Originally Posted by
Treefox
I dunno, this may be a bit of heresy here, but depending on the length of your ride, you might be ok with a cheap-o department store frame, particularly if you know how to do your own work to keep it in good repair.
A neighbor who owns several bikes and has been riding for a long time recently bought and loves this model from Target:
If you don't know enough about bikes to be comfortable buying used, and don't find something in your price range at a real bike shop, something like this might be fine to start with: but I'd recommend to anyone doing this,
make friends with someone who knows bikes! Learn how to do basic maintenance. I have a Trek 7000 hybrid that didn't cost much more than this Schwinn (bought from a real bike shop), and learning basic maintenance like drivetrain cleaning and wheel truing (and buying maybe $50 worth of tools and parts) has meant I've been able to keep commuting since October with no mechanics' bills - and no urge to toss the bike off a cliff.
(The tools and parts I've bought that have been essential, btw:
- a Crank Brothers m17 multitool
- a spare tube, not yet used, but I'm sure I'll need to someday
- tire levers & a tube repair kit
-
The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair
I also attended an REI basic bike maintenance class, but by that time I'd learned much of what they were teaching.)