see a guy from my neighborhood riding in to work sometimes & he has a Schwinn super sport that looks really comfortable. Set up with old stingray handlebars so he's riding nearly fully upright. But with a 16 mile ride, I think that a touring/road style will be more comfortable. I don't think there is anything wrong with Schwinn bikes for the money (altho they get some bad press on BF occasionally). Don't know if you've looked at the max sizes for all those bikes listed above but that was the criterion that eliminated a lot of 'cool' possibilities for my own bike purchases: many of the ones that I researched and that got good reviews were discovered to only come in 58 or 59 cm & I needed the tallest I could find.

coyboy

another to consider in your price range. steel frame and from the looks of the pic, lots of spokes.

https://www.giant-bicycle.com/en-US/b...yle/600/28428/

just be aware that you might soon wish for a more dedicated road bike. these comfort type bikes are great for short trips but when you ride with others on real road bikes you can not keep up. I know because I bought a ocr3 for myself and a cypres (ladies modle) for my wife. She could not keep up with me so I said, lets switch bikes. after the switch she would peddle a little and coast while I was peddling for all I was worth justy to keep up with her. I ended up getting a used 520 and letting her have the ocr3. the cypress just sits mostly now.

Coy Boy

Air

Hey Magilla!

As you say, definately stick with a cyclocross or touring. The Surlys are great - very versatile and easy to add fenders and whatnot.

I think you'd do better to look around on Craigslist or the curb and find a 60 cm road bike that you can put some money into. Even if you buy a new bike from your lbs you'll still have to do some upgrades probably (seat, wheels, etc...). I think if you spend the $350 on something that's not going to do the job it'll be harder for you to continue. Perhaps keep Huffin' for another month or two (though with those fitting issues that may do much more harm) to convince her it's not a fad and get that figure up to $600 or $700. From there you'd be able to get a good bike that will serve you well for years, otherwise that $350 is gonig to be wasted when you need to upgrade in six months or so.

LastPlace

I have started commuting on a Jamis Coda Sport, and it does fine for me at just over 200 lbs, (that's me, not the bike), and it cost $400, shipped from Canada.
My commute it six miles, and is through downtown streets.

Here is the link............

https://www.thebicycleshop.ca/default_store.asp?c=0

Ask for Lyn, if you contact them. They were great to me and I will deal with them again if I'm in the market for another bike.

Good luck.

Wogster

First find a good LBS, a good LBS doesn't flinch when a clyde provides a weight if they look like this then pass, it's probably a shop for roadies and racers who would consider


, asks some questions, like type of riding, they should ask for measurements, a reallly good one, has a tape measure in their tool box.

pj7

Woah! a 300 pound man riding a cheap mountain bike 16 miles in an hour... that's sort of impressive.

FLBandit

I recently sold a Trek 7500FX that I used as a commuter for awhile. It worked great. Used ones can be had for 2-300 bucks.

Wogster

First find a good LBS, a good LBS doesn't flinch when a clyde provides a weight if they look like this then pass, it's probably a shop for roadies and racers who would consider paying $2500 for a crank that is 5g lighter then a $50 one.... They should calmly ask some questions, like type of riding, they should ask for measurements, a reallly good one, has a tape measure handy for taking measurements. The real key is fit, a 70lb bike that fits well, is better then a 20lb bike that doesn't. Budget is one of the questions that should come up, they may or may not have anything that matches, and they will tell you that, they might suggest you buy an experienced (read used ) bicycle. A $700 bicycle, that is 5 years old, typically will sell for half the new price, sometimes less, sometimes a lot less, depending on the condition. Unless you plan on learning bike repair you want one that you can either buy and ride home, or get cheap and fixed up by your LBS, for less then your total budget, this can be tricky though....

Good sources are fleabay, craigslist, garage and yard sales, check with your local police and transit authority, sometimes recovered but unclaimed property is sold off at auction on occassion. There may be used bike dealers as well, like used cars they typically make their money by buying low and selling high.

Be careful with fleabay and craigslist, shipping and insurance on a bicycle can be quite a hefty price, so you only want locals that you can visit, and pickup the bike in person. Used bikes can sometimes be hard to find, if your an odd size, but if you have measurements from a good fitting, you can look for bikes in a certain size range, and then when you go look at one, take a tape measure along, and do your own measurements. Note, road bikes are typically measured in centimetres (cm) where as mountain bikes are measured in inches, so you want your fitting measurements in the appropriate scale, and carry a tape measure that has both, remember that mountain bikes typically have the top tube a 2-3 inches lower, one good bounce ( ) and you will know why......

