From the mailbag (truly from the feedback on a put up):
Jacob Are you able to inform me what sort of bike you personal/worth vary? I’m shoppng for a motorcycle which I hope to make use of for errands and not less than 3 days/ week to work. I’m 45 feminine and in truthful/good bodily situation The sellers i spoke to all suggest completely different manufacturers. They weren’t useful. thanks JL
Though I already gave a solution, I’ve thought a bit extra about it, so right here is an expanded reply. It relies on a number of issues. For example, I journey a street bike and I prefer to go quick. I virtually deal with my commute as a race (all inside the legal guidelines of visitors — sure, I’m the man who will stand and wait at a pink gentle at 3am when no one is round). Once I cease at intersections, I race the vehicles to the opposite facet (and usually win) and once I see one other bike owner, I’m pondering “his/her ass is mine” somewhat than “Aw, that’s good, a fellow bike owner out having fun with a journey/a commuter saving fuel/…” 
. I additionally do interval coaching on the bike and since I began I’ve added an inch to my legs, misplaced 5 kilos, and decrease my resting coronary heart fee from 55 to 45. My bike has no room for fenders and no braze-ons for racks.
I purchased it new from the native bike store and paid $1300+taxes. They spent 1 hour becoming it to me adjusting the peak, size and angle of the saddle, handlebars. Once I bought a free crank considerably later, they tightened it at no cost.
Now, you might assume that is some huge cash for a bicycle, however simply how a lot did you spend in your automotive? Contemplating that is my main transport I assumed I may pay a bit of additional for high quality. The benefit of bikes is that it’s a lot simpler to purchase comparatively high-end tools(*). So whereas I might by no means pay $25,000 for a mid-range automotive as I don’t derive any pleasure from driving, I’ll actually pay $1,300 for a mid-range bicycle.
(*) There are a number of different areas, the place it’s potential to purchase the most effective of the most effective (or practically so) with out being stupendously wealthy. You simply have to vary your goal a bit. As an alternative of shopping for high-end sports activities vehicles, you purchase high-end “sports activities” bikes. As an alternative of accumulating uncommon work, you gather hand-made customized knives. As an alternative of shopping for retailer model soda, you purchase Coca Cola, by the way, I favor Sam’s Cola (the Walmart model) over Coca Cola.
I bought my earlier commuter bike for $35. That was a $70 Walmart mountain bike purchased used from a professor that was leaving campus. Was that an inexpensive or a frugal buy? Properly, it was actually low-cost, and the bike additionally sucked. The entrance brake was damaged so finally I needed to time stops upfront since my braking size was about 20 yards (my journey was largely off street and flat so it was not an enormous hazard). I bought a gel-saddle for 25c at a yard sale. That saddle later bought stolen. Realizing that I used to be surrounded by seemingly upstanding younger college students (I used to be at a somewhat well-known college well-known for its ethical values), I figured I may ditch the bike by parking it unlocked when the crank lastly failed. Positive sufficient, lower than a day later someone stole it. Good riddance and drawback solved. Was it frugal? Think about this. It took half-hour to stroll and strolling was beforehand my major mode of transportation. Using the bike took 10 minutes, however I may run the gap in quarter-hour. Because the bike had no fenders, using was not an possibility when it rained (which it did usually). From that perspective the bike was frugal in addition to it saved me 10-40 minutes a day sometimes and the one use for the bike was the off street commute because the drivers in that space apparently bought factors for hitting cyclists.
Subsequently selecting the correct bike relies upon very a lot on the situations you will use it for. Are you going to make use of it each day? Will there be exceptions reminiscent of rain or snow? Are you ever going off street? Do it’s good to carry something like garments or groceries? How briskly do you prefer to go? How far do it’s good to go? And do you ever plan on doing one thing else with the bike?
Now being older, wiser, and likewise uh.. higher trying, eh.. would I purchase a street bike once more? No. I might sacrifice a number of kilos (my bike weighs 18-19lbs, just some kilos greater than $15,000 Tour de France bikes, an inexpensive metal bike most likely weighs round 25-30lbs) for extra braze-ons, the power to make use of fatter tires and take it off street (my present bike has a spoke depend of 16 entrance 24 learn.. if I hit an enormous rock or drive off a curb, the wheel would exit of alignment). At this time I might get a touring bike as a result of it’s virtually as quick as a street bike (for me), nevertheless it comes with the power to mount cargo and it has added resilience (greater spoke counts, much less fancy gearing, and extra bosses for extra water bottles). It might work about as nicely for my commute and higher for my lengthy distance occasions. I’m pondering one thing just like the Surly Lengthy Haul Trucker (about $1000 with low-cost parts, I’d most likely improve them to not less than 105, as a result of Tiagra shifters simply annoy me) or the Rivendell A Homer Hilsen (about $3000).
One other factor it’s important to take into account if you purchase a motorcycle is that using will most likely change you. An untrained particular person will likely be fairly uncomfortable on a street bike. The saddle is just too laborious, the handlebars are too far down so the butt and neck hurts, and so on. After a number of months, it will change. If you happen to purchase a extra “comfy” bike, then until you’re a “comfy” rider, the gradual shifting, low gearing (spin-outs), and lack of aerodynamics will start to harass you as you get healthier.
Possibly one concept is to take a look at which automotive you like to drive. If you happen to may drive no matter you needed to (keep in mind worth just isn’t a lot an objection for a bicycle as it’s for a automotive), what type would you be driving? The sports activities automotive? The SUV? The Jeep? A van? A sedan? Think about the gap in your commute and multiply by 7. That is the consolation degree. For example, in case your commute is 5 miles, think about driving 35 miles in a Jeep with knobby wheels(mountain bike), would that be enjoyable? In all probability not, until you’re keen on Jeeps. To derive the value degree, take the value degree of your imaginary automotive and divide by 25. That’s would a lot you’d spend on the same degree bike, thereabouts.
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Initially posted 2008-09-17 00:27:47.