$27.50, 26 lbs. Bought it for $7.50, added alloy riser bars and new grips, subtracted shifters and derailers. Since this pic I've put another $25 into it and have it down to 25 lbs now but haven't taken an after photo yet.

Hi Thats fine you're a collage student go ahead and buy the bike you're also on a tight budget I say go for it you can always buy a better bike later down the road. There is nothing wrong with buying a bike from walmart so don't ever thing there is and don't let anyone on this forum tell you there is.
ENJOY

Exactly, and/or ask if they have any bikes on consignment, or if they have any used bikes for sale. There are some LBS' that do carry either used bike or bikes on consignment. You might be able to pick up a good second hand bike that way.

And it'd be a bike that you can upgrade over time easily. As it's been suggested by some that a BBS bike isn't always upgradeable.

My bikes are both toys and tools. You could also do what some people on this forum do drive part way and ride the rest. It sounds like you are a cheap guy and like tinkering a bit so you can surely find a cheap used bike and do a bit of work and if you ride it a few times with a significant distance you can pay it off in no time maybe a few weeks.

Buying a cheap good gas mileage car with only liability is pretty cheap too especially if you can do your own repairs.

If nothing else get a cheap beater bike to run short errands it will save you some money and get some exercise. Bike commuting can be dirt cheap. And yes Walmart bikes can get the job done with correct expectations.

Another "strike" as it were against buying a bike from a BBS is that there isn't likely to be anyone to help one in purchasing the right size bicycle or the right bicycle for their needs. And in most cases one can sadly forget about taking it back where one purchased it for service.

By buying a bike at a LBS one can take their bike in for adjustments. As most LBS' will instruct new owners to bring their bikes back in after 30 - 60 days for adjustments.

So before one goes and plunks down their hard earned money on a BBS bike they need to stop and ask them just what they expect to get out of it, and how long they reasonably expect it to last, and how often they expect to replace it.

I recently had my front wheel rebuilt at a LBS and the mechanic who rebuilt it told me that he wanted me that he wants me to bring it in after I've put 200-miles on it. So that he can adjust and retrue it.

That is service that I do not think that one can expect to receive from the BBS.

And let's not forget about tires, anti-freeze, wiper blades, wiper fluid, tire rotation, oil, batteries, etc., etc. they all add up as they are "consumables."

This is all fine and dandy, but the fact still is that my commuting needs still trashed entry level bikes in a far shorter distance.

Not only that, but most LBS' either sponsor teams or extend discounts to local club members. <-These are the type of people who will upgrade from time to time or grow tired of something and just let it sit, intending to ride it again if they don't need the cash in a hurry. The shop owners and managers have a network with the local clubs and their teams, so they might be aware of some 'unadvertised' deals that could be had.

I bet that if you really looked and stayed patient, you'd find a higher quality bike up on craiglist that is in your price range. I always see nice older model bikes out there that, if I didn't already have three bikes, I'd consider buying just because they're reasonable deals.

im not cheap, but i am poor.

what kind of bikes should i be looking for?

also the guy who asked about local bike shiop owners not needing cash/selling it for cheap

unfortunatetly it works the other way

they don';t need the cash so they won't sell it unless they get a stupid amount of money for it

Good point, and crashes during races aside. They're probably in better shape than a lot of the used bikes that one is likely to find for sale online or at garage sales, etc.

You don't have to become depressed or be heavily laden with debt. With your high level of intelligence and mechanical aptitude, you should have no difficulty with any of the following economical recommendations:

1) The Motobecane Elite Sport ~ $300
www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/elite_sport.htm


2) The Famous Brand Trekking Bike ~ $300
www.bikesdirect.com/products/clearance/trekkingbikes.htm


3. *The Schwinn Varsity 700 ~ $250
www.walmart.com/ip/700cc-Men-s-Schwinn-Varsity-Flat-bar-Road-Bike/14956324

* Should you get this bike, you will definitely need extraordinary mechanical skills, in order to maintain it properly.

- Slim

Ok, so exactly how many miles a day do you think you might be traveling on a bike while in college, and how many miles total do you plan to ride a bike during this time in college?

Most everyone here is an enthusiast so it's to be expected that we'd give that impression. We're all about equipment, models, specs etc etc.

But don't be misled. I did order a $160 bike online, bought a lock and a helmet (eventually, even that is optional) and just rode. To work, grocery store, the kid's school, everywhere, the car off and parked for years. It is feasible; I have done this.

On line you can at least research it first. Just walking into Walmart without knowing already what you want, I'd be leery.

I took a bike costing twice as much, and my commuting needs caused a broken axle, worn out chain/freewheel/rear derailleur, broken spokes, all in a matter of a few hundred miles, as they say, "Your mileage may vary".

I was in Target last night and wandered by the bike rack looking at the new stuff coming out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Schwinn has put out a few models that are a big step up. For around $230-260 they had a few entry level road, cruiser, and trail bikes that had decent looking Sram and Shimano Altus components and cast, not stamped, brakes. Even the wheelsets looked a step above what I expected to find. I'm a fan of old Schwinns and am glad to see them upping their game at the department store level.

