Super Beginner - bike advice (best, commuter, mountain bikes, Trek)

[teraval]

Hi there,
I've been wanting to get into cycling or mountain biking for some time now but I have no idea where to start. I'm a beginner in the sense that I've only ever ridden a bike for recreation and mostly when I was younger. I do not own a bike now. I am just looking for advice or website links that will help me get started. I would like to do it mostly for the work out, but we also have beautiful scenery here in Utah that I'm sure I could enjoy riding through. I'm not really going to be a commuter (not yet at least) and will probably just ride it around the town I live in for now. That's why I'm leaning towards a mountain bike at this moment. I'm not sure what the best choice is for me right now. Road bike or mountain bike? Also, does anyone have any recommendations for a good beginner bicycle in either category?

[ferretkona]

Road bike or mountain bike will depend on your needs. If you are going to take trails the mountain bike may ride easier. I sold my two mountain bikes and bought a beach cruizer. There are so many used bikes out there in pristine condition it makes no sense to buy new. Look at your local craigslist and look thru the ads till something strikes your interest and budget.

[eofelis]

Check out this site.

No affiliation, just a website I visit everyday for all bicycle talk, all the time.

[fallingwater]

I bought a Trek mountain bike over 15 yrs ago. It still works well and have no issues. Now that I am older, I find the mountain bike style to be a bit hard on the wrists. You tend to lean your weight on them and mountain bikes ride a bit rough on pavement. You can get different handle bars I just never got around to changing them out. I might go for a different style altogether now because I am mostly a using paved trails. So when selecting your bike, I would really think about whether or not you will be mostly riding on dirt trails or paved. It makes a difference in comfort level.

I suggest going to a bike shop. A real bike shop not a big box store. You want to talk to people that really know bicycles. They can steer you towards a bike that will fit your needs. The store by me sell Kona bikes. They had a vast array of different kinds. I kind of liked the africabike. Still had the knobby style tires but good for paved roads well.

Here is the Kona website to look over. Biking is a lot of fun especially when the scenery is amazing.

konaworld