These pricey stakes can scare first-timers away

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/102850

Experts offer a leg up on getting the wheels started

They’ll pass you near a park or on the open road: hissing wheels,
crouched figures, a flurry of brightly-colored clothes. Cyclists seem to
move and dwell more freely in their surroundings than those encased in
cars. It might be fun to try that, you think. With all the fluorescent
clothing, insect hats and expensive gear, it looks like a very exclusive
club. But no one is born in spandex; everyone started somewhere. So, how
does an aspirant cyclist — one long past training wheels but still short
of the cyclist subculture — push off and get rolling?


THE 'BUY' IN BICYCLING


“The first thing to know is what kind of cycling you want to do,” Jack
Johnson says. The head mechanic at Landis Cyclery in Tempe, Johnson says
a surprising number of walk-ins don’t know beach cruisers from mountain
bikes, or road bikes from commuter bikes. So it’s good to come into it
with at least a clear example of where you’d like to ride.

“We’ll also ask: 'How much do you want to spend?’” Johnson says.
“That’s taboo if you’re buying a car. But with bicycles, we really need
to know. If you’re looking for a road bike and you have $500, you’re not
going to get a very good road bike.”

It’s a popular myth that you have to spend a lot of money to get started
in cycling. Boy, is that myth true. “A recreational bike, for short
distances or commuting, will cost from $300 to under a thousand
dollars,” Johnson says. Mountain bikes cost anywhere from $330 up to
$6,000. And road bikes, for long distances, go from $700 to about $3,000.

Newcomers have to budget for accessories, as well: “You’ll need a
helmet, lock, water bottle, flat-pump and spare (tire) tubes,” he says,
“lights, if you’re riding at night or early morning, gloves and
glasses.” Shoes, clothing and high-end accessories can cost in the range
of $300, for beginners, to $700.

These pricey stakes can scare first-timers away, or at least make them
wonder if it isn’t wiser to spend $200 to $400 on a road bike at a box
store, to see if the sport will “take.”

“You’re better off going to a bike shop, to get a bike that fits
properly,” Dennis MacLeod says. The past president of the Arizona Bike
Club says box stores sell from a standard wheel size, don’t know their
bikes and can’t fit the cyclist. “Bike shops are run by enthusiasts, who
can fit a bike to you. You have to begin with a bike that fits properly.”

Start-up costs, he agrees, are a problem. “Most people have a bike in
their garage. I tell them, 'Start off with that.’” Good-quality used
bikes, he says, can be found through swap meets or bike club
newsletters. “I had an old 10-speed from the ’60s and ’70s when I
started riding.” Accessories should be minimized, at first: “A helmet
costs $20 at Costco. You’ll definitely need a pair of gloves. But don’t
go 'all bells and whistles’ until you’re dead sure you want to jump in.”

But once you jump, you need to know where to land.


WHERE TO ROLL


Beginners often start on local canal paths, flat traffic-free areas that
allow them to get used to dirt beneath their tires.

• East Valley parks like Usery Mountain and McDowell Mountain Regional
Park offer closed-loop tracks for mountain bikers and less-congested
byways for road riders.

• South Mountain Park in Phoenix holds a monthly Silent Sunday, when the
roads close to automobiles and the park can be had from the handlebars.

• Popular urban rides often center around public parks like Indian Bend
Wash in Scottsdale, Chandler’s Desert Breeze Park or Kiwanis Park in Tempe.

The Bike Ways map assembled by the Maricopa Association of Governments
and free at most bike shops details all the bike lanes, routes, popular
paths and multi-use trails between Surprise and Queen Creek. But MacLeod
says paper knowledge will only get you so far: “I would advise newcomers
to find a bike club in their area and start riding it.”

Communal riding, he says, kicks the sport into high gear. “You’re in the
company of knowledgeable cyclists who’ll tell you good places to ride.
Plus, you learn how to ride properly. Statistics show that people who
ride with a club have a lot fewer accidents than people riding on their own.

