cycling
11. April, 17:00 Uhr
Hi all, I am an owner of a certified pre-owned bicycle online shop based in Michigan who specialized in aluminum-carbon repair and paint.
I have been in this business for the better part of the last decade and want to give some hints/tips to purchase your next bike during the Covid-19 crisis especially with the influx of new people wanting to join our community
Cross-posted to multiple forums to help educate more people.
\*\*Sub-$500 Bikes:\*\*These are one of the hardest bikes to find right now because everyone is getting into the sport of cycling. With the new market pushing their dates back to 2021, used is usually the way to go.
\-Determine what you want to use your bike for: MTB trails, roads, or city/pathways. If you want to use your bike for mountain bike trails, obviously a mountain bike is the best tool for you. Similarly, road bikes are best suited for roads, and cruiser/hybrid bikes are best for limestone trails or city loops. *Now here's the tricky part, if you want to do 30% mtb trails, 60% pathways, and 10% roads - mountain bikes are the most versatile for that. Rule of thumb for versatility is mountain bike > hybrid > road*
\-Know your size. If you have no idea what size you are, here's three tricks that can help determine that.
1. Visit your local bike shop (LBS) and determine which size fits you best for YOUR riding style. Do not let them push you to one size because that is what they have in stock.
2. If you cannot visit your LBS, ask your friends of similar size to loan you their bike for a day. Cruise around and see if its your size. Repay them in beer.
3. Last case scenario is look at sizing charts online. Most reputable bike companies have generic sizing guides for their models. Use that for your advantage. If you are in between sizes, 99% of the time, you want to size **DOWN**.
\-Stay towards reputable companies and stay away from Walmart specials\* or sponsored bikes like: Hummer, BMW, Whiteclaw, etc. (These tend to be Walmart bikes with Logos thrown on).\*\*\*\*\*Schwinn Axum is an excellent entry level bike that I will touch on later.
1. Best companies for cheaper bikes are: Giant, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Marin, Diamondback\*\*, Raleigh, Kona, Felt, Jamis, Fuji, Scott, GT\*\*, Norco to name a few\*\*\*\*\*\*These bikes can also be sold at big box stores like Dicks. They are still good bikes, but can be poorly assembled.
2. For UK brands, best companies are: Merida, Cube, Sensa, Lapierre, Focus, Bulls, Rose, van Ryssel/Triban/Rockrider, and Triban/Decathlon (Thanks for the additional information u/godutchnow & u/TacticalCornflake)
3. Try to stay away from Mongoose, Schwinn, Huffy, Roadmaster, Hyper, etc.
\-When comparing two bikes, groupsets with the highest level of rear cogs are *typically* best.Shimano's hierarchy for entry components follows: Tourney, Altus (M2000), Acera (M3000), Alivio (M3100), Deore (M4100-6100). Shimano Tourney is a 7-speed, Altus/Acera are 8-speed, while Alivio is 9-speed, and Deore is 10-12 speed.Sram's hierarchy for entry components follows: X5, X7, X9, NX. Sram X5 starts at a 9-speed and is comparable to Shimano Alivio.
\-Aluminum is your best friend in this category. Aluminum frames are lighter and better than their steel counterparts, and will not rust. You won't find carbon fiber bikes or titanium bikes in this price range.
\-Newer is USUALLY better. Components from a 2018 mid-entry bike is miles ahead of 2007 high-end components. With that said, if you are looking at a 2015 mid-level bike, or a 2017 entry-level bike at the same price, the 2015 mid-level bike will be a better buy.
\-Google, Facebook Marketplace, Bicyclebluebook, and Ebay are your friend for price checking. Bicylebluebook is on the low end of prices now, but is still a good tool to look in the price range and tells you the MSRP of the bike. Does not include upgrade prices, nor boutique brands.Ebay SOLD values as well as Google will show you what similar bikes have sold for. Facebook Marketplace will show you what other, similar bikes are selling for (Go for 500 miles to tell you the most accuracy).
\-If buying a mountain bike for trails, please buy disc brakes - either mechanical or hydraulic. Rim brakes/cantilever brakes work terribly in more extreme conditions such as mud, dirt or rain.
