best inexpensive spinning bike image
dalonehunt
I plan on buying a bicycle but I have no clue which to buy. I live in a city so it will almost always be on pavement or the street and I will use it for riding to school and for exercising. Any recommendations? And around how much will this cost me? Thanks for the help.
I meant a bicycle with pedals, not a motorcycle. ;-) Sorry for the confusion.
Answer
There are some questions to ask yourself before picking out a bike, new or used. Will you be riding on lots of hilly city streets, or is it mostly flat? If hilly, you will want gears - at least 6 or 7 speed, and a bike that's as light as possible for the money. If not too hilly, a 3 speed is great for all around, and bike weight is not a big deal.
The next question might be, "how far will your average trips be?" If 5 miles or less at a time, I would say you could get by with a 26 inch wheel bike, which means either a mountain bike or a beach cruiser type (hopefully at least a 3 speed). More than 5 miles at a time and it starts to feel like you're not getting very far for all your spinning effort. For trips 10 miles or more, you will need a lightweight road bike, with narrower 700c or 27 inch aluminum wheels, and at least a 12 speed.
Personally, for city riding and short trips, I like a bike where you sit more upright, you can see well and be seen by traffic (Bikes like a beach cruiser or 3 speed). But for long trips the upright sitting position is hard on your pelvis because all your weight is resting square on the seat. This is where a lightweight road bike is ideal, because your weight is more balanced between the two wheels.
I'm no longer a big fan of mountain bikes in the city. The ones with straight handlebars make you put alot of weight on your hands because they were designed for off-road, where the rider wants more weight towards the front. And they make you crane your neck up to see traffic.
As for cost, you can go buy an inexpensive but shiny new department store bike. But too often there are cheaply made, with many plasticky parts that break down. Plus, they are usually put together on site in a hurry and put out on the floor. The customer buys the bike, it never works right because it's not put together right in the first place, customer gets discouraged so he/she puts it away or sells it and never rides a bike again.
You will pay more for a bike at a good bike shop, maybe $250 or more, but if they are a good shop, they have taken time and put the bike together well and test ridden it. Almost all bikes these days arrive in boxes from Asia, and need proper assembly and adjusting to work right. And this is important - a good bike shop will let you bring it back after the first month to adjust things that work their way loose on the first 30 days. Bearings can loosen, cables will literally stretch a little and go out of adjustment, nuts and bolts will come loose.
There are some questions to ask yourself before picking out a bike, new or used. Will you be riding on lots of hilly city streets, or is it mostly flat? If hilly, you will want gears - at least 6 or 7 speed, and a bike that's as light as possible for the money. If not too hilly, a 3 speed is great for all around, and bike weight is not a big deal.
The next question might be, "how far will your average trips be?" If 5 miles or less at a time, I would say you could get by with a 26 inch wheel bike, which means either a mountain bike or a beach cruiser type (hopefully at least a 3 speed). More than 5 miles at a time and it starts to feel like you're not getting very far for all your spinning effort. For trips 10 miles or more, you will need a lightweight road bike, with narrower 700c or 27 inch aluminum wheels, and at least a 12 speed.
Personally, for city riding and short trips, I like a bike where you sit more upright, you can see well and be seen by traffic (Bikes like a beach cruiser or 3 speed). But for long trips the upright sitting position is hard on your pelvis because all your weight is resting square on the seat. This is where a lightweight road bike is ideal, because your weight is more balanced between the two wheels.
I'm no longer a big fan of mountain bikes in the city. The ones with straight handlebars make you put alot of weight on your hands because they were designed for off-road, where the rider wants more weight towards the front. And they make you crane your neck up to see traffic.
As for cost, you can go buy an inexpensive but shiny new department store bike. But too often there are cheaply made, with many plasticky parts that break down. Plus, they are usually put together on site in a hurry and put out on the floor. The customer buys the bike, it never works right because it's not put together right in the first place, customer gets discouraged so he/she puts it away or sells it and never rides a bike again.
You will pay more for a bike at a good bike shop, maybe $250 or more, but if they are a good shop, they have taken time and put the bike together well and test ridden it. Almost all bikes these days arrive in boxes from Asia, and need proper assembly and adjusting to work right. And this is important - a good bike shop will let you bring it back after the first month to adjust things that work their way loose on the first 30 days. Bearings can loosen, cables will literally stretch a little and go out of adjustment, nuts and bolts will come loose.
What wires can I remove from my 2006 Suzuki SV650?
JT Dillon
This is a strictly race bike so I'm trying to get rid of unneeded wires and weight. I don't need any of the controls on the left bar ,apart from the clutch switch, so I'm trying to find out what wires I can cut or remove or whatever.
Answer
You can remove all the wires from the left handlebar. Identify the pair that goes to the clutch switch first. If the starter won't spin, short that pair together permanently. You won't have the starter/clutch safety interlock, but who needs it on a race-bike?
Also, bypass the side-stand switch, whether you're removing the side-stand or not. High-rpm operation can cause it to fail under race conditions, and it's vulnerable in a crash. The less equipment on the bike, the less there is to troubleshoot later.
All wiring to the tail of the bike can go. The only exception would be if that's where a tip-over switch is located--you may want to retain that, since it may prevent engine damage. I removed the one on my Buell, but the SV bottom end is vulnerable to oil starvation, while the Buell has a dry sump.
Finally, look into the new technology, lightweight batteries. They're a relatively inexpensive way to lose significant weight.
You can remove all the wires from the left handlebar. Identify the pair that goes to the clutch switch first. If the starter won't spin, short that pair together permanently. You won't have the starter/clutch safety interlock, but who needs it on a race-bike?
Also, bypass the side-stand switch, whether you're removing the side-stand or not. High-rpm operation can cause it to fail under race conditions, and it's vulnerable in a crash. The less equipment on the bike, the less there is to troubleshoot later.
All wiring to the tail of the bike can go. The only exception would be if that's where a tip-over switch is located--you may want to retain that, since it may prevent engine damage. I removed the one on my Buell, but the SV bottom end is vulnerable to oil starvation, while the Buell has a dry sump.
Finally, look into the new technology, lightweight batteries. They're a relatively inexpensive way to lose significant weight.
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