cowayes

Hey I just signed up for the forum and I am looking to start riding.

I am a student at Texas A&M and will be commuting back and forth to campus and want to start riding.

I dont know what kind of a bike to get so any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Im looking to spend less than $500.

Thanks so much

Cody

jabike

Welcome, if you are looking to spend less than $500, I would consider either a hybrid or a mountain bike. If it is going to be smooth street riding, I would go with the hybrid. If you are going to be jumping a lot of curbs, running across lawns, etc. go with the mountain bike.

cowayes

Any suggestions on what brand or any specifics

Thanks

jabike

Almost all of the major companies have entry level bikes at just about the same price. I would ride several and see which ones seem to fit you the best. The other option is to pay attention to each bike shop and decide which one seems to be the easiest to deal with. I have ridden Specialized, Trek, Lemond, Giant, and Gary Fisher bikes to name just a few and basically you get what you pay for. They are all good bikes and often the demeanor of the bike shop is the determining factor. Ride many bikes and you will start to feel which one fits you the best.

Orikal

For inexpensive road bikes, click here.
For inexpensive mountain bikes, click here.
Many questions can be answered by using the search link.

Welcome and good luck!

chicharron

Cody,
No doubt you will soon be flooded with suggestions. You will find out, when you pose that question, "what kind of bike should I buy", everybody here has their biases and favorites. I myself, purchased a Fuji hybrid, specifically a Fuji Cambridge, last summer , a 2004 model, for $350 here in Kansas City. All the major manufactors have a hybrid catagory. You might go to the Fuji website, or Trek, or Raleigh. A friend of mine purchased a Raleigh hybrid about the same time that I did, and seems to be happy with it.
If you want to do a lot of serious bike rides, out of town, get a road bike. If you want to go downhilling in the mountains, of course get a mountain bike. But a hybrid is great for urban warriors like us, for commuting, going to work, and school, on urban bike trails. They usually have tires that resist a lot of broken glass and hazards found in the city, but the mountain bike tires are usually too slow for riding in the city. And the frames are not designed for everyday commuting. Too heavy and slow. But a hybrid can take a little more abuse than a rode bike. I like the handle bar twist shifters on my Fuji, and it has a good selection of gears to choose from. It has a really good low set of gears if you run into a lot of hills where you commmute from. Great 1st gear for waiting at traffic lights. Good luck.

chicharron

Like the other posters have said, go to your favorite shop, and take one for a test ride, and look for one that fits your size. Defintley ask to be fitted to the proper frame size.

cowayes

Hey guys thanks for the help.

Looks like i will find some local shops and get fitted, ride some bikes and go from there.

From what it sounds like it is kind of personal preference and most of the bikes in this range are comperable.

Thanks again,

Cody

MichaelW

The features you need on a commuter are:
Tyre clearance for medium width rubber (road tyre 32mm/MTB 1.5") + fenders.
Frame with threaded eyelets for luggage rack and fenders.
Gears suitable for your terrain.

A popular choice is the Specialized Sirrus. It is light, strong, agile and hits the middle ground for gearing and tyre clearance.

Budget for the bike + the accessories you need:
Helmet, gloves, lights, fenders, rack and pannier bags, lock, repair kit.
Make sure you get a bike the correct size.

ZackJones

Look for a used bike in the local or campus newspapers, credit union bulletins, etc. You might find a year or two old road bike and get a good price on it. Also, check out pawn shops and flea markets. If you're lucky you'll stumble across a deal.

lotek 

2nd what Zack said. You can get a better bike used especially in a college town.


Marty

Roody

Most college students say get a cheap ugly bike because theft is a big problem on most campuses.