medley

Hello there,

I am 6'5 and around 215 lbs and I want to buy a bike to ride to the school, it wont be used for anything else then riding around the block, go to market etc besides going to school.

I know those mongoose mountain bikes are not that good but I don't have enough budget right now to buy something better, and I will be getting it from craiglist but the problem is on my size, would regular 21 or 26 inch wheel mongoose bikes would be enough? If I can higher the seat etc. ?

ChowChow

For your height. I wouldn't get anything lower than a 23 inch frame. Some places a 23 inch (58 cm) frame is the biggest they have in stock. If you ride on the streets and stay mostly off dirt roads, then a mountain bike would not be a good idea. Mountain bikes are mostly heavy and have large knobby tires. Which will be too slow and hard to pedal on concrete, cement etc.

You can always change the mountain bike's knobby tires to slick tires, but I rather get a bike that fits and will do what I need it to do. If you want a speedy bike. Get a road bike or a bike with 700c wheels (hybrids etc). If you want to stay mostly off roads, than get a mountain bike.

richard4993

I would go bigger than a 58cm frame on a road bike. I'm 6'2 and I ride a 60 or 61 usually but on mountain and hybrid bikes I'll be usually somewhere between 20-22.5 so you can go for that size there.

wahoonc

I am not quite as tall as you...

I ride 58cm+(23") frames, I can ride 21" (53-54cm) but I have to use extended seat posts and stems which are a compromise.

There are lots of options out there depending on what you really need/want. MTB, Cyclocross, Touring and folders.

I would look for name brand bikes, Trek, Giant, Torker and Redline are a few to look for. An MTB can make a decent commuter bike, but you will have to make a few changes to it. You don't say where you are, but I would see if you have a bike co-op (sometimes called a Bike Kitchen or Library) in the area, check them out.

(more in a bit)

Aaron

medley

I live in Tempe, Arizona. I won't be using the bike off roads as I stated, but road bikes seems to be to expensive for my budget. I might check craiglist for any deals. I used to have a Trek 820 with 21'' frame when I was in Ohio but it got stolen. I don't have enough money to buy an expensive bike at the moment as I just moved here and still have a lot of expenses to the house I live

SlimRider

Since you're a strapped college student, at Tempe, AZ., going to ASU, where the land is mostly flat, you really don't need a bunch of gears. I'd go for used chromoly Single Speeds on Craigslist (they ought to go for cheap).

If in a real time pinch, I'd go for the GMC Denali at Walmart. I already know that bike theft is a real problem in Tempe (at least it used to be five years ago). The Denali would be just perfect, for college or outside parking, and it has gears too!

GMC Denali ~ $160


Good Luck!

medley

GMC Denali 700c Men's Road Bike for 100$, is it a good deal. Black/Yellow colors?

SlimRider

* I see the Denali online at the Walmart website for about $160 NOT $100.

*****************************

Go to the Commuting Forum and look up the Denali Report thread.

There was once a time when I wouldn't recommend anything from Walmart. However, after reading various reviews, as well as, a few Denali reports here at BF, my opinion has changed about the GMC Denali. I will also recommend the Schwinn Varsity, because of what I've personally heard about it from several San Francisco Community College students.

wahoonc

MAKE SURE IT FITS!!!

I have looked at a variety of bikes over the years from WM, two things come to mind. Just because it was a good bike last year DOESN'T mean it will be a good bike in this year's incarnation. Also most of the bikes seem to come in one size...too small.

One of the best deals I have seen in a while from WM was the Mongoose Paver, I actually bought two of them while working out of town for a few months then sold or donated them when I left town. They are apparently not carrying this bike in the stores anymore. I am loathe to purchase a bike without having my hands on it and making sure it fits first.

FWIW there is a bike co-op in Tempe...Bike Saviours. I would give them a try and see what they have.

Aaron