savethekudzu

student_cyclist:

I suspect you're too cheap for your own good. If you're too cheap to buy an m17 multi-tool for $20-25, that means you'll wind up with a bike that needs $50-100 in professional maintenance and repairs.

Yes, even with this $100 Mongoose.

With any bike - remember, this will be your vehicle, not your toy - you'll need to plan for maintenance, spare parts, etc. You'll need a good quality (not bottom-of-the-barrel) air pump. You'll need to plan to buy a spare tube. You'll need a lock, even for a really cheap bike, unless you want to plan to replace the whole bike at some point.

If the Schwinn mentioned earlier really is too much for you, consider this cheaper alternative:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=25077&subcategory_ID=3060



It'd do the job but won't be as good on hills. Since we don't know where you are, maybe that's okay.

bsyptak

That Schwinn might be a little too cool to lock out up outside in the rain! My guess is either bike will have a fair amount of low quality steel fittings which will quickly rust in the rain when left out. Such is life when when you can buy an entire bike for $109. Buy one each year and Craigslist the old one for $30 to an even poorer student than yourself.

student_cyclist

In that picture of the Schwinn Cruiser, there don't appear to be any Presta or Schrader valves. I also noticed that the Mongoose Paver (at least from Walmart website picture) doesn't seem to have any either. How do you fill the tires with air. Are the valves located somewhere I'm not looking?

mstrpete

The valves will be there. There's no other way I know of to get air into a tire and keep it there. So it may not show up in the picture. Basically, Schrader valves are the ones like on a car. They're common and reliable, but might not hold as high a pressure (100 psi) as Presta. In my experience, mostly found on less expensive 26" and 27" wheeled bikes. Nothing wrong with them at all. Prestas are less common, (to me anyway) and require a different pump fitting. They're found more on higher-end bikes, and most 700c tires. I don't care for them, and none of my zillion bikes currently have them. YMMV. BTW< have you rounded up a bike-savvy friend to help you with bike maintenance in exchange for an occasional hot sandwich and cold beverage?

Sirrus Rider

In all likelihood the stems were airbrushed out for a cleaner look..

pluc

Get an old bike (something like a Raleigh) and upgrade it. You might even find one at a dumpster. Riding the streets on garbage days, you are likely to find something. (that's how I get wood for my renovations)

If you're lucky enough, you'll find a old frame with metal fenders.

deputyjones

Kona makes great bikes as you will read in many threads here. The Dew is in your price range. I just picked one up at my LBS for $350 because it was the older teal color and the silver is coming out right now. The list price is $400 for those.

If you want to save some money you can go with the Smoke or Smoke 29 which come with fenders and a rack. I have been finding most shops that carry the Smoke are selling them for a song....somewhere around $250.

The Kona website is https://konaworld.com

Little Darwin

I know that for safety some people don't disclose where they are, but if you at least provide a state, someone may be able to help a little more.

Heck, if you are going to Wilkes or Kings, or another institution near Wilkes-Barre I would be glad to assemble a bike for a student. I am one of the oldest students at Wilkes this term.

As mentioned above, you will need a couple of tools, or you will have to carry the bike to a shop and get it fixed when it breaks (and the odds are that something will break over the course of a year).

Assembling a bike from a box is not a major issue, but you may need to find someone to help if you aren't mechanically inclined. Is there a co-op of some sort near you?

referee54

Here is what I use to commute---it isn't anything special, but it does get the job done...a Raleigh C-200 with some upgrades. Like the others have said, you need to get the tools to do the maintenance on it...otherwise, you will spend much more $$ in the long run taking your bike to the LBS than you would if you bought the tools and taught yourself how to do the little things that keep the bike rolling. I did add new pedals (clipless on one side, platform on the other) better shifters and brakes---this summer i will add double-walled rims (the saddle is going to go too, it is too wide and I have put up with it long enough.)

BTW---If I can teach myself how to do the minor repars ona bike, anybody can do it.

timdoug

So you want to buy a $300-$400 disposable bike. That seems illogical.
Do you want a bike where you end up next? At that point are you going to spend another $300-$400?

You seem a bit cryptic in your posts: are you poor?, cheap?, neither but don't want to waste money on a bike you will dump? If the third, then...

Why don't you spend $800 on something that you really want. You can get an entry level road bike (not department store bike) that takes fenders and rack for this, Giant OCR3 (takes 28mm tires) for example. You did mention road bike. Also, your options for a "commuting" bike greatly increase. I like the Bianchi Milano list price $774.99.

Then when you move you can ship the freakin' bike and your tools to your next destination as well.

I would suggest a very basic toolkit that would fit is a small shoebox: lube, a patch kit, tire levers, adjustable wrench, multi-tool. Buy a maintanence book too.

