Recreational & Family - Suggestion on what to buy please...

I need to get my son a bike for college. He had a very expensive one that was stolen. Would like to get him something decent, maybe on Craig's list to save money. He bikes an average of 1/2 hour each way to classes and work. Your suggestions on brand, etc. would be greatly appreciated! If there's one he could ride some during the brutal winter in Minnesota, even better. Would like to try and keep the price to under $150 if possible. Thanks! Susan

What may be the best suggestion is to find a "beater bike" at a second hand store like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. They get a lot of junk but you might be surprised at some of the nice older bikes that get donated. Before you start looking you need to know what frame size fits your son and how to measure it. Road bikes with narrow tires aren't very good in Minnesota snow but you can always change tires fairly cheaply to substitute a wider tire.

When I was a student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison I used a bike to ride to and from my classes all winter long. I did have the luxury of being able to lock the bike inside a building because I was a graduate student but I never used my expensive bike because of the corrosive effect of salt and sand used during winter snowstorms. The cheaper and the less impressive looking the bike, the less likely it is to get it stolen. Times haven't changed much. I had a student intern working with me a couple years ago. His moderately priced mountain bike lasted two days before somebody cut the lock and stole it from the campus of UNLV.

Used mountain bike converted to single speed and spray bombed the most hideous shades of paint you can find.

Bikes Direct or Nashbar/Performance sell inexpensive bikes that will get the job done and they don't have thief-magnet decals all over them.

You know what the budget is. Let him find his own bike. He'll learn more and value the bike more if he chooses it. Of course you can always go along as a second pair of eyes to spot hidden flaws.

My local CL has a lot of mountain and hybrid bikes in the $100-$150 range. Looking today, I see Bianchi, Raleigh, Scott, Cannondale, even a Trek 3700. I bought my 2010 Giant hybrid (Cypress ST) on CL for about $100.

If you want to buy new, you can always get something from Performance/Nashbar under $200

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1109726_-1_20000__400307

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_172828_-1_202650_10000_202341

I've got a Schwinn that I bought over ten years ago and rode it to/from work for a couple of those years. It was around $120 brand new and had a few name brand components. In fact the only thing I've changed out is the innertubes, the shifters ( I dont like grip shifters), the brake pads and the chain. This bike has lasted 4 years of being out in the weather (I didnt have a place to store it when I lived in Kansas, so it sat on the back porch), and now is my grocery getter/ ride to work. Still plugging along. Not the fanciest thing in the world and if I had more money, there's a few other brands I'd like to have, but the Schwinn is a real bang for the buck kinda ride.

Just sayin...........