I am a 15 year old guy from the USA, and I want to get into cycling and eventually bike touring. The other week I ran 14 miles at ~8:00/mile, so I'm sure some of that fitness will translate to cycling. I have watched countless youtube videos on bike touring, and I would love to do one of ACA's routes one day (https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/atlantic-coast/)! What bike should I buy? Should I get it new or on facebook marketplace? I will be riding mostly on roads but I may do some trails here and there. I am 5'8 and my budget is around $1200.
by mrbrod_
9 Comments
Pinarello Bolide F TT
Any bike! Pop on Craigslist and find a decent bike. Give it a test ride and buy it. If you have a $1,200 budget I’d try to spend no more than half that on the first bike.
Once you start riding you’ll learn a lot quickly. That’s especially true once you’re doing higher mileage, like >50 miles/day or >250 miles/week. From there you’ll learn what you like and don’t like and what things matter to you in buying your next bike. Then you can make the decision that’s right for you.
Trek 520. You can find one for 300 bucks, if you’re in the Southeast I have one I’ll sell you for $200
Gravel bikes are versatile if you find yourself not liking road riding (aka bad traffic/poor shoulders).
I’d buy used personally, some brands to look into Kona, Surly, Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc etc
A surly
You’ll still grow so I’d buy used. It’s good to try many different bikes and types of rides to see what you most enjoy. The 2 most versatile types are a flatbar hardtail and a drop bar gravel bike both with mounting points for a rack
if i may, i would argue the hardest thing about cycling on your body comes from your bike fit. your arms, back and butt will hurt beyond comfort long before your legs become exhausted on a tour. That being said, I would leave ample room in your budget for whatever you buy to change your contact points (ie. saddle, pedals, and grips) your liking because most oem parts are pretty bad over the long haul. Also if you buy from a shop, ensure they offer some means/expertise in terms of bike fitting. my shop offers unlimited stem and seat post swaps for fittings for example.
I would buy a used bike…preferably steel frame as it will give you a good ATB feel… make sure it has the gear range youll need for the riding you want to do. As for bags etc…check out a bike co-op near you and see if they have the size bike youll need plus racks and panniers….get used items to test out if youll want to continue touring. Surly makes great touring bikes. Long haul trucker, disc trucker, bridge club and ogre. Go for a 1x drivetrain with a 50T granny on the cassette and a 32T chainring to give you the climbing gear youll need riding a loaded bike.
BTW, I don’t get any kickback for this recommendation.
I’d recommend getting this book:
[https://www.cyclingabout.com/bikepacking-bike-buyers-guide/](https://www.cyclingabout.com/bikepacking-bike-buyers-guide/)
He goes into quite a bit of detail of the things to consider when buying a touring bike. He also rates a lot of bikes.
Alee updates it every year and if you buy it once you’ll have access to the updates.
An important thing to consider is to have gearing that is low enough to make it up steep hill and these are the types of things that Alee looks at in his book.