Bike Forums - Entry Level Trail/Commute bike

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Entry Level Trail/Commute bike

Okay, I am sure there are many forums about this but I am a pretty poor college student that will just be getting a bike to ride to class, work, and trails on the weekend. I really only have about 400 tops to spend on a bike, and that would be putting the entire thing on credit, so I couldnt save up for more before you ask. There is a really expencive bike shop in town with bikes like Raleigh, Schwinn, Marin, GT, and Haro, but almost all of them are out of my price range. There is however a shop that sells discounted bikes (they fix them up and sell them for people, and take a big cut of the price).

Now out of this place they have quite a few hardtail bikes but many of them are brand named. The ones I can afford and I am seriously considering are listed:

HONDA XC 100C (REFURBISHED) for $379, it has an aluminum frame, Deore Shifters, 27 speed, front disk brake, DNM Torch, and some minor paint scratches and stuff, but I could barely tell. It was pretty comfortable riding it around the block.

SMITH & WESSON PERIMETER for $299, it has an aluminum frame, Shimano Alivio, 24 Speed, linear pull, Ret Cappa T6, a luggage rack, and some minor scratches on some black paint. It was comfortable too, cheaper than the honda, but kinda worried about the quality

Last a SMITH & WESSON PERIMETER (REFURBISHED) $399.00 it was pretty much brand new (no scratches or anything), it has an aluminum frame, Sram 3.0, 24 Speed, Linear Pull, RST Cappa, and supposedly a sample (I dont know what that is though, so it doesnt really alter my decision). This was very comfortable but at the absolute max of my price range (meaning no water bottle, or lights or anything for a while)

There are more, they do have a website of some of the stuff they carry: http://www.bicyclesurplus.com/index.php

Anyway I know that doesnt give many of you much to work with since you might hate all of those, but it is either that or I can continue riding my little brother's bike which is one you buy from target with what feels like a wooden seat and the frame is small enough where my feet hit the wheels when I turn or hit bumps. So I am kinda in a hurry, but I wanna make a good decision

Mainly though I am looking for a good bike that will be good on the trails and back roads every weekend and good enough to make the 8+ mile total ride to class and work and back every day

I'll put a plug for the Diamondback Transporter. Both Dicks and Sports Authority carry it for $400. They're always having sales so you can probably knock off 10-20% off that. I recently reviewed it here:

http://utilitycyclist.blogspot.com/

It has stock WTB knobby tires that are good for light trails. I, however, swapped them out for slicks since I mainly ride asphalt. Let us know what you go with.

Where do they get all those bikes like Jeep, Honda, Smith & Wesson, Dodge? Makes you think that they bought a whole boatload of overstock at pennies on the dollar. You indicated that you need to use credit, but it something like craigslist or ebay an option if you get a cash advance? I really can't comment too much on the bikes you list, but I will say that you should keep enough of your budget left over for lights (if night riding), pump, a couple spare tubes and a couple tools to keep the bike road worthy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phox717 (Post 4894223)

HONDA XC 100C (REFURBISHED) for $379, it has an aluminum frame, Deore Shifters, 27 speed, front disk brake, DNM Torch, and some minor paint scratches and stuff, but I could barely tell. It was pretty comfortable riding it around the block.

SMITH & WESSON PERIMETER for $299, it has an aluminum frame, Shimano Alivio, 24 Speed, linear pull, Ret Cappa T6, a luggage rack, and some minor scratches on some black paint. It was comfortable too, cheaper than the honda, but kinda worried about the quality

Last a SMITH & WESSON PERIMETER (REFURBISHED) $399.00 it was pretty much brand new (no scratches or anything), it has an aluminum frame, Sram 3.0, 24 Speed, Linear Pull, RST Cappa, and supposedly a sample (I dont know what that is though, so it doesnt really alter my decision). This was very comfortable but at the absolute max of my price range (meaning no water bottle, or lights or anything for a while)

