gshumu

I'm looking to get into riding. However, I don't know if this would last or be a passing fad, therefore I don't want to spend too much on my first bike. That being the case, I can't go to a bike shop since they are out of my price range. The two bikes that I am looking at are https://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...4&clickid=cart and https://www.target.com/p/schwinn-men-...e/-/A-13241180 .

If someone can help me figure this out quick that would be great, since the Diamondback is only on sale until the end of the day.

I'm 5'10 and 215 lb, I'm mostly using it for commuting 1.5 miles each way and I hope to get some good cardio when I can.

Thnaks for all your help!!!

cuzzinit

My Local bike shop has used bikes. i bought a mtn bike for $100, spent an extra 65 getting new grips and a seat and it got a tune up. i now have a much better quality bike than i was seeing at stores.

gshumu

The bike shops in my area don't really have anything used, and the new ones start at around 500$

MRT2

My advice is to look for a sale at a LBS or consider getting something used. I see decent used bikes selling for less than that department store junk all the time on Craigslist. Take some time to educate yourself here and elsewhere on the internet for what to look for in both used and new bikes.

I know some may disagree, but IMO going with a department store Diamondback or Schwinn is a false economy and if you actually like biking, will wind up costing you money.

Edit. Meant to say buying a department store bike will, in the not very long run, cost you more than had you just bit the bullet and bought something decent to begin with. It isn't that entry level bike shop bikes are all great bikes, but they are at least good or adequate bikes that should last you for years, and will be backed up by a warranty from a LBS.

gshumu

I've checked Craigslist and I haven't found anything in my area that would fit my needs. I need help choosing between these two.

MRT2

I am sure all these prices are negotiable.
If you are short, this Specialized looks pretty nice.https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/4029996023.html
Or this Trek Navigator. https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/4040147758.html

If you are tall, this Giant might fit the bill. https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/4041834248.html

A couple of old Treks
Trek 820 https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/4039432783.html
Trek 830
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/4007478541.html

Edit: I am sorry, but I just can't get excited about either department store bike. Maybe ask your local department store for a test ride.

supremekizzle

I own a diamondback trace comp. It's a little higher end than the one you're looking at, but I think that one will fit the bill well for you. Diamondback bikes are pretty good for the price and I don't think you'll be disappointed especially considering you're only commuting for 1.5 miles.

wblatt

holy crap just answer the poor guys question.

i'd buy the diamondback my man.

treadtread

Of the two, the Diamondback. One of my colleagues has that bike, and it isn't a bad one at all.

deerfly

Agree on the Diamondback. It has components similar to $500-$600 big name bikes. It baffles me that people crap all over these bikes just because they are sold by big box stores. When you compare them directly to Trek, Specialized, Giant and just about everyone else, they are actually a pretty good deal.

At $300 for the Trace Dual Sport, no big name brand can even come close to that price with equivalent components.

aubiecat

I have a Diamondback and it's been a good bike for me. Funny how it hasn't cost me a dime extra in the "in the not very long run." (what ever the heck that means )

If you are riding 1.5 each way the Diamondback is more than good enough.

Astrozombie

Growing up Diamondback was regarded as a "fancy real bike" and it's funny when you come here people call them "BSO junk" Most owners say they are happy with them.

supremekizzle

Exactly. My Trace comp has better components than the equivalent Specialized crosstrail dual sport for much less money. Besides the frame (same dimensions as specialized crosstrail), most components on a bike are pretty modular and can be swapped out and upgraded.

dynaryder

+1. Much better bike in every way than the Schwinn. If there's any co-ops or bike kitchens in your area,have them look it over,esp the wheels,to make sure everything is ok. Otherwise,would prolly be worth the money to have a shop at least check the wheels for proper tension/true.

jsdavis

Well when I bought my first bike I didn't know what I was doing and bought a Diamondback from Sports Authority. That Diamondback came with all STX-RC drive including cranks. Wasn't enthused with the hubs and brakes though. That bike cost $450ish in 2000 which is about $650 in 2013 dollars.

Tsagg

Diamondback all the way. Good luck and have fun. It's all that matters!

memebag

But I have a story to tell.

I almost bought a bike from a sporting good store. It was $210. I had been warned to stay away from bike shops because the bikes were too expensive and the staff would be rude to me. At the last minute I decided to check some out, and for two out of three that was true. But the third one had helpful staff and a vastly superior bike for $240. If I had bought the first bike it would have rusted in my garage like the one before it. Instead, the bike shop bike made me love riding so much I do it every day, and that made me lose weight and lowered my blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

So that's my story. I don't know dick about those bikes, but I think my local bike shop may have extended my life by a few years.