“Go to a Web site, or call them,” he suggests. “Most groups want to help
other cyclists.” Rides are tiered by distance and average speed. “Start
out with a slow group. Then, as your stamina builds, you may want to
challenge yourself.”

Clubs can link riders to a social network and a deeper appreciation of
the sport. “It’s a good cardio workout and, if you have the right
technique, you can do it as long as health permits,” MacLeod says. “It
gives you the excitement of rolling through nature, and that feeling you
had when you got your first bike — that ability to take off and feel free.”

The Arizona Bike Club and the Greater Arizona Bike Association Web sites
list rides and related events. Information: www.azbikeclub.com or
www.bikegaba.org.

The article's content is much more encouraging than the subject line.
That writer did a good job IMO.

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vey wrote:

Statistics show that people who
ride with a club have a lot fewer accidents than people riding on their own.


Hmm. Where are those statistics, and to what do they attribute that
phenomenon?

Art Harris

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:23:15 -0500, vey wrote:

[snip]

Dear Vey,

Makes you wonder how little boys used to ride the things without all
the fit, the fussing, and the frantic expense.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

wrote:
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:23:15 -0500, vey wrote:

[snip]

Dear Vey,

Makes you wonder how little boys used to ride the things without all
the fit, the fussing, and the frantic expense.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Makes me wonder too, Carl.

I've got some pics of my ugly bike posted he
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=331199&page=6
post #133

I became frustrated at how little I could bring home from the store, so
I decided to fix that.

On Nov 28, 3:18 pm, vey wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:23:15 -0500, vey wrote:

[snip]

Dear Vey,

Makes you wonder how little boys used to ride the things without all
the fit, the fussing, and the frantic expense.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Makes me wonder too, Carl.

I've got some pics of my ugly bike posted hehttp://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=331199&page=6
post #133

I became frustrated at how little I could bring home from the store, so
I decided to fix that.

MAN! That is one _ugly_ bike!

Congrats.

/s

Scott Gordo wrote:
On Nov 28, 3:18 pm, vey wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:23:15 -0500, vey wrote:
[snip]
Dear Vey,
Makes you wonder how little boys used to ride the things without all
the fit, the fussing, and the frantic expense.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Makes me wonder too, Carl.

I've got some pics of my ugly bike posted hehttp://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=331199&page=6
post #133

I became frustrated at how little I could bring home from the store, so
I decided to fix that.

MAN! That is one _ugly_ bike!

Congrats.

/s

The paint job was green and silver, so the EMT matches the silver. I
forgot to say in the post that I switched the front brake from center
pull (the covering stop was _in_ the stem!) to V-Brake.

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:41:57 -0500, vey may have
said:

... I
forgot to say in the post that I switched the front brake from center
pull (the covering stop was _in_ the stem!) to V-Brake.

ITYM that you changed from canti to V-brake; the term "center pull"
is, in my experience, usually used for a variety of caliper that isn't
seen much anymore. Cantis and V-brakes use the same mounts.
Center-pulls don't. (I used to make the same mistake, BTW.)

Clarification is at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ca-g.html#center-pull



--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
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On Nov 28, 3:18 pm, vey wrote:
I've got some pics of my ugly bike posted hehttp://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=331199&page=6
post #133

I became frustrated at how little I could bring home from the store, so
I decided to fix that.

That's not ugly, it's *useful*. And it's a darned fine piece of
improvisation as far as I'm concerned. I might have to steal the
idea.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

vey wrote:

I've got some pics of my ugly bike posted hehttp://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=331199&page=6
post #133

I became frustrated at how little I could bring home from the store, so
I decided to fix that.

I like it. That's a good way to redeem the otherwise fairly pointless
design of the bike's front triangle.

Doesn't the reversed stem put the handlebars in the way of your
knees?

Chalo