Advice on a new cheap bike

[bwalsh17]

My wife and I want to get bikes. We do not want to spend too much in case they don't get too much use. Is it alright to buy a cheap huffy or schwinn at toys r us.. we are 26, and I weigh about 200 lbs. We were thinkning of getting these ceaper bikes (100$-200$) and then in a year or two we could always buy better bikes.

What do you guys think?

[DnvrFox]

My wife and I want to get bikes. We do not want to spend too much in case they don't get too much use. Is it alright to buy a cheap huffy or schwinn at toys r us.. we are 26, and I weigh about 200 lbs. We were thinkning of getting these ceaper bikes (100$-200$) and then in a year or two we could always buy better bikes.

What do you guys think?

Go to a Local Bike SHop (LBS). For just a bit over $200, you can get a REAL bike, not a toy. It will be assembled properly, will fit you (if the LBS is any good), will have a guarantee behind it, and likely one or two free adjustments/tuneups, and will have durable parts and decent brakes. Hey, you might even get a good used bike.

Do you have any idea who actually assembles those bikes at Toys-r-us?

I once saw a whole row of bikes at a *Mart with the bar ends put on backwards! This was about 20 bikes.

[LittleBigMan]

A good friend of mine just bought a Trek (older model) at a garage sale for $10.

[AMD]

Don't throw good money after bad, as Grandma used to say.

The problem with these off-brands is that you'd probably spend a fortune when a repair is needed because your local bike shop just doesn't handle the parts, etc. you'd need. And you could probably count on repairs if you're going for bikes at discount stores.

Look for well known, quality brands (Trek, Gary Fisher, Bianchi, Cannondale (?!) bike store Schwinn, etc., etc., etc. - list isn't exhaustive) at places like Salvation Army, garage sales, perhaps used on consignment at the local bike shop. Our community has an annual auction of bikes, etc. confiscated or found by the local law enforcement agencies. I've seen some good bikes there. I don't know if you have access to anything like this.

Do you have any friends who are a little more serious into biking? I'm sure they'd love to go shopping with you to help identify good choices. Maybe they'd even have an old bike they'd be willing to sell or loan you. Any local bike clubs? Same thing. Most of us who do any amount of biking are very enthusiastic to help new folks enjoy the sport.

Good luck.

[kerk]

Where are you located? Do a web search and find a cycling club in your area. Usually the members have decent used bikes for sale. It's a great way to break into riding.

[catatonic]

bwalsh,

What region do you live in?

I might be selling my 04 Diamondback Outlook soon, once my new bike is in at the shop...about 2 weeks. If your in area, send me a PM, and I'll tell ya more...the bike's had some nice upgrades to it.

If your not in area, just go to an LBS and look for either a DB Outlook or a Raleigh M20. Both are entry level bikes, but are rather solid in terms of quality....oh and they hold up nicely to being pushed up to 20-25mph...the feel of the bike at that speed was actually quite comfortable. Try that with a wally world bike and the resulting ride will prolly scare you more than anything. And both are found new for about $180-220.


At the least compare the components in bikes from those places. You will notice the threaded handlebar stems are beefier in the bike shop bike...and considering the handlebars are one of the weight bearing parts...it should be beefy. The crankarms are separate units from the bottom bracket, and also again of better build. Better drivetrain components. alloy wheels as opposed to steel, this makes a noticable difference in braking as well since brake pads grip aluminum betterr then steel.

Really, the differences are huge.

If you want to see the bikes online, here you go:

DB Outlook: http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=9&itemid=94

raleigh M20: http://www.raleighusa.com/items.asp?deptid=3&itemid=164&va=0

[MichaelW]

The low-end bikes from any reputable brand will be far better than a $100 junk toy bike. At the low end of the market, a little extra $ buys a lot more bike, so don't hold back.
Consider if you can use bikes for local transportation. Just riding around town doing errands can get you fitter than the average American, and you will save on car use, without having to set aside excercise time. "Its better than a free lunch, its one you are paid to eat"
You need to budget for some helmets. Check out some local bike shops (LBS in the lingo),. A good bike shop will assemble the bike correctly and tune the bike after a few weeks use, after all the cables stretch.

