How to Buy a Bicycle on a Budget

Bicycle on a Budget

Whenever I get my nice mountain bike out these days I often stop to think about my early days of bicycling….Which in turn make me think about the intricacies of buying a bicycle on a budget.  Back in 1987 I found myself as a new college student in…..Beijing, China.  Of course one of the big decisions I had to make is what bike to buy.  Why?  Because everyone (or nearly everyone) in those days got around on bicycles.  My decision making about what bike to buy though was quickly brought to an end when I reaized that I had only 3 or 4 choices….There were not that many types of bikes to be had….Just take a look at the picture (this one is from 1989 – Shanghai – bicycle parking lot):

Bicycle parking lot Shanghai 1989    amazing site With mountain bikes, focus on front suspension, wheels, disc brakes, and the drivetrain—in that order, says Troy Rarick, founder of Over the Edge Sports. Look for brands such as RockShox, Fox, SRAM, and Shimano, which have reputations for quality, even with their lower-­tier products. This lets you make value comparisons. For instance, mountain bikes that cost about $1,100 are often equipped with either RockShox XC 28 suspension or the more expensive XC 30: One with XC 30 may be a better deal. Not sure which parts are tops? Manufacturers post component details on their websites, so you can compare bikes before going for a test rideisn't it….?  How many bikes do you think are parked here?

Well, enough with the history.  Now on with the subject at hand.  How do you find a bicycle on a budget?

I will start with a quote from the end a good article in Bicycling magazine:

Finally, remember the most important part of the deal: finding something that you want to ride. No bargain is great if the bicycle ends up collecting dust in your garage

I think this was very well said.  So, how do you shop for a bike – well most importantly start with setting a budget.  I personally would recommend something between $800 and $1100.  Why ?  Because, if you are like me, you really do not want to shop for a bike every two years or so — and that is how long a cheap bike will last you if you are using it regularly!  

Second – decide on the type of bike you want to have — what and where do you ride?  Is it that you bike to work?  or out in the hills?  or on the road?  Well, you will see, read, and hear a lot of advice — consider buying a city bike if you are using it for commute… Again, let me point a snippet from the article in Bicycling magazine:

If your ride will take you no farther than the coffee shop across town, find a ­comfortable one-speed cruiser and save your cash for lattés. Conversely, if you’re planning to ride 5 miles to work and back every day, look for a city bike with racks, fenders, and integrated lights. A belt drive paired with internal gearing is also becoming a popular­ replacement for a standard derailleur-­equiped drivetrain. Models that place you in an upright position let you ­easily navigate traffic. Disc brakes are becoming more common on around-town bikes, even in lower price ranges. They add safety, especially if you ride in the rain.

If you ask me though, I would suggest that you buy a mountain bike.  Why?  They are the most versatile.  You  get components that are designed to last long and under stressful conditions of the rough roads.  You get nice geometry for a frame.  Yes, it is not letting you ride upright as the quote above suggests, but then as long as the bike is properly fitted for you, there should not be any discomfort once you build some endurance.

So, with that in mind you may want to consider mountain bikes like Trek, Specialized, among others.  Check the listings on this blog and see the bike reviews there… Here is the link (or you can select the menu option "Bike Reviews")

I liked this paragraph from the Bicycling magazine article – I found it very true:

With mountain bikes, focus on front suspension, wheels, disc brakes, and the drivetrain—in that order, says Troy Rarick, founder of Over the Edge Sports. Look for brands such as RockShox, Fox, SRAM, and Shimano, which have reputations for quality, even with their lower-­tier products. This lets you make value comparisons. For instance, mountain bikes that cost about $1,100 are often equipped with either RockShox XC 28 suspension or the more expensive XC 30: One with XC 30 may be a better deal. Not sure which parts are tops? Manufacturers post component details on their websites, so you can compare bikes before going for a test ride

Most of the bikes you would consider will have these components — and keep in mind you will be able to upgrade later on in time.  For now, focus on getting the right fit and feel of the bike.

Going back to my experience in late 1980s China — my first bike there cost me RMB260 which was a princley sum for China of those days, but in todays dollars – a tiny sum.  But I liked that bike a lot – a single speed, with the brand "Long March".  Why?   Because I picked it myself.   So you should do the same – find your local bicycle pro shop and try multiple bikes, and buy the one that feels and rides the best!

 

 

Inner Tire Puncture – How to Fix It

Inner Tire Puncture – Fix Options

Yesterday afternoon we decided to go to one of the local trails (in a state park) for a ride.  So, of course I lined up the bikes to put them on the roof rack of our wagon.  As I rolled my bike out, the bad news was felt immediately – by bike had a completely flat rear tire.  It was not just a flat tire — it was completely flat – not an ounce of air inside…It was obviously a bad puncture as I had ridden the bike 5 days earlier, and now the tire was not present…

My immediate reaction was — "Ouch! I had not bought a replacement patch kit…";  The previous one was very old and I had pitched it in the trash.

