question about bicycles

[StevenYoo]

hi,

i'm in the market for a bike, nothing too fancy, just something i can ride for short trips and for general pleasure riding.

i'm 6' tall, 210 pounds, what kind of bike should i be looking for in general? how tall? how many speeds does one generally need? I'm looking into a folding bike for the sake of space saving/transport.

i'm looking on craigslist and ebay for used models, and i came across this bike.

for a casual biker, would this bike be an ok purchase?

 

[FrustratedUser]

That bike blows.
It's going to be hard to find a folding MTB unless you spend serious money.
You can pick up a real nice MTB used for $500.

All MTB now comes with 9 speed in the rear except the low end which can have 8 speed. The ultra low end still have 7 speed.
An 8 speed can usually be easily upgraded to 9 speed and use components from a 9 speed group.
Stay away from 7 speed as they can not be ugraded without changing the complete drivetrain.

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
That bike blows.
It's going to be hard to find a folding MTB unless you spend serious money.
You can pick up a real nice MTB used for $500.

All MTB now comes with 9 speed in the rear except the low end which can have 8 speed. The ultra low end still have 7 speed.
An 8 speed can usually be easily upgraded to 9 speed and use components from a 9 speed group.
Stay away from 7 speed as they can not be ugraded without changing the complete drivetrain.

thanks for the reply,

i'm not necessarily looking for mountain bike; i'll take anything that will take up the least space. those small-wheeled folding bikes any good?

 

[FrustratedUser]

I've never tried them so I don't know. What kind of distances are we talking here? 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 miles?

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I've never tried them so I don't know. What kind of distances are we talking here? 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 miles?

i'd say 20 at the very very most, but i'll probably be doing 5-10 most of the time

 

[xospec1alk]

I wouldn't pick up one of those small wheeled folding ones...it looks like they won't go too fast. and require too much effort.

I picked up my trek 7200 for about 250 iirc a few years ago. great bike, i love it.

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
I wouldn't pick up one of those small wheeled folding ones...it looks like they won't go too fast. and require too much effort.

I picked up my trek 7200 for about 250 iirc a few years ago. great bike, i love it.

kel, who told u u could post in my thread???

i know where you live! i can see u when u sleep!!! :evil:

a trek 7200, eh? i'll look it up.

for a guy my size (6 feet), what size frame should i be looking for?

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

kel, who told u u could post in my thread???

i know where you live! i can see u when u sleep!!! :evil:

a trek 7200, eh? i'll look it up.

for a guy my size (6 feet), what size frame should i be looking for?

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
I wouldn't pick up one of those small wheeled folding ones...it looks like they won't go too fast. and require too much effort.

I picked up my trek 7200 for about 250 iirc a few years ago. great bike, i love it.

kel, who told u u could post in my thread???

i know where you live! i can see u when u sleep!!! :evil:

a trek 7200, eh? i'll look it up.

for a guy my size (6 feet), what size frame should i be looking for?

I'd go XL. I am 6'3" and I run a 21" frame. I tried a 23" Trek once and it felt good too.

 

[metallibloke]

I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

wow that's pricy, i was looking for something in the 250 and under range,if possible.

any decent bikes in that range?

 

[Aquila76]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

wow that's pricy, i was looking for something in the 250 and under range,if possible.

any decent bikes in that range?

You can find some decent bikes for that range. Look for Giant, Trek, Specialized, or Cannondale. I found my Cannondale F300 about 5 yrs ago for that amount. I'd avoid Diamondback and Mongoose as I've owned those before and they're a little underquality for the price.
Here's a good review site: http://www.mtbr.com/.
Once you find a bike in your range, just pop the name in the search box and see what others who own(ed) it think of the bike.

 

[metallibloke]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

wow that's pricy, i was looking for something in the 250 and under range,if possible.

any decent bikes in that range?

Yeah, they do cost a bit. Although, as I swapped the bus for the bike, it soon paid for itself!

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Aquila76

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

wow that's pricy, i was looking for something in the 250 and under range,if possible.

any decent bikes in that range?

You can find some decent bikes for that range. Look for Giant, Trek, Specialized, or Cannondale. I found my Cannondale F300 about 5 yrs ago for that amount. I'd avoid Diamondback and Mongoose as I've owned those before and they're a little underquality for the price.
Here's a good review site: http://www.mtbr.com/.
Once you find a bike in your range, just pop the name in the search box and see what others who own(ed) it think of the bike.

Agreed on the diamondback, although that's what I ride (because I got a smoking deal)

 

[AntMan530]

you dont need all those gears if youre riding in an area thats flat.

one gear will suffice

 

[Nomada]

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

I was gonna mention, you can castrate yourself pretty quickly with those small wheels. The good thing is the small wheels are usually legal on sidewalks. I'd suggest a used 10 speed for $100 with quick release wheels. The narrow drop bars really lend themselves to vehicle transport compared to a mountain bike.

 

[metallibloke]

Originally posted by: Nomada

Originally posted by: metallibloke
I've got one of these

Folds up quite small. I only use it for cycling to work which is about 2.5 miles. You really notice the bumps in the road with the small wheels. Mine has three gears, but I think you can get more.

I was gonna mention, you can castrate yourself pretty quickly with those small wheels. The good thing is the small wheels are usually legal on sidewalks. I'd suggest a used 10 speed for $100 with quick release wheels. The narrow drop bars really lend themselves to vehicle transport compared to a mountain bike.

They do take a bit of getting used to where your under carriage is concerned. After a few weeks of riding it, you start to sound a little less like The Bee Gees.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: AntMan530
you dont need all those gears if youre riding in an area thats flat.

one gear will suffice

I find that wind can be as much a factor as hills.. I frequently find myself downshifting a little with headwinds so I can keep up my cadence.

 

[StevenYoo]

would this bike be an ok purchase?

again, i don't need much, just something easily storable and good for general purpose riding.

 

[skyking]

If you know bike hardware, go check it out. If not, have a friend who really knows what to look for in mechanical things. The likely weak spots, the wear spots, the build quality. If it checks out then it is a very good deal. You can put road skins on that and move right along, and NOT feel all the bumps like a small wheeler.

 

[Ausm]

Trek is the way to go if you can afford it


Ausm

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: Ausm
Trek is the way to go if you can afford it


Ausm

But they don't make foldable bikes. That's what he wants.