[Nightshade]

My wife and I want to get bikes. We do not want to spend too much in case they don't get too much use. Is it alright to buy a cheap huffy or schwinn at toys r us.. we are 26, and I weigh about 200 lbs. We were thinkning of getting these ceaper bikes (100$-200$) and then in a year or two we could always buy better bikes.

What do you guys think?

FWIW....even consumer reports recommends that you avoid the
big box stores when it comes to bikes. CR strongly suggest
that you buy your bike from a reliable local bike shop and
spend the money to get a bike you'll ride and enjoy and not
ride and cuss for being cheap big box POS.

ALL YOU'LL GET A THE BIG BOX STORE IS ANOTHER HUNK OF IRON
TO THROW AWAY LATER.

[HalfHearted]

Buying those *mart bikes is a pretty good way to ensure that they won't get much use. When starting almost any hobby (i.e. anything you do for pleasure, rather than because you have to) it is very easy to be discouraged by minor frutstrations in the early going. Buying cheap gear almost guarantees that there will be many of those frustrations to overcome.

John

[catatonic]

I agree with HalfHearted here.

my old wallyworld bike was terrible...the worst quality stamped metal chainrings i have ever seen, there were jagged spots on some of the welds, and can't forget the no-name derailers. Also most of the parts in a wallyworld bike a re non-standrad sizes...with exception to their high end bikes....but their high end is still no match for a bike shop bike costing 20 bucks more.

[shecky]

For a amusing and surprising look at cheap bikes, go
here. (http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&frame=right&rnum=1&thl=0,961356323,961348533,961346529,961333457,961330483,961325716,961180166,961146498,961329854,9612 73020,961140507&seekm=8bbde8fc.0403081633.20c40575%40posting.google.com#link1)

This usenet thread follows the trials of rec.bicycles.tech regular Carl Fogel on his purchase of a $53 walmart bike. Definitely worth a read.

It should be kept in mind that Mr. Fogel, being a well heeled bicycle enthusiast, perhaps inherently has much better "luck" with such bikes than the average Joe wanting to get a bike for $60 at *-mart.

[catatonic]

oh dear..that's the same crappy wallyworld bike I had...the one that only lasted a few weeks before having brake, drivetrain, and about every single minor part wanting to fall off.

Given, I'm a tad hard on my bike...if something doesnt break in the first 6 months, I probably haven't used it. Even my Diamondback is in need of a new bottom bracket before I sell it.

[markm109]

My wife and I want to get bikes. We do not want to spend too much in case they don't get too much use. Is it alright to buy a cheap huffy or schwinn at toys r us.. we are 26, and I weigh about 200 lbs. We were thinkning of getting these ceaper bikes (100$-200$) and then in a year or two we could always buy better bikes.

What do you guys think?

DON'T DO IT!

My wife and I bought bikes from Montgomery Ward years ago with the same thinking you have. We didn't ride them because they were not fun. They were heavy and didn't shift properly. Finally we saw the light and bought a couple of Diamondbacks at a lbs. The difference was night and day, of course we paid quite a bit more, but we rode those Diamondbacks for over 10 years. My wife's went to her mother and my son now rides mine. We upgraded to Gary Fisher Tassajara's mtb's about 3 years ago.

We rode the cheap bikes only a few times and paid $90 each - used them infrequently for 4 years. The Diamondbacks cost $240 for hers and $340 for mine - used them quite often for 10 years and are still going strong. You do the math.

Go to a lbs and see what they have that you like. Then look on the net and locally for a similar bike a couple of years old. Used you will pay the same as the Trash-R-Us bikes but get a bike many times better.

Don't skimp - you won't enjoy the cheap bikes as much and it may deter you from the wonderful world of biking.

Mark