Buying the Best Bike For You
- Posted by: Zach Dundas , Siobhan O'Connor
- on May 1, 2009 at 9:00 am
A bike novice and a bike nerd talk cycling options.
GOOD: I figured since you live in Portland, you must know everything there is to know about bikes. Can you help me pick one?
ZACH DUNDAS: Ah, Portland’s reputation as the urban cyclist’s paradise precedes it, I see. Well, it is a pretty great bike city. Ironically, I am probably in the bottom 20th percentile of Portland cyclists in terms of skills, strength, knowledge, and fanaticism, but maybe that makes me the perfect person for you to talk to.
G: So, I’m overwhelmed by the options and by the haughty people who tend to work at bike shops.
ZD: I find it appalling that you’ve encountered unhelpful service at bike shops. Bike-shop workers in Portland tend to be too friendly, if anything. They see a fresh customer walk in and a little evangelical gleam comes into their eye. I think the basic ethic here is that anything that gets more cyclists on the road helps all other cyclists. That being said, I do see that buying a bike can be intimidating. In my own cycling life, I’ve gone out of my way to avoid specialist gear and many of the trappings of hard-core bike culture—not that I don’t respect it, or find it interesting, but because I want my bike to be a fairly seamless part of my life. I definitely appreciate the aesthetics and politics of cycling, but basically I need my bike to get me to work and to the store, and I suspect that’s what you’re looking for, as well.
G: That’s exactly what I’m looking for. I want something that won’t break the bank, that isn’t complicated in any way, and is sturdy. Ideally, this is a bike I can ride to work on occasion, and all over my neighborhood.
ZD: To start, I wouldn’t really recommend one of the urban cruiser styles that have come to the fore of late. I test-rode an Electra Amsterdam a few years ago, and was not impressed; I found it to be a case of style over substance. But if I had a wad of cash begging to be spent on a recreational cruiser bike, I’d probably go with the Bianchi Milano. Ladies look lovely on a Milano.
G: But they’re not ideal for getting around?
ZD: You’ll find all that stuff a little weak when you have to make it to work through city traffic. You might look at the Surly Cross-Check, an extremely tough, durable, accessible bike that retails for about $1,000. I have heard the Raleigh One Way, a single-geared bike but not necessarily a fixed gear, well spoken of. I’m also fascinated by Rivendell bikes: Check out their website at rivbike.com. They seem kind of crazy, but the bikes look cool and aren’t too expensive.
G: OK, we’re getting somewhere here. What do you ride?
ZD: I’ve had great luck so far with the Bianchi Volpe. I’m sure you’ll find some caveats about it out there—I did meet a guy who said his Bianchi frame cracked really early on. But so far, for me, it’s been just about ideal. I got it for less than $1,000 a couple of years ago. Bianchi’s an Italian brand with a lot of history, though my Volpe was, like many bikes sold in the United States, made in Taiwan. I find the Volpe to be an excellent mix of sturdy and sleek; it’s basically a hybrid bike, or maybe a road bike with a little mountain DNA, if that makes sense. It’s also got just a bit of that Italian design thing going on.
G: Talk to me about custom bikes. All hype?
ZD: I will admit to some serious lust for custom bikes. Some day, when I’m rich and famous, I will get a tailor-made bike from one of Portland’s many frame builders. I’ll spring for an Ira Ryan or a Vanilla, something that costs my quarterly take-home pay and requires multiple personal fittings and a two-year wait. If you think I’m kidding, check out Vanilla’s website. Their waiting list is five years, and they didn’t even accept orders in 2008. Their bikes are, for the record, totally worth it.
G: What if I wanted to only spend somewhere around $200? At that price are you just talking about walking into a used-bike place, closing your eyes, and pointing? Do deals exist for decent bikes?
ZD: For $200, yes, you are basically trusting to luck on the used-bike market. That is not to say that you can’t find good stuff. A friend of mine found a classic Schwinn in good condition for about $150. I spent $150 on a beautiful retro Schwinn from the early 1980s, which worked great—until I crashed it. I discovered that the relatively minor damage to the drive train and the pedals would cost more than $150 to repair because, of course, Schwinns of that era used a proprietary drive-train system that is no longer manufactured. If you’re going to go used, I’d recommend looking for a well-maintained road bike from the late 1980s or early 1990s.
G: What about cheaper new bikes?
ZD: You can look at new bikes starting at around $500. I test-rode a couple of completely respectable hybrid bikes for around that price. I just decided, after the heartbreak with the Schwinn, to spend a little bit more on a bike that I hope to ride for a decade.
G: So you’re saying if I plan to keep it, the best bet is investing in a good bike?
ZD: I figure, with a round-trip bus fare from my house to downtown Portland costing $4, the bike pays for itself pretty quickly. Plus, it is a key component in our household’s ability to own just one car, which of course is a significant savings on insurance, maintenance, and fuel.
Illustrations by Taliah Lempert. See more of Talia’s bicycle paintings at bicyclepaintings.com
DISCUSSION: 19 Comments
“Plus, it is a key component in our household’s ability to own just one car,”WTF? Why own any car at all when you can get around by bike? Sigh.
