Looking At A Bike, Need Some Help...Or Better Yet, A Full Education

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joey D
  • 38 comments
  • 4,192 views
TB
You guys sure are at the far end of the spectrum. Joey is simply looking for, more or less, a point A to point B bike and you have him scaling the Matterhorn. :lol:
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Nah I'm just filling in the education part.

I'd recommend anything by Trek, Giant, Specialized or Cannondale. At $500 they all produce the same bike.
 
I'd suggest something leaning more towards a road bike and then put on some terrain tires if you find yourself on dirt more than paved services. Front suspension and all that is just weight and, honestly, pointless most of the time.

I'm going to echo Floats here on those names, cause at about $500, you are getting the same thing. Unless you want to go second hand.
 
Road bikes aside, honestly, my cousin has had his Walmart-bought Mongoose mountain bike for quite a while. He used it for 4 years during high school, and it has sat ever since. I just got it out last night and it works perfectly and is rust-free. I would prefer touring tires instead of these gnarly things, but it works.

EDIT: And if it gets stolen, you're not out $500. Keep in mind: bikes gets stolen even when you lock them up.
 
Ya I actually thought about looking at Wal-Mart to see if I could get a deal on something. Then I remembered all the Wal-Mart's around here are not something I want to ever enter. How can you have white-trash people in an area where the average individual income is like over $50,000?

Anyway, I rode some bikes yesterday and the Trek 3700 was the best of them all. Now all it really comes down to is finding a deal. I never budgeted for all the extra crap I'll need, like a helmet, kick stand, water rack thing, reflectors, and everything else. I just kind of assumed you got stuff with a bike like I did when I was a kid. Also car racks are obscenely expensive for the Focus because it's got a weird hatch design.

I'm going to see what kind of playing around money I have right now, being out of work makes it a little hard to justify dropping $700 on a bike and gear right now. I might just hold off until I get steadier employment or see if I can sell some crap I don't need.
 
Jim Prower
Also, they do make dirt tires for road bikes...

Scott2009web22.jpg
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Sort of counteracts the advantage of a 700c tyre: rolling resistance:dunce:
Traction often comes at a price. Besides, with a contact patch that thin, dirt riding would be rather :scared:
 
Joey D
Ya I actually thought about looking at Wal-Mart to see if I could get a deal on something. Then I remembered all the Wal-Mart's around here are not something I want to ever enter. How can you have white-trash people in an area where the average individual income is like over $50,000?

Anyway, I rode some bikes yesterday and the Trek 3700 was the best of them all. Now all it really comes down to is finding a deal. I never budgeted for all the extra crap I'll need, like a helmet, kick stand, water rack thing, reflectors, and everything else. I just kind of assumed you got stuff with a bike like I did when I was a kid. Also car racks are obscenely expensive for the Focus because it's got a weird hatch design.

I'm going to see what kind of playing around money I have right now, being out of work makes it a little hard to justify dropping $700 on a bike and gear right now. I might just hold off until I get steadier employment or see if I can sell some crap I don't need.
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Assuming they are the same over there as they are here supermarket bikes are utter garbage and should be avoided like the plague, they're heavy and often have nonstandard components that can't be replaced when they wear out which will happen pretty quick as they're made out of special metals and plastics with the same properties as old chewing gum. In fact the nickname they have over here is 'bike shaped object' as they're so poor they shouldn't be classed as a bike. /rant

Bike models hardly change at all year on year so a good way to bag a bargain while still effectively getting the same new bike is to find somewhere selling the previous years model at a discounted price, worth looking into.

A helmet is the only essential extra you need as you can put a drink in a backpack until you you get a water bottle and cage or camelbak. If reflectors are a legal requirement as they are in the UK they should come with the bike and if you're not riding at night then they aren't really necessary anyway. Also a kickstand is only required if you look like Mrs Doubtfire, use a wall or the floor!

If there'll only be up to two people and two bikes travelling in the car then fold the back seat down and the bikes will fit in the boot after you've removed the front wheels, just put a blanket between them to stop them getting scratched. Get the bike rack when you have the money in the future.
 
Neal
Assuming they are the same over there as they are here supermarket bikes are utter garbage and should be avoided like the plague, they're heavy and often have nonstandard components that can't be replaced when they wear out which will happen pretty quick as they're made out of special metals and plastics with the same properties as old chewing gum. In fact the nickname they have over here is 'bike shaped object' as they're so poor they shouldn't be classed as a bike. /rant
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The one exception to this rule is the carrera brand from halfords. Really good bikes at a really good price. Just make sure you check all the nuts and bolts are tight before you ride it. ;)
 
lbsf1
The one exception to this rule is the carrera brand from halfords. Really good bikes at a really good price. Just make sure you check all the nuts and bolts are tight before you ride it. ;)
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Indeed, I may have mentioned once or twice I have one of those...and did I mention you should check the nuts and bolts are tight :lol:
 

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