chibiraven

Hi, I'm new to bikes... Well not entirely. I've always had a bike since I was young, but I've always had a mountain bike, like the ones that you buy from target or walmart. I'm finally investing in a hybrid bike after much consideration. Unfortunately, I'm a student, and I don't have much money to spend. I'm considering buying a used bike, and the price tag is $200. I don't know much about bikes though, and I don't know if it would be worth it. Can anyone help me in deciding whether it's a good buy or not? I'll post the link here to the bike I am talking about. Thank you so much!

https://adopt-a-bike.tumblr.com/post/...himano-tourney

no1mad 

First off, welcome to the Forums .

Now down to business- how tall are you? If you're like 6', that will be too small of a bike.

xoxoxoxoLive

I would say no, first off it's used, the components are bottom of the line. Same as Wal-Mart or Target, I'm guessing you must be a woman, considering the bike your looking at. Here are some examples of what you could get new : https://www.target.com/p/schwinn-wome...i_sku=13241181 You could do much better off Craigslist with 200.00 dollars. Welcome to the forum and keep shopping..

krobinson103

I wouldn't pay $200 for that. For just a little more money you could have a nice hybrid.

chibiraven

Thanks for the welcoming. I'm actually only 5'0". And yes, a female. Haha. I actually needed a smaller bike than the one I showed, by like half an inch, since it's still too tall. But thank you all, I will keep looking for a different bike. I'll let the people know I'm no longer interested.

oddjob2

That is a $65 bike, so It's good you passed. Also it had 26" rims.

Check out this Trek FX
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...666807795.html

chibiraven

Good thing I told them no then. That's not very honest of them to try and sell it for double it's worth.
And that bike seems really awesome, problem is, they said it's for women whose height is 5'3"-5'9". D: But thank you so much for trying to help me look for a bike. I've been looking, but they're all too tall for me. haha.

Wanderer

You should go look at that Trek. It looks pretty small for someone 5, 9......

chibiraven

Hmm... Well it doesn't hurt to check it out. I'll call them up and ask if I can go check it out then. Thanks.
By any chance, do you think I'd be able to put a back rack on the bike?

Wanderer

Absolutely, a rack would fit.

pierce

5'0" is a difficult size to fit. you almost certainly want a 26" wheel bike, if not smaller. sadly there's very little choice in decent quality 24" wheel bikes, most stuff in that size is for kids and very much disposable/junk quality.

re: rack, you can put a rack on almost anything other than a full suspension bike with a bit of ingenuity. ideally the bike has screw holes near the rear axle for the rack supports, and either a center bridge or side screws on the seat stays above the rear wheel, then its easy. very short frames may require an extension of the rack supports to reach the seat stays, like this one...



(thats a rack meant for an Electra Townie, adapted to a Specialized Expedition step through)



this style bike is quite suitable for a shorter person who wants a putt-putt kind of ride... its certainly not a go-faster bike

chibiraven

I want a bike I can use to commute to school and back, as well as to use to go get groceries once in a while, or to get to a friend's house. I want to use my car less, so that's why I'm looking for a good bike to get me around LA. And yeah, it's very hard to find bikes, I've been looking around for a week already, and everything is too tall for me. Thanks again all of you for all the help. Everyone is so nice here. (:

chibiraven

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...620159453.html
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...615377744.html

What about these bikes, you guys? Are these worth it? I think the schwinn would be more comfortable since I'd be upright, but I don't know.

storckm

I don't know about LA, but $250 seems a bit much for the Schwinn. And original tires (and presumably brake pads) aren't a good thing.

I have a daughter who is around your size. A few years ago, I bought an older 24" wheel bicycle for her, and I found out that there are several different sizes of 24" wheel, some of them very hard to find replacements for. (Take a look at Sheldon Brown's page here: https://sheldonbrown.com/rim-sizing.html.) It would be a good idea to make sure you can find tires and rims in a given 24" size before buying the bicycle.

I was lucky enough to find a very small Trek 820 on Craigslist for $85 that fit her. She's asking for lights and a rear basket now. My wife is around 5' 3" and rides a mountain bike with smooth tires, front and rear baskets, a wide Brooks seat, fenders, and generator lighting.



The rest test of a bicycle is whether it fits you comfortably or not. You might try one of these:

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...664477739.html

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...636394354.html

I've only bought two bicycles on Craigslist, but it seems that it takes some patience.

xoxoxoxoLive

I've noticed all the bikes you choose have that older style look, and are from dealers. Choosing a bike could kind of be like, selecting a new car, looks first, then performance to meet your needs. But a bike also requires correct fit to really enjoy it to the fullest. (Example) I love how a Cannondale Lefty 29er rides and feels, but can not seem to get past the looks. (No offence meant to Lefty owners). So I really wouldn't buy one, so back to your search.
.1) What style and look do you like ?
.2) Your intended purpose for bike ? (You have stated that)
.3) Budget ? (200.00) (stop looking at dealer bikes) Stay to Craigslist by owner bikes
.4) You really can not buy a bike without riding them, so you have to be willing to go test ride them.
.5) Do not be in a hurry on your Budget, or you might end up settling for something that's just not you.

