Maybe you could give the swap meet, or used bike store one chance before you made the plunge. You might get lucky, and then I predict you'd be so much happier in the future.

jclants, i have been visiting this site for just over a year, and let me tell you, there is a wealth of reliable information here. My bicycle IQ has grown tremedously. You said yourself the information is amazing so don't disregard it. These forum members consider bicycles as transportation and seek a road worthy bicycle that will be strong and durable.

Ultimately, for me the answer is to learn how to build a bicycle on my own (I have not reached that point yet) so that I can get the most bicycle for my money.

My advice to you is to keep reading this forum and educate yourself.

Welcome to the forums.

what about "Mongoose"?

Mongoose is also a "dept store" brand.

The fact is if you want to spend $50ish, then dept store bikes are your only option for new bikes.

If you're willing to buy used, you're better off because the LOWEST quality bike you can get will be the same as the dept store bike you're looking at. So without knowing much about bikes, you can buy a used one and be fairly confident you're not going to get a particularly BAD deal.

Now, that being said, test-ride the used bike first obviously. As long as it is reasonably comfortable and the brakes and shifters work, it'll be as good (and probably better) as the $50 bike you're looking at in target.

To answer your question #3 which I don't think anyone else commented on much, mountain bikes are more popular to the general not-very-bike-knowledgeable public, so most lower-priced bikes are mountain bikes. You can spend a couple thousand bucks on a mountain bike just like on a road bike, but the lower-end on mountain bikes goes lower than the lower end on road bikes.

In the used market however the playing field is completely level. People buy $50, $500, and $1500 bikes, ride 'em for 5 minutes, stick 'em in the garage, then 10 years later sell 'em at a garage sale for $25. So you can find great deals and you can find not-great deals, but you're very UNlikely to find a ripoff. A bike store (as in, "Bob's Bikes" or whatever) will usually do a "tuneup" for in the vicinity of $40-50 (if you didn't buy it there. If you bought it there, often tuneups are free), where they'll lube everything, make sure your brakes and shifters are adjusted, sometimes even true the wheels. If you get a used bike for $25 then your total cost is like $75 and you'll have a pretty good bike. This may be worthwhile even if you get a new low-priced bike just because the guy at target who assembled it may or may not have known what he was doing.

You should go used.... where do you live? It makes a big difference.

If you are going to get a cheap x-mart bike that is ok. I have never been able to afford anything better myself. It is mostly yourself that makes a difference in cycling. On my 21 speed hardtail mountain bike(which weighs close to 40lbs) I usually pass alot of people on $1000+ Trek/Giant/whatever bikes and spandex. But do make sure everything is tight and adjusted. The only thing I have every had break on the x-mart bikes are the tubes. Then I would get some decent ones.

which part of the bike is that.