                                        here are a few options for patch kits

At that point in time I was faced with two options — cancel the bike ride (which I did not see as a good option) or find a way to fix the flat tire inner tube.  Should I go out and on the way to the bike trails buy a patch kit?   Certainly one possible option — but it required wasting time to do so;   There was however a second option !  Improvise!  Which I did – with what?  Yes, you guessed it.   With superglue and duct tape!

After finding the puncture in the inner tube I saw it was a small one – so I cleaned the area with my hands, applied a good drop of the superglue and immediately covered it with a patch size cut of duct tape.

Next, held it in place for about 5 minutes.  That step was followed by placing the inner tube immediately into the tire.  I made sure I found the reason for the puncture first — a piece of glass which was still in the tire — solidly wedged.   

Well, after these steps — I pumped up the tire and got the bikes on the roof of the car.  Half an hour later we were on the trail.  The park trail was especially beautiful — the wild flowers are in full bloom and weather a perfect mid-60F.  Take a look:

Texas Trails

 

Electric Mountain Bikes – What a Concept!

Well folks, something new and different is happening!   All of us biking enthusiasts are now going to start coming to grips with the notion of an electric mountain bike!  Based on what I am seeing in the specs of many of these bikes – they are quite the machines – some of them being able to get to 52-mph — like the HPC X-3 one.   Here is a photo of that high speed bike

electric bike

Now comes the potential issue with this type of a bike being a trail mountain bike.   Well, they are just too fast and too much capable of causing a wreck on the trails which are occupied by hiking people and the usual mountain bikers.

I am sure, there are many different points of view and I am not going to take a stance yet — I will need to learn more about these new technical marvels before I give you at least my view.  But judging by a quick scan through the available models – there is certainly a large number of them out there:

I will be publishing additional information on these new bikes over the next couple of weeks.  Stay tuned…

Another electric bike             another one   

 

Smartphone Caddy – a Disappointment

I was very happy several months ago when I was able to install my iPhone with bike tracking software on my mountain bike.  For that I used the Delta Smartphone Caddy…purchased from REI.  The holder looked and functioned well — it held my iPhone in place and was a great alternative to a dedicated bike computer.  I could track my progress on a map, count calories, monitor speed and elevation….all in all a great tool – and well enabled by the Caddy.

I wrote about it in a last Fall blog entry here.  But only 6 months after starting using it, the Smartphone Caddy  failed — you can see on the photo below – its rubber band which creates tension for keeping the phone in place, snapped.

Disappointment with Delta Smartphone Caddy

I used the holder for only 6-months — and those were not very heavy usage 6 months.  I am not sure what exactly created the tension necessary to break the band — I do not think the iPhone usage in the braket really created that much stress on the band…but whatever it was it happened.  Very disappointing.  Now I have to search for a new / replacement system….

Comments?

Clean-up Bicycle – an Inventive Idea

Earlier today I came across a great idea — a bicycle which while being used is actually scrubbing the air we breathe…I call it the clean-up bicycle

There are many processes that are being developed and/or investigated to come up with efficient methods for CO2 scrubbing.  The summary description in the online Wikipedia shows a summary on several of them

The interesting part is that the young artist from the UK has figured out how to harvest energy generation from bicycles to assist the electric version of the CO2 scrubbing process.

 Matt Hope

Hope's respirator on two wheels uses the same principle as power stations in cleaning up the air. As the cyclist pedals, a mini-generator attached to the back wheel creates electricity for the high-voltage transformer in front that generates a static charge called the corona charge.

A mesh container attached to the pannier rack attracts dust particles, which stick to a metal trumpet. The air, now cleansed, is propelled along a tube to the mask that the cyclist wears.

———————— More on the inventive idea –—————————————-

 

Weather in Austin

The weather in Austin is often a topic of discussion — on TV, among friends and co-workers, etc.  For those of you who have not heard the saying about the weather in Austin……wait, wait…..,well, here it is :  "If you do not like the weather (in Austin) just wait awhile and it will change…"

So last Saturday was the begining of Easter weekend.  The morning started with gray dark overcast.  Nevertheless decided to go for a bike ride.  Combining a social visit — meet a friend at a local Starbucks — with exercise — one hour biking with moderate hills round trip.  The ride was fine – we did not get rained on.  Then in the afternoon the weather changed —- for the better.

The early evening was beautiful.  Here are some shots from downtown Austin and Lady Bird lake… Enjoy

Austin Lady Bird Lake

Austin Lady Bird Lake