best affordable spinning bike image
Steve S
We live in the city (Ann Arbor Michigan) and will be using the bikes for short bike rides in the city but primarily for short rides in parks and trails around the outskirts of Ann Arbor.
Whats a good inexpensive brand of bicycle for us?
Answer
Sounds like a call for the comfort-series-mountain bike.
Diamondback Wildwood, Giant Sedona, or Trek Navigator are my suggestions for budget comfort bikes.
Wal-Mart style bikes certainly have their place in this world. They're easily affordable and they do what you expect for them to do: move forward when you pedal, and stop when you brake... for a while.
But, because they are cheap, they're built of cheap stuff by people working for cheap money. Therefore, they're often assembled poorly, the wheels tend to go out of true (wobble left and right when you spin the wheel) more easily, the gears go out of adjustment sooner, and the (hand) brakes are squishier.
If you're good with your hands, you could buy the cheap bikes along with a bicycle repair manual and be happy with your purchase for years to come.
Otherwise, you'll be bringing your bikes to a local bike shop (LBS) for repairs. So, imagine this: you pay $150 for your new bikes at Wal-Mart/K-Mart/ Target. You ride them for about a month when you notice the gears aren't shifting right and the brake levers now reach the handlebars when you squeeze them; only slowing you down instead of stopping (this is called cable stretch. it happens with ALL new bikes). Not to mention that pothole/curb you hit last time out, so your wheel is out of true. You bring it to the local bike shop and are told you need a tune up which costs $50 (first one's free if you buy from LBS). Now your bike cost is $200 and you still have cheap bikes.
So, do yourself a favor and pay upfront and get the good bike your looking for rather than the junk your wallet wants. :)
Sounds like a call for the comfort-series-mountain bike.
Diamondback Wildwood, Giant Sedona, or Trek Navigator are my suggestions for budget comfort bikes.
Wal-Mart style bikes certainly have their place in this world. They're easily affordable and they do what you expect for them to do: move forward when you pedal, and stop when you brake... for a while.
But, because they are cheap, they're built of cheap stuff by people working for cheap money. Therefore, they're often assembled poorly, the wheels tend to go out of true (wobble left and right when you spin the wheel) more easily, the gears go out of adjustment sooner, and the (hand) brakes are squishier.
If you're good with your hands, you could buy the cheap bikes along with a bicycle repair manual and be happy with your purchase for years to come.
Otherwise, you'll be bringing your bikes to a local bike shop (LBS) for repairs. So, imagine this: you pay $150 for your new bikes at Wal-Mart/K-Mart/ Target. You ride them for about a month when you notice the gears aren't shifting right and the brake levers now reach the handlebars when you squeeze them; only slowing you down instead of stopping (this is called cable stretch. it happens with ALL new bikes). Not to mention that pothole/curb you hit last time out, so your wheel is out of true. You bring it to the local bike shop and are told you need a tune up which costs $50 (first one's free if you buy from LBS). Now your bike cost is $200 and you still have cheap bikes.
So, do yourself a favor and pay upfront and get the good bike your looking for rather than the junk your wallet wants. :)
What model of motorcycle should I buy?
Don Corleo
I'm a new driver seriously considering buying a motorcycle. What model of motorcycle would you recommend? Would I also have to buy a car for when it rains and the winter season?
Answer
Since you're a new driver with little or no experience riding a motorcycle, the first thing you need to do is to take a Basic Rider Safety Course. These are offered in one form or another in all 50 states. They vary in cost, but you usually receive your motorcycle license when you pass the course. The safety skills you'll learn will be well worth the cost.
When considering what type of motorcycle to purchase, you need to think more about what you want from riding and less about what manufacturer's you're interested in. First, ask yourself a few basic questions about what you want from riding. What kind of riding do you want to do and what capabilities do you want your bike to have? Are you attracted to the idea of riding the winding, twisty roads? If your answer is yes to this question, you should look for something in a sport, standard or even a sport touring bike (more on this later).
Or, do you think you just want to cruise along at a modest pace so you can soak in the experience of having the wind in your face? If this is what you like, a cruiser or larger sport touring bike might be more to your liking. If you like all things chrome and you think a bike should be thunderously loud, then a cruiser is most definitely your thing (again, more on this later).
If you chose a sport bike, standard or sport touring bike, then you should consider machines in the 600cc-800cc range, and NO larger. As a novice, you simply do not have the skills and experience to ride anything above that class. Personally, I'd suggest you stay in the 600cc class if a true sport bike is what you choose to purchase. Something like the Honda CBR F4i (which you'll have to buy used since they are out of production) or the Honda CBR600RR are good machines, as are the Yamaha R6 and Suzuki GSX-R 600. All are very capable machines, with plenty of power for a novice to enjoy. Power delivery to the rear wheel is fairly smooth so with a reasonable degree of control you won't be likely to spin the rear wheel (though it is possible).