You can't buy a bike, leave it outside, and expect to never maintain it.

referee54

Regardless of what bike you buy, listen to what people have been saying and invest in a decent tool kit. Trust me, you will need it someday..as the saying goes, "when you least expect it..." Doing minor upkeep on your bike will prevent many little things from going wrong, and, like I said before, if I can learn to do stuff, anybody can.

I carry the too kit with me wherever I go, and it has served me well.

Some bicycle co-ops (there is a great one here in Cleveland) will take the time to teach how to do basic maintenance. It is well worth the time and the ffort---otherwise, you will get to know the guys at the LBS on a first-name basis (nothing wrong with that, as long is you are not paying them.) Which you will be...

Tim C.

rhm

If you can pick up an old 3-speed that way, you'll be set. Think of the rust as an anti-theft device.

Mr. Jim

I recently picked one of these up for my Mom.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gazelle/dutch.htm

Needs a rack but you should be able to locate something at a goodwill type store for that.

I assembled it with a couple allen wrenchs and a screw driver, you should be able to borrow the tools to do this from almost anyone who has tools, or you could by a cheap bike multi tool, you should get one anyway and that is sufficient to assemble this bike. The multi tool I carry cost $7 from the local big box store.

wild animals

not sure what kinds of stores and resources you have, but if there's a walmart or big chain hardware store (ace or true value, or whatever), then you can get a set of allen wrenches for like 3 dollars. if the bolts on your bike aren't allen, you can swap them out (make sure you pick the right standard though--dont get SAE if your bike is metric). if all of the bolts are hex bolts, then you may be able to lessen the number of tools you need.

my set of allen wrenches is a lot like this:

relatively light, quite compact and extremely inexpensive. i needed a 10mm wrench too, so i bought one from the hardware trays at ace hardware, for like $1.25. it doesn't fit sweetly in the little plastic holder though. (since these are almost exactly the same color as asphalt, its a good idea to paint them or add reflective tape in case you drop one.)

you might need a wrench, depending on the bike you get (some bikes have rear wheels that require a wrench to remove). a small, cheap crescent is like $.89 at walmart. you might need a screwdriver, and that will probably cost the same thing. (i have a keychain set of screwdrivers that i love, but it was maybe $8.) since you aren't buying for the long-term, you can use cheap stuff. a cheap crescent wrench may round the edges of your bolts, but that's the cost of saving money on wrenches, i guess. if you only have one size of bolt on your bike, you can just carry a box wrench in that size if you can find one.

you can buy cheap lube and whatnot, too, in small containers. (it's "superior"!) then it doesn't take a lot of room to store, and you don't have to feel obligated to take it with you when you leave. i bought bike-specific lube on the internet for, i dont know, $8, but on another bike i just used 2-in-1. that is probably bike heresy, but that's what i could afford.

you should be able to get tip-top patch kits for less than $3 at a bike shop. a spare tube is probably $2-7. then you need a pump to fill it up. you could get a co2 inflator but then you have to buy replacement cartridges. a cheap pump is maybe $15 at walmart (or a little more at p bike, for a better pump). you might want tire levers (<$5), but for a lot of bikes (most bikes?) you won't need them if you learn this trick: https://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_levers.asp

if you can afford to buy all of the little things at once, it might be worth it to order online at performance bike or nashbar. they have really good sales sometimes, and you can find coupons that will save a lot of cash. (try the coupon forum!) right now there is a 10% off $50 coupon at p bike, so if you need a headlight or taillight or a helmet, you might get it all there and save.

as long as you have tools to adjust your saddle and handlebars, tighten your bike accessories (headlights or whatever), and change a flat tube, you're probably ok (am i forgetting anything?). luckily those tools don't cost a lot and are eminently portable. except for those stupid frame pumps. all of the ones i've tried have been too big and too expensive, without working very well.

wild animals

ps it's harder to pay $25 on a multi-tool if you also are paying $300 on a bike and $30 on a light and $15 on a blinkie and so on. it's a lot of initial outlay. sometimes you have to buy what you can when you can.

texastwister

i retired the 84 schwinn after commuting 10-14 miles a day, i hated to because i did not think i would find a smoother roller than it,plus i wanted trigger shifters plus a a straight bar bike so i went to the LBS and test rode a few and ended up with a 08 DB INSIGHT for less than three.plus he thru the fenders in. it's a very smooth ride with RapidFire shifting,very pleased with the $$ spent it's going on 500 miles for the year without any problems https://www.diamondback.com/items.asp...=22&itemid=312

DVC45

DownTube folder starts at $299 -------->
I'm really glad I bought one! The folding feature is awesome when you need to; hitch a ride with friend/co-worker, use public transportation (multi modal commuting), save space in the house/garage. No need for bike racks when you need to transport it by car. Just fold and stuff it in the trunk compartment.

texasphil

https://www.rei.com/product/760872

20% off for a few more days

i saw it at the store. it's a solid bike.

referee54

Kid can't go wrong with that...

devildogmech

Dude,

Where are you located? With all the responses, you could definatly find someone reasonably close.....

