siggy2xc

I'm planning on doing a 100mi bike ride in the summer, it will be on maintained dirt trails and some paved roads and extremely flat. i know almost nothing about cycling but i managed to bike about 80mi in one day last summer on a cheap bike from walmart. I'd like to know what the best bike i could get for around $500-$600 is for a ride like this. also any tips for during the ride would be appreciated.

max5480

The best bike you could get for that price range (or any) is to buy it used off craigslist or other local classifieds.

lonesomesteve

^ +1

Check out your local CL for a good 1980s road bike. Expect to spend $150 - $250 on the bike, and then spend the rest of your money making sure it has good cables, tires, brake pads, etc. and it's all in good working order. Go visit the folks in the Classic and Vintage forum for advice on specific bikes.

I have a 1982 Trek 311 that loves long rides.

Lamabb

You can get really good bikes off craigslist if you're lucky and know what to look for. Also, older bikes are just as good for riding as new ones; shifting will probably feel different, but you should have no problem riding 100 miles on a bike like that. hell, Lon hauldeman rode the RAAM in 1982 in 9 days on a similar bike

StephenH

Unfortunately, it helps to be a bike expert to buy bikes off Craigslist.

You know, I've never used one, but there's some fairly cheap single-speed 29'ers that I'd be tempted to try specifically for that ride.

Road bikes are not ideal for dirt trails...it depends on how smooth they are.

Divtos

You can buy a brand new road bike in about that price range now. Looking for a roadbike recently for my wife my LBS showed me a Bianchi with shimano sora/tiagra parts for $700. We wound up no buying it in favor of a used Tommasini for the same bike but it was a totally decent bike nonetheless. Theres also a Trek with the lower end Shimano stuff for about 600 as I recall.

bobbycorno

...and for the equal of the Tommasini, you'd pay what, at least $3K new? So you got a little better deal than a generic, aluminium frame, cheap-Shimano equipped bike for the same price, no?

SP
Bend, OR

siggy2xc

i'm thinking about looking for a locally used bike, is this a good or bad idea?

Carbonfiberboy 

I rode my first double century on an '80s 12-speed that had been refurbished by a local bike shop that specialized in doing just that. I paid about $200 for it. The bike shop probably got it for next to nothing. It was all in good condition and I rode it for thousands of miles without any repair or parts. It wasn't the lightest bike, but it had lots of room for wider tires, if that's what you need. The older brakes and forks had more room for larger tires. Only thing to watch out for is to try to get a bike with 700c wheels, not the old 27" size. The wheels are almost the same size, but they take different tires. Modern tires are the most important recent advance in bicycle technology. A steel frame and fork will be fine.

bobbycorno

That depends a lot on where "locally" is. Some markets, the seller has the advantage (high demand), others it works better for the buyer (large supply). Either way, see if you can get somebody who knows older bikes to come along and help you look it over.

SP
Bend, OR

lonesomesteve

I'd agree that all else being equal I'd choose 700c over 27" wheels. However there are quite a few good tires out there for 27" wheels. The two that I use most frequently (Panaracer Pasela and Conti Gatorskin) for example are easily had in 27" sizes. So I wouldn't necessarily rule out a great old bike that had 27" wheels.