Mountain Biking - Thinking of building a campus cruiser...

For my girlfriend for a Christmas gift. Her bike is a total POS that doesn't shift or brake well since it's a Walmart special. I'm not looking to spend much more than 3 or 4 hundred bucks, though. Should I try and build the bike myself using low end bargain parts I find, or should I buy something from a LBS? Is it even possible to build something for under 400 bucks? The biggest thing is that it must be inconspicuous. I'd love to build her a nice Cannondale or something with disc brakes but I'm sure it'd get stolen pronto on campus. So what are my options here?

i got my gf a trek 800 for $50 used when she went to school. i had to true the wheels and strapped on a pair of fenders. i thought it was appropriate plus she didn't want a sporty bike.

I think the used bike idea is a good one. There would be less need to worry about theft (I'd still get a decent lock though). I was thinking earlier today that a Redline Monocog would be great to have for riding around campus and going to the local Fred Meyers. Alas, I doubt I'll ever find one of them for $50. Maybe I can steal my roomate's when he's not looking.

They have some very sweet cruisers now. Nerve, Schwinn, GT, and more all make very custom looking rides. Most are well under $400. My wife acted over a Nerve Sunflower like it was a pair of Italian leather shoes (she doesn't ride much).

I wanted to build her up a custom cruiser with a three speed hub, but the cost was just way too high. Unless you have lots of spare parts strewn around it's impossible to beat the price of a new complete bike. IMO even buying on EBay is a mistake right now for a custom crusier. I guess just because so many manufactures have entered the market.

Now if my wife really rode, I'd be tempted by a KHS Solo One or Redline MonoCog... but those are only cool if one really rides. For "fun factor" all the new custom cruisers are sweet.

They don't make decent looking cruisers anymore. I like the old 80's style beach cruisers that were on the cusp of being an MTB. My memory is fading but I think brands included: GJS, Knight Lawill, and Cook Bros.

Actually Cook Bros. has a retro beach/mtb cruiser. Check it out! Looks cool! http://www.cookbros.com/

For $400, check out Redline's single speed MTB Monocog at www.redlinebikes.com. It has that retro early MTB look.

Anyone else old enough to remember the Mongoose Kos Kruiser? That was more of a BMX on 'roids but it was "radical and gnarly" in its day.

Yeah.. I kinda want it to be a multispeed mountain bike with front suspension if possible. I'd like her to be able to shift gears and whatnot.

Get her a mountain bike and teach her to jump logs. Then she can ride around campus and singletrack. Actually, just teaching her to ride singletrack would be a great holiday gift.

Multigears? Then that may no longer be, by definition, a cruiser.

But if it's a multispeed mountain bike of modern vintage, the answer is easy. Just get her a good used MTB under 5 years old. $400 is more than enough for that.

But to answer your question:

As it's already been pointed out, don't try building a new bike from scratch. That's really expensive. I considered it a few months ago and researched the cheapest way possible and I couldn't find one so I just bought a good bike on sale. In the long run, it's cheaper to buy an entire new bike on sale rather than buying a frame and build-kit. Not to mention that you have to have the proper tools (and knowledge) to put together an MTB.

Buying a fixer upper that needs a few parts upgraded is different. That might be an inexpensive route to take.

I have the tools and knowledge to build her a bike. I built my last mountain bike and it ended up being much cheaper than I could have bought it for from a dealer. I guess I didn't mean "cruiser" in the literal sense, just a bike she can cruise around campus on that shifts and brakes relatively well. So I guess I should scope out the LBS' in town. I'm thinking about maybe getting her a low end Kona or something. Something that will hold up if she decides she wants to ride with me on the trails occaisionally. It's also hard to find a bike that fits her considering she's only 4'10!!!

For $400, its hard to beat a Specialized Hardrock. Unlike a lot of manufacturers, they build good small bikes, down to 13", and fit proper small components, such as cranks.
With slicks, rack and fenders its an excellent utility bike; with knobblies, its a capable off-roader.
The women's version is a bit shorter than the standard version, but get whatever fits.

Here are the coolest cruizers I know of.. and they are within your price range!

http://www.nirve.com/main/cruiser/

Jim, what do you have for spare parts laying around?

I bought one of those steel Nashbar frames for $35.00 awhile back and have built it up as my SS. It works great! I only spent about $250 on the stuff I didn't have, but figure it's worth over $500 if I had to buy everything new. It's definately NOT a head turner, so it would be a pretty inconspicuous bike for campus.

BTW, what about that game huh? Good game, bad ending!

L8R