I would really like to get set-up with a bike to use during the summer to get around, but I realized that I don’t know much about bikes. I’ve purchased mountain bikes before at Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire, only to be displeased with them after a short period of time thanks to weak components, noisy parts, or a less than fun ride feeling.

I’ve been wanting a bike for some time now, and money has been the big thing holding me back. Pricing for bikes, that I’ve been looking at, range from a fifty dollar used bike to a fifteen hundred dollar new bike with some sort of bells and whistles (no actual bells seem to be included on most bikes though).

I don’t understand what I should be looking for.

This is the first time that I finally understand that there are both different tire sizes and different frame sizes. The frame has to fit me, and at six feet, two inches, I need a rather large one. The tires are different sizes based on need or use, so I don’t need the biggest tires, but it also probably wouldn’t benefit me to roll around on twenty inch tires. Most of this knowledge has come from watching eBike videos on YouTube the past several months.

I know I need a comfortable seat, but that’s like picking a car because of its colour alone. I can swap the seat to be whatever I want without too much difficulty, and have done so before in a previous purchase. There are so many specifications to look at when purchasing a bike, and I don’t even know what type I need. If I’m not riding on trails or mountains, then would I want some kind of city bike? I know I don’t like the thin tires on some of the bikes out there, so maybe some kind of hybrid? I would like a comfortable riding position, so would I look at a comfort cruiser? I guess…

I’ve also been offered some bikes from family, which is awesome, but I don’t want to accept ownership over them unless they are decent enough for me to use. I’ve read about people getting bikes and then replacing parts on it to make it more useful and effective, but I’m not sure if that’s something beyond my skill and expertise. I might be interested in building my own bike, and figuring things out as I go, but could I maintain interest in a project like that through to completion? Would I buy tools specifically for swapping parts on a bike? I don’t know…

I know that I like biking, and that I used to do it all the time as a teen. I had a bike back when I lived in Walkerton, and enjoyed it. I know that I don’t have the budget to go crazy and spend thousands of dollars on a custom fit, perfect bike with top of the line components. I also don’t know where it is most important to spend the most amount of money on a bike.

At the end of this whole process, I’m left confused and frustrated. I fall back on either considering something mid-priced from Canadian Tire and hoping for the best or taking in one of the bikes that others in the family don’t want and hopefully being able to use and enjoy it.