New to bikes, recommend me a bike for under $400
10-11-20, 06:21 PM
#27
Full Member
For cheap transportation, nothing beats a used hybrid, in my experience.
Because:
- they'll do anything but nothing particularly well.
- they are often bought by people as a first bike, after which:
(i) they realize they like it, but soon they feel limited by the hybrid, so here comes the road/mountain/gravel/touring bike... or
(ii) they don't like it -- and there's lots to dislike about cycling if you're out of shape and not used to it and maybe a little heavy.. it does get better, but not everyone knows that.
Never mind the (i) or (ii) above, the result is the same -- plenty of ten- or twenty-year-old hybrids with fifty miles on them. For cheap.
Years ago I bought a Specialized Crossroads locally through ebay -- cheap bike but it worked well and was a lot of fun, $70.
In the mid-aughties, a Cannondale H400, barely ridden, probably $5-600 new, for $160 after the auction ended unsuccessfully...
And this puppy a week ago off nextdoor.com from an older couple moving out of state. Fiddy bucks and nothing wrong with it; very pleasant to ride.. but I bought it without even riding it, because the wheels were straight and the brakes felt good, and at that price I would have donated the frame and moved the parts to a real mountain bike down the road.
Instead, I traded it to a friend for a basketcase Cannondale R200 from the mid-90s... I added good fenders to make me feel better about the deal.. they were $50, too
Deals are out there, and you don't have to be an expert to find them.
As far as 30-year-old classic road bikes like the Olmo above.. that's valid, too, but you'll want to know what you're doing.
cheers -mathias
[If the picture disappers: a 'Marin' comfort 26" bike with 2.25 inch tires, Al frame, 21 speeds, suspension seat post, and a wide saddle. REI brand, I think. Not a Trek but decent.]
Because:
- they'll do anything but nothing particularly well.
- they are often bought by people as a first bike, after which:
(i) they realize they like it, but soon they feel limited by the hybrid, so here comes the road/mountain/gravel/touring bike... or
(ii) they don't like it -- and there's lots to dislike about cycling if you're out of shape and not used to it and maybe a little heavy.. it does get better, but not everyone knows that.
Never mind the (i) or (ii) above, the result is the same -- plenty of ten- or twenty-year-old hybrids with fifty miles on them. For cheap.
Years ago I bought a Specialized Crossroads locally through ebay -- cheap bike but it worked well and was a lot of fun, $70.
In the mid-aughties, a Cannondale H400, barely ridden, probably $5-600 new, for $160 after the auction ended unsuccessfully...
And this puppy a week ago off nextdoor.com from an older couple moving out of state. Fiddy bucks and nothing wrong with it; very pleasant to ride.. but I bought it without even riding it, because the wheels were straight and the brakes felt good, and at that price I would have donated the frame and moved the parts to a real mountain bike down the road.
Instead, I traded it to a friend for a basketcase Cannondale R200 from the mid-90s... I added good fenders to make me feel better about the deal.. they were $50, too
Deals are out there, and you don't have to be an expert to find them.
As far as 30-year-old classic road bikes like the Olmo above.. that's valid, too, but you'll want to know what you're doing.
cheers -mathias
[If the picture disappers: a 'Marin' comfort 26" bike with 2.25 inch tires, Al frame, 21 speeds, suspension seat post, and a wide saddle. REI brand, I think. Not a Trek but decent.]
Last edited by steine13; 10-11-20 at 06:25 PM.
10-12-20, 12:01 PM
#28
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Craigs List....search Haverhill
Search Craigs List....Haverhill, MA. There is a guy there, who lives about an hour from Boston, reconditions older bikes and they are FANTASTIC. Last year I bought a 2002 Bianchi from him for about $350 and it looked like it had just come off the showroom floor. It was spotless. I live in California but come to Maine in the summer and I ride this Bianchi while I am there. It has a Shimano Sora drivetrain, which is a lot slower than my current bike, but it work really well when kept up. He is on Craigs List and I search for him in Haverhill, MA. You'll find a lot of bikes there today.
10-14-20, 08:18 PM
#30
Senior Member
Yeah. If you have a tool box & know how to fix stuff then, definitely buy a used bike & fix it up.
10-14-20, 08:39 PM
#31
Senior Member
I bought a used mid 90s rocky Mountain Sherpa off Craigslist for $175, put another $175 into with accessories and so it fit me. I learned a log=t from fixing up that old bike. The last bike I bought was in 1979 so the mid-90s was new to me.
