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I recently got into road biking myself, but one thing I disagree with in this post is that you should buy an expensive road bike to start. I bought a $400 road

I recently got into road biking myself, but one thing I disagree with in this post is that you should buy an expensive road bike to start. I bought a $400 road bike off bikesdirect.com and another $120 on step-in pedals/shoes and outside of a few more cheap accessories I've not spent more than $700 on the whole package. It's the best bike I've ever personally ridden and I have really gotten into the sport (I'm training for a triathlon next summer). It reminds me of when I bought my first new car, a 2007 VW Rabbit. I knew what I wanted - the four-door non-sport edition, but the dealer asked me if I wanted to test drive the GTI which I didn't know came in a 4-door. I was very tempted but resisted because I knew as soon as I test drove the GTI, the Rabbit would feel sluggish in comparison. The point is, if you start out by test driving something expensive, whether it be a bike or a car, your expectations will rise from zero to very-high and it will taint the well of cheaper options. It's much more economical to buy a cheaper bike when you have zero expectations, especially if you don't know whether or not you will commit to the sport long-term. You can always sell it and upgrade to a nice $1000+ road bike in the future if you end up loving the sport. I might even recommend going cheaper than I did and buying a used road bike on craigslist for far less than the $400 I spent on a new bike (however cheap $400 is for a new road bike). As others have mentioned here, half the fun of owning a bike is learning how to maintain, repair, and upgrade it over time.

taeric 14y ago
I think what you have would count as an expensive bike. Since you can get a working bike from a place like Walmart for just about 200. That said, if you are counting what you have in the not too expensive department, I agree completely. I got a pretty good deal on craigs list. Is an older bike, but unless you plan on going competitive, it is hard to go wrong with a quality bike.
- eshvk 14y ago
  > I think what you have would count as an expensive bike. Since you can get a working bike from a place like Walmart for just about 200. No, that there is a cheap bike. Average bike prices are around $700 or so. An expensive bike is ~ $4K with carbon fiber/titanium frames. Sure, you can get a Walmart bike for $200, those things fall apart very soon and encourage bad posture.
  - taeric 14y ago
    I should have clarified, "to many that view bikes as a toy, a 700 bike is an expensive bike." It is not that I disagree with what you are saying. I just realize there is a majority that does not want to spend more than 200 on a bike. And that isn't "before accessories." Myself... I just wish I biked more. I don't have the courage to bike the full 14 miles to work, and the 3 miles each way using the train just feels sorta "meh." I am highly tempted by the bike lights at revolights.com. If anyone has experience with those, I'm all ears.
- recursive 14y ago
  The type of bike you can get from Walmart shouldn't even be considered in the same category. It may be "working" in that it can roll when it leaves the store, but if you attempt to do any serious miles on it, it will break quickly and/or require inordinate amounts of maintenance.
- dwiel 14y ago
  $200 will get you a pretty nice refurbished bike from the 70s or 80s around here. Used parts are abundant and cheap. Unless you are racing the weight doesn't make a huge difference. Especially as you are just starting out.
  - taeric 14y ago
    That describes my bike perfectly. '86 Trek. I love the thing, but I don't exactly have a lot of experience to rate it against. All of my other bikes were either mountain bikes or Xmart specials. Great for what they were. But not something I'd want to ride every day to work. of course, I realize I do things wrong by taking advantage of the speed my bike can get. I put the smallest tires I could easily find on them and have been having a blast with how easy hills are. Probably not the safest riding on the planet, but I have learned not to overtake cars if I can avoid it now.
sah2ed 14y ago
I'm about to get into biking too and agree with your comment about getting an inexpensive bike for starters. I'll probably buy a new bike instead of a used one.

taeric 14y ago

I think what you have would count as an expensive bike. Since you can get a working bike from a place like Walmart for just about 200. That said, if you are counting what you have in the not too expensive department, I agree completely. I got a pretty good deal on craigs list. Is an older bike, but unless you plan on going competitive, it is hard to go wrong with a quality bike.

eshvk 14y ago
> I think what you have would count as an expensive bike. Since you can get a working bike from a place like Walmart for just about 200. No, that there is a cheap bike. Average bike prices are around $700 or so. An expensive bike is ~ $4K with carbon fiber/titanium frames. Sure, you can get a Walmart bike for $200, those things fall apart very soon and encourage bad posture.
- taeric 14y ago
  I should have clarified, "to many that view bikes as a toy, a 700 bike is an expensive bike." It is not that I disagree with what you are saying. I just realize there is a majority that does not want to spend more than 200 on a bike. And that isn't "before accessories." Myself... I just wish I biked more. I don't have the courage to bike the full 14 miles to work, and the 3 miles each way using the train just feels sorta "meh." I am highly tempted by the bike lights at revolights.com. If anyone has experience with those, I'm all ears.
recursive 14y ago
The type of bike you can get from Walmart shouldn't even be considered in the same category. It may be "working" in that it can roll when it leaves the store, but if you attempt to do any serious miles on it, it will break quickly and/or require inordinate amounts of maintenance.
dwiel 14y ago
$200 will get you a pretty nice refurbished bike from the 70s or 80s around here. Used parts are abundant and cheap. Unless you are racing the weight doesn't make a huge difference. Especially as you are just starting out.
- taeric 14y ago
  That describes my bike perfectly. '86 Trek. I love the thing, but I don't exactly have a lot of experience to rate it against. All of my other bikes were either mountain bikes or Xmart specials. Great for what they were. But not something I'd want to ride every day to work. of course, I realize I do things wrong by taking advantage of the speed my bike can get. I put the smallest tires I could easily find on them and have been having a blast with how easy hills are. Probably not the safest riding on the planet, but I have learned not to overtake cars if I can avoid it now.

sah2ed 14y ago

I'm about to get into biking too and agree with your comment about getting an inexpensive bike for starters. I'll probably buy a new bike instead of a used one.