The Fighting Fundamental Forums

I've been thinking about buying a bike for exercising. Not to ride any great length but to just get out more. Do any of you have any advice in purchasing a new bike?

I went to wally world and sat on a few and I don't remember them being so tall.

I've always liked being able to sit flat footed but when I found one I could, it seems really short on rotation. 

Thanks!

(06-07-2016, 07:01 PM)praise_yeshua Wrote: [ -> ]I've been thinking about buy a bike for exercising. Not to ride any great length but to just get out more. Do any of you have any advice in purchasing a new bike?

I went to wally world and sat on a few and I don't remember them being so tall.

I've always liked being able to sit flat footed but when I found one I could, it seems really short on rotation. 

Thanks!

bicycles vary in style ..size... and type depending on how they are going to be ridden... ... both of mine are konas.... but they are 2 very different styles of bicycles ..one has fat tires and is made more for off road.... (though it;s still very comfortable to ride on the road too.. if you are not trying to ride too fast).....the other has thin tires and more gears and is made for long distance riding on paved roads.....  .... it;s important to get one that will fit the kind of riding you will be doing and which is made for the kinds of roads you will be on..... but the most important thing is to get one that fits you and that you feel comfortable on..... ......i don;t know how much you feel comfortable spending but i would not go too cheap.... even if you only buy an old style single speed fat tire bike get one that is well made ..... because the better one is made the better you will like it, and the more you will want to ride it.....  ... both times when we picked out mine i went to the bike shops and tried out at least a couple of dozen before i finally chose the ones i wanted....... .. then i signed up for a bicycle repair class so i would know how to fix and maintain them.... (but that;s just me...not everyone has to do that)....   ..... 

I still have a bike from the '80s.  It needs to be refurbished.  When I lose weight, I'll get it fixed up and start riding it again.

I prefer a touring bike (thin tires, long distance, paved roads), where light weight is the most important factor.  This is a very light bike (I forget what it weighs).  Lots of light alloy.  I put thorn resistant tire tubes in it in Colorado, and just the little added weight of those tubes made it noticeably harder to ride (but not so bad that I didn't ride it).  

It would probably cost upwards of $1,000 or more these days.  I got it for $200 back in the '80s because the company was going out of business or something.

It's a Centurion.  Here's one from 1978 that's almost identical to the one I have (except the color, and mine is in rotten condition).

(06-07-2016, 07:17 PM)aleshanee Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-07-2016, 07:01 PM)praise_yeshua Wrote: [ -> ]I've been thinking about buy a bike for exercising. Not to ride any great length but to just get out more. Do any of you have any advice in purchasing a new bike?

I went to wally world and sat on a few and I don't remember them being so tall.

I've always liked being able to sit flat footed but when I found one I could, it seems really short on rotation. 

Thanks!

bicycles vary in style ..size... and type depending on how they are going to be ridden... ... both of mine are konas.... but they are 2 very different styles of bicycles ..one has fat tires and is made more for off road.... (though it;s still very comfortable to ride on the road too.. if you are not trying to ride too fast).....the other has thin tires and more gears and is made for long distance riding on paved roads.....  .... it;s important to get one that will fit the kind of riding you will be doing and which is made for the kinds of roads you will be on..... but the most important thing is to get one that fits you and that you feel comfortable on..... ......i don;t know how much you feel comfortable spending but i would not go too cheap.... even if you only buy an old style single speed fat tire bike get one that is well made ..... because the better one is made the better you will like it, and the more you will want to ride it.....  ... both times when we picked out mine i went to the bike shops and tried out at least a couple of dozen before i finally chose the ones i wanted....... .. then i signed up for a bicycle repair class so i would know how to fix and maintain them.... (but that;s just me...not everyone has to do that)....   ..... 

I had a co-worker suggest I go to a bike shop and get fitted. Then go to wally world and buy something similar. I hate to do something like that.....

Thanks for your help!

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(06-07-2016, 10:03 PM)The Rogue Tomato Wrote: [ -> ]I still have a bike from the '80s.  It needs to be refurbished.  When I lose weight, I'll get it fixed up and start riding it again.

I prefer a touring bike (thin tires, long distance, paved roads), where light weight is the most important factor.  This is a very light bike (I forget what it weighs).  Lots of light alloy.  I put thorn resistant tire tubes in it in Colorado, and just the little added weight of those tubes made it noticeably harder to ride (but not so bad that I didn't ride it).  

It would probably cost upwards of $1,000 or more these days.  I got it for $200 back in the '80s because the company was going out of business or something.

It's a Centurion.  Here's one from 1978 that's almost identical to the one I have (except the color, and mine is in rotten condition).

I like that bike!

i did 70 miles today on one exactly like this one... .same make - model - and even the same color.... but wth the seat 
on mine positioned all the way down.........  totally worn out and exhausted right now....   .... but i love this bike..... 
fits me perfectly for long road rides........ when we first bought it this model was selling for about 1000 dollars.....
 they don;t make it exactly the same today but i think the price for a similar style is only a little bit more than that...

