Originally Posted by
mr geeker
I felt the need to mention going the the box store bike route. Call it my lack of bias against "low quality" bikes. Is a Huffy going to be of the same quality as something like a Trek or a Giant or any other of a plethora of bike shop brands, no. But it will get the job done, and with a cheap tune up they do tend to be rather reliable bikes.
From a quick search, an adult sized Target bike costs about $190:
Schwinn Mens Ranger 26" Mountain Bike- Red : Target
A tuneup at a local shop costs $70:
Tune-Up Packages - Freewheel Bike Shop - Minneapolis - Twin Cities - St. Paul
$260 total - but that does not include any parts the tuneup might require.
An entry level hybrid bike from a local shop costs $380:
Trek 7.0 FX - Freewheel Bike Shop - Minneapolis - Twin Cities - St. Paul
So for $120 less, plus the time and hassle of taking the bike to a second shop for a tuneup...that's not worth it to me at all. Better to buy an entry level bike from a real bike shop - it comes with far better components, a tuneup after 100 miles to readjust the cables which will need it for shifting, you're more likely to get properly sized, etc.
It doesn't seem worth it to me at all.