Well, I have seen that Zurich's the place to start riding a bike, and that it may improve my general health and wellbeing. However I am a fat bast@rd, and don't want something too uncomfortable. By the same token I don't want something weird looking like some sort of manual Harley that's going to turn my escapades from something to gawk at into a national passtime with kids running after me throwing rocks. I want a bike that's going to get me about on flat, level ground so I can ride from town to the lake and around it in comfort. It doesn't have to be overly cheap although I don't want to be paying for things I don't really need - nor be the "all the gear and no idea" guy.

Please help!

? what is so difficult about this ? Just go to the Jumbo or the Migros brunaupark and pick out a bike you like. My advice: don't look at the amount of gears but at the lowest gear available. A 22/32 (front sprocket/rear sprocket) or better 22/34 is required to go up the hill if you're not too trained, else it gets too heavy. Don't get a racing bike as they don't have these low gears (and everyone on a racing bike looks like a pr!ck, something which you say you don't want). Don't spend more than chf 1000. Sizewise, the seat height should be sucht that you should be able to almost stretch your leg when the peddle is all the way down without tilting your hips. Buy a leather Brooks saddle, they're the best.

Easy! Just a couple questions

What/where is Jumbo/Migros Brunaupark?
How will I know the bike I like is best for what I want to do?
How will I know it's the most comfortable unless I sit on all of them, and even them I'll not be able to guess what they'll feel like after a couple hours
After that I understand nothing, sprocket?, 22/32?

In any case I think I'm just going to go down to HB tomorrow and rent a bike and see if I like that one.

Thanks for your help.

Fat Novice.

..make your pick.

http://images.google.ch/images?hl=de...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

OK cyrus, given, some of those beach cruisers look damn comfortable. Will check it out.

Thanks LiB! And here's for you - the closest you'll get to a drivers seat in a while...

...that was a low blow

How much bike should you buy? Should you be worried about the "all hat, no cattle" syndrome? I'd recommend spending more up front if you vaguely think this is something you will want to stick with.

Cycling is a great sport for people who have knee injuries, or for bigger guys - really reduces joint damage. And I know a think or two about being a big guy, and losing weight on my bike.

I don't know if the sports clubs in CH offer either "spinning" or "indoor cycling" classes, but it's a good way to get into shape and get started with cycling. Also, buy yourself a good pair of bike shorts and some chamois cream.

If you don't have one, it's wise to invest in a good heart rate monitor - and make sure you can get one where you can download the data to your laptop software - help you manage your training. It helps to train using heart rate so you know you are in the aerobic zone. I have a Polar 725x - it's a few years old, but I love it. Check out polarusa.com, or polarelectro.co.uk - I think the CH site is in German.

Good luck.

EDIT: If you do end up buying, either consider a triple chainring in front, or a compact crankset.

Actually, I'm not keen on the trikes personally, since I started out on a conventional road bike. However, I have two good friends who have them and swear by them. They are very comfortable, and you can get in a helluva good workout.

H, one of my friends who bought one, is a big guy - something like 6'2" and started out well over 330 lbs - he's sub 300 now and rides regularly.

Being rather ehem rotund myself I would actually invest on a good bike seat that is comfortable for you.

I have some...

I saw a great looking bike called the "chief" at a bike shop in Schwyz and it had big tires and most importantly, a really nice, comfortable and big seat! It had no gears, but if what you are looking for is a nice ride on flats and in a retro style, here is a nice choice (if that's your style ofc)

It looked a lot like the one on this picture:
http://www.onefastbuffalo.com/upload...e/CIMG1031.JPG

As a very tall man, I like my Electra Townie. It's a three-speed, and by design, you sit more upright, than hunched over the handle bars. For me.....it has a "less-numbing" feeling after riding for a while. I found one used in great shape for just under 200 Swiss francs, and I looked briefly online, and I think there are dealers in Switzerland who sell them. Happy hunting!

Sorry I had to post this one:

economisto did you overdo with the cake on your birthday and now feel guilty? Padre Scribble is waiting for your confession.

Regarding the bike. Keep it simple and get a simple but decent bike.

I'd look at what are called "hybrid" bikes. Basically they have flat handle bars making it more comfortable/controllable around town, lower gearing than a racing bike so easy to pedal around, and the wheels/tyres will be fatter to give more comfort and more grip.

You don't really need a proper mountain bike unless you are going off road, so for cycling around in and around town a hybrid is probably the best bet. Personally I would avoid the "cool" cruiser bikes - I think they look pretty dumb unless you are about 15 and trying to impress your mates until you are old enough to get a scooter...

The stuff about sprockets and 22/32 tells you about the gears, so how easy or hard it is to pedal along. Basically the front and rear chain rings/sprockets will have a varying number of teeth. Most bikes have 2 or 3 chain rings at the front and between 7 and 10 at the back, so if you want to see what the lightest overall gear is, you want to look at how many teeth the smallest of the front chain rings has and how many teeth the biggest of the rear sprockets has*. At the front (the first number or 22 in the above example) the lower the number the easier it will be. At the back (the 32 in the example) the higher the number the easier it will be.

Somewhere around CHF1,000 should get you something reasonable, and as has been mentioned before it may be worth upgrading the saddle straight away for something more comfortable.

* If you really want to get technical, divide one by the other to work out the gearing ratio. So 22 / 32 = 0.69 or another example 34 / 28 = 1.21. The smaller the ratio, the easier it will be.

Is this a moped or a suppository?

Thanks guys, you've given me enough info to start a proper search on my own.

Some good advice on this thread.

Further to this: Does anyone know of a flat, relatively unpopulated area near Zurich where a chap might teach himself to ride a bike again after a break of 33 years?

Can you cycle very far in this country without going up hills?