Plaza80

Wife and I went biking a few times on borrowed bikes and seemed to be hooked. With only about 2 months left or riding up in the north (we aren't hardcore like you guys) we want to look for a cheap starter bike for now. I'm thinking under $150. It can be a MT bike but I will change out tires. We will only ride on cement pavement bike trails. No street or off roading. I borrowed a 2002 Specialized Hardrock and liked it. It had more of street tires than rugged terrain but its old.

Here are the ones I've found on CL in my local area that is anywhere from $80-150. It may be hard to pick which ones to look for but maybe if you guys know which ones to avoid or other makes and models to look for would be great. I am researching daily but I'm as a neewb as can be. Next year I'll sell off a bunch of my fishing equipment and get us bikes around $500.

These are all around early 2000's.

Schwinn Frontier
Schwinn Mirada
Specialized Hardrock
Specialized Crossroads
Raleigh SC30

WestPablo

Buy a used 80's steel framed road bike!

Bill Kapaun

The Specialized are a known good commodity.

Look for something without a suspension fork.
Less weight and fewer moving parts.

Many of the "old" bikes are actually better if taken care of.
Many newer ones have cheaper components to meet price points and help justify the more expensive models.
My "grocery getter" (and also my only bike for a lot of years until I added a hybrid) is an 86 Rockhopper with a bunch of upgrades.
I'll take the DB Cr-Mo frame over a lot of newer offerings.

treadtread

You can also come to the forum with pictures, descriptions and prices from craigslist ads - you will definitely get help identifying any glaring issues.

erg79

Seconded.

BaseGuy

+1.

I still have my 1997 Specialized Rockhopper, a steel, no-suspension mountain bike I've had since new. All I did was put 1.5" slicks on it, and it's a great hybrid. For reference, it's a 19" frame (medium sized) and weighs 26.5 pounds, ready to ride and with a little under-seat pack. That may be heavy by road-bike standards, but it's not bad at all for what it is.

You should be able to find this bike, or one just about like it, for $150 or less on CL. There are lots of similar ones in my area on CL all the time.

Delmarva

Specialized, Trek, Giant and Cannondale all have excellent reputations for building quality bikes. So yes shop Craigslist. And I have seen some amazing deals on bikes among the usual junk at Goodwill and Salvation Army. And be sure to check garage and estate sales.

Plaza80

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I scored on a immaculate condition for its age Specialized Crossroads with newer tires and great braking bike for $75! It's even better than the Hardrock I thought I scored on.

Looking to upgrade tires. What brand and type you recommend. Again will only ride paved bike trails. Don't plan on riding in rain but sometimes may get caught up in drizzles. Not looking to spend over $40 per tire.

lopek77

Congrats on your new bike.
For the future (I wrote it before I saw your last post ) - Check your local bike stores and look for 2013/2012 or even 2011 models. You can buy a nice brand name hybrid or mountain bike for 30-50% off. I bought some of my bikes that way, and at that time older models were better made and with better components. I bought nice hybrid for $280 while new version was well over $500. It's the best way to get brand new bike that carry full warranty + some shops offer free lifetime adjustments or at least 1 free service/adjustment. It's really hard to buy a good/cheap bike on CL nowadays, and it's not wroth the hassle IMO.

lopek77

Not sure if you bought them already or not. Check Vittoria Zaffiro or Vittoria Rubino at Amazon. They are cheap, fast rolling and bomb proof tires, especially for paved trails.