Griff -- that sounds great. I've hardly ridden this year.

Thanks Wolfie.

I'm not doing well either. I've been fencing twice a week, so squeezing in the rides has been hard.

I don't intend to make a habit of this, well not more than once a year anyway, but I am cycling again next month for the UK Seeability charity that works to help partially sighted people lead a normal life and gain employment.

If there's anyone out there who is doing a charity event themselves and would be interested in some cross-sponsorship, please let me know. If we can boost both our charities then that can't be bad thing now, can it?

My event takes me over 150 miles in two days from the county of Surrey near where I live to the town of Le Mans in France, scene of the annual 24-hour car endurance race. So probably not surprisingly the Seeability event is all about getting to Le Mans within 24 hours... by bike.

If you want to know more you can visit the Seeabilty Le Mans website here and also see my online donation page here

Thanks for looking.

Interesting government-backed scheme over here.

If you are salaried and get paid through the PAYE tax scheme, then you can qualify for a thing called 'cyclesheme'.

You get your company to buy the bike net of VAT (saves 17.5%) and then pay back your company over 12 to 18 months by deduction from salary, with the bonus that your deductions are BEFORE tax (additional saving between 30% and 40%)

So you could end up with a bike for half-price. Officially it's part of the 'green' incentives from the government and meant for people who cycle to work, but it seems to me that it is open to all who get salaries through a company as there are no checks required on mileage riding to work.

I'm going to upgrade from my Trek 7.1FX Hybrid to a Specialized Tri-cross Comp Double - a bit like my old Record Sprint, but mich lighter and with up-to-date gearing, brakes, ansd everything else too! Can hardly wait to get it and put it to the test - the annual trip this year is Calais to Paris one way (train back)!

Underwater Mountain Biking. :rolleyes:
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnp...123234635.html

Cyclefrance - did you get this bike? If so, can you give a report?

OK, let's dredge this back up to the top.

I'm toying with getting a bike to tool around on, just for general fitness, amusement, and getting out of my chair a little more often.

Coincidentally I'm looking for one for my son too. The one he has is all but too small, and needs more work than I think it worth it.

My question is... where do I look to buy one? I've pretty much established that, theoretically, we can get something for $100 or less at Target or Wal-mart. There are also a couple local bike shops whose lower end, price-wise, seems to be around $375-$400.

Now, I said theoretically... in fact, we went to Target and Wal-mart last night, having resigned ourselves to buying the cheapies, as the higher price just is not happening. As it turned out they had all but NOTHING in stock that would fit my son (he's just under 5" and everything was either 20" wheel kids' bikes, or bigger adult sizes). For me, there was nothing except a couple models of mountain bikes, which isn't really what I'm looking for (preferably more of a road or hybrid). I tried out one as much as I could on the sales floor and I popped the chain off. No doubt I violated some gear-shifting protocol, but it didn't inspire confidence.

Anyway. Having decided to settle for the ultra-cheap option, we discovered it wasn't really much of an option.

So. suggestions for a happy medium pricewise? Used? I worry about buying older models, even in good shape, when I read stuff like "modern gear shifts work so much better" etc.

If there are good shops around the Philly area with used stock, I'd definitely be interested in checking them out.

Ty looking at Sports Authority or Dick's
I think their prices are more in the middle of your extremes.

Portland has gone whole-hog with bikes, and Bend is famous for cycling.
I'm not into it, but I do enjoy the videos we get about how people are challenging the sport.

Here is an PBS episode of Oregon Field Guide about "free riding" on mountain biking in the nearby forests of Mt Hood. The biking segment starts at time 19:45 (link) and is about 10 min long.

"It's as safe as you make it."
"Just don't ride over your head"
"You definitely don't want to break your bike... that's expensive"

And here's an episode for the "unicyclists" among you...

Steve, I recommend used bikes over $99 rubbish from cheapo-mart. The latter will probably fall to bits within a year, probably while you are doing 30 mph down a hill. In six months, it will be a "used" bike anyway, just a used crap bike not a used good bike.

A decent second hand bike, 2-3 years old, for slightly more money, would be much wiser. The tricky things like gears and such might be better if new, but the (new) cheapo bikes will probably have old-style equipment anyway. 3 year old gears should be fine.

Beware cheapo suspension - not sure if you want it. Proper suspension uses gas dampers and springs, like in a car. Cheapo just has springs which cause bouncing which makes control harder, not easier. They just give the appearance of having cool suspension.

I have a few friends who are serious mountain bikers. When looking over a bike, the first thing they check is the brakes. Calipers are poor - disc brakes indicate quality. Easiest way to sort serious bikes from poser toys.

Is your son still growing? (God I hope so, since you said he is only 5 inches tall ... ;) ) He might need to upsize his bike every year or two. No point splurging on a new bike.

[worrywart] Buy a good helmet for him, force him to wear it. Pain fades, bones heal, chicks dig scars ... but brain damage lasts forever. [/ww]

Naw, it gives them a false sense of security, causing them to do risky things.:haha:

Funny stuff from Hyperbole and a Half on childhood experiences of riding bikes. (in this case, not representative at all of how I feel about bikes).

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co...7/bicycle.html

We have Electra Townies Keryx's is a 21 speed, and mine is a 7 speed. They are very good bikes. The two bikes were rite at $1,000.00, you can get them used for about $200.00. I highly recommend them.