I want a road bike for commuting 10 miles a day or so. I don't want a bike that is going to fall apart (of course). I can not afford more than $300 ($300 will more than break me), and I know very little about what type of bike to look for. How many gears should I have? Is a 59cm big enough (I am 6'1")? Is there a big difference between a less than $300 bike and a more than $300 bike? Will a bike on this budget last a long time for me? Is buying used okay? I need to save as much money as possible because I don't have a healthy income, and I'm a full-time student, and I don't have help from family. I hope there is some advice out there for me. Is this the right place for me to post? Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Craig's List is your friend. Figure out what your needs are first and then worry about type of bike. At 10 miles, almost anything will work. You could pick up a used Mountain bike and put some slicks on it and would be in good shape or even a hybrid. I have a Trek 7300 I use on occasion to ride to work, it perfect for that.

Visit some local shops and find the size that right, take some test rides, research, get a buddy that is knowledgeable to help and watch Craig's List

^^ +1, Secondhand will be the best bang for buck.

Also worth posting this in the commuting forum.

Advice in bikeforums does not come in spares. It comes in heaps.

+1 on craigslist. Also try pawnshops. Any road bike should be sufficient as far as speeds are concerned. If you have hills, some might argue that you need multiple gears instead of a single speed. I have wimpy knees, so that is not a good idea for me.

Check e-bay too. You can get a decent old road bike (such as a Schwinn) for $100. Then spend about $50 on getting it tuned up. I bought an '89 Schwinn 12-speed for $80 10 years ago and it still is a great ride today. Hell, check garage sales too. They are everywhere, especially in spring.

What about a Fuji bike? Made in Taiwan?

For a 10-mile per day commuter, I'd recommend a nice, inexpensive single speed, like the Motobecane Messenger from bikesdirect.com. It's a pretty reliable and durable bike for the price. There are quite a few fixed and single speed options out there, but I think this is probably the best deal.

It sells for $350, not including shipping. That tops the OP's budget. A decent used commuter bike can be had for $100 that would do the same thing.

Actually, shipping is included. I was thinking it was $299, but that's actually the Windsor Hour, not the Messenger.

I don't really believe that a decent commuter bike can be found $100 anymore, unless one gets lucky and stumbles onto something. Prices on Craigslist and eBay for anything other than Nexts and old hi-ten Schwins have climbed far beyond the $100 mark, at least based on what I've seen locally (and I don't like in a particularly bike-friendly part of the country). That's not to say that one can't find a decent commuter bike for less than $300, though.

Also check out the classic/ vintage threads. There is a sticky for C.List & Ebay finds, a lot that are just posted to let others know about them.

Good luck,
Chris

I'd go for a good used bike. Sometimes your local bike shop has deals on used bikes that they've refurbished. You'd probably get allot more use out of that than a 'new' walmart bike, also the bike shop would probably have tuned it correctly and will make sure it fits you properly. If you're on a budget I'd also invest in a few tools and learn how to do general repairs yourself. You can also use this site and others to help you with maintainence & repairs, a good bike repair book helps too. The library can be your best friend if you're on a budget too.. Good luck! A ten mile commute is very do able! Don't forget to factor in the cost of transportation and deduct it from you bike commute and you'll find that the bike/repairs/tools will probably be paying for themselves in a short time..

Merged with thread in Commuting and left redirect in Road.

+1 on craigs list. I watched it for about a month and a half and I live in a very rural area and I found this for $300 just 2 hours away from me. Its 58cm and it fits me great (I'm 6ft tall)I lowered the seat to fit me after taking this pic; this is exactly as I picked it up so it probably would have fit you fine. Only problem is one of the foot straps on a peddle was missing; no problem take the existing one off.

Not bragging just showing that there is good quality out there you just have to look (and I am just proud of my bike and thought I would show it off)

2005 Specialized Allez Triple 58cm:

Fujis range from decent to fantastic, IMHO. Some made in Taiwan, some in Japan. I think the Japan bikes are better. My neighbor gave me one for free. I love it. It's a late '70's era 12-speed with a steel frame. I don't have a current photo, or I'd post one.
Anyway, old steel's great and potentially very cheap. Keep your eyes open.

Umm... I guess I just don't know which bike is a good... buy... i don't know what a good buy is. So.. is there brands I should look for... does anything go?

Stay away from department store bikes. You will get garbage components on a heavy cheaply built and poorly welded frame being put together by some minimum wage stock boy that doesn't care and when it breaks there is no one going to bail you out except for your wallet.

Stick to bigger name bikes (Trek, Specialized, Giant, C'Dale just to name a couple) These will be built with higher quality drive components that will have a better chance of lasting you with out breaking. If you go the new bike route go to a LBS (local bike store) and build a relationship with them. You might pay a little more up front but this usually comes with free tuneups and cheaper/free repairs. Also you might find that they have a quality used bike that you could get for pennies on the dollar. Spending a little more time and possible a little more money now will make things a lot cheaper in the long run. Just a couple things to think about.

Honestly, it sounds like it's going to be hard for you to make that call if you don't have much bike knowledge. What you can do though is search somewhere like craigslist for bikes in your size, then come back here and post the info. I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions about it's quality and value.

