Bicycles!

[bosephus]

Here's an offtopic question... Would any of the experienced bike riders suggest getting some kind of a mask for your mouth and nose to filter out the dust/exhaust fumes? Is there such a thing? And is it necessary?

I'm only asking this, because I'm thinking of purchasing a bike to ride to work during the summer months (smoggy) to save money on gas & energy.

Thanks,

B.

[warpdrive]

is Marin a good bike brand?
also: are disc brakes worth it?

I own a Marin and have no complaints.

Disc brakes are worth it if you ride in conditions that warrant it. They are heavier and you do have to pay attention to them. I think disc brakes start to be worth it when you get into bikes costing above $600

[Thundercloud]

why would you want a bike w/o shocks? i have one... and it sucks! its such a bumpy ride, why would you want that? hurts your rear.

If it hurts your rear, you might want to put more weight on the paddles before you hit a bump!

Low end forks are useless and weight a ton, a pair of $15 padded bicycle gloved absorbs more shocks than my RST fork.

Furthermore, dual suspension bikes may look like a real deal at $150 (TWO suspensions for the price of one!) But in reality, all that rear shock does is add 20 pounds (crude extimation) onto your bike (requires special frame geometry, which probably makes the frame weight an extra 40% [I'm just gussing!] + the weight of the extra steel shocks).

If anyone is going to buy a ~$200 bike from sportchek/wallmart/zellars, here are something I've learnt after doing some researches:

1) Do not buy dual suspension bikes. - They weight too much and the suspensions don't do much! The less suspensions a bike has the better it is for cheap bikes.
2) Look for aluminum frames. - Low end steel frames tend to be crap and extremely heavy.
3) Look for shimano components on your derailer and shifter. - no point in getting a 18 speed mountain bike when you can't even use 15 of them.
4) Look for bent wheels or chain rings. My sportchek bike has a bent chain ring and it couldn't be fixed. Now my chain grinds against the front derailleur all the time at highest/lowest geear.
5) If you're just going to just ride the bike to school, then get a bike with less aggressive prosture (ie saddle lower than handle bar). Wearing a heavy backpack while riding a mountain bike can kill your lower spine. And see if you can get slick tires, they're less bumpy on pavement and go faster.
6) If you're going to spend more than $250 on a bike, go to a specialty store. They probably have bikes in that price range.
7) Most of the time, those bikes you buy from box stores are not safe! Make sure you look it over, make sure the brakes work, make sure the chain doesn't fall out, make sure the wheels are tight (doesn't wobble side to side, very dangerous if it does), make sure the bike fits the rider (check height of seat and handle bar) and such.
8) Repairs will cost a lot. Tubes will get punchured by grass, wheel will bent when you get off the sidewalk, components will rust. I'm exaggerating though, may take between a month to a year before that happens.

If I havne't scared your enough yet, read this:
http://www.bikesrnottoys.com/

However, if you don't care about how fast you can go, how long you can ride for, how steep a hill you can climb, how comfortable your bike is, how safe it is, and how long it'll last; ignore everything I've said above.

Bottom line is you want to get a bike that you'll enjoy riding so that you'll hopefully find riding fun and keep doing it for years to come. It's a very healthy activity you know.

[swifferman]

Here's an offtopic question... Would any of the experienced bike riders suggest getting some kind of a mask for your mouth and nose to filter out the dust/exhaust fumes? Is there such a thing? And is it necessary?

I'm only asking this, because I'm thinking of purchasing a bike to ride to work during the summer months (smoggy) to save money on gas & energy.

Thanks,

B.

Necessary? Probably not. It's not like you absorb more fumes riding a bike as opposed to walking. It's probably useful, but not anymore on a bike then it would be if you were just standing outside. Unless of course you're breathing directly behind an idle car.


Also, that guy with all the repairs for the hardrock is probably being taken for a ride. If your eally have been riding it easy, there's no way it should require all that stuff unless you've been leaving it out in the rain and snow.


Also, higher end bikes by no means have less maintenance. Their parts are more costly and as a result are hella more complicated. This creates a heck of a lot more things to go wrong. They might not necessarily be stronger either because those Canadian tire suspension forks are bricks. Solid steel. Nearly impossible to break doing just riding but the more expensive forks use lighter alloys which aren't as strong but are better for speed.

For those of you looking at $300 bikes, look at the city and bike path bikes. Or hybrid/comfort bikes. They will offer you good reliability and speed at a reasonable price.

www.trekbikes.com has prices and hybrid bikes but remember the prices are US MSRP.

[whey]

thnx for da headsup

[Slimfast]

I got my eyes set on the kona lana'i. My local bike shop has it for $400. What does norco have that's comparable?

[dasurge]

I'm considering getting my bike at Cap's bikes here in the lower mainland. Does anyone have much to say about them, positive or negative?

Free service for a year and then halfprice thereafter seems pretty good, but I realize this likely means a higher initial price.

Any comments?

[SiR001]

I'm considering getting my bike at Cap's bikes here in the lower mainland. Does anyone have much to say about them, positive or negative?

Free service for a year and then halfprice thereafter seems pretty good, but I realize this likely means a higher initial price.

Any comments?

all small shops are good ..most have been around for a long time... what you can do is check their price and give some shops like JohnHenryBikes.com and Dizzy Cycles etc for pricing, they are usually pretty close. The lower end bikes are usually the same price and can't be discounted too much as they have limited markup compared to higher end bikes, it's when you get a 800+ bike that you can bargain a little more.