kill.cactus

I'm going to buy one used from a friend (the SE version). He recently bought a really nice Gary Fischer so he's giving it to me cheaply. How is the bike for commuting? Right now I'm on a hybrid road but my main reason for buying the mtb is the horrible condition of the streets here in Michigan.

Any tips? Everything is stock on this bike, so should I replace some parts? Take into account that I don't want to spend any more than 50 dollars on parts/components b/c this is a cheap entry level bike that I'm getting used for even less, so it isn't worth it.

Thanks for the input

Industrial

??

M_S

Then get some slick/semi slick tires and be done with it : )

pirate

on

foehn

I ride all over on my Boulder. But, if you put miles on it you will need to replace the crank bearings and races; my races were plastic. You might want to run some smoother tires on it, but if you are not worried about speed, leave low-pressure knobbies on it. Keep an eye on the rear spokes as they may not be made out of the best steel in the world. I am not a high-mileage rider and the crank and spoke (wheel rebuild) stuff was done before I hit 3,000 miles.

But you may have a better Boulder than I do as mine is about 3 or maybe 4 years old now.

kenta

If you already have a hybrid/road bike I'd stay away from the Boulder for commuting. My girlfriend has the normal one (non-SE) and it's a good starter bike, but we already changed out the cheapo plastic pedals to nicer ones that will accept toe cages and also switched her to semi-slicks because she doesn't go off-road that often.

If you're concerned about the terrain and are thinking about a mountain bike just for the knobby tires, try commuting on them first. Borrow your friend's bike and give it a dry run. I switched my Trek mtb to smoother, thinner tires and can't imagine going back!