Greetings

[Jason MI]

I am a complete newbie, just to be honest from the start. I haven't ridden since I was young when a 10-speed Schwinn with skinny tires made gravel roads a bit of a challenge. I'm looking to get back into bikes, traditional and e-bikes, for a variety of reasons including just a great reason to be outside as well as health and local transportation. I'm a big dude at 6'8" so I have been taking my time reading a lot of reviews, watching a lot of videos, and just trying to learn as much as I can before I take the plunge and make some investments. For a traditional bike, I'm almost settled on Cannondale Quick 6. For e-bikes, I still can't decide though I have Ride1up 700 XR, Nakto Super Cruiser, and Juiced RipCurrent on my short list. I look forward to lurking on these forums for a while and learning more. Thanks for reading my intro post.

[enkei]

Whatever you get, make sure it's the right size for you, and make sure it's set up to fit you properly. We can get away with a lot when we're younger. Not so when we're older, and correct fitment becomes even more important to avoid pain and injury.

I personally would start with cheap used bikes until you're sure what style of cycling you really enjoy and exactly what fits you. However, I have decades of wrenching under my belt, so I don't have to worry about fixing/maintenance.

My humble opinion is to avoid making costly mistakes at the start. If you haven't ridden since childhood, you're unlikely to have the knowledge, skills and tools needed to find and fettle the right bike for you. Talk to local bike stores, find experienced cyclists, join (a) club(s).

Have you considered just getting one bike, trying it out, maybe changing it/upgrading first? Then, worry about 'better' bikes and/or e-bikes?

Be prepared for your derriere to be sore as heck for a while. It takes time for your rear end to get used to cycling. Depending on the type of bike/cycling you'll be doing, you might want to invest in some good padded cycling shorts, etc.

Depending on your fitness levels/flexibility/strength, you might want to start off with a more upright riding position (although this puts more weight on your rear end).

The Quick 6 does look like a decent choice. If you expect to do much riding in the wet, however, I would be looking at disc brakes. Most of my bikes are are rim-brake but I definitely appreciate good disc brakes.

[ichitan]

(08-04-2023, 04:42 AM)Jason MI Wrote:  I am a complete newbie, just to be honest from the start. I haven't ridden since I was young when a 10-speed Schwinn with skinny tires made gravel roads a bit of a challenge. I'm looking to get back into bikes, traditional and e-bikes, for a variety of reasons including just a great reason to be outside as well as health and local transportation. I'm a big dude at 6'8" so I have been taking my time reading a lot of reviews, watching a lot of videos, and just trying to learn as much as I can before I take the plunge and make some investments. For a traditional bike, I'm almost settled on Cannondale Quick 6. For e-bikes, I still can't decide though I have Ride1up 700 XR, Nakto Super Cruiser, and Juiced RipCurrent on my short list.

I suggest:

Get a pedal bicycle first. Don't even think about an electric bike until you have spend a lot of time on a pedal bike. Things will become clearer.

Like somebody else said, disc brakes are better, particularly if you buy a new bike.

I don't know how heavy you are, but it is likely the back wheel will break on the Cannondale Quick 6, and most other new bikes. It will be a good idea to discuss this with whoever you buy the bike from. Maybe talk to more than one seller, and discuss the best options for strong wheels. The challenge is getting something good at a low price.

Consider looking for a good second hand 26 inch mountain bike. Look for a good quality one, not a cheap one. You will probably have a difficult time finding one with a large enough frame. But you might get lucky. Older bikes are stronger than new bikes.

[Jason MI]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the quick feedback from people who know much more than I do. The only serious advice I've received from friends who ride regularly is to not buy something on the very low end, but I'm not entirely sure what that even is yet.

I'm probably a little overweight, but I'm not huge. I generally don't fit the Big & Tall category for a lot of clothing stores because I'm not overweight. In any event, I am just hoping to find a bike I can ride without my knees approaching my ears, without spending a small fortune on something custom.

I will start visiting local bike shops and focus on just getting into the hang of it with a pedal bike.

[GirishH]

Hello Jason MI, I agree with both enkei and Ichitan. Also, like your reasoning for giving biking a try for health and being outdoors reason.

It might seem weird, but please go out and try bikes are various bike shops. Try renting one to test for a longer period. Or even ask a friend or someone who's a bike you are thinking of. I am 6 feet tall and about 150s. So, not too heavy. I have ridden road bikes, hybrids, and mountain bikes. I could never say which I liked the best. Then a friend asked me to try his fat bike. It just changed my mind. I got rid of all other bikes and exclusively ride fat bike, now.

I let a friend of mine try my fat bike. He's bigger than me and well-built. He just loved how comfortable he felt instead of being on a skinny tire of a road bike.

If the fat bike is too much for your taste, try a mountain bike as suggested by Ichitan. Mountain bikes are stronger, and give you a lot more stability and options to ride on different terrains than road bikes. I even let strangers try my fat bike as so many are curious about the huge 4-inch tires.

Again, try all the options you can before you settle on one.

I know many people diss inexpensive bikes, I had mostly ridden hand-me-downs or bikes that probably were from big-box stores. My $300 road bike was from a store that used to sell overstock or models from previous years. I rode that thousands of miles, including RAGBRAI in Iowa and many century rides.

Finally, my current fat bike (Framed Minnesota) cost me $1k and took me from Medellin, Colombia to the Southern border of Ecuador.

So, don't let price guide you..

Safe and wonderful riding.

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/mistergordo/