Recommend a road bike?

[SUPER K]

Go to several shops and have them set up different bikes in your range for a ride. You do the same for a car, and this is much more personal. Some feel faster, smoother, etc.

 

[longskate88]

On above comments:

A helmet is almost required IMO. If you plan to ride with a group, they will probably require a helmet. Everyone wears one, and you'll feel and be safer that way.

Yes, accessories will add up fast. Bike Magazine had an article for new bikers saying a $1000 budget gets you a $200 bike and $800 worth of accessories. Shoes and clipless pedals aren't required, but nice. A helmet, shorts, sunglasses, and all the necessary tools to fix a flat, etc would be good buys.

The shorts, today was my first day wearing riding shorts and let me tell you, good ****. I wore a pair of slim casual shorts over them, and it worked great.

Sure, make sure it fits. They're fairly adjustable, but at least get the right frame size and right type of bike. My Fuji = bent over racing position, so my neck got a little sore this morning on our ride.

 

[perk252]

Definitely agree with you on the need for a helmet, though some people seem quite vehemently anti-helmet for a variety of reasons.

Also, regarding the clipless pedals I mentioned above, you could certainly hold off at first as they're not absolutely essential when starting out as has been pointed out. That would save you money on shoes until you decided how seriously you were going to take cycling. They also take some getting used to, and if you're going to be riding in traffic you'd want to be comfortable and confident with that before getting the clipless pedals. I took the inevitable spill when I first got them, though fortunately it was on a country road, so my embarrassment was only seen by a few puzzled drivers wondering why I fell over for no apparent reason...

 

[EMY]

Originally Posted by longskate88

A helmet is almost required IMO. If you plan to ride with a group, they will probably require a helmet. Everyone wears one, and you'll feel and be safer that way.

just get a helmet, man. I can testify that a helmet has saved me from serious head injury if not death. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy.

 

[JayJay]

^^^I was anti-helmet until I had a terrible spill, but amazingly didn't crack my skull even though my head hit the pavement HARD. This happened in my own neighborhood, so now I won't leave home without my helmet.