Hi, I was told to post this here because it would be more appropriate. Thanks for the help.

Hi everyone. I came to this forum looking for advice and help.

I've been trying to get into biking for a while now. I have never owned anything besides a walmart mountain bike, and have only rode a nice hybrid, never a road bike.

I want to commute by bike to save money on gas. I currently work and live in state college, pa. I go to school in upstate new york during the year.

In high school I was a football player and wrestled year round, I played rugby in college for a bit. But I'm also looking for a way to get in cardiovascular shape. Let's just say I would look pretty gross in the spandex I see most bikers in.

However I can't find a bike I can afford. Every bike I find costs a fortune. I've been to multiple bike shops in town, and they all ask me my price range and then point me to their mountain bikes and tell me to swap out for hybrid tires. I only have 2-4 hundred dollars at my disposal. I'm doing an internship this summer that doesn't pay great (I'm doing it for the experience), and I need to pay for parking, food, etc. I figure the bike would pay itself off in gas and future medical bills (because I'm a bit of a fatty ) but I just don't have a lot to spend. I've been stalking craigslist for weeks now to no avail. I refuse to own a k-mart walmart target junk bike.

I'm 220 pounds and 5' 6" with about a 28" inseam (another problem with finding a bike).

I trust there are enough experts here willing to help. Thanks a million.

Evan

Kona Dew is a good flat bar commuter in your price range as is a KHS Urban Express. YOu would have to look for a road bike in your price range used - if you are not comfortable with what you want get the Kona or KHS

If you dont have a lot of money you can pick up some old light weight iron that rides well enough to commute with try garage sales trailer parks are good also. Happy riding

How far is your commute? A mountain bike can be just fine for commuting. If you're going to ride on the road, you don't need a bike with suspension, so you could get a "hardtail" mountain bike (without rear suspension) and no front suspension (or lock out the front suspension). Put slick tires on it for the road, and you'll have a decent bike in your price range.

You could probably save money, though, by buying a used bike. If Craigslist and classified ads are not turning anything up, you could check out yard sales, which often have bikes. You could also let the bike shops in your area know that you're looking for a used bike, so that if a customer your size wants to trade in their old bike, the shop can contact you. It looks like Freeze Thaw sells used bikes. You could also put a "wanted" ad on Craigslist, specifying the kind of bike and size that you would want.

If you decide to go the yard sale route, you should read up on bikes so that you can get a good sense of what distinguishes a quality bike from a department store bike. A couple of useful diagnostics: cheap bikes often have steel rims rather than aluminum (use a magnet to test), and they often have one-piece cranks. A bike that has Shimano or Tektro components is likely to be decent even if it's low-end. Look too at the quality of the welds on the frame; they should be even, with no gaps or irregularities. A rusty chain is fine as long as the chainrings and sprockets are in good shape. If you need help with the terminology, visit Sheldon Brown's bicycle glossary.

Good luck!

Just to clarify what I wrote: you wouldn't want to ride with a rusty chain, but you could replace it easily. There's some chance that an unmaintained chain has stretched and has damaged the cogs and chainrings, but it's unlikely that a yard sale bike has been ridden enough for that to have happened!

Any advice on these?

https://www.roadbikeoutlet.com/single...k-bicycle.html

https://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/timeline.htm

https://www.roadbikeoutlet.com/road-b...road-bike.html

https://www.roadbikeoutlet.com/road-b...-sora-sti.html

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...y/avenue_b.htm

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ington1_IX.htm

The reason I put the SS in was because I'm doing a mostly flat commute in a citylike environment, and money I spend on gears and stuff, the better the rest of the bike and less maintenance right?

Thanks

Also, my commute would be about 3 miles and be a very flat trip according to google maps.

Based on your requirements I would recommend a multi gear bike unless you are in good shape and can go with a single speed. Both of these in 50cm would be good choices

2011 Gravity Avenue B $279
24Spd MicroShift Road Bike Semi-Compact AL Frame, Aero Fork, Aluminum Rim Wheels
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...y/avenue_b.htm




2010 Windsor Wellington $299
Shimano 14 Speed Road Bike, Multishaped Aluminum Frame Tubes, DuraForte Fork
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ington1_IX.htm

Spend about $40 putting a set of slicks on this bike.

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/bik/1749902747.html It's in State College, Pa. (Pine Mills) $70

Or this bike
https://pennstate.craigslist.org/bik/1743696850.html $200

Or here's a cheap road bike. It's qa walmart bike, but the Denali's seem to be a decent basic bike that hold up well enough.

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/bik/1753702319.html $100, with a helmet.

Bear in mind that if you buy a bike over the internet it will be shipped to you in pieces, and you'll have to assemble it yourself. It's pretty easy if you have any mechanical aptitude...it ain't rocket science...but it can be frustrating if you don't know what your doing.