Yep. I have two family bikes gathering dust, one of which is a walmart huffy road bike. $100, no big deal but it has 100 miles total to be generous, mostly parking lot miles, and I won't bore everyone with the list of what's wrong with it. That's an example of what not to do.

I dug deep in researching a cheap bike. starting with reviews and disregarding those which appeared to be from novices or disgruntled consumers with an ax to grind, and then looked for the components and specs and tried to find information on them, and the frame and the company that made the frame and its history. I was a bit anal retentive about it.

Anyway, many threads of the search came right to this forum which is why I interject in these threads. It would have been extremely helpful to me had there been more specific information from someone who'd gone that route.

I have a feeling this is a bit of a troll thread, but what the heck, I'll chime in.

I have been biking since 2006. I started biking in a nice Schwinn mountain bike that a friend lent me, it was originally a wally world special. I then bought a GMC Denali "road bike" from walmart to try the road bike thing out, and decided I liked the feel enough to get a real road bike, so I bought a frame and built one. I'm still riding that road bike, I had to replace the shifters, since I went with Modolo Morphos shifters originally and they disintegrated after a few thousand miles, but other than that anything I have put on the bike has been a chosen upgrade, not a failed component.

I have less than 1,000 dollars in the bike currently, I've biked over 21,000 miles, and saved a boatload of cash on gas ($2,560.00, since 2009 when I started tracking gas prices/miles ridden). The bottom line is I feel better on days I bike to work, I look forward to it, and I never feel like I've wasted my time getting to or getting home from work on those days.

I have a Scattante (Performance bikes house brand) Frame, aluminum, with a carbon fork. Tiagra shifters, 105 front der, ultegra rer der, Nashbar Double crankset, Ultegra breaks, and I have a bunch of different wheels for various uses (some heavy ones for winter, lighter for spring summer, and very light for those speedy rides). I have a mountain bike as well, but I didn't need it this year as the winter here in PA was pretty mild.

If this is truly just about money, get the wally world special, when it falls apart to where it can't be fixed, you'll know if you love biking enough to make an investment and a commitment to it, or if you just would rather not bother. Only you can answer that, I know before I became as crazy about it as I am, no-one could have told me how much I'd love it, it's something you'll have to discover on your own. Good luck!

Joe

Joe seems to have the impression that once Walmart bikes (Walgooses) fail, they then "can't be fixed". Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact remains, that most Walgooses can be fixed. It may take more money than the initial purchase of the bike. It might require more time than any other bicycle, perhaps better built. However, most Walgooses can be fixed! The only ones not worth it in my opinion, are the bargain basement full suspension mountain bikes from Walmart. Those are truly BSO's! They should never even be presented as consumer goods...

Schwinn, as a bicycle maker, ceased to exist decades ago. Now it is a trade mark that is bought and sold around the Chinese and Taiwanese supply chain. That said, most of the stuff I have seen lately bearing the Schwinn name is decent. Much of it is sold on bike shops, and it is the "high end" of what is sold in the Big Boxes. That said, I think you will be better off spending fifty bucks more for that Schwinn at a bike shop, rather than spending less at a big box then having to take it to a LBS and spending fifty bucks to have it set up properly.

Know that there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive. I avoid cheap, and have seen cheap costing quite a bit. I have lost more than one job because of an employer being cheap, and loosing the business.

I have noticed this in the context of some clever, and cynical marketing. Many people will jump to equate complexity with quality. They see a full suspension wally for a hundred bucks, and compare it to a relatively inexpensive three hundred dollar hybrid from an LBS, and say "Wow! Only a hundred bucks, and it has shocks!".

They fail to notice just how cheap those shocks are, and are never told that for strictly riding on the street, shocks are not really a good idea.

If the ride is not pleasant, one would generally lean towards the "not bother" aspect of riding, this was the case with all of my family members. They kept buying inexpensive big box bikes that were a poor fit and took considerable energy to ride. Since their tongues were hanging out after a few miles of very light riding, this in turn caused the bikes to end up as neglected dusty "garage ornaments".


It wasn't until I fixed/upgraded some better quality bikes, that fit better and took less energy to ride,with many of my family feeling the difference in a matter of a few feet.
That day we ended up riding over three times as far, and with the family looking forward to the next ride.

Very nice. I did something similar, starting with a Denali also several years ago. Nashbar frame and carbon fork but then to save weight and money I left off the front derailleur and shifters and chain rings, and using interchangeable wheels. Shimano Sora/2300 was good enough for this bike. I still was over budget at around $400 but I'm thrilled with the result. The Denali is still in good commuting condition, in fact I've loaned it to a co-worker in town for the week.

I fix a fair number of low-end bikes for local kids. They can be fixed. The NEXT brand dual-suspension models, those are tough and I tend to want to run away screaming. Most others though, a good tear down and rebuild with fresh bearings and cables does wonders.

I've had expensive and cheap bikes -- maintained them all without any major malfunctions other than flats.

On my Schwinn "Jaguar" el-cheapo cruiser I feel like Maxwell the GEICO pig:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZDV3fvaXM

Check about 00:15 and the chin nod!