MRT2

Great story. Did you get the bike on sale?

aubiecat

My department store bike has made me love riding so much so that I put over 200 miles on it in the 1st month. That isn't much in the biking world but if you haven't ridden in 20 years, it is. I haven't ridden this much since I was a kid.
I have lost 15 lbs. last month cross training with this bike and P90X. My Diamondback bike is helping me get fit and in shape. Can't wait to get back on it this afternoon.

memebag

Nope. They were both cruisers. The sporting goods store bike was some unknown brand. The LBS bike was an Electra Cruiser 1.

I'm not saying everyone has to buy a bike from a bike shop, just that I'm pretty sure it was good for me. I bought a bike about 7 or 8 years ago from the same sporting goods store. I rode it a little, but never enjoyed it like I did the one from the LBS. For me, the difference in quality was key. The no-name bike felt like every other bike I'd ever been on. The Electra felt like ... love.

It was smooth and silent and solid. We bonded immediately. I named it. I put a basket, bell and lights on it. I started going on 20 and 30 mile rides every Saturday and Sunday. I put 1,100 miles on it. I bought a used road bike and those funny ass pad pants and suicide shoes.

And next week I'm going to replace my cruiser with a hybrid from the same LBS. Hopefully my daughter will be able to ride my cruiser. If not, maybe it will change someone else's life.

mrodgers

Better yet, I don't even have something as nice as a Diamondback. I have a $100 Walmart job, extremely heavy with front and rear shock. It's 8 years old, spent many a overnights out in the middle of the yard, chain was completely frozen up this spring, cables are all completely frayed. Brakes didn't work, it wouldn't shift. Still doesn't shift very well. 26x1.95 knobbie tires. Way too small for me. Plastic pedals that my feet squirm all over. Hand grips are extremely uncomfortable. I was 230-250 lbs riding it with the kids, never broke a spoke. 7 years and I just replaced both original tubes. Wheels were never trued and when I look straight down at the front, I can read the writing on the right side of the tire. Bought for tooling around with the kids when they were learning to ride a bike, now 8 years later it is my daily exercise machine. Rode my first 25 mile ride on Monday, rode 200 miles last month. Instead of needing something to grab a hold of to lift myself up from a crouched position with my bad knees, I can now just stand right up as the biking has done wonders for my knees. Lost 10 lbs. so far and on the 17th I go to get my cholesterol checked to see how it's doing.

I'm not rich like it seems to me that 95% of the people on the internet are. I hope to treat myself to a nice bike next spring if I keep up the riding, but my $100 Walmart bike is certainly doing it's job quite well right now.

supremekizzle

Good for you! This is what biking is about. It's not the machine that you use, rather it's the enjoyment you get from doing the activity. I actually pity the people who are so obsessed with what they're riding that they don't care to stop and enjoy the beauty that is biking. I'd hate to be a person freaking out over a gram here and there and only care to ride if they have the newest top of the line equipment. Look at it this way. The technology that is on "low end" bikes right now, was considered top of the line x amount of years ago and nobody even knew that there was anything better until clever marketing made people with too much money to spare think they NEED it.

MRT2

Saying there is a quality threshold to look for to maximize your enjoyment of cycling isn't the same as saying you need to spend $5k on the latest carbon fiber bikes the pros are racing to take a spin around the block. While technology has trickled down, there have always been cheap, poor quality bikes. Putting aside the Diamondback for a second because it appears to be a bike that is on the bubble, and focusing on the low end of the market, I seriously doubt Mrrodgers bike was ever a TOL mountain bike. Trickle down is absolutely true, as in, today's mid level road group was TOL 10 or 15 years ago, while today's mid level mountain groups were TOL 10 or 15 years ago.

Good on you if you enjoy your Wal Mart beater, though. You beat the odds.

mrodgers

I took pictures to post in the "Crappa" thread that started the other day as I don't think you can get crappier than mine, LOL. But of course, the card reader on my 2004 computer doesn't work any more and I keep forgetting that the camera cord is in my office at work, which I rarely am in. It's a mountain bike, but I'm riding it on the paved bike trails and have no interest in mountain biking, hence I visit here in the Hybrid forum (what I hope to buy next year) for research and the Clydes forum as I hope to relieve myself of the Clyde title by next year with my el-cheepo Walmart job, hehehe.

aubiecat

So gshumu, what did you get?