There are more, they do have a website of some of the stuff they carry: http://www.bicyclesurplus.com/index.php

From our MTB FAQ
Chapter2: Buying a Bike Around The $500 Pricepoint

Overview:

The bikes in this pricepoint) are solid entry level bikes that are intended to get people interested in the sport so that they can decide to

1. Continue in the sport upgrading to a more expensive bike later
or
2. Decide that they don't like the sport but find that they still aren't out that much money

Go to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) see what they have and test ride. Find two or three that you really like and feel good then come back for our opinions. (If you bombard us with 8 bazillion Bike A vs Bike B questions the quality of response WILL go down.)

The #1 thing is "Does the bike FEEL right?" components are a secondary concern (You really don't want ***** components but it's still not as important as feel.) It's my opinion that buying a bike is 80% FEEL and 20% everything else.

Go To A Real LBS

My suggestion is to go to a REAL bike shop were bikes are the MAIN business (not Sports Authority and the like) and see what they have to offer. Even a used bike would be a better choice than those boat anchors sold at Sports Authority X-mart and the like.

Online Purchase

NEWBIES SHOULD NEVER BUY A BIKE ONLINE EVER!
That sums it up perfectly in my opinion.

Component Levels:

For example: Alivio vs Deore. It's a slight difference it's not like going Alivio to LX or XT but to a newbie I doubt that you'll notice a difference. Also remember the fact that the rear dérailleur does most of the work and has more parts in motion at any given time as compared to the front so a notch up in the rear is fairly common at any price point. Case in point my Rockhopper Comp FSR came with a Deore front an a LX rear.
Another thing to consider is the fact that an upgrade at this pricepoint can be reletivley cheap if you go up only a couple levels.

Weight (Racing Purposes):

Honestly all of the bikes at the $500 mark (hardtails) are going to weigh in fairly close to each other. You won't get to the light stuff untill you start looking at better equiped racing models which are normally double (or more) the pricepoint you have in mind.

Disc Brakes

Personally, ]I'd rather have a decent set of V- brakes than a cheap set of discs. It's my opinion that disc brakes on a $500 bike are nothing but a marketing gimmick.. Disc brakes can always be added on later if you decide you need them, but the average Joe just starting out doesn't need them.
Plus if you pay attention to specs between a disc version and a non-disc the non-disc will typically have better driveline components and or fork than the disc. In order to pay for the disc components other components MUST be cheaper to remain at the same price point

In short: Discs are great for the all weather properties and for extra stopping power but it does no good when the rest of your bike sucks.

Dual Suspension

Good suspension bikes start at around $1000. At the $500 price point you're MUCH better off getting a hardtail.

With a FS bike there are more (expensive) things to go wrong especially on a low end model such as those suggested by the pricepoint. Bikes such as the Discovery 1 or the Y-26 can't handle the kind of abuse inherent in more technical riding nor will they make a good "ride with the family" bike as the suspensions systems of both will eat large amounts of energy due to suspension bob.

A suspension bike isn't going to do ANYTHING to prevent knee / wrist injuries caused by jumping as most of them are caused by crashing / falling off the bike rather than landing correctly.

One last thing the reason a GOOD full suspension bike starts at around $1000 this is due to the better shocks and all around better designs.

Accessories

Priority: Helmet, gloves

Very good to have: A good multi tool -I recommend Topeak (something from the Alien line) Mini pump, water bottles & cages (for short trips), A Camelbak (long trips and trail rides) spare tube(s), patch kit

Extras: Jerseys, bike shorts, as for fenders I recommend the Topeak DeFender series should you require them for rainy days.

Car Branded bikes
Anytime you see Jeep, Honda (except the new DH bike which the average Joe can't buy yet), Hummer, or any other brand that you associate with something other than bikes RUN AWAY

They have plenty of 21 speed bikes for under $200 which will suit your purposes. Spend another $100 on tools (hex keys, spoke wrench, cone wrenches, tire levers, pump).