If you choose to go with a cruiser, go with something in the 650cc-750cc range. Again, Honda, Yamaha (Star motorcycles) and Suzuki all make decent models in that range that would suit a novice. All would serve you well until you've outgrown them through sheer riding experience. That should take a few years unless you ride everyday, everywhere you go for the first two years. At that point you might be ready to move on to something else.
If you live anywhere where it snows, a rust bucket car would be enough to get you through the winter until riding season starts again. Buy yourself some reasonably priced protective gear (Cortech makes some great stuff at affordable prices and it's pretty good in the rain, too), a full-face helmet, leather gloves and above ankle boots. Full protective gear will give you the best chance to survive a mistake (a crash of your own doing) or an accident cause by some @ss in a car or truck. Don't let anyone tell you you don't need that stuff. It saved my life and it saved the life of a professional instructor I know. Both of us survived head-on collisions with cars because we had full protective gear on.
And last, but most importantly ... never, EVER, ride over your head!!!
Never, EVER, let your friends goad you into riding at speeds you know you can't handle. That's a sure fire recipe for a funeral. Yours, and probably some innocent bystander's as well. Do yourself and everyone else a huge favor and just don't go there. And, always view your riding with a critical eye. That way you can review your riding with the intention of improving your skills. Do that and with any luck you'll survive 35 years on two wheels the way I have.
Good luck!
Since you're a new driver with little or no experience riding a motorcycle, the first thing you need to do is to take a Basic Rider Safety Course. These are offered in one form or another in all 50 states. They vary in cost, but you usually receive your motorcycle license when you pass the course. The safety skills you'll learn will be well worth the cost.
When considering what type of motorcycle to purchase, you need to think more about what you want from riding and less about what manufacturer's you're interested in. First, ask yourself a few basic questions about what you want from riding. What kind of riding do you want to do and what capabilities do you want your bike to have? Are you attracted to the idea of riding the winding, twisty roads? If your answer is yes to this question, you should look for something in a sport, standard or even a sport touring bike (more on this later).
Or, do you think you just want to cruise along at a modest pace so you can soak in the experience of having the wind in your face? If this is what you like, a cruiser or larger sport touring bike might be more to your liking. If you like all things chrome and you think a bike should be thunderously loud, then a cruiser is most definitely your thing (again, more on this later).
If you chose a sport bike, standard or sport touring bike, then you should consider machines in the 600cc-800cc range, and NO larger. As a novice, you simply do not have the skills and experience to ride anything above that class. Personally, I'd suggest you stay in the 600cc class if a true sport bike is what you choose to purchase. Something like the Honda CBR F4i (which you'll have to buy used since they are out of production) or the Honda CBR600RR are good machines, as are the Yamaha R6 and Suzuki GSX-R 600. All are very capable machines, with plenty of power for a novice to enjoy. Power delivery to the rear wheel is fairly smooth so with a reasonable degree of control you won't be likely to spin the rear wheel (though it is possible).
If you choose to go with a cruiser, go with something in the 650cc-750cc range. Again, Honda, Yamaha (Star motorcycles) and Suzuki all make decent models in that range that would suit a novice. All would serve you well until you've outgrown them through sheer riding experience. That should take a few years unless you ride everyday, everywhere you go for the first two years. At that point you might be ready to move on to something else.
If you live anywhere where it snows, a rust bucket car would be enough to get you through the winter until riding season starts again. Buy yourself some reasonably priced protective gear (Cortech makes some great stuff at affordable prices and it's pretty good in the rain, too), a full-face helmet, leather gloves and above ankle boots. Full protective gear will give you the best chance to survive a mistake (a crash of your own doing) or an accident cause by some @ss in a car or truck. Don't let anyone tell you you don't need that stuff. It saved my life and it saved the life of a professional instructor I know. Both of us survived head-on collisions with cars because we had full protective gear on.
And last, but most importantly ... never, EVER, ride over your head!!!
Never, EVER, let your friends goad you into riding at speeds you know you can't handle. That's a sure fire recipe for a funeral. Yours, and probably some innocent bystander's as well. Do yourself and everyone else a huge favor and just don't go there. And, always view your riding with a critical eye. That way you can review your riding with the intention of improving your skills. Do that and with any luck you'll survive 35 years on two wheels the way I have.
Good luck!
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