For those who want to ride, few bikes are bad enough to stop them. Those folk who really don't want to ride, no bike is good enough. My number two bike is an 80s era Schwinn ATB Frankenbike that no serious rider would look at. Weighs about 35 lbs or more. If it were my only bike I'd still put in the same miles.
I always advise new riders to get the best bike they can afford, not the cheapest they can find. A decent old rigid mountain bike or bike-boom 10 speed is better than the Clear Creek toad I posted above. Beware of bikes with too much styling- they are trying to hide how bad they are.
My theory about the Clear Creek is that it seems to be designed to fit a wide array of riders. The seatpost has a huge amount off travel, and the stem is an old fashioned quill type (which I still prefer) as well as being adjustable. It really doesn't fit the shorter or taller riders well though. At 6', I found it cramped. Oddly enough, the cheap gripshifters and the awful bottom of the bin derailleurs worked flawlessly. Banged off shifts perfectly. How long it would function we cannot say.
Last edited by Flying Merkel; 06-06-12 at 11:45 AM.