i want a bike
 

there has been a lot of talk around here about bike rideing. my school comute is 18 miles over pretty hilly land but i think i might be able to do it at least once a week. i would need a real deal bike tho to do this do any of you guys know of a good bike that could do this? how much am i looking for it? also i was thinking i could drive half way there and bike the rest if that is to long.

What's the route like in terms of pot holes, dirt, etc? Do you have goat heads? For the best all around commuter I'd look for an older hardtail mountain bike from a reputable company and drop some slicks, maybe a better seat on it. The shorter gearing of the mtb will help out a ton with hills, and as long as you don't have much in the way of winds you should be golden. Always have a cell phone, spare inner tubes, and a patch kit on you (including rubbing alcohol, since some inner tubes have talcum powder on 'em to keep from sticking to the tire and patches won't work w/o cleaning this off), as well as a few small tools. Spin, don't stomp.

pot holes arnt to bad. but how long of a trip is to much. im in pretty good shape. 17 years old not over weight so im hopeing i can do it. it is 18 miles one way not 9 each

Just start out a few days a week and you'll be fine. I used to clock ~15-20 miles a day every day, and it wore on me, but each individual ride wasn't too bad. You'll get trim fast if you end up riding ~40 miles per day! If the route is real nice, go grab a touring bike and get skinny 100+ psi tires for the fastest standard design. If you really wanna get your hands dirty, you could probably build yourself a low-racer that'd average 5-10mph faster than anything else you could get.

niiice i really want to do it! how much do you think it would cost me to get into it. Being slim isnt a problem i only weigh 130 lbs

Definately get a hard tail frame. Rear suspension equals wasted energy on a road going bike.

Just know that it will take you about an hour and 15 minutes or so if you can average 15 mph. (Newer riders tend to average 12-13 mph to start out with.) A mountain bike with knobbies would be a good workout to maintain that speed, whereas a good road style frame could easily carry you a good 2-3 mph (and 15 minutes) faster.

My commute is relatively short at 2.5 miles one way, but I'm lazy and got Continental slicks for my Trek anyway. They let me run a good 2-3 mph faster than the knobbies do without overworking too much, so maintaining 15-16 mph is relatively easy. I have to work my *** off to maintain 14-15 with the studded tires though.

i might drive some of it tho to cut the time maybe half of it. how much was your bike tho thats a big part of it

The 4300D that I ride is $499 with disc brakes. I believe there is a non-disc version that shaves $100 off the price. I think the Continentals ran me another $50 or so.

I got into it by buying an older trek hardtail in good condition for $80, then got tires, etc from nashbar/performance bike. You can do it for far less if you're thrifty, especially since there may not be a lot of demand for bikes in Nebraska. I recommend getting the $50 basic tool kit from performance/nashbar (great deal imo) and start looking for cheap'ish bikes. Use this as your buying guide. :thumbup:

I you can pick up an old 10-speed in good running condition then use that. The old road bikes are actually quite comfortable once you get used to them.

If you wand something newer get a hybrid type bike (they usually have fatter 700c wheels and a front shock) and a generally cheaper then an all out road bike.

If you get a mountain bike make shore to put some slick or semi-slick tires on it. It will make a difference on the road.