Buying A Bike - Inquiry

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old and
haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I used to ride a
Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started driving so no need to ride.
Wish I never stopped. I was lean and fit while ridding the bike.
Even a few years after I stopped I still was lean but over the years
the more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now 
I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just cruising on the streets.
I hear people say don't buy these bikes sold at Costco and the like
because they are not high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes
are probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing serious
nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail frame?
What height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21 or 26 inch
or whatever how is that in relation to the frame and what height of
the bike and relation to my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame
or the wheel height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.


Thanks,


James

"James Lynx" wrote in message
m...
I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old and
haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I used to ride a
Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started driving so no need to ride.
Wish I never stopped. I was lean and fit while ridding the bike.
Even a few years after I stopped I still was lean but over the years
the more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now 
I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just cruising on the streets.
I hear people say don't buy these bikes sold at Costco and the like
because they are not high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes
are probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing serious
nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail frame?
What height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21 or 26 inch
or whatever how is that in relation to the frame and what height of
the bike and relation to my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame
or the wheel height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Darn, James, you have a lot of questions. :-) You'd probably be well served
to go to your local bike shop and ask them. You're probably (from the type
of riding you describe) looking for a hybrid, or a MTB with slick tires, or
possibly a flat bar road bike. There are so many options, and bike shop
prices vary from just a bit more than Costco to thousands of dollars. My
advice is poke around on the web and check your local bike shops.

Mike

On 6 May 2004 17:25:10 -0700, (James Lynx)
wrote:

I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old and
haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I used to ride a
Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started driving so no need to ride.
Wish I never stopped. I was lean and fit while ridding the bike.
Even a few years after I stopped I still was lean but over the years
the more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now 
I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just cruising on the streets.
I hear people say don't buy these bikes sold at Costco and the like
because they are not high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes
are probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing serious
nothing intense just exercise.


Well, at 36 you might be in a better position to appreciate the
quality of a good bicycle. At 16, along with being immortal, the body
and brains (or lack thereof) can make any bike work. And if something
goes wrong, your recovery from an injury will be much harder and
longer at 36.

I'd look for a used mountain bike, something like a specialized hard
rock with a solid fork- no suspension. $1500-250 max, and it will get
you back on a bike. See what happens, see how it works, etc. Then in a
few months you'll be able to make a much better decision.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail frame?

I'd avoid suspension for now. At the lower prices, the suspension
won't be very good, will add weight, and will mean reduced quality in
other parts. Again, solid frame and fork until you know what
suspension will do for you with your present riding style.

What height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21 or 26 inch
or whatever how is that in relation to the frame and what height of
the bike and relation to my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame
or the wheel height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.

Most 'adult' bikes will have 26 inch (mountain) or 700c (road) wheel
sizes. Frame size is what you are looking for. At 6 feet, 19-21 inches
in a mountain, 58cm or so in a road? Stand over height is the big
issue. Make certain that you can raise the seatpost enough (or get a
replacement). Your knees are not going to deal with too short a seat
height as well as they did at 16.

(OK, bike fit is much more complex than standover height, but you have
to start somewhere....)

If you don't want to do the used route, then shop for a good bike shop
and let them lead you to a good bike.

I'll throw out a bike that I've enjoyed for bombing around streets-
Marin Muirwoods

http://www.marinbikes.com/html/spec_04_muirwoods.html

Something like this would be a good starting point.

James Lynx wrote:
I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old and haven't
ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I used to ride a Team
Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started driving so no need to ride. Wish I
never stopped. I was lean and fit while ridding the bike. Even a few
years after I stopped I still was lean but over the years the more
inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start riding again
but don't know which kinda bike to buy.
I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now  I
won't spend a lot of money because I'm just cruising on the streets. I
hear people say don't buy these bikes sold at Costco and the like
because they are not high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes are
probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a good
bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing serious nothing
intense just exercise.
What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail frame? What
height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21 or 26 inch or
whatever how is that in relation to the frame and what height of the
bike and relation to my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame or the
wheel height that's the most importance?
Please advise and thanks in advance.
Thanks,
James


I would definitly check out a local bike shop. If you get a MTB or
hybrid you'll probably be very happy and the price is no more than
good bike at Costco. Full suspension on low end bikes are a waste o
money since they tend to be cheap and add weight & cost

Get a MTB if your; Looking for versatility. A MTB is primarily for of
road riding but can be easily adapted for road riding by simply changin
the tires to slicks. It will not be nearly as fast as a road bike o
hybrid due to the 26" rims, fatter/nobby tires, and gear ratio's. Bes
for rough dirt roads and bumpy conditions, kinda slow for road ridin
(although I've seen some pretty fast MTBer's on the road)

Get a Hybrid if your; Looking for a low cost alternative to a road bike
Hybrid's are a cross between a road bike and a MTB. They have 700c rim
and have a gear ratio similar (or the same) as a road bike. The tire
tend to be somewhat fatter than a road bike but narrower than a MTB an
generally don't have nobbies. The sitting position is more upright tha
a road bike and is supposed to be more comfortable but most would agre
that a road bike's position is a necessity for longer rides (over 3
miles). Generally not too good off road but hard dirt paths are probabl
OK. Does a much better job on pavement than a MTB (even with slicks)

Get a Road Bike if you; Like to ride fast or take long trips (30
miles). Road bikes generally have 700c tires that are very narrow. Th
gear ratio's are best suited for higher speeds and the drop down bar
(handle bars) provide the best hand positions for comfort. Not good of
road, stick to the pavement


-

a similar case myself, at 37 i started riding again after a 20 year break.
after shopping around a while i figured i'd rather spend a little more cash
on something half-decent (reputable manufacturer, aluminium frame, shimano
derailleurs) rather than go for something really cheap that i'd probably
want to replace six months later. after some hunting i ended up with a giant
yukon hardtail which is just the job for knobbing around town, especially
with some slicks thrown on. since then i've also started triathlon and
splurged on a tribike. it's the business for fast rides, but not nearly as
much fun as the yukon.

"James Lynx" wrote in message
m...
I need to get a bike. Here is the story. I'm 36 years old and
haven't ridden bike on a regular basis since 1984. I used to ride a
Team Mongoose BMX. Good bike.I started driving so no need to ride.
Wish I never stopped. I was lean and fit while ridding the bike.
Even a few years after I stopped I still was lean but over the years
the more inactive I got the more weight I put on. I want to start
riding again but don't know which kinda bike to buy.

I love BMX, they look great but I'm too tall for those now 
I won't spend a lot of money because I'm just cruising on the streets.
I hear people say don't buy these bikes sold at Costco and the like
because they are not high quality but I tell you those Costco bikes
are probably higher quality than the BMX I used to ride and that was a
good bike too. I just want to ride on the street. Nothing serious
nothing intense just exercise.

What do I look for in a bike? Suspension frame? Hard tail frame?
What height? When they list the wheel height in terms of 21 or 26 inch
or whatever how is that in relation to the frame and what height of
the bike and relation to my height of six feet tall? Is it the frame
or the wheel height that's the most importance?

Please advise and thanks in advance.


Thanks,


James