Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT
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@Aqua-Letifer Tomorrow my wife and I are going to buy bikes. In the past I've owned a road bike (when I did triathlons) and used to do research, but now I am ridiculously unprepared for this. Basically I am looking for a bike to pull the kids around (in one of those 2-seater trailer things), around the neighborhood and (at the most extreme) on a dirt road/trail. What kind of bike am I looking for. Mountain bike? Recreational bike? I know I need 2 wheels, flat pedals, gears, and a somewhat comfortable seat.
AND BEGIN!
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hahah man that's so hard to say. But in the Venn Diagram of Bike Shit, look for bikes that provide, for you, the most enjoyable overlap between Fun For Me and Does What I Need It To Do.
Here's how my manager trained me back in the day: listen to the customer, but watch their eyes in the showroom, see what they like looking at. Then let them try a couple—only a couple, make it easy because it doesn't have to be complicated for most people—and see what makes them smile the most. Then, recommend that shit. I found it to be very good advice that I wish I remembered to follow more consistently.
But some general pointers:
pull the kids around (in one of those 2-seater trailer things),
Make sure you tell them this. My Cannondale would be perfect for this, except the thru axle doesn't accept trailer adapters and the manual stresses in no uncertain terms to not attach a trailer. Something I wish I knew beforehand.
around the neighborhood and (at the most extreme) on a dirt road/trail.
MTBs are great on terrain but can be a bitch on the road. Cross and Gravel bikes are road-styled, but have tires/wheels/clearance/etc that make riding on dirt, grass and gravel a cinch. If you like road bikes, might wanna check those out, there are tons of 'em now.
But seriously, go for that overlap and err on the side of fun. That's how you prevent buyer's remorse.
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@89th said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
Thank you sir! Also, what about training wheels.
It's been proven that strider bikes are a better, faster way to teach the kiddo balance and control. But for example, my daughter hates striders so we got her one with training wheels.
Give yours a go on a strider, see if she likes it, but no big if not.
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If you want to bike with one of these kids trailers, I wouldn't get a bike with drop handlebars. Wider handlebars will give more stability and control.
I personally would get a hardtail MTB.
@Klaus said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
If you want to bike with one of these kids trailers, I wouldn't get a bike with drop handlebars. Wider handlebars will give more stability and control.
I personally would get a hardtail MTB.
I have droppies on my singlespeed and hook up a 2-seater trailer all the time. Zero problems.
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@89th said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
We bought these:
https://www.eriksbikeshop.com/specialized-2022-sirrus-x-2-0-flat-bar-road-bike-pr5a13432/p
Rad!!
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@89th said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
We bought these:
https://www.eriksbikeshop.com/specialized-2022-sirrus-x-2-0-flat-bar-road-bike-pr5a13432/p
I love it! I have a saddle and and pair of shoes from Specialized.
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Thanks! We went to this semi-local bike shop but the selection was overwhelming to say the least. How many bikes can you fit in a single store??? So we went to a sporting goods store nearby to get some running shoes for my wife and see the bikes there too. Their inventory was not as expensive but availability was spotty… so we went back to the bike shop.
This time one of the workers helped us navigate the racks. As hoped, the workers at the bike shop were much more knowledgeable and passionate which helped us learn things such as the advantage of 1x8 wide range gearing (personally I like that simplicity compared to the 3x7 that my road bike from years ago had), and powerful hydraulic disc brakes which were better when I’ll be pulling 25-70 pounds of kids/trailer behind me on some rides.
We were not very price sensitive, but also knew we didn’t ride enough to warrant the $2-3k version of this bike for the premium components. @mark i had a Specialized road bike back in my triathlon days and so it’s kind of cool to get another one for my parental days.
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@Horace Some interesting bikes there!!
ON another note, what are those bikes with the really fat tires good for? I saw one the other day and at first, I thought it was a joke bike.
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@Horace Some interesting bikes there!!
ON another note, what are those bikes with the really fat tires good for? I saw one the other day and at first, I thought it was a joke bike.
@taiwan_girl said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
@Horace Some interesting bikes there!!
I agree. The Dutch are unfairly persecuted on this forum, but they are not all bad.
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@Horace Some interesting bikes there!!
ON another note, what are those bikes with the really fat tires good for? I saw one the other day and at first, I thought it was a joke bike.
@taiwan_girl said in Hey Aqua - BIKE ALERT:
@Horace Some interesting bikes there!!
ON another note, what are those bikes with the really fat tires good for? I saw one the other day and at first, I thought it was a joke bike.
Sand, snow, forests with little to no trail maintenance. They're very fun.
