Shopping for a bicycle

The seat, Roger! The seat must be comfy. I don't know about what brands are best. I have a very servicable Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike. It cost about $350 and is sturdy and not too heavy.

I'm no Daisy, Daisy, but I know Piffka is right.

Check out the seat, the fundament, the area of union between man and wheels.

Under 500 should be pretty easy roger.

Allow me to recommend schwinn (even if their website sucks their bikes are ok).

Here's a "help you choose" thingie they have (noting that their website is incomplete and not like their bikes):

http://www.schwinnbike.com/advisor/tree.php

I didn't say, Roger, but I wish I had, that your having fun on a bike made me feel really happy. Hope you find a bike you like soon.

I don't know if you have these in your area, but around here, you can get some great deals on bikes at the sheriff's auction.

The seat, sure, but seats should be easy to replace, so if I get one that's a little rough on the seat, I can get another.

I respect the schwinn brand, but their point of departure on prices roughly coincides with my point of termination. Yeah, their website could stand the gentle touch of a good developer, couldn't it? Maybe I should just throw myself on the mercy of one of our two bicycle shops, cuz I didn't begin to understand the specs, and have no idea why I would want 24 gears to chose from. Something has definately changed in the past quarter century or so.

Perhaps my post-bar comprehension is at low ebb but if I understand things correctly schwinn has a lot for under your ceiling (though if you browse the product page from the top down you'll not notice that till about halfway down).

Back when I was a biking enthusiast I never had 500 to blow on a bike, and would usually get bikes like a Huffy for 100-150. You can find those at a Walmart or a Target.

Thing is, if you spend about 300 you can get so much better than that.

Schwinn has some:

"Comfort Mountain" series.

$339.99

$249.99

"Comfort Hybrid"

$339.99

$249.99

"All Terrain"

$199.99

$249.99

$289.99

"Full Suspension"

This one would absorb a lot of bumps.

$499.99

"Comfort Road"

$399.99

BTW, more gears isn't just overkill, it can make a big difference in comfort insofar as pedalling goes.

Anywho, a bike shop might be the way to go. On the Schwinn site you can find one near you in case you want to check some out.

I see I did miss a few. When I finally got their Decision tree to work (sometimes), it took me straight to the Full Suspension, which is right at the pretax end of my before tax limit.

Okay, suspension is better than hard tail, and gears are good. We're narrowing down the filed.

Mind if I read over your shoulder, roger?

Be my guest. I checked out websites for products carried by the local dealer. Diamondback looks like the right price range, and really good stuff (so says the Diamondback site, anyway.) The other brands seem dedicted to activities I'm not interested in. Any, younger people heal faster.

Thankee. We have at least 2 good bike stores here in town. I should get over to check them out.... I think they sell used and freshly serviced bikes.

Having been avid cyclist, all my life i would recommend that you seek out a 'real' cycle shop in your area; and solicit their advice on what to buy; type, fit, price, etc.

By 'real' i mean a member of the renewable energy 'mindset'; not a member of the 'capitalist pigs' sales confederate.

Check your local news for bike friendly groups like the one i belong to: CBN (Toronto)
and let them guide you to an environmentally friendly; and knowledgeable bike shop.

[and as far as the seat goes, for example, the worst ones are the softest ones; good ones take a little 'wearing in', but in the long run support you much better, and are more comfortable - but you need to be told that in advance!]

Thanks, BoGoWo. We have two cycle shops, and they both radiate enthusiasm. I appreciate the tip on the seat. I already know I wouldn't tolerate a mushy, gel type handlebar grip, so it makes sense to think of the seat the same way.

Not to worry. I'm not buying something assembled by someone that would would work for walmart.