ideas on a decent starter bike

[kellen469]

Hello,
I am a 21 yr old male who is looking at getting back into biking. I plan on biking on groomed trails most likely since I am a bit nervous about road riding. Right now I am looking for a durable bike that will be able to handle rides around 100km, but I would also like to be able to take it on some rougher terrain once I get comfortable again. And, being a student, I am on a tight budget so price does come into play. Does anyone have some suggestions on things I should look for while I am shopping around, any particular models I may be interested in, and a price range I could consider? Anything can help since my knowledge on biking seems to have disappeared.

[matthew_deaner]

You might like a cyclocross bike... the Lemond Poprad is nice, but possibly out of your budget. How much are you looking to spend? Provide that info, and maybe someone can give you some specific suggestions...

[Lambo]

No need to buy a new bike, necessarily.
I don't know exactly where you live but if it's a decent sized town, there should be
tons of used mountainbikes at thrift stores, pawn shops, garage sales, etc.
Even older road bikes would work well for you.

[DiRt DeViL]

Where most of the riding will be done, off road? That will determine the type of bike.

[DnvrFox]

I started (in 1998) on a Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike, at about $300.00. I put slicks (smooth tires) on it, and have ridden tours (such as Ride the Rockies in Colorado) and a lot of other general riding. I still have it, along with some other bikes I have acquired and, in fact, used it yesterday for my first ride of 2007. It has about 14,000 miles on it (about 21,000 km) and I have had to have some maintenance along the way, but all-in-all, it does quite well. Here is a picture of the bike on yesterday's ride, when all the stars got aligned correctly and I was able to get out.
http://members.aol.com/bfn50gallery/firstride2007.jpg

[no motor?]

I started (in 1998) on a Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike, at about $300.00. I put slicks (smooth tires) on it, and have ridden tours (such as Ride the Rockies in Colorado) and a lot of other general riding. I still have it, along with some other bikes I have acquired and, in fact, used it yesterday for my first ride of 2007. It has about 14,000 miles on it (about 21,000 km) and I have had to have some maintenance along the way, but all-in-all, it does quite well. Here is a picture of the bike on yesterday's ride, when all the stars got aligned correctly and I was able to get out.
http://members.aol.com/bfn50gallery/firstride2007.jpg

Denver;
I like what you've done with the Hardrock. I've got a '95 that I bought off of craigs list last year (just like Digital Gee) that looks pretty similar to it. I put the toe clips, a rear rack and bag and got a much better light just before the snows came. Mine came with some Kenda knobbies, and I've got some Continental Town and Country slicks to put on after the grass comes back. I'm hoping to be able to go on longer rides after I put the slicks on; how much difference did you notice after putting the slicks on yours?