Hybrids could use either scale, depending on the manufacturer. Bike sizes are like clothing sizes it seems, each manufacturer has a slightly different idea of the SAME size....

schnee

I would get a new bike, if only for the warranty. All the bikes in your list are probably very close in spec and in quality, so go for the one that fits best.

I also wouldn't worry about getting the 'perfect' bike now. Get something that will get you out and riding, and if you stick with it, by the time you outgrow that bike you'll have a much better idea of what you want in a more substantial bike.

My example: I basically over-spent a bit on my first mountain bike - got a $1k aluminum hard tail when a $500 steel one would have been fine. I rode it for a good year and a half. By the end I had figured out what kind of terrain I liked, what types of riding partners I preferred, etc. and then invested in a kick-ass bike that will stay with me for a long, long time.

If you get in even moderately better shape, you'll probably have a much better idea of what kind of stance you want (upright vs. forward), what features on the bike (fat tires? fenders? braze-ons?), etc. Then, you'll probably get a bigger budget from the boss.

magilla

Thanks for all of the replies -

I spent the better part of the day out at three local LBS's.

The first (Chainwheel) is an upper-end bike store with primarily Giant, Cannon, and some really really expensive bikes. High end store.

I thought they were going to be snooty, because they are in a snooty part of town, but one of the employees asked me if I was military (due to the butch job), and luckily I am (full time National Guard helo pilot).

Anyway, I bought two tires from him, as mine were completely dry-rotted on the 70lb mongo bomb.

He started asking me some questions, and then professionally fitted me for a bike with about 12 different measurements on this high end measuring machine... Arms, Legs, Feet, Inseam, Shoulders, Height, height to shoulders, height to hips, etc. Arm length was longer than his measuring rod (what else is new), but he improvised.

Anyway, he printed out a 3-page summary, which showed I should fit perfectly between a 62 and 63 cm frame...

He pointed me towards the store's entry level bike, a Giant OCR3 for 650.00.

I can afford that, but the accountant would banish me for months. That's a long time without affection, folks. Don't forget, I just celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary two days ago, and I have learned FIRST HAND that "Do whatever the hell you want to do" should NEVER EVER EVER be taken literally. Don't even pretend. its not worth it. My testicles are now as good as in Fort Knox....

I realize $350.00 is cheapo freepo. I may could (southernism) go a little higher, especially if the LBS would let me pay $350 up front, and then $50 per month after that.... I could make that up with the saved gas, right???

Anyway. I appreciate all of the replies.

The last place I went was a LBS close to my work, and the deal there is if I buy a new bike from them, I get free tune-ups for life... (other than for abuse). The guy (Mickey) was really nice, and steared me towards the Raleigh Sport and Raleigh Grand Sport at 450 and 550 respectively.

I thought that was a pretty good deal.

The only difference was that the Grand Sport had Carbon Fiber Forks and separate brakes for the upright posn.

From what I've read on this forum, CF for a Clyde is probably not the way to go. Should it make a difference??

As far as 16 miles in an hour and 05 minutes...I pedal the whole time. I'm in decent shape, and can run 2 miles in 16:40. Not bad for 285.

Here's my problem though: The old ladies and snotty punks with $4500.00++ Cannon road bikes still snicker at me and the Purple POS as they whiz past... It's just too much to bear.

But I digress...

The two LBS's that impressed me most were the first and last. The first was definitely high end, and I was a cheapo freepo low end customer, but I was impressed with the service. It might have been since we were both deployed to Iraq for 14 months, but sometimes you get a break. The latter was a good old boy, about 50, with a small bike shop, and he listened to me and was generally very genuine and attentive. Even after I told him my budget was very very low. He knew the ride I took first-hand, and suggested the Raleigh Sport.

So, I want to definitely support my LBS instead of buying something over internet, even if it is $50.00 cheaper. I just want y'all to know that I am not cheap...just on a budget from the accountant. She has plans to fix the yard, etc, and is trying to save for an indoor gas BBQ in the sunroom. So I cannot be too much of an a$$ about it right now, if you get my drift.

LBS 1 has a weekly "Coffee Ride" put together every saturday morning at 0730 (1-1.5 hours),and will rent me a 63cm Cannondale for 25.00 for 24 hrs to check it out.

