Cycling/ Bike Purchasing

[Lettow77]

 Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike. Only, how much is really necessary to spend? I am boggled by the enormous prices I see some bikes going for. What, exactly, separates a $200 bike from a $9,000 one?

  I am ignorant on this matter. Thanks in advance for the help!

[The Brain]

Do we even have a completely insane cycling fanatic on Languish?

[Norgy]

Weight is one of the issues that separates the expensive ones from the cheaper models. If you're racing, you want a light bike, but light bikes need to be made from strong materials so that they don't bend out of shape. So a carbon fibre bike will be more expensive than another one. Are you going off-road? If not, don't splash for a mountain bike. A hybrid bike (that is a hybrid between a mountain bike and a racing bike) is adequate for most, while a racing bike would be good if you'll stay on the main roads.

The second expensive set-up regards brakes and gears. Some brakes are just better than others and more expensive. If you stick to a semi-known brand, it's really hard to make a mistake unless you are some super-athlete.

Spending more than a thousand dollars on a bike would seem like a waste unless you are doing some serious training.

What to bear in mind:
Tires - you don't want too wide and studded tires if you're mainly cycling on dirt roads, asphalt or tarmac. That's for the off-road stuff like tracks in the deep woods.
Seat - Get a seat that suits your ass, since you'll be spending a lot of time sitting on it. A gel seat cover may be a good idea for overweight and inexperienced riders to avoid huge boils on your buttocks
Saddle/handlebar height - buy a frame that suits your height and adjust handlebars in the shop so that you get a comfortable position when seated. Too low handlebars will kill your lower back. Too high, and you will not be particularly aerodynamic, and if you are biking to Japan, you'll want to save energy.

Apart from that, get padded shorts and a pair of gloves, as the ribbed parts of the handlebar will eat your skin.

[Lettow77]

Too high, and you will not be particularly aerodynamic, and if you are biking to Japan, you'll want to save energy.

This really made me smile in an otherwise bluh mood. Bike through the deserts until you attain the promised land, indeed 

So, I can't imagine caring about a light bike. I honestly don't what kind of terrain i'll be going through. I figured i'd push east until California became Utah, and then seek some saints.

Thanks for all the help! and yeah, a thousand seems absurd.

[Eddie Teach]

Do we even have a completely insane cycling fanatic on Languish?

I certainly can't see Mongers spending nine grand on a bike. Or having nine grand to spend. 

[Scipio]

I recommend Diamondback.  They have an entry-level hybrid that has low-mid-range gearshifts, gearing, and brakes, for usually less than $500.00.  I've been very happy with mine.  Their frames are very solid, and tolerably light.

[CountDeMoney]

Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike.

Don't start training first or anything, Pugsly.

[Ed Anger]

Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike.

Don't start training first or anything, Pugsly.

He'll start his bike trip in January. There will be a Lettowcicle in Nebraska.

[ulmont]

Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike.

Pretty comprehensive set of advice from the standpoint of bicycling in San Francisco (so perhaps not as relevant if you want to bike across a state or something):
http://www.jwz.org/blog/2008/05/the-collected-jwz-bicycle-wisdom/

[Monoriu]

Wait a second.  You do not own a bicycle, yet you want to go on a cross-state bicycle trip?  Are you sure you have the required expertise to do so? 

[CountDeMoney]

Wait a second.  You do not own a bicycle, yet you want to go on a cross-state bicycle trip?  Are you sure you have the required expertise to do so? 

Expertise?  How about lung capacity, for starters?

[jamesww]

Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike.

Don't start training first or anything, Pugsly.

This.

[jamesww]

Languish, I am just about to go on a very long trip on a bike. Only, how much is really necessary to spend? I am boggled by the enormous prices I see some bikes going for. What, exactly, separates a $200 bike from a $9,000 one?

  I am ignorant on this matter. Thanks in advance for the help!

Norgy has laid out some very sensible advice.

IMHO the key questions are how fit are you, as CdM has already touched on, and how fast do you want to go ? Cycling is mainly about pushing air out of your way, so the faster you want to go the more aerodynamic and increasingly expensive the bike tends to become.

From what you say about a desert ride, this sounds hugely ambitious to me; desert/sandy tracks have to be some of the most challenging terrain for cycling over.

At this time of year, isn't it hellishly hot in the desert, you'll need to carry a metric ton of water, even just the drier conditions and the action of the wind on your body will really dehydrate you; and that's before you consider the effort you have to put in yourself.

I'd suggest you reconsider your plans.

[Norgy]

So, let me get this straight. Lettow plans to ride his bike from somewhere in the South to California? Without, say, a year at least riding regularly? I mean, yeah, stamina is one thing, but I imagine that after 50 miles his back, ass and legs will feel so sore he'd admit secession was wrong just to get a ride somewhere to lie down.

Stamina and lung capacity are both obviously important, but once you're above your early teens, so's getting used to the seat and the fact that you will need to pedal to move forward, except when you're riding down the Rockies Jim Carrey style.

Never mind the cost of a bike, this is just slow suicide.

[11B4V]

Best get you some padded bike shorts Lettow