Looking for a bike, need some advice

[OscarGoldman]

Hi guys. I'm a short guy just starting out, and I don't know what I should be looking for.

I've rode bikes in the 100-150 cc range. I can sit on them with both feet planted flat on the ground no problem, but they feel tiny and kids sized.

I've looked into honda/yamaha 230 cc bikes. They seem to be more adult oriented, but I've never sat on one. Judging from the specs they both have a seat height around 34". My inseam is 30", would the suspension drop enough under my weight so I can put my feet on the ground?

Anyways, I filled out the questionnaire from the sticky post. Any insight would be appreciated.


1) your physical size (both height and weight are important) 5'6, 160 lbs
2) How physical / aggressive are you?
3) what do you plan to ride- Trails and dirt roads.
4) Do you have any riding experience? A little.
5) Do you think you will race ? Nope
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? I'm no stranger to doing my own work.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? I'd prefer 4 stroke.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Nothing close by.
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? Bikes are pretty overpriced here, less than $2500 would be great.
10) Do you live in California? Nope, Canada.
11) Your age? 26
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion. I'm an excellent tap dancer.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

Hi

At your height & weight you should be on a full sized bike. Don't worry about having both feet flat on the ground, that isn't a requirement or even desirable. Both toes on the ground is helpfull, and being able to rest with the bike essentially upright and one foot flat helps a lot.

Be aware that bikes come in several differnt styles. A bike design for "trail" use will typically be a little shorter (34" seat height), be a lot heavier, lower performance and significantly cheaper than a competitive bike.

It is common for the "trail" bike to have an engine size of 230cc, vs 250 or 450cc for a competitive bike.

Consider that your first bike is NOT going to be the bike that you will enjoy for a long period of time. You should consider buying something that you will enjoy for a year or two and then be able to sell and buy another bike that is more suitable to your interests.

The 230cc bikes would be great for starting out. They are fairly forgiving and can be found fairly cheap. They are great for trail rides but don't expect them to be tearing up the MX track. In fact, due to the limited suspension travel I highly recommend keeping both wheels in contact with the ground as much as possible.

If you are not already itching to go fast I would say that at 230cc bike would be great place to start. You should certainly be able to find a nice used bike in your price range. 10 year old bikes are usually still sound and have a fair amount of usefullness left in them.

A year or so down the road you will probably start yearning for a more powerful bike, so don't invest too much in this first bike.

Rod