So what do you think? Giant OCR3 (650, and maybe a little less the guy hinted at) at the high end shop, or the Raleigh Sport for 450 and life time tune-ups??

Also, just saw a 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix, 64cm, for 20.00 on Ebay..

charles vail

Maybe the rental will convince you to find a way to purchase a little nicer bike from the start. Do you have anything that you don't use, that you can sell? Golf clubs, old car, guns, fishing gear? Some times you have to sacrifice to make a change for your health. The tune ups are a nice incentive, unless you are like me and enjoy doing your own work. If you are not mechanical, don't have any tools or don't want to read up on it, the service sounds like a good reason to buy from that shop. On the other hand......if you like fixing things up the $20 Raleigh off E-Bay might be an easy fix to make it rideable. I purchased an old Centurion for $50 from my local bike shop and it was rideable right out the gate. I later invested an additional $200 and the results are posted on Cyclofiend.com or on my web page at: https://www.myspace.com/eccentriccyclistcharlie

Doing a bike project can be a satisfying experience. You can then add better wheels and other parts as you are able and as money permits. My page shows several used bikes some in like new condition and some looked bad at first. Most bicycles are ridden less than 1000 miles and are garaged. There are quite a few good deals, if you know what to look for. Perhaps your local bike shop guy has something laying around from the 80's made of steel, that he can sell inexpensively and later you could buy a nicer bike. Lots of ways to look at it. Either way, you need a safe bike that fits or you will wreck your knees riding that small bike. You owe it to your health and your wife should understand the importance of it.

Forget the barbecue, thats part of the problem! Too much barbecued meats are not good for your digestive tract and can lead to cancer of the colon. Been there, done that, no fun at all!.

old and new

First off,you don't have a 32" inseam, sorry,it doesn't exist in my data-base .The shortest individual with anything much below 33 is about 6'.. You're measuring it wrong Mister. As far as recomendations: I've ridden and like the Jamis,the Bianchi has appeal,they all seem fine. You really need to isolate the type bike.I like road bikes,drop bars,when I was as heavy as you I rode Hybrids. A road bike is not the best bike at this point. Besides, you'll find very little in that style ,that price range,a few but. Your arm size is wrong too. You sir,are measuring your clothes, N/G. If you're prospecting-out bikes using the sizes you state...it could be a problem, if you're there at the store buying or trying the bikes,your estimations matter not. Don't get frustrated at the Hybrid suggestion, it makes more sense,UNLESS you LOVE drop bars,the compromises are worth condsidering. If you go e-bay,you better know your CORRECT size.Big for sure but why not nail-it ?

schnee

Magilla, for what it's worth, I'm 6'-2-1/2", 37.5" sleeve, so I have similar 'sasquatch' issues. I fit a 60cm perfectly, generally go for a 58.5-59cm top tube (the most important measurement).

old and new, he may be referring to his pants inseam measurement, not the true one.

magilla

Durff. Typo. My pants inseam measurement is 34", not 32". I'm a newbie to bike measuring, but how much difference between bicycle inseam and pants inseam is there?

I lost the bid on the 1977 Raleigh at 46.00. (but with 60.00 shipping) I'll keep looking. I'll look at the Classifieds tomorrow.

I like to tinker with stuff (I'm almost finished building an experimental gyrocopter), and I took three bikes to assemble the Purple Magilla Bomb and make it rideable. In fact, I spent all evening tweaking the rims and brakes, and got a first-hand lesson in the old adage "You can't polish a turd"

For daily transpo, I want something a little more reliable. Once I start riding, can upgrade piecemeal. A more expensive way to go in the long run, sure.

Is there anything wrong with getting the Raleigh Sport or Cadent 1.0 from the LBS, as a starter, and then upgrading pieces and parts as I ride?

martianone

try finding a used MTN bike at a local LBS.
i know your size may be harder to find in used,
i purchased a previous year rental Trek 6500, XL frame (i think the
new price was $750, used $300). had the LBS put on big apple tires,
swapped the flat handle bars for an Origin 8 space bar and a new set
of kool stop brake pads. put on a b-17 saddle. the set up works fine,
my teenage son (now 6'3") has now sort of taken over this ride.

Air

Sounds like you're on the right track - consider yourself lucky that you have at least two shops that have good service, that will help you down the road.

