Doh. Bike got stolen. Replacement suggestions??

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Kevin

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2002
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All this bike talk has got me thinking. If it wasn't winter I'd be outside right now fixing mine up... :)
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
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Originally posted by: tkdkid


If you ride on the street 90% of the time though...then why even bother with a mountain type bike. Get a road bike...at least go and test ride one...they're fun too.

Exactly, but he likes the riding position of a MTB. That's why I showed him a Trek hybrid. With that he can still hop curbs, ride down stairs and such without worrying that he'll bend a rim like he would with a dainty road bike.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
72,329
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50 bucks even kevin doubtless buys you the finest Chinese steel. :D It's what makes it so good for exercise.
 

Kevin

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2002
3,995
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Originally posted by: Moonbeam
50 bucks even kevin doubtless buys you the finest Chinese steel. :D It's what makes it so good for exercise.

Bike racers spends thousands trying to lessen the weight of their bike. Every ounce counts since you're ultimately going to be carrying that ounce a few miles...
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
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I have a Trek 4300 that I ride all the time (even through the Iowa winter) and I love it. I've had it a little over a year, and put many, many miles on it, but it's still in good shape. My bike nut roomate suggested it, and I couldn't be happier with it. It was about 400 if I remember correctly.
 

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
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Thanks for cluing me in on the hybrids, guys. That's clearly more of what I'm looking for. In retrospect, that's exactly what my ex-bike was - mountain bikeish parts and design with a shock seat and slightly raised, slightly swept handlebars.

Another thing that I thought was slick on my bike was the tires - they had smooth centers and knobbed edges. I don't know if that was total marketing BS or what, but I liked them. I checked out the Cannondale Adventure at a bike shop and it looked good, but the tires were.. well they were a little fruity looking.

At $530 though that was still pretty steep. I found the receipt for mine, and I paid about $400 out the door. Damn, I didn't realize how much I liked my bike until somebody stole it - I'd buy the same model again if I could.

 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
55,826
13,875
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Originally posted by: flot
Thanks for cluing me in on the hybrids, guys. That's clearly more of what I'm looking for. In retrospect, that's exactly what my ex-bike was - mountain bikeish parts and design with a shock seat and slightly raised, slightly swept handlebars.

Another thing that I thought was slick on my bike was the tires - they had smooth centers and knobbed edges. I don't know if that was total marketing BS or what, but I liked them. I checked out the Cannondale Adventure at a bike shop and it looked good, but the tires were.. well they were a little fruity looking.

At $530 though that was still pretty steep. I found the receipt for mine, and I paid about $400 out the door. Damn, I didn't realize how much I liked my bike until somebody stole it - I'd buy the same model again if I could.

Hey, Trek has lower priced Hybreds. I just picked one at the top of your price rage because, well, you get what you pay for. :)

Try this Trek 7300 You can find it for under $450 at many dealers

Or this Trek 7200 (ignore the woman's frame, click on the other color option and it will show a man's frame) You can find this one for $300 or less at many dealers.

For the money, though, I wouldn't go any lower than the 7300. It has better bang for the buck than the 7200.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
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There's a lot of excellent advice in this thread but nothing beats visiting your local bike dealer and taking one of these for a test drive.

Also how tall are you? A lot of bikes are meant for shorter guys (< 6"), I was lucky to find a year end close out Mongoose that fit my 6' frame snuggly. Plus I saved about $150-$200 in the process :)
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
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Excellent choie the hybrids, people buy mountain bikes to look sexy however they suck to ride casually which is 95% of us. I have the trek 7500 as does sohcrates. The basic differences are a more upright rider stance, thinnner and larger diameter tires for speed. But same gearing as a moutain bike. Much more comfortable but not as strong. For riders 70% town 30% light trails. I recommend every one of my friends to ride a hybrid first and most of the time they end up with one becuase they are more comfortable and have the ability to handle most off road situations unless you just get nuts doing table tops etc..

