Bicycle Pros

[Riot]

Dear Bicycle Pros,
I have no ridden in a long time. The house I will be moving to in a week is a 45 second down hill run to a bike trail we have here in CT. The downside is, this means it's probably a deadly 10 minute ride up a winding hill without sidewalks. However, the gym, across town, is only but a few minutes from this bike path, as well. I figured I could buy a bike as a way to get some extra exercise in.
With that said, as technology rages on and my cane gets closer to the clouds I'm screaming at... I don't know what the best option is for this investment. I think I've landed on a "Trekking" "Hybrid" bike. But honestly... There's also many sub sections of hybrids, as well.

I did buy that Trek police bike, but the cables are all fairly rusted and the chain completely. It $20, but I dont know if I want to bother with putting any money into to make it reliable. (read: I can't take another TBI if I'm riding along and the bike locks up for some unforeseen reason and I take a terrible tumble into an early grave).

I guess that's my description of what I'm sort of looking for. I think I want it light weight just because I have to make it up that hill whilst trying not to get killed by raging college kids and distracted drivers. Honestly, due to this fact, I almost considered one of the motorized options, but I don't have the slightest clue how they work or if the work out is at all the same.

As far as price... Def. under $1000, but if we could get all in for around half that, that would be even better.

Also, I've got some pretty sweet markers I could trade if someone local-ish had a bike that fit the bill.


Thoughts?

[BLachance75]

Cheapest option would be to bring your police bike to a bike shop and have them replace all the cables, chain, brake pads and give it a full tune up. Should be a few hundred dollars and it will be done correctly.

I personally use a rear light that has radar. That way I know when a car is coming behind me. It connects to my bike computer and gives me a visual and audio notification of the car’s distance and speed. Probably overkill for you though. I’d suggest a bright flashing rear light as a cheap alternative. A helmet as well.

What bike trail are you going to be near? I like riding on the Airline Trail in CT. Usually start in the ghetto of Wilamantic and go either up to Pomfret or south to the other end.

[Pumpytrilly1]

Can you post a picture of the bike you have? It's pretty easy to fix them up. Even if you buy a chain and a park tools chain breaker it's not bad. Cables can be a bit tricky at first.

You'll also probably want skinnier faster tires than what's on it. Also lighter maxxis tubes.



Buy park tools over Chinese knock offs that don't last.

[Riot]

Posted below!

[pintbuster]

What year police bike? I love those things!
30 minutes on youtube and $150 gets you cables, chain, tires and tubes for a solid bike.

[Riot]

Couldn’t tell ya the year!

[martix_agent]

Fix that bike up unless it's completely trashed or your wrong size.
Cables and a new chain are cheap, and youtube videos can help you install them if you're unsure about it. They're much easier than you would assume.

[BLachance75]

I'm all for building and maintaining your bike yourself, however doing that does require some specialty tools. You can probably do it with most normal household tools but it isn't the best way to do it. If you don't know if you are going to stick with the sport or trust your repair skills it is better to bring it to a bike shop and have them do it. It will be cheaper and you will have a peace of mind that it is safe.

If you do decide to get a different bike look on Facebook marketplace. A lot of people bought bikes during COVID and barely or didn't use them. They may need a little adjusting on the brakes and/or derailleurs but you can get a deal.

[Riot]

It’s a little big for me, I think.
A little research also led me to believe that it’s not really that valuable of a bike, so dumping a couple hundred into it would kind of be a bummer. I guess I could ask a few places what an overhaul would cost, but again, I don’t want to dump money into a turd.
I won’t be fixing it up myself.

[Chuck E Ducky]

You can get a nice Specialized for $550-750 (new) I bet you could find a used one cheap. Keep in mind whatever you get used I would bring it to a shop get it tuned up.

I ended up with a good quality hard tail Mtn Bike all in for less than $700.

[maninblack2k]

Have you thought about getting a fat bike for those off road trails? I recommend this Mongoose. Mongoose 26-in. Dolomite ALX Unisex Fat Tire Mountain Bike, Gray - Walmart.com

Previously I had a Dolemite which is the heavier steel framed version with a 7 speed. You might be surprised how much you might like that vs. a hybrid/trail. I don't know if you get snow there in CT but in Wisconsin I can ride with 4" tires year-round on trails. Just some food for thought.

Sorry, skimmed the part where you already bought the bike. My bad.

[Riot]

I love fat tire bikes, this is just more of a ride to the gym on a paved path kind of deal.

[martix_agent]

It’s a little big for me, I think.

Hmm, that looks like a smaller frame. Is the seat currently in a position that you're comfortable riding it?

[Riot]

I think it's a L or XL... It's a little big for me, honestly. Not terribly so, but I couldn't raise the seat any to comfortably ride it.

[martix_agent]

Yea I think you're on the right line of thought then. If you can't raise the seat any more and still use it, it's too big for you. I would look for a different bike.
$20 for that is a great price though, even though it needs a little TLC. I'm sure you can sell it for that much or more.

[Riot]

Kind of a bummer, maybe I'll keep this one and slowly turn it into a fixie to complete my transformation into a hipster. =)

[BLachance75]

Every major bike company has a fitness/city bike in the sub $1000 range. Specialized has the Sirrus, Trek is FX, Giant is Escape or FastRoad, Canyon is Roadlite. All will come in a range of prices based on the components.

The Canyon Roadlite is a lot of bike for the money and is a great deal. https://www.canyon.com/en-us/hybrid-...rahmenfarbe=BU

[Riot]

What’s the second best? That blue is gay as helllll. Haha

[BLachance75]

But it matches your jerseys.

I'd actually pick the FastRoad as my first choice but it is $1100. The Roadlite is on sale and has better components than most of the Specialized or Treks that are more expensive so it really is a great option.

[Paintslinger16]

https://www.sixthreezero.com/products/mens-in-the-barrel-beach-cruiser-bike/?variant=30158012673

I have this one, looks out of stock right now, but the fat tire is in stock, it’s a great bike, the crank hanger is actually forward for back pain.