Interested in cycling but don’t know where to start? Local bike shops can help

This story first appeared in the 2024 Cycling Guide, a new annual special section distributed in The Gazette aimed at telling the stories of the businesses, people and local efforts that have made The Corridor a cycling destination.

If this is your year to take up cycling — or more likely, resume riding after a decade or so — you’ll want to get a handle on just what type of riding you want to do.

“The conversation always starts with, ‘Where do you envision riding your bike? What’s your mindset when you’re riding your bike?’ Is it casual recreation, or is it for sport or fitness?” said Goldfinch Cyclery owner Logan Orcutt.

“There’s a lot of different options, a lot of different styles of bikes,” said Kyle Moscrip, fifth-generation owner of Hall Bicycle in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls. “It’s just finding what people’s interests and goals are, and matching that with a style of bike that fits those goals.”

“When’s the last time you rode a bike?” is often the first question from Derek Stepanek. “With whom are you going to ride, how far do you think you might go? If you’re going to go with other people, what sort of bikes do they ride? Do you have any physical conditions or challenges we need to address?”

Stepanek, fourth-generation owner of Northtowne Cycling & Fitness, likes to know a customer’s intent before talking specific models.

“It’s overwhelming for most people, so it’s important that we don’t talk tech before we understand what they’re going to do with it,” he said. “Ideally, we can edit their choices down from hundreds of bikes and a dozen different styles down to one or two bikes.”

A preference for street or trail riding often defines the choice.

“We have some of the state’s finest mountain-bike trail systems, which comes as a surprise to a lot of people,” Orcutt said. “When we’re talking about trails, defining what surface you’re on would point us in one direction or the other.”

The choice for a neophyte or returning cyclist is often what Orcutt calls “that Swiss Army knife” of bikes. The hybrid or fitness bike delivers a relaxed, upright riding position and handling that allows for relatively fast riding. With tires slightly wider than strictly-street performance models, a hybrid can handle a range of surfaces, from pea gravel to pavement.

“A hybrid is going to be a bike that’s not off-road-oriented, and it’s not going to be race-bike-oriented,” Moscrip said. “They work really well for trails around here, the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, riding around neighborhoods, a little bit of pea gravel. A very wide variety of riding.”

Buying from a cycle bike shop rather than a discount store ensures a proper fit.

“Although the wheel sizes vary, they also come in different frame sizes,” Stepanek said. “Making sure the height or the reach of the person is very comfortable does impact the enjoyment of biking. It also impacts the safety.”

The seat should be high enough to give the rider only a slight bend in the knee when their foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Proper reach means the arms and torso make a 45-degree angle over the bike. When the reach is too long, the rider may get a sore back reaching for the handlebar; too short, and their knees will be too close to their arms.

Remember to include accessories — a helmet is a must — in your first-year cycling budget.

“Usually there’s a couple hundred dollars’ worth of essential accessories,” Orcutt said. “Helmet, a way to carry some hydration, lights. Even if you have no intention of riding in the evening, our light offerings come with daylight settings. They’re going to do a much better job of drawing attention to you as a rider.”

The development of the electric bike, or e-bike, over the past decade has opened cycling to riders who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate. The e-bike delivers an assist via an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery — an absolute “game-changer” for specific demographics, Orcutt said.

“That’s the only segment that’s growing in the cycling industry,” Stepanek added, who’s carried e-bikes for about 12 years. “Hills, headwinds and heat are three things that keep many people from riding as often as they’d like. The e-bike takes care of all of the bad parts of that, so people ride farther, they ride more often.”

“My father-in-law who’s 70 had both his knees replaced one summer, which totally derailed his daily bike ride,” Orcutt said. “We got him on a step-through e-bike that he can easily mount. He can fire on the assist on the hills on the last half of his ride, and he rides his e-bike more mileage for longer durations, more frequency than he ever did before. An e-bike gives them a whole another lifetime of riding.”

That capability carries a price tag. While a quality conventional hybrid bike can be had for as little as $450, expect to pay at least $1,800 for an e-bike, including charger.