HINT : you can test ride bikes at your LBS. ( Local Bike Shops ) to help with bike fit and style.

You are on the right direction asking questions, The people on the Hybrid Forum will be happy to help you, but keep in mind (our) styles are only suggestions. You will be the one riding it, so the final say has to be yours. Hope this helps a little.

chibiraven

I totally didn't think about buying replacement parts. That's a very good point. I am just worried about the bike not being right for my height really. I am definitely gonna go and check out the bikes before I even consider buying, but the problem is that a lot of these places are all spread around, and traffic here in LA sucks. haha. I'm just trying to get a bike before my next quarter of school starts, so I don't need to buy a parking permit (which costs $90!) and can just bike it to school.

chibiraven

Honestly, style is the last thing on my mind. I won't lie that blue is my favorite color, so that kinda catches my eye a lot, but that's about all I look for in a bike. And if a bike is a different color, it's not like it's a deal breaker, haha.*
Other than that, I really am just looking for a bike that will get me from home to school and back. I might even venture into biking it to work (but that has hills, so I'm still considering it). My budget really is at like $250 at the most, but if it's less, it's better.
And I am willing to check out the bikes and go to my LBS, I'm just very socially awkward. So if I go and check out the bike, I feel very bad for asking questions, and I feel like I'm not asking the right questions even. Or if I'm not buying anything, I feel as though I am annoying them and kinda feel obligated to buy something. I don't*know how to go about buying a bike like this, so that's why I'm glad everyone here is so helpful. If you guys can help me along with this process it would be awesome. Are there any questions I should ask people when I'm at my LBS?
I'm really trying to just get this bike by the end of March so I can start biking it to school. Maybe a bit before, so that I can test ride a couple of different routes to school.

xoxoxoxoLive

This is the first Hybrid I bought : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF9VLGT9g5c I posted you a link up top for the women's version. Cost me 199.00 dollars out the door at TARGET, There now 249.00 I think, the guys at Target are trained to assemble them correctly, unlike Wal-Mart. I have many fond memories with this bike, put around 4000 miles on it. Before selling it for 150.00 dollars on Craigslist. Never gave me any trouble other than normal adjustments, and a few flats, etc.. and I did ride it on fairly rough trails also. It will fit you for sure, I would drop the seat down and my daughter could ride mine. The handle bars are very adjustable also, this is one worth looking into. You could be riding by tonight, here is the link again :https://www.target.com/p/schwinn-wome...e/-/A-13241181

xoxoxoxoLive

I have bought and sold an (INSANE) amount of bikes, looking for that perfect Hybrid for me. And have YouTube videos on about a 1/4 of them, plus have test rode almost all the top models ones at dealers. This model was another favorite of mine, owned all three versions of the Diamondback INSIGHT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaK2KZiYWjk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR0zCcEZoFE 450.00 dollars off Craigslist with owners manual. Bike I ride now, and intend on keeping. Link to specs : https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/searc....aspx?id=11881 My point being is I have tried lots of bikes (HYBRIDS) , and still would recommend the Schwinn Trailways .

chibiraven

Well the only reason I didn't go with the Schwinn was because it seemed to big. I'm working today and tomorrow, but on Monday I'm gonna go and check out the bikes, and see which one are good fits. I'm also going to look into replacement parts and things like that so that I know that it won't be hard to replace anything, should anything happen. haha. I'm really excited to check out the bikes, I want to start riding already. XD

xoxoxoxoLive

Found this one at Wal-Mart today, it is perfect for someone your size. And looks really good in person, you should try this bike out. Wal-Mart also has a 90 day return policy, at 164.00 dollars it is a Good buy. Plus it is a bit smaller than the Trailways, they have had the Sidewinder for a while. But not this size, comes with a place to mount a rack, water bottle, etc.. here is the link : https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Schwinn...ndingMethod=rr

chibiraven

That does seem like a good price! I'm totally going to check that one out as well! Thank you sooooo much for all of this, by the way. This is really helpful.

xoxoxoxoLive

No problem, Target is not as flexible on the returns as Wal-Mart. There are only a few Big Box Store bikes that I would recommend. But with for children I'm there all the time, and happen to wind up in the bike section.

krobinson103

Not sure I like the grip shifters, but the bike does seem pretty good for the price.

bjjoondo 

My wife is 5'0" with a 26 inch inseam, she rides a KHS Vitamin A, fitness bike in a "13 inch" frame size for her daily commuter.
https://khsbicycles.com/bikes/2013-khs-models/vitamin-a/

She highly recommends it for a inexpensive all around bike.