.... 






my other bike is exactly like this one below.... which is a little older..... and it;s the one i use for the 40 miles over the pali ride..
plus 
shorter rides and off road trail rides...... super comfortable.... .... it;s over 11 years old now and the models they make of this 
style are a little different today.....  but this one cost 1200 dollars when we bought it back in 2004.... i have a complete set of
 bicycle tools and i;ve kept both my bikes in mint condition...... but they both have a lot of miles on them.... and have been through
more than one set of new tires too...... thankfully, they still make the original equipment tires for both so it;s been easy to just 
pick up a new set and put them on......   .... but currently i have a set of tires with a slightly different tread pattern on it now
 that handles the paved road a little bit better... but is still good for off road and trails...


.

(06-09-2016, 12:46 AM)aleshanee Wrote: [ -> ]i did 70 miles today on this one....... totally worn out and exhausted right now....   .... but i love this bike..... 
fits me perfectly for long road rides........ when we first bought it this model was selling for about 1000 dollars.....
 they don;t make it exactly the same today but i think the price for a similar style is only a little bit more than that....... 






this one is a little older..... and it;s the one i use for the 40 miles over the pali ride.... plus shorter rides and off road trail rides..... 
... super comfortable.... .... it;s over 11 years old now and the models they make of this style are a little different today.....  but this
 one cost 1200 dollars when we bought it back in 2004.... i have a complete set of bicycle tools and i;ve kept both my bikes in mint 
condition...... but they both have a lot of miles on them.... and have been through more than one set of new tires too...... they still make
 the original equipment tires for both so it;s been easy to just pick up a new set and put them on......   .... but currently i have a set
of tires with a slightly different tread pattern on it now that handles the road a little bit better... but is still good for off road and trails.....

Thanks for your advice. I'll check them out!!!

i heard single speed beach cruisers from the 1950s made a big come back on the mainland several years ago....but they have always
 been popular here..... especially for surfers who like to ride a bike to the beach and carry their surfboard on a side rack attached
 to the bike..... ...... i have actually thought about getting one myself... just for cruising around...... ..... especially since i first saw 
someone riding one like this one in waikiki ...... totally chromed out....... 




it reminds me of my favorite movie line from mad max fury road........   

(06-09-2016, 01:19 PM)aleshanee Wrote: [ -> ]i heard single speed beach cruisers from the 1950s made a big come back on the mainland several years ago....but they have always
 been popular here..... especially for surfers who like to ride a bike to the beach and carry their surfboard on a side rack attached
 to the bike..... ...... i have actually thought about getting one myself... just for cruising around...... ..... especially since i first saw 
someone riding one like this one in waikiki ...... totally chromed out....... 



it reminds me of my favorite movie line from mad max fury road........   

That is a BEAUTIFUL bike. I like the idea of sitting up on the bike.

(06-09-2016, 01:31 PM)praise_yeshua Wrote: [ -> ]That is a BEAUTIFUL bike. I like the idea of sitting up on the bike.

me too...... if i;m just riding around for fun and not on a lengthy excursion...... .......... but one of the times i saw the guy in waikiki riding one of those chrome bikes we had just seen the movie mad max fury road......  and we had already been repeating the movie line - "you will ride eternal - shiny and chrome.."...... and then that guy rode out in front of us and it was hilarious.... my friends and i looked at each other...knew what we were all thinking.....  and said the movie line together at the same time...... ...... but all jokes aside it;s a beautiful bicycle.....  and i am seriously thinking of getting one either exactly like it or very similar...... ......one really nice thing about that style of bike in addition to sitting up straight is the seats are really comfortable too...... they are big... padded... and have spring support...... ... 

i have thought about switching the seat on my all terrain bike to one of those kind..... but the bike shop guys said it might actually cause problems when going over really bad ground when i needed to be off the seat and standing on the pedals more....... it came with 2 sets of pedals.... one that has clips that attach to the bottom of bicycle shoes so you can get power on both the upstroke and down stroke when pedaling.... (but i have the standard set without clips installed on it) ..... but my other bike... the road bike..... has only the clip style pedals and i wear special bicycle shoes with the clip attachment built into the sole when i am riding that one.....  




btw... if i do end up getting myself a chrome beach bike... i will be thinking
of this movie line every time i ride it..... but i think i;ll skip the chrome spray
paint on the teeth thing...... 

the ease of carrying a surfboard while riding with one hand is what made old school single speed fat tire
 bikes very common with surfers..... .. and it;s the reason that kind of bicycle never went out of style in
 hawaii..... ... this is actually a very common sight here..... and seeing that particular surfer/musician 
riding to the beach is not all that uncommon here either..... since he was born here and still lives here...