paulgrr63

Hello! I'm a newb to this website and the sport. I've always been curious about the sport and honestly, I have no valid excuse for not diving into it sooner. That being said, I am ready to take on cycling as a form of exercise, one that's visually and physically appealing. There's no shortage of bike paths in Ohio.

I am looking for bike recommendations as far as brand/model and maybe a brief reason on why I should but it. I've done quite a bit of research but no articles or old forum posts have fully satisfied my curiosity. My budget is $300- I know I'm not going to get a world-class bike for that price, but I'm no cycling enthusiast, yet. A good used bike is fine with me. I am 6'4 252lbs so please keep that in mind. Thank you all for your time! -Paul

bunkiefd4

Spend a extra $135 and get the Giant Roam 3, you won't be disappointed. Its a do everything bike. Might not have the best shimano components but there still decent. Atleast go to a bike shop and check it out.

MRT2

Search the forum as there are hundreds of threads about this topic.

$300 is a bad price point to set your budget if you want new. Decent bikes start at around $400 to $500 retail, and even then, you are still better considering going up to $600 or $700 for something a bit nicer. Even on sale, you won't find much at $300.

$300 is a good price point if you want used. The toughest thing is figuring out what works at your size. At 6'4", you probably need the largest size hybrid you can find from the major brands, which would be about 25" or XXL. You will be scrunched up if you try to ride a bike made for someone 5'9" or even someone 6" tall. This could work to your advantage in the used market. If you can find a very large used bike for sale, you should be able to negotiate a good price.

gbru316

I'd check out local bike shops for something used. If you purchase from a decent shop, they'll adjust it as needed to get a good fit, free of charge.

n0thing

Head over to Nashbar. They are having 25% off sales right now. This puts some of their entry level bikes in your price range. The 25% off is taken once you add the bike to your shopping cart.

Nashbar Flat Bar Disc Road Bike (Nashbar flat bar road bike)

There might be other websites doing this as well. This is a good time of year for sales. You might call around to local bike shops and see if they have anything on clearance as well.

What you're looking for can be done as long as you accept, like you've said, that it won't be best in the business. I picked up a $699 Raleigh Alysa 3 for my wife last year for $280 because they had had it for a while and were clearing it out. It works perfectly for her.

Wanderer

Yes, you can find a gem of a Hybrid, on Craigslist, at your price, if you are patient. At your size, you will only want to look at XL frames.

My Crosstrail is an XL. and I'm 6' - but it also fits my 6'7" Grandson. You would really be pushing the frame with a Large,

There are some real gems out there for $300.

hokiefyd 

There are some entry level bikes out there for around $300, but you may have to look for a sale. One bike I've been impressed with is my daughter's Raleigh Alysa. It's a "sporty" hybrid bike, similar in concept to something like a Trek FX. The Alysa is the female version of the bike, and the Cadent is the men's version. I think the MSRP on those is $329, or at least was last year. Going on Raleigh's website, it looks like the 2017 Cadent 1 is $349, and the 2016 model is $329, so you can probably find it for close to that.

The Cadent 1 is a solid foundation for getting back into biking. It has Shimano Tourney drivetrain components, which are second-lowest from the bottom of Shimano's lineup, but they're very usable components. It has Tektro Mini-V brakes that grab like no other rim brake I've ever used, and the frame seems put together very well; welds seem like good quality, paint is lustrous and the metallic flake is deep. Most everything on the bike is name brand, if not top shelf, stuff. For a little over 300 bucks, I'm pretty happy with it. I felt that it is a definite step up from the Nishikis and Diamondbacks we saw at D-i-c-k-s Sporting Goods, and worth the extra 50 bucks or so compared with those bikes.

I'm a huge fan of buying used, though. With your height, you'll definitely need to watch the frame size -- larger frames can be harder to find. I just spent 65 bucks on a '97 Trek 750 MultiTrack -- a steal for this bike and especially for this bike in the condition it's in. It's a 21" frame, which is perfect for me. If you could find a '90s Trek MultiTrack in a 23" frame size, that'd probably be ideal for you. They generally sell for between $100 and 200 for nice examples. My "primary" bike (which has been hanging on the hook since I got the 750) is a 2015 Trek Verve 3 that I bought used last summer for $250. Great deal on a $650+ bike, just a year old.

If you tell us your area, perhaps we can help with Craigslist searching.

hokiefyd 

I saw this in my local Craigslist region:

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...145871020.html

Large frame and looks to be in good condition. The asking price of $175 is probably a little steep -- but that will vary depending on the local market. I'd be happy at $120-140 for that bike. And it has good components on it, better than what you'll find on an entry level bike. I have three '90s bikes with decent mid-level components on them (Shimano Alivio and STX) and this stuff pretty much lasts forever. Once the consumables are refreshed (brakes, chains, cogs), the bike should operate just like a new one. And this one has a new chain and cassette, so you're that far ahead already.

I'm sure there's a decent deal in a used bike near to you.

Wanderer

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...100513004.html

hokiefyd 

Great find! For the price, a much better deal than the GT I found above. It was posted a month ago -- I'd be very surprised if that bike didn't sell within the first 24 hours at that price.