In that range, you really have two options. The first is older road bikes. The other, and perhaps easier to find, would be a mountain bike (preferably without suspension). Replace the knobby tires with something smooth and you're set.

If you look at this thread - https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=49471&page=107 - you'll see that people here commute on just about every kind of bike. (I've linked to the last page because you'll see more pictures if you start there and move backwards - most of the early pictures are broken links now).

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.

I commute on a crap chop-shop bike store bike. I got if for free when my company cleared out abandoned bikes from its racks. I ride it hard - on cobbles (including round cobbles) - and I really push it. Y'know, it's ok....

I wouldn't recommend a single-speed. Although the hipster value is great, if you've got any hills at all - or even like to accelerate well - you'll be faster with less effort if you've got gears.

You haven't given us a lot to go on. So here are some facts you might provide:

- Is your commute flat or hilly?

(if it's hilly, you might want to avoid a single speed if you're not in great shapre)

- Do you plan to ride in bad weather (e.g., rain and snow)?

(make sure your bike has braze-ons that allow you to mount fenders easily)

- How much stuff do you plan to carry to work with you -- are you biking in your work clothes?

(braze-ons make it easier to mount a rack to carry your stuff)

- Do you want to use this bike for anything else?

You can commute on lots of different things, but some of this info might help folks steer you in the right direction.

Also - to reinforce what's said above - check out Craigslist. There are great commuter candidates for sale on Craigslist every day where I live; in smaller towns you might have to wait a bit. eBay bikes tend to be a bit more expensive.

On Craigslist, you'll find a lot of 3 to 5 year old mountain bikes, hybrids or road bikes that folks just haven't ridden very much...or you can find some older vintage steel road bikes that were ridden for awhile when new but haven't been used in many years.

I'd go for a single speed, if you can only afford $300, you won't want to maintain a multispeed bike. Replacing a cassette fairly often can get expensive. I like the motobecane messanger idea. Single speed, very few parts to break. Although a single speed conversion could be built cheaper and better.

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.)

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Good reply. Thank you, this does give me a better idea of what I want. I hadn't thought about it prior, but I do want to carry a bag about the size of a suit case. I would like mirrors (I think). I definitely want multi speed (for hills). I am experienced in many bike repairs, however, I don't know about maintenances, listed by savethekudzu, like drivetrain cleaning and wheel truing. I am very confused about how many speeds I should have... 10, 12, 18, 21,26... Oiye...

Anyways, I am commuting to school/work, I work on campus. I will be wearing school/work clothes. Bad weather... check! I can't afford a car, so I will be in the rain sometimes. Does this help at all? I have been checking craigs list, and I'm going to check out a LBS, today I hope, so I will hopefully know more after that.

Check out the book linked to from that post - it explains much. Also, Sheldon Brown's site.

Number of gears: I think as long as you have a wide gear range, you should be good. No singlespeeds if you have hills unless you already know you must have a singlespeed. Most entry level bikes have 21 speeds; for my own commute I wouldn't want under 7 speeds.

Maybe someone who owns multiple bikes could comment on gears, though.

Where are you located? What's the climate and traffic / road conditions like?

Thanks for the detail. My advice:

1. Don't worry about the multiple variations of gearing. Just get a bike w/gears; I don't think a single speed is the right first bike if you're facing hills. You'll be looking for a bike with either a double chainring up front or a triple....unless you are facing monster hills, a double will likely be just find. Triples are for more intense hills and/or heavy loads (like touring). If you have a double chainring up front, the number of gears you end up with will just be a function of how many cogs you have in the rear. For commuting, the distinctions aren't really that important.

2. Since you're going to be carrying stuff in bad weather, get a bike with braze-ons/threaded eyelets on the front fork and the rear chainstay. These are little threaded holes that allow you to mount fenders and a rear rack. Get the fenders right away if you're commuting in rain. If your budget is tight, you can carry your stuff in a backpack for now...but over the longer term I think you're more comfortable finding a way to strap the backpack to a rear rack or getting a set of panniers to put on your rear rack to carry your stuff.

3. If you can already do basic bike repairs, none of the maintenance required for bike commuting is that intense.


This might sound obvious, but, if you're going to be shopping on Craigslist you'll need to know your size. There is a lot of advice on the web on how to size a bike.

Also, if you're comfortable listing what large city you might live near, I'm sure folks on this forum would help you scan Craigslist (it's always fun to spend someone else's money...)

if you have a bike shop that sells used bikes, maybe you'd like to go there. the bikes will cost more than their craigslist counterparts, but (if the shop is good), the bikes will also be tuned up, maybe with a 30- or 60-day warranty, and the staff will help you pick out the right size for your body. they can also help you decide which kind of bike is right for your needs. there's more support there, which makes the bikes more expensive, but it's also probably safer for someone who doesn't know a ton about bikes.

before you get a bike, it's probably a good idea to figure out your route and what you'll need to wear and carry with you. i bought a bike that was expensive and all wrong for my commute. that sucked. the bike was heavy and the gearing wasn't wide enough for me to haul my butt up the hills i had to climb. if it's rainy you probably want to have fenders, so you'll need eyelets or another way to mount fenders, and if you have a lot of crap to carry, you want rack mounts. if it's ever icy for appreciable amounts of time, you might want enough room to mount huge studded tires.

gotta go!@ good luck!