Skirt Runner
If you just want something to pedal around, not necessarily do real "cycling" on, check local bike shops for something used and get a hybrid. DH and I paid less than $300 each for ours. They aren't real road bikes and not top end, but they are a step up from something you'd buy in a big box store and work fine for our occasional outings of just a few miles. I think the most we've done is 40 miles.
Thanks....that's more what I would be looking for. Not trying to do triathlons or anything but I would love to go on a bike ride in the park (and walk the bike on the sidewalk to and from the park since I'm terrified of biking on the road). My boyfriend got a bikeast year and doesn't use it nearly as much as he planned to or should....I think if we went on bike rides together it may be fun. That's really all I would want it for.
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
...but the dude is one hell-ova fast runner (87.xx% age graded runner) and made up all his time running and transition.
That is exactly why I started running after seeing the best swimmers and bikers lose repeatedly in triathlons. I was only suppose to hone my running skills to attempt my first tri but I have never looked back!
A lot depends on what you want out of a bike. If you just want to ride a few miles on the weekends with the family, kind of like what I do, you can easily get a decent bike for a few hundred dollars. All I do is ride around the neighborhood with the kids so it makes zero sense for me to spend a bunch of money on a bike. That would be like the fat guy I saw at the beach a couple of years ago walking around in what appeared to be a brand new pair of Asics Nimbus. If you want a decent bike to train with, you have a couple of options that won't break the bank. Walmart has plenty of bikes for under $300.
Unless you get fairly serious about it, you won't notice the difference between an $800 bike and a $3,000 bike so why spend the extra money? Or, if you really do want a $3,000 bike, get on ebay. I can guarantee you'll find a gently used bike that some middle age person thought he/she had to have to get in shape and now it's gathering dust.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
No one ever loses in a tri LRB. We are having too much fun just being out there
Or at a bike shop or bike etailer. Mine was retail 3,000+ and a year old. Traded in by a much more serious cyclist
Who wanted a better ride and it was in tip top condition.
Thanks for the bike tips. I wouldn't mind a used one at all or a less expensive new one. Just something I've been seriously considering for awhile (it may have something to do with what I'd like to call Injured Runners Syndrome where I go crazy when I can't run and look for any exercise to grab onto).
Oops redrum I totally hijacked your thread....sorry about that. It was headed so smoothly towards a Monday Meltdown!
I meant the pro athletes. There was once a young lady who had something ridiculous like a 6 minute lead after the swim and bike but the announcers predicted another girl would win it and sure as shit she did!
It was a race near New York (I think) where the top male and female won like $250k each.
Yes, I am married to one. And he swears it is the most amazing thing ever and he can tell the difference between the ten thousand dollar one and the one that he wrecked and broke in half in a race this summer that was "only" $3K. And which our homeowners insurance replaced.
And this is why I don't feel the slightest bit guilty when I enter and pay for a ton of running races.
A bike can cost TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?! I just spit out my wine. Now I am glad I'm not a cyclist.....is that at all normal or really top of the line? I've been kind of wanting a bike but haven't done any research. I feel so niave.....I would have thought a bike cost maybe $200 or $300....maybe $800-$900 for a really nice one man am I clueless!!
Coaching testimonial: "Not saying my workout was hard but KAREN IS EVIL."
Upcoming races: Hennepin Hundred - October 2024
Check out my website and youtube channel
Refurbished Hip
If you want a decent bike to train with, you have a couple of options that won't break the bank. Walmart has plenty of bikes for under $300.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Your $300 would be better spent on a used bike than a Walmart bike.
Running is dumb.
But then I can buy a bike, shotgun, underwear, some CDs, cereal, a sweater, a fishing rod, Barbies, books, makeup, shampoo, and a lamp ALL IN ONE PLACE AT THE SAME TIME!!!
Hip Redux
+1000
Craig's List is another good resource, assuming you know what you want/what will fit you. Too often people buy a bike that doesn't fit and rides like crap and get frustrated and don't use it.
My mom bought a "Walmart" bike and she hates the damn thing and never rides it. It's heavy, it shifts like crap and it sits in the garage.
Caretaker/Overlook Hotel
Ha ha, no worries on the hijack, Kristin.
BUT......some advice...
#1.) FIT!!!!! Fit is THE most important thing in a bike. Try several brands in the series you like (yes, mine was a hybrid but there are hybrids within hybrids these days) and make sure you feel good in it. Don't take all sizes as the same. (Example: Giant is a great mfgr as is Cannondale.....both of their XL frames are NOT the same. Giant's XL is more like Cannondale's 2X. Big difference!!!)
#2.) Stick with aluminum alloy. If you want a good starting point & you have a Dick's Sporting Goods near you, go ride a Diamondback Insight. (You'll probably see a couple different versions but you can pick the cheapest you like & be fine). That is a good bike that is readily available and run $300-$400. It won't be a "specialty shop" brand but it doesn't matter. It's still a good bike & snobs can fly a kit.
I fell in love with the Cannondale fit. It just suited me best of all. I also liked the Specialized's style but they wanted a little more money for a similarly equipped bike. The might Trek is also VERY popular but just didn't do anything for me. Nothing wrong with it, just didn't have a good fit for my liking.
The only problem w/ Craigslist is you may find a great bike, but it might not be your size. (i.e. you see a Diamondback Insight for $200.....score....but you need a "Medium" frame & the Craigslist bike is an "XL". Not good) Know your size in advance so you know what you can just let your eyes skim over.
So remember rule #1 and always refer to it if you're ever on the fence.
Randy
Really glad you're ok!
Labrat
$50 for an 1980's vintage steel tube bike does me with a fairly new drive train, that cost more than the $50...
I am sure I'll invest more at some point in the future, but cycling doesn't have to expensive.
2nd hand is great, let someone else pay over the top and use it only a little, then be desperate for anything back on it.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
Expensive bikes are lost on mediocre cyclists anyway. That's why I see no point in buying something expensive for myself. $400-$500 per bike is what I think we spent on new bikes, SO and myself. We don't use them enough to justify spending more money on them.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010