10-22-20, 08:17 AM
#33
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I'd normally steer you to Bike Boom in Somerville which specializes in under $400 urban bikes, but their website seems to indicate they're all sold out. I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea that there are no reasonable quality bikes under $400, normally there are lots of them. However, they're also the first bikes that got snapped up by the huge number of first-time bike purchasers this year so good luck finding them.
10-22-20, 06:31 PM
#34
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I'm definitely a proponent of going used. That Olmo posted above would be a great bike for the price. Probably needs another $100 to get it in shape, but then you'd have a much better bike than you can buy new in that price range.
10-22-20, 08:03 PM
#35
Clark W. Griswold
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I'd normally steer you to Bike Boom in Somerville which specializes in under $400 urban bikes, but their website seems to indicate they're all sold out. I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea that there are no reasonable quality bikes under $400, normally there are lots of them. However, they're also the first bikes that got snapped up by the huge number of first-time bike purchasers this year so good luck finding them.
10-22-20, 08:34 PM
#36
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I mean yes there are normally some single speeds that are OK but brand new geared bikes at the price? Maybe at cost you can find some stuff but Tourney derailleurs are not reasonable quality and whatever form of dime sized disc brakes or wonky nutted brakes aren't going to stop well. The frame might be OK though but I wouldn't spend money to upgrade.
10-23-20, 05:59 AM
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As others have said going used is probably your best bet. Others have also mentioned state but not only do they have bikes for 460 they have some for 299 as well.
11-23-20, 11:02 PM
#38
Junior Member
If you’re still shopping: I see the Creme Caferacer Uno on sale for $412 (I’m too new to post a link, but it’s on the first page of google results)
I bought one in January. Lugged steel frame, 3 speed internal hub, upright ride. I’ve put about 2500 miles on this bike and I still love it. I had to swap out some things after a thousand miles or two (seat post, handlebar grips, put some heavier duty tires on there) but otherwise has been very solid for riding around Chicago.
I bought one in January. Lugged steel frame, 3 speed internal hub, upright ride. I’ve put about 2500 miles on this bike and I still love it. I had to swap out some things after a thousand miles or two (seat post, handlebar grips, put some heavier duty tires on there) but otherwise has been very solid for riding around Chicago.
11-24-20, 06:41 AM
#39
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Massachusetts has a lot of hills .... if you ever want to get off the bike path you will definitely want some gears. Western Mass has some actual mountains.
If all you really want to do is ride the same bike path over and over, a $100 single-speed from Walmart or Anywhere will be fine. On a flat path with only one small hill, no need for complexity. Save the other $300 so that when you finally amass $600-$800 you can get a bike from BikesDirect with a proper 50-34 crank and 11-32 or 11-34 cassette. It will be a while until there are many bikes in stock so no hurry.
Seriously, Anyone can build a cheap single-speed bike which will survive gentle use. No need to buy a brand-name bike when 90 percent of what you will be buying is the brand name.
Go used if and only if you know someone who really knows bikes---nothing hurts like getting all excited, getting your new used bike home, and finding out it has tons of terminal issues. If you can shop with someone who can tell whether a bike works or how much it might cost to get it working, then used is your best bet---particularly since you are willing to ride single-speed. If the derailleurs don't work, just jam them in the desired gear with the set screws and ride away.
of course, if you buy used, you will probably need minimum $100 for new tires and tubes, cables, maybe brake shoes, and probably a chain .... but since you can basically ride any bike that fits, you have a lot of options.
If all you really want to do is ride the same bike path over and over, a $100 single-speed from Walmart or Anywhere will be fine. On a flat path with only one small hill, no need for complexity. Save the other $300 so that when you finally amass $600-$800 you can get a bike from BikesDirect with a proper 50-34 crank and 11-32 or 11-34 cassette. It will be a while until there are many bikes in stock so no hurry.
Seriously, Anyone can build a cheap single-speed bike which will survive gentle use. No need to buy a brand-name bike when 90 percent of what you will be buying is the brand name.
Go used if and only if you know someone who really knows bikes---nothing hurts like getting all excited, getting your new used bike home, and finding out it has tons of terminal issues. If you can shop with someone who can tell whether a bike works or how much it might cost to get it working, then used is your best bet---particularly since you are willing to ride single-speed. If the derailleurs don't work, just jam them in the desired gear with the set screws and ride away.
of course, if you buy used, you will probably need minimum $100 for new tires and tubes, cables, maybe brake shoes, and probably a chain .... but since you can basically ride any bike that fits, you have a lot of options.
Last edited by Lman; 12-08-20 at 06:21 PM.
