Bicycles

[godboko71]

So I am on the market for two bicycles, one for Tulsa (I will make it home someday lol) and one for southeastern Oklahoma.

I am pretty sure I will need two different kinds of bikes. Tulsa will be all trails and street riding, SE OK will be all dirt, gravel roads and paths.

I am a very new to riding as an adult, I will have to buy used, so I don't know what I need or should look for. I am about 30-50 pounds over weight (down from 100ish last year) so keep that in mind when making recommendations.

Thanks for the help!!

[GG]

So I am on the market for two bicycles, one for Tulsa (I will make it home someday lol) and one for southeastern Oklahoma.

I am pretty sure I will need two different kinds of bikes. Tulsa will be all trails and street riding, SE OK will be all dirt, gravel roads and paths.

I am a very new to riding as an adult, I will have to buy used, so I don't know what I need or should look for. I am about 30-50 pounds over weight (down from 100ish last year) so keep that in mind when making recommendations.

Thanks for the help!!

I am interested in the recommendations too.   I suspect we will have to wait until Conan gets back from Colorado. 

[Ed W]

Here are a few suggestions.

Visit a couple of bicycle shops on a weekday afternoon, if possible. Saturdays are usually busy.  Talk with the sales people and explain your needs. They don't always have suitable used bikes on hand, and you'll pay more for one in a shop. But it's a good deal because they won't sell junk.

I'll freely admit that Tom's is always my first - and often only - stop when I'm looking for bike stuff.  He's a good guy.

Remember that mountain bikes can be fitted with 'slick' road tires that don't have knobs.  They're quiet and ride more comfortably.

Finally, if you want to ride safely and comfortably on area roads, consider taking the basic road course available through the Tulsa HUB:
http://www.tulsahub.org/

[Gaspar]

I am interested in the recommendations too.   I suspect we will have to wait until Conan gets back from Colorado. 

As am I.

[stageidea]

I have always had great service at Tom's..

[Gaspar]

I have always had great service at Tom's..

Where is Tom's?

[Conan71]

Why does everyone assume I know something about bicycles?  

It's really tempting to want to search Craigslist or eBay for a first bike due to the savings or buy from a big box store or pawn shop and get a lower end bike.  Keep in mind, there's a reason Wal-Mart charges $80 to $100 for a mountain bike: it's parts are pure crap and it's heavier than a dump truck.  They also don't have anyone on staff who knows the first thing about bicycles.  They won't stay in tune and I don't know of any way to make them comfortable. That's the reason you see hardly ridden Next mountain bikes all over Craigslist for $40 to $60.  The pricing at Sports Authority or Academy is tempting for a first time buyer, but again, you probably won't find a sales associate with proper training in bike fit.

Problem is, you need the bike to fit you.  If the bike doesn't fit right, you will ride it 10 miles and it will sit in the back of your garage for a year or two until you put it on Craigslist because you "never got into riding".  I'm guessing that fit issues are probably the biggest reason most people "never got into riding" because a poor fit made their knees hurt, their lower back hurt, or their butt hurt or a combination of all three.

On the flip side, you will spend more for a Giant, Trek, or other big name bike going to a specialty shop, but if you are serious about learning to enjoy riding, that's the place to start.  Tell them you don't want to spend a lot getting started and tell them your intended use of the bike.

I agree with Ed on Tom's.  I've known Tom for 20 years now, dating back to when he ran the shop out of 41st & Riverside (NE corner, former U-Totem store) for the original owner, Virgil, and it was Rivertrail Bicycles.  If Tom is not in, either Jonah or Daniel are very competent at bike fit and recommendations.

Tom's is at 68th & Peoria on the east side.  It's where they have the confusing intersection of Peoria and Riverside where they finally merge.  They also have a much smaller location on Cherry St.

I also go to Mid-Town & T-Town.  Mid-Town is the old Venables at 27th & Harvard (south of Staples) and T-Town is on 71st between Riverside & Lewis on the south side of the road.  Same owners.  Ronnie is who to see in Mid-Town and Jake, Brian, or Garrett is who to see out south.

There are higher end competitive bike shops like Superleggera across from Home Depot downtown and 918XC on Brookside in the same center as Charlestons.  While primarily a moutain bike shop, 918 sells road bikes and do get some good used bikes and can get lower end hybrids.   There's a few others in the area like 360 Sports in Owasso and Sun & Ski Sports actually has bike specialists and a large selection of bikes from entry level to pro.

The o/p likely would want to consider a hybrid for Tulsa and a mountain bike or hybrid for down south.  A lot depends on how rocky the terrain is.  Wider tires roll through larger rocks better as well as chat gravel and lots of sand.  Both of my mountain bikes are "29'ers" which have larger wheels than the standard 26" MTB so they roll over larger rocks and boulders better, but I don't think that's what GB 71 was getting at.

Also be careful about thinking you might be off-road more often.  A few hard falls on slippery gravel and you will probably find yourself on the road a whole lot more.

There are on-line discounters of good bicycles, but again, they can't fit the bike specifically for you.  Some bike shops understand people want to save money and you can pay them to assemble and do a final fit on a mail-order bike, but at that point, I'd really rather help the LBS (local bike shop) stay in business by buying from them in the first place.  I find I get great service after the sale that way and that's really important if you intend to ride a lot.

[Salukipoke]

Here are a few suggestions.

Visit a couple of bicycle shops on a weekday afternoon, if possible. Saturdays are usually busy.  Talk with the sales people and explain your needs. They don't always have suitable used bikes on hand, and you'll pay more for one in a shop. But it's a good deal because they won't sell junk.

I'll freely admit that Tom's is always my first - and often only - stop when I'm looking for bike stuff.  He's a good guy.

Remember that mountain bikes can be fitted with 'slick' road tires that don't have knobs.  They're quiet and ride more comfortably.

Finally, if you want to ride safely and comfortably on area roads, consider taking the basic road course available through the Tulsa HUB:
http://www.tulsahub.org/

Completely agree with Ed here.  Just bought a new Giant Defy from Tom's, road it to work today and love it.

And just as a mountain bike style frame/handle bar combo can come with slicker, faster tires, you can get a cyclecross bike that is basically a beefy road bike style frame with knobby tires. 

Again, take the time to go to Tom's or any LBS and go dressed ready to take some test rides.  It's the best way to decide what you need.

Good luck.

[godboko71]

I will have to skip Tom's they where very disrespectful to my mother when she was getting a bicycle. While I am not disabled I can not give business to a business that is so rude and disrespectful to someone who is.

Otherwise very helpful advise, will have to put off doing it a bit more then I had hoped but at least I am armed with better info.

[Conan71]

I will have to skip Tom's they where very disrespectful to my mother when she was getting a bicycle. While I am not disabled I can not give business to a business that is so rude and disrespectful to someone who is.

Otherwise very helpful advise, will have to put off doing it a bit more then I had hoped but at least I am armed with better info.

Sorry to hear that about Tom's.  How long ago was that? Because it sounds completely out of character for them.

Now, since you are between southern, Ok and Tulsa, you could drive out to Norman and see Tommy at BikeOne or Mark at BikeOne in OKC.  Yes, they do sponsor the team I race for but even if they didn't I'd recommend them to anyone in the area: great selection, knowledgable, and won't over-sell someone.  They treat first timers and pros the same.

[godboko71]

2ish Years ago (and I will feel bad if that bike shop was someone else 2 years ago)