Tough choice - having one near work in case something goes wrong, can drop it off and pick it up afterwards is nice. The guy at the first one really took care of you though. In terms of the CF fork - it's strong but people have different reactions (there's another bike thread here that starts debating). I think anyone can agree that if it takes a hit (decent scrape with a wall, etc...) then it could have been compromised and you'd need to have the lbs take a look before you entrust your teeth to it. You could probably ask them to swap the fork out with an al one if you're concerned.

That 1977 Raleigh would have been perfect - I think it's what Tom is taking on his tour. An old steel bike will be a great commuter starter.

cooleric1234

I commute on a Giant Cypress (aluminum, not the ST) from like 2002 or something. It isn't that bad, really. I've added trekking handlebars, metal cage pedals with PowerGrips, lights, rack, panniers, bike computer, saddle bag, pump, and water bottle cages. Right now the only thing I don't like is the heel strike problem with the panniers.

Air

Letting you know I reorganized the 'Bike' section in my sig, added a Bike Buying section and added a few more to that.

charles vail

The heart of any good riding bike that lasts is, the frame. I'd rather have an expensive frame and so-so parts cause they wear out if you ride enough.

centexwoody 

Looks to me like you've done some great research and investigation of LBS potential. That was pretty generous of the guy in the 1st shop to give you all those measurements. However, I wouldn't necessarily feel obligated to buy there - that measurement bit is a service & marketing tool.

The locally-owned smaller operation of LBS # 2 is the one that would attract me but I'm over 50 so I'd feel more attraction to that one. I think either one is good from your description so the question is which bike you'd rather have...

IMO and from my own experience, buying a decent MTB then modifying it to be a capable comfortable & STURDY commuter was a good move on my part. I did enough riding and looked at enough different bikes that when I was ready to spend $ 1500 on a new bike, I knew exactly what I wanted and had saved up the bucks to pay cash. That took over a year of putting a bit aside whenever I had some extra funds and some Christmas presents in the form of cash but it was worth the wait.

Whatever you do, get yourself a bike that feels comfortable and that you LIKE TO RIDE...no matter whether it's the coolest or fastest...the point is to have a steed that you look forward to getting on and heading out.

A last comment, FWIW, is that if you are intending to commute regularly in fair & bad weather, then consider a bike that has braze-ons to accomodate fenders, a rear rack and some kind of pannier. And a bike that will accomodate good weather tires and more substantial tires for winter & rainy season. That has made all the difference in the world for my commuting. For example, my neighborhood always seems to catch the rain from fronts blowing across our community so fenders are necessary but often by the time I arrive at work, I've run past the rain clouds & it is good weather (even just 4 miles away). Took me a couple of times to realize the microclimatic differences around town were sufficiently variable that a well-equipped commuter bike could handle almost all of them. For your 16-mile ride, there will be differences in whether it's raining at home but not at work or vice versa.

magilla

Update: Got a 1977 63cm Schwinn Le Tour III off eBay as a starter bike. Yeah, it's not the best, but it was only 90 bucks. I will make a few upgrades, get it tuned, and then bike for a year.

When next year rolls around, and I've saved the $$, I can buy a decent bike.

As far as the mongo bomb: I put new 26x1.75 street tires and inner tubes on it, as the old ones were leaking air, and the 2.5" knobby tires were completely dry-rotted and you could feel the amount they slowed me down. I'm going to post pics here tonight. I also trued the wheels, and then found out that the rear wheel was off center about 3/4" of an inch. Yep, I definitely like to do things the hard way... I moved the seat and handle bars, and got a better geometry.

A circus bear on a tricycle ain't got nothing on this Magilla Gorilla. Whoooooooooeeeeeeeee it's UGLY.

But here's the good news: Day 4 of riding, with the first three days all about 1 hour and 5 minutes for 16 or so miles. Today, with new tires, trued and aligned rims, I shaved 12 whole minutes off my time, and was using a completely different gear set.

I couldn't believe it. I actually passed somebody today!!!

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!!!!

Air

I think that's going to be a great bike for you - enjoy!! Need pics!

charles vail

You are still riding the tuned up MTB and are waiting for the 63 cm Schwinn? The Biggest deal on the Schwinn besides a general tune up will be new quality tires, trued wheels, new cables and brake blocks. If the chain or gears are worn replace them. A decent leather Brooks saddle and some new bar tape will make your bike a fun ride.

Air

Also - look to save the money up for November or so. Usually shops will cut steep discounts on last year's models so you might be able to pick up an $800 bike for $500 or so.