Originally Posted by
Pamestique
Friend of mine just this afternoon proudly showed me her new bike purchase - about $350 (on sale - closeout) from REI. I told her what a great deal it was. Explained to her to be alittle careful shoving the bike in her truck (as the parts might break), how to hook up her brakes (V-brakes) and what to do about her tires (shrader - I only have presta pumps) and that I can't wait to ride with her. We, on more expensive bikes, are snobs... just remember that. I alway remind my snobby friends that the people like my friend are at least out riding and in effect, putting in more effort than us so we should all shut up about how cheap the bikes are! It's a bike - just get out and ride; who cares if its top of the line or Walmart basic...
Agree 100%. Many people obsess about buy an initial bike that is bike-society acceptable and spend big $. Then they lose interest and the bike sits and sits and sits.
I bought a BikesDirect (BD) mountain bike and it was great value for money. Then again, I enjoy doing my own maintenance and was component savvy. I would guesstimate my BD bike would be close to $1200 at the local bike shop (Rock Shox etc). I paid $800 and it was shipped to my door. Initial setup was a breeze and everything was great out of the box.
If getting a BD bikes, aim for the 'sweet spot' of not too cheap but not too expensive.
