New to biking-please help!

[acc]

Welcome Annie, this is a great place for advice. Many people on these boards can help you find a bike. For me, buying a bike is like buying a car. I spend a lot of time with my local bike shops (LBS) asking questions, looking at bikes and then taking one or two out for a spin. I think a good thing to do would be to locate several bike shops and find the one that has the right vibe for you. Spend time with the staff asking a lot of questions, they are extraordinarily helpful and a great resource. I’m a little warped, but I probably visited four different shops and made at least three visits to the place I finally bought my first bike. For me, a woman’s specific design works best but that’s not necessarily true for all women. You may want to give some thought about how you want to carry work-related items. Do you want to manage with a backpack or panniers? It might make a difference in the type of bike you choose. Also, make sure you have comfortable biking clothes, gloves, and eye protection, having the right equipment makes riding more enjoyable.

Good luck, have fun
ann

[Greenbelt]

Hi Annie — I can’t help on your route — I commute from the other direction! In general though, it certainly pays off to test out your route on weekends. Quite a few trails from Georgetown to the Mall and then up to Union Station are marked on the DC official bike map, but there are lots of pedestrians and joggers to watch out for and numerous road crossings. Not an area to go fast, for sure. I prefer trails myself, and will go out of my way to avoid heavy traffic. But it is slower, and you have to build that extra time in to your routine.

My only advice on bikes isn’t really about bikes and it’s sort of patronizing, but I’ll go there anyways: don’t forget to invest in reflectors and lights and bright colored jerseys. I’m a newbie long distance commuter myself (less than a year going all the way to DC every day), but I never cease to marvel at the crazy things you see out there on the roads and trails. Being visible can really help avoid problems.

[Jsnyd]

Welcome Annie, acc is right. Your best bet would be going to a local shop. I’ve recently gone through, and somewhat still am, going through the “new to biking” stage. I made the mistake of buying something before I knew what I wanted. Now I have TWO bikes

[Dirt]

Hi Annie. Welcome!

Bike selection: As others have suggested, getting on a few bikes from your local bike shop and test riding is a great way to get the feel for things. Finding something that is comfortable and easy to use is important. Keep in mind that you can ask the bike shop people about doing a few changes to bikes to make them fit a little better… Often a shop will switch saddles to something that fits you better for a minimal cost if you do it when you’re purchasing the bike. Sometimes getting stuff all at once gets you a discount with the shop.

Some things to consider:

1. Where will your bike be stored at the office? Is it outside in a bike rack? If so, invest in a good lock and learn how to use it.
2. Kinds of drivetrain: I know this gets a little technical, sorry about that. Internally geared hubs are making a comeback on bikes these days. They let you have a bike with one gear up front, one in back and a very simple gear change mechanism. They simplify the bike greatly and might be a great choice for a commuting bike.
3. Do you have facilities to shower at the office? Some people have gym memberships that allow them to shower. There’s a bike station at Union Station that might be able to help with that too. Honestly I haven’t researched that lately. I thought it was cool that it existed though.

Washington DC has a pretty good bike route map that can help with getting from Bethesda to the office and back. Off the top of my head it can be done using the Cap Croissant trail, the bikeway along the National Mall. The last stretch to Union Station might take a little research. I ride the roads and don’t always pay attention where the bike lanes are, so I am not the best person to advise on that topic.

Again, Welcome! Look forward to hearing how things go.

Best wishes,

Pete

[CCrew]

@Jsnyd 5055 wrote:

Now I have TWO bikes

d00d.. Rule 12…

Rule #12 / The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.

[StopMeansStop]

Spend as little as possible on your first bike. Then go crazy on #2

[Jsnyd]

@CCrew 5065 wrote:

Rule #12 / The correct number of bikes to own is n+1

HAHA thats great!

[acc]

Annie, ignore the Peanut Gallery, they are just having fun and forgetting their manners. *cough* cough* Please don’t let all this information intimidate you. I love my bike, he is a Trek 1.5 Woman Specific Design (WSD), like most men he is not perfect, but we have survived the first year together. Yes, he has a personality and a name, Spartacus. Strange but true. Trust your instincts, find a bike you like to ride. If you are comfortable handling the shifting and the brakes, if the saddle works well, then you’ll be happy.

ann

[CCrew]

@acc 5082 wrote:

like most men he is not perfect

Hey. I resent (or is it resemble?) that remark!

Tell the truth now Ann. You just made your bike a him because he’s hot and dead sexy!

[5555624]

@CCrew 5087 wrote:

Tell the truth now Ann. You just made your bike a him because he’s hot and dead sexy!

And needs a woman to get him going?

[CCrew]

@5555624 5088 wrote:

And needs a woman to get him going?

We better be careful or she’ll be gunning for the both of us :p

[acc]

Gentlemen, and lord knows I’m being generous, let’s help our new friend find a bike that works for her and once she has one, let’s help her figure out how to maintain it – hint to Annie, there’s more to learn but first things first.

But because you asked here is a short story filled with simple words. Once upon a time I knew a Cat 3 racer. He yakked about his bikes more than he yakked about me, tragic flaw really. There was Bessie his workhorse bike, his commuter that he said had gearing to scale a brick wall. That meant nothing to me at the time but I understood the meaning behind the name. Then there was Sophia his time trial bike, she was snobby and high-strung, but a stunning white bike. His road bike, was named- I forget, either Grace or Eve, by then I was catching on to the idea the bikes were a little more real to him than I was so I stopped paying attention.

But he taught me to see bikes as human beings. Now when I see a bike, I’ll ask the owner if it has a name and if not I can usually come up with one pretty quick. I love the names Dirt gives to his bikes and he is more highly evolved than I am in that his bike names are gender neutral. All the bikes I ride have male personalities, that’s just how I see them. And for me I know their names immediately, most people who name their bikes let the name come to them as they ride the bike a few times. I’m just odd that way.:cool:

Happy trails,
ann

[CCrew]

@acc 5090 wrote:

Gentlemen, and lord knows I’m being generous,

Owww.. Now that plain hurt :p Sorry Mom, we won’t do it again we promise. Can we have cookies now?

[Greenbelt]

I have no imagination. My commuter bike is called “the commuter bike” and my CX bike is called “the super bike.” Sort of like John Wayne in that movie naming his dog: “Dog” I guess.

[acc]

There are so many fun names associated with the Wild West.
BULL – HOSS- CURLY- COLT- MISS KITTY- THE DUKE- TWO BITS

[Author]

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