@Anon above: While eschewing cars entirely is a bold idea, I don’t think it’s really
safe or reasonable for everyone. Taking kids to to school in the
winter, getting to a hospital if the need arises — there’s a lot of reasons that, given America’s nearly century-long obsession with cars, we still need one around for emergencies. This is a guide to helping people find a bike they’ll enjoy and continue using — isn’t that at least a step forward?
if this guy is in the bottom 20% of bike fanatics in Portland, I would hate to know what the other 80% are like.but he was nice.
1980s road bikes are great, but aren’t the first thing to come to mind for me when looking for a serviceable useful and cheap entry level bike. They are currently the rage with hipsters (fixie converters and non) so are often over valued, also downtube friction shifters and aggressive body position can be a challenge and discomfort to the uninitiated. I would suggest an early to mid nineties mountain bike from a reputable company with good components (Shimano Deore and up). These bikes were dumped en-masse when suspension came along so they are kicking around everywhere. (at least in the Pacific Northwest) They are super durable, only a pair of slick tires away from respectable speed and efficiency, and offer more comfortable riding positions, index shifting, and for the time being, are really cheap. Ride on!
i recommend looking at smaller brands like swobo. i own a sanchez by swobo (http://www.swobo.com) and i havent had any problems with it at all, i think its a good price for what it is, isnt too flashy (so no one tries to steal your stuff), the company seems to be pro environment, and its fun. they have different styles that accomodate different riders
Taking kids to school in the winter? That’s what school buses are for. Getting to the hospital in an emergency? Well, I can walk to my local hospital, but if you can’t, that’s what ambulances are for. I don’t understand why anyone in the target demographic of this magazine would even consider having a car.
Umm, 2 year olds don’t ride school buses, and not everyone who reads Good lives in an area where bikes are reasonable to use all the time. Thanks for the tips on the mountain bikes anonymous. I don’t really have $1000.00 to throw down on a bike, but $200.00 is much more reasonable for my budget.
anonymous, you are the worst kind of hipster there is. please let people make their own choices like we let you make yours and avoid the judgement when we choose to live differently.
7:58, having a car is incredibly selfish and uses an inordinate amount of natural resources, spewing CO2 all the while. If it’s none of my business that your “choices” are destroying the planet, then what is my business?
I say check out a bike from Swobo, or invest in a nice fixed gear. Never hurts to save a bit and send a bit more on something that is going to be reliable.
everything in moderation, 3:34.
3:34, I can only speak for myself, but I need a car, sometimes. I live in Fargo, ND. In the winter it gets so cold (-60F), and so icy, that they issue health warnings to prevent people from spending too much time outside and literally freezing to death. Needless to say, I don’t bike in the winter. I do ride the public bus system as much as possible, but it doesn’t run on Sundays or after 8pm any other day. So, if I need to, I drive. So, while I appreaciate your reasoning, I find your agressive and combative attitude counter productive. Your world may be some sort of cycle-centric utopia, the majority of the world is not.
As for the Author trying the Electra the Amsterdam is probably not the best choice, I have an Electra Deluxe One and have been riding it successfully for ten years now – 2 to 3 times a week to work. It cost a little over $300.00
I live in Wyoming!! It is in no way possible for me to ride my bike everywhere, we don’t have public transportation, and we have blizzards in June. While I do try to plan my days so that I can ride sometimes, please do not assume that everyone can ride bikes all the time no matter what, and certainly do not assume that I am not environmentally conscious!
sounds like a blog for rich hipsters. anything over $200 is expensive for a lot of people. the focus should be on refurbishing used bikes.
If $200.00 is too expensive for you try looking in your local classified ads. I just found a really nice bike in SLC. Utah for $40.00 It only needed a patch on the rear tube and a good cleaning an oiling. I see many others going for less than $100.00 everyday of the week. You do have to factor how much do you spend on your car and maintaining it to come up with the right price for you.
I demanded fat tires that wouldn’t fall into those bear-trap rain drains and give me a header. I have good tread in the center for smooth riding, and knobby sides so that I can climb a curb if necessary in bad traffic.
The internal hubs that Swobo and some of the Bianchis (like my Milano) use are great for commuting. Low maintenance and it doesn’t require you to think or plan as much for when to shift (you can shift at a full stop without any problem). It’s tough to justify spending a lot on a bike, but in comparison to a car even the custom ones are remarkably affordable and long lasting. For kids & groceries check out some of the cargo bikes here: http://cargocycling.org/
“I’m also fascinated by Rivendell bikes: Check out their website at
rivbike.com. They seem kind of crazy, but the bikes look cool and
aren’t too expensive.”You seem a bit out of touch- A $2000 road frame (at least $3000-$4000 when built) is expensive, and a $1000 commuter frame is ludicrous. And while Vanillas are pretty damn hot bikes, they’re as “totally worth it” as a Lamborghini.Not to say that designer steel frames aren’t amazing bikes, just that for someone looking to get into cycling, the rivendell, vanilla, waterford, ionic, gunnar, etc probably aren’t the best place to start. Check out used 10 speeds on craigslist, or commuter bikes at your local bike shop.