\-27.5" or 29" wheels are better than 26"\*\*\*. You can find more parts available including rims, tyres, tubes, etc.**\*\*\*** Downhill bikes are excluded from this
\-Stay away from bikes who have been garage queens for 10+ years. That usually means that the bike sat and will need new tyres, tubes, tune-up, and greasing.
\-When buying hybrid or mountain bikes with suspension forks, actively look for forks with a manual lock-out lever on the top of the stanchion. This allows the fork to act as a rigid fork during usage on pavement or trails where suspension is not typically needed.
\-Bargaining in person and with knowledge is the best way for people to drop prices. If you Facebook message a person, throwing out a low number for their bike, chances are, they will not accept or even answer you. However, if you meet them in person and counter with an offer with knowledge why you want the lower price, they tend to accept a lower price. Do not try and haggle the seller down more in person if you have agreed upon a price.
​
**Sub-$1000 Bikes**
These are pretty hard to find a good bike for under $1000 because the sub-$500 bikes seemed to have been marked up to this price range.
If you are new to cycling, this would be your best option to find a bike for you. All rules in the Sub-$500 category will fit for this too.
\-Avoid 3x front derailleur systems for all bike including hybrids, roads, and mountain bikes. 3x systems are ancient and will take a lot of fiddling to get the system to work properly.For the best results and simplicity, go towards 2x (double) front derailleur systems for road and hybrid bikes while 1x/2x (Single or narrow-wide and double) derailleur systems for mountain bikes.1x or narrow-wide systems for mountain bikes remove the front derailleur from the groupset and uses a larger-range cassette in the back to compensate.
\-Stick to 10/11 speed rear derailleurs for road and hybrid bikes while mountain stick to 2-10 speed or 1-11/12 speed groupsets. For 10 speed rear derailleurs for mountain bikes, make sure that it is a clutch system i.e. Shimano Shadow plus
\-Stick to 2015+ hardtails for mountain bikes in this category. You will start to see full suspensions in this price range, but will be older than 2013 with outdated geometries, components, and rim sizes.
\-Stick to 2013+ for aluminum road bikes or 2009+ for carbon fiber road bikes. Giant Bicyles switched from their tubular carbon to injection molding carbon near this time which greatly improved the stiffness and strength. Other companies followed suit around this time as well
\-Aluminum frames with carbon fiber forks for road / some hybrids are still your best bet. You will start finding some carbon fiber frames and even titanium frames in the category, but they tend to be older.
Modern aluminum frames are stiffer and lighter than the carbon frames from the past. They tend to take a beating more, and are more readily available to the public.
\-Disc brakes are a must for this category for both mountain and hybrids. Hybrids\*\*\*\* can do fine with mechanical disc brakes, but you should find hydraulic disc brakes for mountain bikes.\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*Hybrids do not need disc brakes, but for this price range, it's the best bang for the buck.
\-For mountain bikes, solo-air forks tend to be much better than coil forks for this price point. Air forks have more adjustability and tend to be better for low and high end compression.
\-Bikes from [Bikesdirect.com](https://Bikesdirect.com), [Bikesonline.com](https://Bikesonline.com), or [Bikeisland.com](https://Bikeisland.com) are a good buy! Bikes direct and affiliate Bike island sell direct to customer and their prices are pretty competitive. Motobecane and Gravity are their two top names and have similar geometry to the big brands without the price tag.
​
**Sub-$2000 Bikes:**
Now you are getting into the mid-range level bikes that tend to have the most modern components and geometries.
If you are brand new to cycling, you do not need to spend this type level of money to get a bike to fit your needs. Most of the time, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Don't spend more than a $1000 for a hybrid bike. Carbon fiber hybrids such as the Specialized Sirrus Carbon is not needed for anything. Period.
\-Determine the type of riding that you enjoy:
**Road bikes:** Gravel, race/crit/aero , TT/Triathlon, or endurance/touring bikes.Gravel bikes can be broken into cyclocross bikes or gravel bikes perfect for gravel roads, two-tracks, etc. Cyclocross bikes have wider clearance in the fork and rear triangle for bigger tyres, but have a geometry similar to a racing bike. They will feel more cramped if you use it for gravel biking.
