4 miles? Pshh... EASY!

[MadisonMPG]

The bike is only 200 dollars, but I do know what you are saying. I don't plan on getting it, or any new bike for that matter, right now.

What kind of bike do you suggest for me? I saw a Trek 7200 for sale, but it sold before I could talk to the guy.

[dcb]

NONE of my bikes roll as far or as easy as my mid 70s schwinn LeTour that I got off craigslist for a few peanuts.

It has skinny 27 inch tires that pump up to 120PSI and my lard butt has not had a problem, even with some minor (careful) curb hopping.

For comfort I slapped a spring seat and tall bmx bars on it (I like sitting upright when not on a recumbent).

10 speeds is plenty to choose from.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by dcb

NONE of my bikes roll as far or as easy as my mid 70s schwinn LeTour that I got off craigslist for a few peanuts.

It has skinny 27 inch tires that pump up to 120PSI and my lard butt has not had a problem, even with some minor (careful) curb hopping.

For comfort I slapped a spring seat and tall bmx bars on it (I like sitting upright when not on a recumbent).

10 speeds is plenty to choose from.

Pics? I want an old 10 speed, just no one has one for sale ATM. I am still looking though.

[Christ]

LOL - My last 21 speed, I took the rear hub apart and put a single cog hub in it, so it ended up a 3 speed.

[Frank Lee]

People can't even give 10 speeds away around here! MTBs and comfort bikes are "trendy" so that's all of a sudden what everybody thinks they need. Annndddd... there might be something to it as I've preferred my MTB over my nice road bike all year since I fixed it up.

If I didn't have my MTB I'd still happily ride my road bike... but I'm looking into wider tires for it; those 27 x 1 tires are sooo small they've suffered a few "snakebite" flats even though I'm pretty religous about airing bike tires up.

Hit garage sales and auctions. In the olden days college bulletin boards were great; now I guess it all goes on Craig's List. Even now on the cusp of winter I see several bikes on CL here.

[Frank Lee]

Back in the stone age before I got my Fuji, the 3rd bike I'd had in my whole life to that point was a '50s Schwinn knee-action fork balloon tire cruiser.

Getting the Fuji and having actual GEARS opened up whole new worlds!

Hilly = gears good; Flat = eh, might be nice but not mandatory.

[thatguitarguy]

I'll say it again. Get a bike that fits. It's not about wheel size, or fat tires, or skinny tires, or high bars, or low bars, or whether your balls sit on the top tube. It's about the angles formed by the top tube and seat tube, the lengths of those tubes, and the relative lengths of your legs, your torso and arms...

An easy check on a road bike is when you have the seat adjusted so your foot, when flat on the pedal, will allow your knees to slightly bend. Then when you ride it and your hands are comfortably on the drops, you look down and the handlebars should be right in line with the front axle. But it's not quite that easy, it's about the way the bike feels. It sounds esoteric, but the bike should feel like it's a part of you. When you go for a 5 mile walk you shouldn't be thinking about your shoes. If you are, they aren't the right shoes. Some women think it's about high heels and pointy toes, and how they look on your feet, but when it gets down to walking, they're going to chuck them and be barefoot long before 5 miles is over. Same with a bike. It's not about making a fashion statement, it's about practical, efficient, economical transportation.

When I started riding more than a hundred miles a week, I was riding a 10 year old Cannondale road bike that I bought used for $450 and cost $3000 new. I still had to try a few different seats to find the right one, and still I would get numbness in my hands, but that bike is 19 lbs and it flies. That's not where you want to start.

Around here, people are nearly giving away bikes that are perfectly functional but they weigh 25 lbs and up, and they want to buy the latest carbon fiber bike that they saw someone riding in the Tour De France and costs $5000 and weighs 14 lbs.That's not where you want to start either, unless you're rich.

Google around on how to fit a bike, and look around till you find the right one and then ride it every day.

[Frank Lee]

Well then it is about wheel size, tire width, etc.

[MadisonMPG]

I could just ride this.

[Frank Lee]

Do that to a desk and you could roll right into class!