Hell, I'll LEND you my old bike (I just picked up an OLDER Trek )

Billy

sonatageek

If by chance you decide to go with that Mongoose Paver, let me know how it is. I have been looking for something really cheap and new that I could steer friends to if they want new for really little money. That seemed like something that could be solid -- No suspension and smooth 700c wheels/tires so they would have a cheap mountain bike that would instantly need the knobby tires replaced with slicks.

Hey I know that used is the way to go, but sometimes people like the thought of new and don't want to spend the time searching.

e0richt

I bought a dawes lightning sport new off of ebay (chicabike)... its a solid touring type of bike...
and it cost 240.00... I have put a little over 1000 miles on mine and I love it...

student_cyclist

It turns out that a few days ago my throw around cheap mountain bike from Walmart got a flat tire. No big deal if you have easy access to inner tubes... I don't. Instead of wasting a ton of time trying to get a new one, I decided to buy a new bike. I had originally planned to buy a new bike in a month anyway.

I ended up buying the Mongoose Paver for obvious reasons. It really is a different bike. I had the opportunity to test ride the Giant Cypress DX, Trek 7200 and Giant road bike whose model I don't remember as well as a trek mountain bike whose model I also don't remember. After riding the Paver, I really couldn't justify spending 4 times the price for something like a Giant Cypress.

In fact, the Paver was the most fun bike to ride out of all of them. In its class, since it only has 7 gears and doesn't have any shocks, the Paver was the lighter than either the Cypress or Trek.

I've had the Paver for about 4 days now and it really is a joy to ride. Keep in mind I'm not saying it's the nimble, lightest, or more well built bike, but a few things make it a lot of fun to ride. First, it has an upright riding position. The second is that it seems to have cruiser type handlebars. So it kind of feels like a cruiser in a way. I'd say it really does fit the comfort bike category. Of course you need not jump all over the fact that cruiser handle bars are abnormally wide and offer more akward handling compared to straight or road handle bars. However, for pure fun, I love the Paver and look forward to riding it every day.

I don't want to recommend it as a general commuting bike. I think it really depends on what you want. If you consider yourself a hardcore commuter who cares nothing for comfort and want you handle bars straight and want to lean forward to reduce air drag, then the Paver is not for you. However, for me I really enjoy it and I find it fast enough and nimble enough for weaving through pedestrian traffic (which I do on a regular basis) yet comfortable enough for a long ride.

I did take the advice about the crappy Walmart build quality. It is ****ting. There were two Pavers built at the Walmart I went to. One had the chain guard put on incorrectly so everytime the chain went around, it caught on the chain guard and derailed. Both bikes had maladjusted brakes. The air in the tires was also almost gone. I pointed out the problems to the person in charge at Walmart and they did nothing. So I took it upon myself to fix the brake issue and pump it up myself. After doing that and tweaking a few other things, it's great!

Thank you to everyone who suggested various bikes. I'm sure they're very nice, but for me, I think the Paver really is the best fit. Maybe when I can keep a bike for longer than a year I'll think about investing in something higher end.

By the way, the tires of the Paver are 700c x 35c and something like 55-70 psi. I think I pumped mine up to around ~65 psi. Only time will tell whether the Paver will hold up to abuse or not, but I think for once I actually care enough about the bike to learn how to do some simple work on it myself.

Sixty Fiver

It sounds great...

On tools (and I spend a lot of time in a busy shop)... check out Filzer.

I use a Filzer multi tool and after using it hundreds of times it is still holding up extremely well... it cost 4.75.

I also bought a Filzer chain tool and guess what...after working on dozens and dozens of chains it is still working as good as new and it cost 7 or 8 dollars.

I also have a shop full of Park tools at my disposal and have found that my cheap little Filzer multi tool has held up far better than the more expensive and comparable Park tool.

One tool I won't skimp on is a good cable/housing cutter and I scored a Wrench Force cable and housing cutter (made by Snap On) on clearout and paid $15.00 for what was a $70.00 tool. Snap On no longer makes bike tools...

After that, tire tools, a patch kit, and a pump are pretty much essential as is knowing how to use it.

The Park website can teach you pretty much anything you need to know about servicing your bike.

cooker

You'd better learn how to fix a flat - you can't keep buying a new bike every time

Enjoy the new bike!