best kids road bike image
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The only thing I know is that you can coast on single speed, and you pedal continuously on a fixie. I haven't ridden a bike (I live in the suburbs so I mostly drive) since middle school. Only rode a road bike a couple times.
Here are a few questions:
What is the difference, feel-wise, of riding them? For example, does one go faster, or smoother than the other?
I hear fixies are dangerous but only because a lot of people who have fixies ride brakeless. Can I install brakes on fixed gear? And if so, what brakes would be best? I rode a bike as a child but it was not really a road bike, just a generic kid's bike, and I am used to pushing down on the pedals to brake.
Which bike would be better for riding in the city of Chicago? I've rode in traffic with my friends but had borrowed someone's mountain bike because I don't own one, and that was a workout trying to keep up.
Which one would be easier to maintain? I'm a beginner so my boyfriend could help me with maintenance, but I don't want to spend too much to keep maintaining my bike.
Thank you so much! All the help is much appreciated. I'm moving to Chicago in the fall and would like to start riding. Thanks!
Oh, and can I always change the gears? Like could I start off with a single speed and then once I'm used to that, if I ever want to try fixed gear, could I change the whole thing into that? As I said, I'm a beginner so I have to learn everything about bikes and I don't really know much lol.
Answer
They're both crap.
They're both crap.
How do I know what the best bike for me is?
southernbe
I am looking to get a bike to give me a cardio alternative to walking or running. I haven't ridden a bike since I was a kid, so I am trying to figure out what kind of bike to get -- mountain bike, road bike etc. How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?
Answer
Start by reading "Bicycles: How to Choose"
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle.html
It's all based on "where & how" you will be riding. Road bikes will be your fastest choice but for the streets & smooth roads ONLY. Mountain bikes or all-terrain bikes basically suck on the streets because of the knobby off road tires & suspension parts zapping your energy. Knobby tires slow you down. And with every turn of the pedals, part of your energy is absorbed or soaked up by suspension parts. All-terrain bikes are OK on the streets ONLY if they have a smoother "street friendly" tread design & "lock-out" front forks. This (in essence) turns the suspension fork into a rigid fork with the simple twist of a switch.
Hybrids are a good "all around" type bike. They are great at nothing - but still good at many things. They can be ridden on the streets or light (man-made) groomed off-road trails of finely crushed stone.
"How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?" Nine very, very simple words... See your authorized, independent, knowledgeable, friendly, local BICYCLE shop! Not K-Mart, Wally World or Target. At a REAL bicycle shop you can TRY B4 you BUY! You can test ride as many bikes as your little heart desires before the sale!
Other advantages are...
1) Professional sales - not some minimum wage "associate".
2) Professional assembly of the bike by a certified mechanic - again, not some minimum wage associate.
3) FREE service after the sale. ALL new bikes require a tune-up as shift & brake cables stretch a bit during the break-in process. Some shops do this only once. Some for a year. A bike shop near me does this for LIFE!
http://bigshark.com/about/policies-and-shipping-pg11.htm
4) Vastly better quality. Wally World lists bicycles on their website in the TOY Dept.! Does that give you a clue? A quality bike from a REAL bicycle shop - taken care of properly - can last a lifetime. Those from discount stores are "disposable bikes", meant to be ridden a year or so - then into a dumpster.
See link below. This is my "pride & joy" - a 2011 Raleigh Sojourn touring road bike. Time spent in the shop for repairs? ZERO. Money spent after the sale? A bottle of chain oil (about $8.00) and a set of new tires when the original ones wore out. And I replaced them with the SAME tires. Flat tires to date? ZERO - none - nada. Sure - you'll need to do routine maintenance & cleaning on any type of bike. But getting a quality bike from the start cost LESS in the long run.
Start by reading "Bicycles: How to Choose"
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle.html
It's all based on "where & how" you will be riding. Road bikes will be your fastest choice but for the streets & smooth roads ONLY. Mountain bikes or all-terrain bikes basically suck on the streets because of the knobby off road tires & suspension parts zapping your energy. Knobby tires slow you down. And with every turn of the pedals, part of your energy is absorbed or soaked up by suspension parts. All-terrain bikes are OK on the streets ONLY if they have a smoother "street friendly" tread design & "lock-out" front forks. This (in essence) turns the suspension fork into a rigid fork with the simple twist of a switch.
Hybrids are a good "all around" type bike. They are great at nothing - but still good at many things. They can be ridden on the streets or light (man-made) groomed off-road trails of finely crushed stone.
"How do I make sure that I get the right bike for me --- kind and size?" Nine very, very simple words... See your authorized, independent, knowledgeable, friendly, local BICYCLE shop! Not K-Mart, Wally World or Target. At a REAL bicycle shop you can TRY B4 you BUY! You can test ride as many bikes as your little heart desires before the sale!
Other advantages are...
1) Professional sales - not some minimum wage "associate".
2) Professional assembly of the bike by a certified mechanic - again, not some minimum wage associate.
3) FREE service after the sale. ALL new bikes require a tune-up as shift & brake cables stretch a bit during the break-in process. Some shops do this only once. Some for a year. A bike shop near me does this for LIFE!
http://bigshark.com/about/policies-and-shipping-pg11.htm
4) Vastly better quality. Wally World lists bicycles on their website in the TOY Dept.! Does that give you a clue? A quality bike from a REAL bicycle shop - taken care of properly - can last a lifetime. Those from discount stores are "disposable bikes", meant to be ridden a year or so - then into a dumpster.
See link below. This is my "pride & joy" - a 2011 Raleigh Sojourn touring road bike. Time spent in the shop for repairs? ZERO. Money spent after the sale? A bottle of chain oil (about $8.00) and a set of new tires when the original ones wore out. And I replaced them with the SAME tires. Flat tires to date? ZERO - none - nada. Sure - you'll need to do routine maintenance & cleaning on any type of bike. But getting a quality bike from the start cost LESS in the long run.
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