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Want to start biking...

Atty

Atty

Golden Member
My college has a huge trail that runs along side the campus and runs down the road it's on, I think it's about 10 miles one way, but I could be mistaken. I'm wanting to start riding it here in a week or two when my 8 week courses are over (I'll only have 3 classes at that time and will have much more free time.)

Anyway, I don't have a bike, haven't had one for years, and beyond going to Wal-Mart or Target I have no idea where to get one. There is a Schwinn shop in my town and I went there, talked to the guy working, and he suggested a few bikes, all of which are extremely expensive. Lowest end one would be about $300 and the next step up would be $440, which has disc brakes and is apparently a much better bike to get for what I want.

Now I'm wondering where, if anywhere, online I could buy a decent bike? Or should I buy from in store?

Whats the price range I should expect? Honestly, I don't want to spend a lot of money, I was looking in the $300 price range but I could stretch the $440 if I had to, but I'm not sure it's worth the investment.

Any help? 🙂
 
Craigslist or local classifieds. People buy really expensive bikes, use them once, and then sell them for cheap :thumbsup:
 
Craig's list is a good recommendation.
If you want to look on-line to get an idea of what good bikes cost and what they have, look here:
Performance bikes.

and here: Amazon.com bikes

There are buyer ratings on both sites.

Remember, the first thing to think about is matching the physical size of the frame to your body. You might check in a local bike shop for advice on sizing.
 
Originally posted by: TheSpy007
Take a look at the Forge 5xx. It has a giant frame with shimano components, and disc brakes. All the components on this bike is worth around $600. It sells for $320. You can only buy it from target.com. They come in two sizes 17" and 19".

http://www.target.com/gp/searc...&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0
Click to expand...

Interesting bike... I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this company on the internet. I was thinking of getting a Specialized Hard Rock or Rockhopper, but I wonder how this bike would compare.

I suppose I have a bad taste in my mouth with big store bikes b/c I started biking with a Specialized Hard Rock... loved that bike and it was solid... then fell out of biking for a while and picked up a Mongoose at Wal Mart that was biggest POS I've ever tried to ride.
 
A good place to start research is on the commuter forum at Bikeforums.net. Is this trail asphalt? hardpack? The most affordable option would be to find an old steel mountain bike with a rigid fork. You could find one on Craigslist for $75-150. Swap out the tires for some city slicks, add a rack and you'd be all set. You could also add fenders and lights to make it more versatile (riding at night and in the rain). 10 miles might be a bit long for the flat bar found on most mountain bikes (your wrists might get sore). You can always swap out the bars with something that gives you more hand position options.
For the distance that you are going, I'd say the most important thing is getting road/city tires, the knobblies found on mountain bike tires will slow you down big time.

Another option is buy a bike setup up for commuting. This looks like a pretty decent setup:
http://www.performancebike.com...93195&CFTOKEN=22669851

Personally, I commute 15 miles RT on a singlespeed road/commuter bike. Having the rear rack really helps keep the weight of all my stuff off my back. I also have fenders and lights so I can ride in the dark and in the rain. My Bike: http://www.redlinebicycles.com...edline/800/925-800.jpg

 
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