I'm 6'3" RossMann and no problems but as you say try em' first. And give the B&M your business:) Lots of guys waste hours of the dealers time , find what they want, then buy online:(
 

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
3,197
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Ross - I'm asking online because my 2 closest bike dealers haven't impressed me too much so far. I went to two pretty decent sized bike shops, and they both quickly shoehorned me into 1 or 2 models without really covering much of anything. And for the level of "service" I got, their prices were pretty steep. I hate to pay "list price" but will make exceptions if the shop goes the extra mile - which neither did. I did test-drive 4 mountain bikes (no one at the stores seemed to pick up on the fact that a hybrid is probably a better choice for me) and for the most part liked them but wasn't overwhelmed. I think the one I liked best was a Cannondale F300.. but it didn't really strike me as being worth every penny of $530.

On the size issue, I'm 5'11", about 175. My ex-bike had a large frame which I'd swear was substantially bigger than most of the bikes they showed me... Then again, apparently you want a smaller frame on a mountain bike so you don't wipe out and kiss your boys goodbye?




 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
55,826
13,875
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Originally posted by: flot


On the size issue, I'm 5'11", about 175. My ex-bike had a large frame which I'd swear was substantially bigger than most of the bikes they showed me... Then again, apparently you want a smaller frame on a mountain bike so you don't wipe out and kiss your boys goodbye?

That's about right. On a road bike, the frame can be within an inch of your crotch or even higher when your feet are flat on the ground (sometimes, you can't even touch the ground with both feet). For a MTB a good rule of thumb is two to four inches between your crotch and the top tube when your feet are flat on the ground.

For a hybred that's used 90% on the street and not on any technical terrain, I'd go with two inches between the top bar and your crotch when both feet are flat on the ground.

Go to your local Trek dealer and try the 7300 and 7500. I think you'll like them. I swear by Treks now.
 
Aug 16, 2001
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Originally posted by: tkdkid
I'd say a Trek 4500 would be a great start. If you're considering trail riding then get a Giant Ranier, it's probably the best value mountain bike - you get great parts like disc brakes and such for about 650 I think. Good frame that's worth upgrading, good tires and drivetrain..all that. Check out www.mtbr.com for all kinds of bike and equipment reviews, there's also a forums section there.

All these people that are saying that $1200 is ridiculous to spend on a bike really don't know anything about mountain biking, nor have they ever ridden a $1200 bike. You'd spend $1200 on a computer without even thinking about it, or even a gym membership for that matter. It's not really that much to spend for a real piece of quality equipment that gets you outside...oh and mountain biking is fun as hell by the way.

If you ride on the street 90% of the time though...then why even bother with a mountain type bike. Get a road bike...at least go and test ride one...they're fun too.


Bike parts are really overpriced but a $1200 bike is great. And I love my $2200 bike,
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
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Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Originally posted by: tkdkid
I'd say a Trek 4500 would be a great start. If you're considering trail riding then get a Giant Ranier, it's probably the best value mountain bike - you get great parts like disc brakes and such for about 650 I think. Good frame that's worth upgrading, good tires and drivetrain..all that. Check out www.mtbr.com for all kinds of bike and equipment reviews, there's also a forums section there.

All these people that are saying that $1200 is ridiculous to spend on a bike really don't know anything about mountain biking, nor have they ever ridden a $1200 bike. You'd spend $1200 on a computer without even thinking about it, or even a gym membership for that matter. It's not really that much to spend for a real piece of quality equipment that gets you outside...oh and mountain biking is fun as hell by the way.

If you ride on the street 90% of the time though...then why even bother with a mountain type bike. Get a road bike...at least go and test ride one...they're fun too.


Bike parts are really overpriced but a $1200 bike is great. And I love my $2200 bike,

Deminishing returns set in at about $600 IMO. I am a big aggresive rider and have never broke a crank, sprocket or frame on a trek, currently I have a 8500 Al and 7500 both less than $850 Retail. Now those Kmart/costo type bikes I went though as a kid in about one month, jumping off the roof of a two story is BAD.:p

 

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,906
12
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get a U-LOCK w/ ur new bike....cuz i had a rope lock...it got jacked...got new bike...i got a u-lock...it got jacked ..how?..i locked it to a weak railing...the railing that the lock was cut to got jacked...

screwy isn't it...
 

