Looking for An Adult Bicycle

[chef larry]

Agreed. I've been buying Giant bikes from them since 1998. Scott is a great guy, incredible advocate for cycling. He started that shop in his mothers home here in Irvington, when he was a teenager. I definitely feel his shop is a "destination location" for cyclists. The support you receive is unmatched. Very large inventory, very knowledgeable and passionate staff.

Location and phone number please. Could use a road trip for the day.

 

[chef larry]

The pool place on 6 in Portage (Waterway maybe?) used to sell Schwinns (not sure if they still do). They are a better grade than the Schwinns sold at Walmart, etc. They got me into a nice one for around $300-350 a few years ago.

I'l run by there tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[blackenedman]

Location and phone number please. Could use a road trip for the day.

They're located on the east side of Indianapolis, about 2 miles west of I-465.

5804 E. Washington St.
317-356-4585
www.indycyclespecialist.com

I know its quite a haul, coming from your location. Check out their website, and feel free to give them a call with any questions you may have. Great people.

I've not been in the shop since the shutdowns, but he has always had great inventory, and if he doesn't have it, he has been open, in the past, to ordering it.

 

[Snapdragon]

I'l run by there tomorrow. Thanks.

You might want to give them a call first. I just checked their website and I see no mention of bikes.[FONT=&amp](219) 763-1309[/FONT]

 

[Butch627]

If you are not sure if you want a road, mountain, or any of the other 1000 variants than go garage sale shopping to get something with 2 wheels to get started. Bike prices at shops is high and selection is limited. Craigslist prices are high and you would be chasing bikes not really knowing if they are what you want. You can do paved bike trails in lake county on a single speed schwinn, don't waste time overthinking this, buy a cheap bike and ride and upgrade later.

 

[mensajess]

I work at Gray Goat Bicycles. My current advice is look at used. We are currently running a waitlist for new bikes about 50 people long and can't get any sort of expected dates of when we are getting them in.
In used the things to check are the actual gears, if they are shark fin shaped walk away, and cable housing, no cuts or breaks. Tubes, tires, brake pads, grips, chain, are all "cheap" and easy to replace. If the gears themselves are gone, you will end up rebuilding the whole bike and parts are running low now as well.
Bike style I'd recommend flat bar road or hard tail mountain bike with 29" wheels. 26" wheels have pretty much gone away from new shop level bikes for quality replacement wheels are harder to find.

 

[chef larry]

They're located on the east side of Indianapolis, about 2 miles west of I-465.

5804 E. Washington St.
317-356-4585
www.indycyclespecialist.com

I know its quite a haul, coming from your location. Check out their website, and feel free to give them a call with any questions you may have. Great people.

I've not been in the shop since the shutdowns, but he has always had great inventory, and if he doesn't have it, he has been open, in the past, to ordering it.

Truck driver by trade and Indy is only a couple of hours away. Thank you for the information.

 

[chef larry]

I work at Gray Goat Bicycles. My current advice is look at used. We are currently running a waitlist for new bikes about 50 people long and can't get any sort of expected dates of when we are getting them in.
In used the things to check are the actual gears, if they are shark fin shaped walk away, and cable housing, no cuts or breaks. Tubes, tires, brake pads, grips, chain, are all "cheap" and easy to replace. If the gears themselves are gone, you will end up rebuilding the whole bike and parts are running low now as well.
Bike style I'd recommend flat bar road or hard tail mountain bike with 29" wheels. 26" wheels have pretty much gone away from new shop level bikes for quality replacement wheels are harder to find.

Thank you for the information and your help.

 

[Ingomike]

The pool place on 6 in Portage (Waterway maybe?) used to sell Schwinns (not sure if they still do). They are a better grade than the Schwinns sold at Walmart, etc. They got me into a nice one for around $300-350 a few years ago.

There really isn't a Schwinn bicycle company anymore. They went bankrupt in the 90's and their good name has been used by several investment groups. It really is sad as they made a great product and are a big part of American cycling history. Sort of like if Colt went bankrupt, their facilities all closed, then an investment group has the Chinese build Pythons. That is what happen to the Schwinn name...

Much better options available...

 

[Butch627]

There really isn't a Schwinn bicycle company anymore. They went bankrupt in the 90's and their good name has been used by several investment groups. It really is sad as they made a great product and are a big part of American cycling history. Sort of like if Colt went bankrupt, their facilities all closed, then an investment group has the Chinese build Pythons. That is what happen to the Schwinn name...

Much better options available...

Still tens of thousands of old real Schwinn bikes out there being ridden every day. The OP could do far worse than starting out with one of them. Riding an urban paved or gravel bike path doesn't require much bike.

 

[chef larry]

Went out riding a bike for about a half an hour and my poor old 66 year old body let me remember about muscles I haven't used in a very long time. Baby steps for now.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I went kinda crazy when I bought my current ride, a Cannondale Bad Boy 1. Nearly two grand but offers a lot with 8-speed internally geared hub, Gates Carbon Belt Drive, hydraulic disc brakes, lefty fork (makes front tire work a no-brainier), and integrated “be seen” lighting on fork leg and seatpost.

Nine miles each way to/from work through Eagle Creek Park is very pleasant on this machine. Built like a tank and practically zero maintenance (and no greasy chain).

Wow, that front fork is a trip! Or can you even call it a "fork" since it really only has one "tine"?

 

[Snapdragon]

Went out riding a bike for about a half an hour and my poor old 66 year old body let me remember about muscles I haven't used in a very long time. Baby steps for now.

So you found one?

 

[chef larry]

So you found one?

Yes I did. Just a plain one for now. Will save up for a better bike down the road. Right now bikes and bike parts are more scarce then chicken lips. Getting used to get my body able to ride a bike without pain.

 

[cbhausen]

Wow, that front fork is a trip! Or can you even call it a "fork" since it really only has one "tine"?

Cannondale calls it a “lefty fork” so, yeah (I guess?).

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Cannondale calls it a “lefty fork” so, yeah (I guess?).

That's just wild looking. Never seen anything like it.

 

[shibumiseeker]

That's just wild looking. Never seen anything like it.

Single stanchion forks have been around on some specialty motorcycles and bicycles for a long time. They do offer some advantages but require more engineering. Cannondale really invested in them but they shot themselves in the foot making them not easily serviceable.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Went out riding a bike for about a half an hour and my poor old 66 year old body let me remember about muscles I haven't used in a very long time. Baby steps for now.

Yes, you will MUCH more enjoy it if you start out slow. One of the bigger steps is developing your "seat" which takes a few weeks. An hour and a half is a long time to be on a bike your first time. Try starting 15-20 minutes and increasing a few minutes at a time. At your age it will take 3-6 months to really develop the muscles and increase your cardio, but it will be well worth it.

 

[cbhausen]

I did about 51 minutes each way to/from the office yesterday. My bicycle has a pretty minimalist saddle on it so cycling shorts are a must. And yes, my @$$ is telling me I was on a bicycle yesterday. Not so much when I sit in a padded chair but on a hard surface like a bench. Like shibumiseeker wrote, seat time is the cure but don't flame out.

 

[KokomoDave]

Well, heck. I have a Giant on-road / off-road bike I was going to offer with a rear rack. It needs tires and innertube. I rode it for years and my son rode it one season...not his thing so it is up for sale.