I was looking to buy a bike for $400 or less without tax for commuting. I'm no expert with bikes but I was wondering if the Diadora Modena 2014 from sportchek is good for its price. Or maybe you guys can give me some other suggestions for under $400. The link to the Diadora is Diadora Modena 2014 - SportChek.ca

Drop down Across the Border to NH or Oregon and the sales tax, GST in Canada , will not be part of the price.

you link to a bike in the category of Hybrid .. whole section is devoted to those .. Hybrid Bicycles

Where you live, the shop you buy from matters more than the brand painted on the frame ..

its the service after the sale that will keep you on the road. if you shop within that price range, the parts fitted will be the same value.

..all things being equal, they will be ..

I am sure you can do better if you try. Around here that bike is considered a BSO (bicycle shaped object). I'm not sure but it seems that being sold by box deparment stores is enough to get nearly any bicyle a BSO label. That said, there are some specific reasons why your choice is not the best for commuting. First, its bound to be heavy. Suspension adds a lot of weight and, in 2014, you are still the most cost effective suspension system ever engineered to work on a bicycle. Next, it has no fenders or racks or mountings for them. They can still be retrofitted of course but there are bikes coming out that are equipped for commuting out of the box. Last, and this is surely just me. I don't like its looks. I am not a fan of the 'hybrid' look. For less money you can get a Schwinn Varsity/Protege which some might call BSO's but I don't. They are heavy and don't have racks but they look better than your choice. Just saying. Why don't you take your $400 to a local shop and see what's on offer. You might be pleasantly surprised. I am a pretty experienced mechanic and I don't need a bike shop for much. This, notwithstanding you'd be surprised at now many times a month I stop in at the two that are near me and at which I have a long-standing, cordial relationship.

H

Get the GT Aggressor 3.0 mountain bike instead @ $400

If your sole purpose for the bike is commuting, then you would be better off going to a local bike shop.

You would also be better off, if you'd start this bike shopping venture by going to your nearest bicycle co-op. Sometimes they have used bikes there that are worth much more than any cheap bike that can be purchased at many so-called discount bike stores. At a co-op, you could work on some used bike with a mechanic and get it back into tiptop shape for sometimes under a hundred bucks!

You might want to consider Kijiji and assuming your from the Toronto area, this listing might help within which is this Trek 7000.

Thanks for the opinions guys. I've upped my budget by $100 so my budget now is $500, I was looking at the giant escape 2 from a local shop that costs $489. Also I'm going to look into the Trek 7000 that's on Kijiji.

Does your budget include things like racks, panniers, lights and any other commuting accessories you might want?

Starting with a basic bike, its pretty easy to spend $200 getting it into a commuter configuration.

Obviously, commute distance and amount you have to carry are the key issues.

I have posted this many times, but Ill post it again, try to stay awake
This is a recipe I've used for years and will continue to. An absolutely
bombproof commuter can be built for 300.00, which is my limit on what
I will put out for a bike that is going to get abuse heaped on it as a
utilitarian work bike.

A) 125.00 - Used japanese steel from CL. Might take a week or two, but a good bike will eventually show up
B) 100.00 - Good, flat resistant tires.
C) 75.00 - Lights & mirrors. If you are willing to forgo "bike specific", you can get great lights at CVS type places for 1/3rd of what B.S. are