Commuting - Ever heard of KHS brand?

I have been out of biking for 15 years but am preparing to come back. I'll commute to work about five miles one way plus some other recreational riding -- once I get a new bike, that is.

I just test rode a KHS Brentwood which felt great but I'm scared by the price (only $229). The shop owner told me they were a quality bike, big in Europe but didn't advertise here in the US which helped keep the price low. My recent research has conditioned me to think I have to spend a minimum of $500 (or more) to get a decent bike but this thing just felt really good.

Does anyone know anything about them or have any experience? Any feedback appreciated.

Dave

KHS is a good brand. Many folks recommend their bikes.
I only have experience (brief) on a Flite 100. Seems to be a good bike for the money.
The Brentwood is a tig-welded steel frame, and should be a fine starter commuter bike.
I would ditch the suspension seatpost, though.

Hi there --

I have been riding KHS Brentwood since early June (nothing before that). It seems sturdy so far, but the bike has yet to take the true test of time; so far I have had no mechanical difficulties and have taken quite a few rides, including one of over 40 miles, where I kept up with the club that I was with for over two and a half hours. They were all on road bikes and their pace was 16.6mph, average. I lagged behind a bit on a couple of stretches simply because of fatigue but, definitely on the downhills the upright position is a hindrance. That and the supsension seat post/squishy seat really irritates me, but otherwise, it has been a solid bike so far. Keep in mind, I've only been riding it since June.

What type of riding do you plan on doing?

Thanks for the replies. I will be commuting to and from work (about 5 miles). Most is on road but some is an asphalt or concrete bike/walking trail. I will also ride some chat trails from time to time.

In my recent "researching" before buying a bike, I've ridden a Cannondale Adventure 400, a Trek 7500FX and a Raleigh <something>. They ranged from $550 to $800 and this KHS was superior in feel, fit, ride, comfort, etc. It was the only one that was just FUN to ride from the moment I got on it. I told the shop owner that the only thing that bothered me about the bike is that the price was too low. Meaning, how could it be a "good" bike for only $229? So, any and all info on KHS and whether it will be good for my situation would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dave

after reading this thread i headed to the KHS website. the urban-x is a very cute bike for $320. Me and a pal are thinking about going to our local KHS dealers and buying ourselves a pair, but I wanted to stop here and get some opinions first. Has anybody rode one before?

I have a KHS Witch doctor. I'm pretty pleased with it. They had some crazy names for some of their freeride/DH bikes a couple of years ago. Some of the bikes had to have more family friendly names. My bike is also known as the DS 2000. It came with a sticker of a lady in a nurse uniform and a large syringe on the underside of the down tube. I think KHS also makes Free Agent BMX bikes.

My girlfriend rides a KHS. She put a couple thousand miles on it commuting to her old job with no problems. She rolled the dice & bought it on ebay; whoever built it did a very good job.

[QUOTE=rs_woods]the urban-x is a very cute bike for $320. QUOTE]

Did you just use the word "CUTE" to describe a bicycle?!!

Just giving you a hard time. My wife uses cute for all kinds of inanimate things; it is funny to me.

To the OP, KHS is a great brand. It is one like Raleigh which has less of a presence but still makes good stuff so you can often pay less for comparable stuff.

I very much appreciate all the feedback. (Also, thanks to the moderator for fixing my inadvertent spelling error in the subject line. Haha.)

I am going for it. I will buy the KHS Brentwood and will be using it to commute to work beginning in a week or two as well as weekly (or so) trail rides. My wife also needs a bike and this particular local dealer has told me that if I buy two, he'll take $20 off both of them. Lifetime tuneups are included. I've got this board bookmarked and find the extensive information/advice quite helpful. Thanks, all.