As a volunteer expert in bicycling at allexperts.com I am often asked about how to choose a bicycle either for the questioner or for a gift. It is not really as simple as it sounds.
Of course you can just go down to your local discount department store like Wal-Mart or Target and drop anywhere between 50 and 200.00 for a bike. In fact this is what 7 out of 10 people do. Wal-Mart is the largest bicycle retailer in the US. Target and other discount stores also sell many bicycles. While most of these bikes are bought by adults as gifts for children, many are indeed purchased for adults,
In fact back in 1997 my wife and I entered a contest called the Body for Life, Body Transformation Contest. We went to the local Wal-Mart and bought two bikes, one for each of us and we rode those back and forth to the gym where we worked out. In 1998 I took that bike a 26' Roadmaster on a ride around South Georgia to help raise money for the Bikes or Bust which is operated through the Toy's for Tots Organization of the Marine Corps Reserves. I personally rode that bike 50 miles a day for 3 days. That was when full suspension bikes were just really hitting the market. The Roadmaster was not a full suspension bike and was purchased for 49.00 plus tax. A new seat and some bar ends to give extra hand positions were the only things I added, which about doubled the total cost of the bike.
In trying to raise support for the ride I met up with some really nice people that loved to cycle also they were members of the Pecan City Pedalers the bicycling club in Albany Georgia. We sort of adopted each other and I am now a member also and have been since 2000.
So how do you choose the right bike and get what you want for a reasonable price?
If the bike will be for a child, you can probably go almost completely by age and or size. It gets more complicated though. There are many types of bicycles, such as BMX bike, Road Bikes, or Mountain Bikes. In the BMX line you will also hear the term Cruiser used to describe a bike that looks like a solid framed mountain bike, but has only one gear. There are also variations in the Mountain Bikes there is what is known as a hard tail as well as a full-suspension bike. Go to road bikes and you will hear people talking about Carbon, Titanium, steel, aluminum and allux and cromoly it can get pretty confusing.
Here is my suggestion, first decide what the bike will be used for. Will it be for fitness, a fun way to get in your cardio, or are you planning on becoming the next Lance Armstrong? I would not spend a lot of money on any piece of exercise equipment until I knew for sure I would use it. I personally put about 500 miles per month on my bike and I know of people here in South Georgia that do close to twice that amount, So I own two fairly high quality bicycles a Giant OCR2 and a Specialized Expedition.
My Grandson has a little Giant Frantic that he was racing at the BMX Track, but for his birthday when he turned 9, we bought him a new SE Ripper X, which is about the best of the best when it comes to BMX Racing, Sorry Redline and Diamondback fans.
If you are planning on getting the bicycle as a way of getting some exercise, then you can probably pick up a nice bike at any department store 70 to 80% of bikes bought for that reason usually end up in the garage until they get sold at a yard sale anyway.
If you are planning on using the bike for a specific purpose, such as we were for our grandson, then buy the best you can afford. To do that you will almost always have to go to a good quality shop. A good shop will help you pick out a bike that fits your needs or the needs of the person you are getting the bike for. They can help with any accessories or special equipment that you need. A good shop will be able to tell you where you can meet other local cyclists with the same interests, and any good shop will be able to service virtually anything that you ever need repaired. Often a shop can get you a good deal on a used bike, saving hundreds of dollars.
For example I had ridden a Mountain Bike for years, and while I thought I would like to try road biking I didn't really have an extra 1000.00 to buy a new one that was the one I wanted. Jim Lau owns Cycle World in Albany Georgia. He watched for a good used bike for me, It happened after a while that a man came in to his shop and traded a 1 year old Giant OCR2 on a New Trek Madone. Jim told me the Giant had less than 800 Miles on it, and he would sell it for 800.00. It was a great deal, so I bought it. I have worn out two set of tires on it since I bought it last September. I took that bike to the Golden Olympics in 2007 and won two Silver Medals and one Bronze. That was less than a month after I picked it up.
When we were looking to get our grandson a new bike we went to a shop that specializes in BMX Bikes. The closest shop that had the SE bikes was in Columbus Georgia, so we met Aaron Oney there and found not only a good bike shop and a great deal on a bike but also a new friend. That is another benefit to going to a shop rather than a discount store. You are much more likely to connect with a shop owner than an employee at a big discount store. I now have friends all over Georgia and even other states like Alabama, Ohio, and Texas that own Bike shops. These are people that I didn't know before I started riding.
So basically it really depends on what you plan to use the bicycle for and how much money you are willing to invest in the bicycle as well as how much time you have to get the bike and get the right fit. If you want to get the best deal on a high quality bicycle then a bike shop is your only answer.
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