Kevin

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2002
3,995
1
0
Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
get a U-LOCK w/ ur new bike....cuz i had a rope lock...it got jacked...got new bike...i got a u-lock...it got jacked ..how?..i locked it to a weak railing...the railing that the lock was cut to got jacked...

screwy isn't it...

I remember I was at the school yard about 4 years ago this kid tried to steal my bike. I took a basketball and beemed him in the head as he rode away. He fell and the bike landed on him. I took my bike and as he's laying says to me "What are you crazy?" and I said "No, you are". I then gave him a swift kick in the nuts and rode home...
 

freakflag

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2001
3,951
1
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I've got a Trek 3500 and I love it.
It came stock with a Crowbar but, if you like the more upright ride you'll probably want to replace it.
 

BMdoobieW

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2000
3,166
0
76
Trek! I love my Trek 850 Mountain Track.

Yeah, I keep my bike indoors since a lot of bikes get stolen on campus here. A LOT! Like on average 1 or 2 a day that are reported to police. And people yell at me for keeping my bike indoors. They don't understand why I don't just lock it outside. Sheesh.
 

tkdkid

Senior member
Oct 13, 2000
956
0
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Originally posted by: flot

Another thing that I thought was slick on my bike was the tires - they had smooth centers and knobbed edges. I don't know if that was total marketing BS or what, but I liked them.

They're called semi-slicks and are fairly common.
 

Mucman

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
7,246
1
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Originally posted by: kevin000
Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
get a U-LOCK w/ ur new bike....cuz i had a rope lock...it got jacked...got new bike...i got a u-lock...it got jacked ..how?..i locked it to a weak railing...the railing that the lock was cut to got jacked...

screwy isn't it...

I remember I was at the school yard about 4 years ago this kid tried to steal my bike. I took a basketball and beemed him in the head as he rode away. He fell and the bike landed on him. I took my bike and as he's laying says to me "What are you crazy?" and I said "No, you are". I then gave him a swift kick in the nuts and rode home...

Dang! I would have done a lot worse to anyone who steals my stuff!

 

Kevin

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2002
3,995
1
0
Originally posted by: Mucman
Originally posted by: kevin000
Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
get a U-LOCK w/ ur new bike....cuz i had a rope lock...it got jacked...got new bike...i got a u-lock...it got jacked ..how?..i locked it to a weak railing...the railing that the lock was cut to got jacked...

screwy isn't it...

I remember I was at the school yard about 4 years ago this kid tried to steal my bike. I took a basketball and beemed him in the head as he rode away. He fell and the bike landed on him. I took my bike and as he's laying says to me "What are you crazy?" and I said "No, you are". I then gave him a swift kick in the nuts and rode home...

Dang! I would have done a lot worse to anyone who steals my stuff!

He was till pretty beaten by the basketball-to-the-head and the fall with the bike landing on him so I really didn't want to kill exactly. I heard he broke/fractured his leg or angle. I don't remember the details...
 

Mucman

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
7,246
1
0
Originally posted by: kevin000
Originally posted by: Mucman
Originally posted by: kevin000
Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
get a U-LOCK w/ ur new bike....cuz i had a rope lock...it got jacked...got new bike...i got a u-lock...it got jacked ..how?..i locked it to a weak railing...the railing that the lock was cut to got jacked...

screwy isn't it...

I remember I was at the school yard about 4 years ago this kid tried to steal my bike. I took a basketball and beemed him in the head as he rode away. He fell and the bike landed on him. I took my bike and as he's laying says to me "What are you crazy?" and I said "No, you are". I then gave him a swift kick in the nuts and rode home...

Dang! I would have done a lot worse to anyone who steals my stuff!

He was till pretty beaten by the basketball-to-the-head and the fall with the bike landing on him so I really didn't want to kill exactly. I heard he broke/fractured his leg or angle. I don't remember the details...

I know it's sick, but that made me smile :)

<-- has had 2 bikes stolen and 2 car stereos ripped off.

What's worse is when people try selling "hot" stuff to me... Theft is the one thing that makes me irate... hell, I don't even pirate software or music.