What kind of Bicycle

Well in my feeble attempt at losing weight and getting in shape, I've decided to start riding my bike to and from work and on my days off riding some more, but I don't know what kinda of bicycle I should/need to get. So anyone with advice or who knows bikes, can I ask you what kind I should get?

As well, if anyone is doing this or is an avid cyclist please add any other advice or share your thoughts and experiences if you don't mind.

Cyclist here! I pretty much cycle to get around, as I see no need to get a car.

It would help if you told us a bit more about where/when/how you want to use the bike. Like, do you need it to have a rack to put stuff on? Are there a lot of hills on your planned routes? Are you gonna ride it primarily on paved roads, or unpaved trails? Do you plan on bringing your bike onto public transportation? Stuff like that.

OR, you could just go to bikeforums.net. People there are veeeeery friendly and helpful. I'm nekohime on there too.

Glad to see that some people are coming along and getting in control of their health and fitness.

First of all, I don't really know much about bicycles. But I brought a bicycle in order to commute to and from University and between the campuses.

You basically have two choices. A road bicycle or a mountain bike. There's others but they're not really great for commuting.

Road bicycles are somewhat lighter than a mountain bike as it has a slimmer frame, and the tires they use have a much smaller contact point with the road so there is less rolling resistance.

Mountain bikes on the other hand are heavier and have some aggressive knobby tires to increase traction and friction, and usually come with some sort of suspension system to absorb shock.

Overall, if you just want to increase the amount of exercise you do, get a mountain bike as it takes much more effort to travel the same distance/maintain the same speed than a road bicycle. On the other hand, a road bicycle would get you from A to B faster and with less work. Bicycle gearing doesn't really matter if it's just for commuting.

Personally I decided on a mountain bike since I was already pretty fit and wanted to just burn some extra calories during the day (My bicycle rarely leaves the highest gear) and as a bonus with the full suspension system, I can go down the stairs around campus and get to class faster. One thing I notice though is that pretty much every cyclist on a road bicycle will pass me at double my speed, even when I'm on the lowest gear.

Again it's nice to see that people are working on their health and care about the environment (do you?) Good luck on your path to getting fit.

Well thanks for the support you two ^^

I used to ride my old bike a lot, around like 4 years ago, but it was a mountain bike, because most of my biking was done in the "great outdoors" I think the last time I checked my cateye it only had like almost 1000 miles on it.

Currently I'd plan to use it as my mode of transportation to and from work and maybe school (unless I take a night class, then no) my route would be using regular paved streets in my city, nothing uneven or with hills, maybe going over a freeway if I take the long way, but other than that nothing I can't do. As for on my days off, I'd plan to take a cycling road I know that's nearby that spans quick some distance, I recall one time going as far as I could, and I could only go about 25mi. (I woulda gone farther, but the trip back made me hesitate to continue)

thank for the help and support again, Nekohime, Helseth *hugs* I await another helpful reply ^^

I suggest getting a road bike if most of your cycling is gonna be on paved roads and bike paths. Like Helseth says, they're much faster on pavement, and this is because of several reasons: higher gearing, stiffer frame, more aerodynamic riding position, and skinnier/smoother tires.

If your area is mostly flat, then gearing doesn't really matter. You may be able to get away with a properly geared single speed if you wanna save money. You want it to not be so high that it's hard to pedal, but not so low that you spin out at high speeds. It's kinda like goldilocks, lol. I'm particularly fond of three-speed hub gears though, since they're very bomb-proof and maintenance free, yet you get a balance of low, middle, and high gear. I live in hillslandia, but I get around just fine on my 6sp bike (3sp hub and 2sp rear derailleur).

Unless the drivers in your area are utter and complete maniacs, you shouldn't be afraid of riding at night. As long as you have good front and rear lights and reflective items, and keep an eye out for your surroundings, you'll be fine. You should be keeping an eye on your surroundings no matter what time you ride, anyway. I actually do most of my riding at night because I have a late afternoon-evening work shift, and I hate the sun. I use a Planet Bike Superflash (best. blinky. ever.) for my rear and a bright LED flashlight (I just got this from the swap meet for about $5) for my front. I also have reflective tape on various parts of the bike and side reflectors for my wheels.

A helpful tip that someone told me is that if you're buying a bike, factor in about $60-100 for accessories like lights, helmet, a better saddle, patch kit, repair tools, reflective tape, etc.

Thanks for the info Nekohime
So can you help me just a little more, you suggested a road bike, so can you name specific types, brands etc. ^^
I'll need all the help I can get here ^^;

What's your budget? If not much, a used road bike from craigslist may do; just make sure you get one in the right size. Bike sizing info here. If you have a friend who knows his/her way around bikes, take him/her along when you inspect craigslist bikes; otherwise, brush up on your bike mechanics. If you have more to throw at a bike, you may want to get it from a bike shop. It's gonna be pricier, but they will give you a properly fitted bike that you know will be in good mechanical condition. Most shops also throw in the first tune-up free. Just don't let them bully you into buying something you may not want.

Many people recommend getting a cheapo bike at first so you can see what you want and what you don't want in a bike before buying a pricier one later down the road. I did this and found it helpful, but it's not necessarily the way to go for everyone.

buy a Hybrid bike. It's still light as a road bicycle and still get a good sporty-look of an MTB.

Does biking burn as much fat as walking or running?

Biking can burn more calories than walking or running, depends on time duration and alot of other factors like speed (intensity), whether or not your running on incline, stuff like that.

IMO, Sprinting@>12mph for 30 secs, with 30 sec jog@7-8mph rest>Running>Biking>Walking in terms of burning fat for a 25-30 minute time slot. But that's just me.

And as for a bike. I got a mountain bike for about 20 bucks from a crackhead :D who probably stole it, look for deals like that if you can haha. I feel bad for the person who got their bike stolen though but if I didn't buy it someone else would.

I dont use my bike much cause my sense of direction sucks. But a little way around the block or something is good. You should go with one of there diet plans then go on your bike ride~