1. Gravel bikes are similar to cyclocross bikes in which they have wider clearance in the rear triangle and fork for bigger tyres. They also have a more "relaxed" geometry similar to hybrid bikes or endurance bikes. Meaning, you sit more upright than racing bikes. Gravel bikes tend to be the *best* option for all around biking because they can easily do gravel & fire-roads, XC type single-tracks, and pavement with different tyre options.
2. Race/Crit bikes are great for just that. They're fast, stiff, and twitchy, which is great for racing, but not the best for long rides by yourself. These bikes tend to have a shorter stack (more aero) and a longer reach meaning that you're more into the drops for aerodynamics .Aero bikes have a similar fit, but have elongated tubing to be more aero-dynamic.
3. Triathlon/Time-trail bikes (TT) should only be used in triathlons or time-trials. Never go on group rides because they are notorious for poor braking and handling.
4. Endurance road bikes are perfect for longer, more leisurely rides or just long days in the saddle. They're geometry is more similar to a gravel bike than a Race/Crit bike, and are not the best for sprinting/cornering.
**Mountain Bikes**: Cross-Country (XC), Trail, All mountain/Enduro, Downhill
1. XC mountain bikes (Full-suspension or hardtails) are geared more towards fire roads to technical singletracks with suspension of 80mm-120mm and 29" wheels. They're great for very technical trails with root sections or rock gardens. They are not really meant for jumps or leaving the ground much.
2. Trail bikes are more beefed up Full-suspension XC bikes with more front and rear suspension (120-150mm-ish) with shortened chainstays and lengthened toptubes. They're great for long climbs and bombing down mountains.
3. Enduro mountain bikes are between trail bikes and downhill bikes with beefier suspension, slacker headtube angles, and longer wheelbases. These bikes excel at descents and drops down mountains.
4. Downhill bikes are meant to only go.... downhill. These are the bikes that you see on Redbull commercials with dual-crown forks and can basically descend down any mountain. Many places have lift stations to bring you up the mountain, just so you can bomb down it.
\-*USED CARBON IS OKAY*. Modern carbon frames can take a huge beating and do not fail as catastrophically as they used to. Don't believe me? Pinkbike did a study comparing two frames back in 2017 with great results. Ensure to look over the frame properly like any used bike. Look near the joints for stress cracking, or spider-web cracking from impacts. Carbon makes a dull thump when failed compared to a hollow knock when structurally intact. Best way is to use a coin and knock on the area in question and surrounding areas.
\-2015+ is recommended for any bike that you choose. 2013/2014 was a huge change in geometry for mountain bike pivot systems and geometry. Road bike categories grew more defined during this period with the addition of gravel bikes, and endurance bikes.
\-Stay Shimano 105+ or Sram Rival+ for any road bike. With this price range you should get 11 speed for bikes.
\-If you choose to go hydraulc on road bikes, go with the Shimano/Sram HRD shifter and not the cable actuated gimmicks such as the Giant Conduct or TRP HY/RD. These never work as well as intended.
\-For mountain bikes, get 12 speed and dropper post (not needed for some XC trails) for this price range. Sram introduced the 12-speed system in 2012, and readily became available to the public around 2015. This eliminated the use of the front derailleur and gave you a massive 50t in the back for any climbing
\-For mountain bikes, try and bike a "Boost" frame meaning 12x148mm spacing in the rear and 15x110 in the front. This will give you a better range of aftermarket rims to buy and is more modern than the old 12x142 and 100x15 spacing.
​
\**The Schwinn Axum came out in November 2020 to directly compete against the Giant Talon, Specialized Rockhopper, and Trek Marlin.It came in two versions: Standard: $398 or Dropper Post: $499 with modern geometry, tapered headtube, 1x groupset, and 29x2.6" tyres.The Axum competes surprisingly well against those bikes and is perfect for entry level mountain biking. HOWEVER, Walmart employees still assemble the bike and do not torque down any bolts.When I bought mine for testing, it came with a loose headset, poor tuned shifting, and rubbing rear brake. I highly recommend you taking this to your LBS for inspection prior to riding the bike.*
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If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below.
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