zootia

Hello bikers!
I am a college freshman who has to bike to class everyday. Its about a 15 minute ride on normal concrete sidewalks. My current 53 dollar walmart bike is starting to fail me, so Im looking for a replacement. Ive never in my life, owned a bike over 150 bucks, so my standards are fairly low. I heard from my buds that road bikes pedal alot easier than mtn bikes, so this time around, I was think of getting a road bike. Now, I dont want to spend over $200 on the bike because being a college student, I am pooooor and I'd rather buy books or beer with my money. Well anyway, back to the bikes. Ive done some research online and found a few bikes that fit my price range.

Kent GMC Denali 700C (https://www.amazon.com/GMC-Denali-Med...sporting-goods)
Kent GMC Denali XL 700C (https://www.amazon.com/GMC-Denali-Bik...sporting-goods)
Kent GMC Envoy 700C (https://www.amazon.com/GMC-Envoy-700C.../dp/B000BT7ULM)
Schwiin Varisty

I am 210 pounds, and 6"3. I have no idea what size frame to get.. Will any of these bikes work for me? and do you think I should get them? I've read some posts about the GMC bikes in other forums and ppl say that they are crap. But I guess the people in internet biking forums are all serious cyclists with high standards. I just want my bike to get me from my dorm to my classroom fast, easy and last a long time.

Advice and help is needed!
Thanks in advance.

goldfish

well, one of those bikes could get you from the dorm to the classroom fast and easy, but i dunno neccesarily how long it will last...the components might not last longer than a couple(2) years. if thats all you want out of it, it could work. i'm sure others will chime in sooner or later on this.

zootia

Hmm.. yeah 2 years would be a record for me. All my bikes break down or get stolen before one year is up. Could you tell me the difference between the GMC bikes? they all look the same..

Seggybop

You should get a used road bike from a garage sale or the Salvation Army for $15. It will probably be in better mechanical condition when you get it than one of those bikes you listed, and it will certainly last longer.

And try to avoid the sidewalk if you can help it.

zootia

ouch.. that bad?

jyossarian

For the money (and the GMCs don't go for much), you can get a bunch of used bikes from a police auction or garage sale and ride each into the ground or until they get stolen or you drunkenly leave them somewhere and forget where.

Having said that, if you use it for getting to school and back, any of them would be fine. I'd go for the Schwinn. Just make sure you got some good locks to keep it from being stolen and don't forget where you park it.

Simmons Lane

Being 6'3" the medium frame may be too small. I'm not recommending it but if you insist on getting one of the GMC bikes check out the Yukon, also on amazon for 298...there's a recent thread on this that doesn't universally bash it as is usually the case with this brand... and it comes in a larger frame (63cm/ 34inch standover i think)

Maybe just consider getting a used mountain bike and putting some slick tires on it; that would be easier to pedal too.

ovoleg

Get a used bike man omg dont buy that thing!

the beef

Craigslist. Seriously. For $300 I could find a 21-pound road bike in the right size with a lugged late-80s steel frame and older 8-speed 105 STI components. Plus it would run for years longer than a GMC ever would.

ovoleg

Think about your health...

The GMC is dangerous imo

B.S.

+1 on craigslist... If you don't have one locally, check one in another town close to you and see if they'll ship... I found a mt. bike I'll be converting to single speed the other day for 40 bucks on craigslist...

Schwinn Varsity if you're picking directly from your list. Differences between the others look cosmetic without spending too much time being Knit-picky...

If you're going to invest ... invest in a lock, and learn to lock it right. I locked only my front wheel once and woke up the next morning to find a wheel firmly attched to the railing outside my dorm room. A friend of mine did the same to his bike, but I saw his mistake and took his bike home while he was in class (nobody said a thing to me as i took it, and walked back to the dorms).... when he got back, I tried to sell his bike to him. Lesson learned for the two of us...

arsw1

some universities have free bikes program.. check if your campus has that.. just another possible alternative..

Rick G

You can buy a pretty fair mtn bike for that kind of dough,but if it is a roadie that you want then get the schwinn.Personally for collage I would go for the mtn bike,but that is just me.
It all depends on what you want to do.just ride to class.get out on some trails.get lost down town.is it your only trasportation?It just depends on you.
good luck.

recursive

Do not buy a Kent bike. Get anything else. You could probably build a better bike out of a dumpster, spending less than $200 on parts. Get a used bike, thrift store bike, police auction, craiglist, anything.

dtrain

I'd go for a mountain bike and put semi-slick tires on it. The upright position is much better for navigating through students and other things lining the sidewalks. Seriously, are you going to want skinny tires and drop bars on sidewalks? Actually for cuising around a college setting, I'd look for a used, rigid fork, Cro-Mo Rockhopper or similar. Should be able to set yourself up for $100 or so and it will be very low maintaince.

CyLowe97

+1 on the flat-bar bike with slicks for college commuting. You'll be able to get a rack and fenders, too, if you want.

barba

The difference in the bikes you link to seems to be size. They are all low quality bikes that are available at Wal-Mart. If you don't like your current Wal-Mart bike that is falling apart, you likely won't like this one either. If you do get one, check the bike carefully for assembly problems.

$200 is a good budget for a bike, and you can do much better in quality and likely fit (department store bikes usually only come in one size, two if you are lucky). At 6'3" and over 200lbs, you want strong wheels and brakes/components that you can trust. If you are a student, check to see if your college has a bike co-op. Some college towns also have shops that specialize in used bikes. Other than that, Craig's List is often full of good bikes cheap.

timmhaan

only issue with junker bikes are that you'll pretty much always need to buy new rim tape, tubes, and tires.

josrooijakkers

I bought a Kent GMC Denali about a month ago. It's not a great bike by any means, but I am an exchange student in Tucson and will only be in the US for half a year, so I'm hoping it will last me that long. So far it has treated me reasonably well, the first ride I did was up mt Lemmon, which was more than 6000 feet up, and 84 miles there and back from my dorm. I would say that if you want to do things like that, and don't care much about how long the bike will last you, go for a GMC. If you just want a bike to get from your dorm to class, a road bike really isn't the easiest or most comfortable option, and if you want a bike that will last, i would advice you to buy something that has less things that can break. Any bike that walmart sells will probably not last you very long.

If you do end up buying the GMC, here's some advice:
change the inner tubes, cause they are really bad quality and will go flat within 1 or 2 weeks
make sure everything is assembled properly, some things may be loose, the brakes will probably need adjusting, etc.

theshoemaker

...and bike.

dtrain

You just did an 84-mile ride on a Denali (with a fair amount of climbing) and are reasonable happy with it? That's impressive, actually...for the price and all. If it lasts 6 months, you'll definately get your money's worth.

uberclkgtr

Wow. I'm impressed. Up Mt Lemmon is not an easy ride on a bike like that.

Xrisnothing

I bought the schwinn varsity about a month ago to get to class as well. It's good for the money. I can hit 30mph on the flats with some effort. My top speed has been 45.2 downhill when I took the thing out to hit a local route. I had to brake for some clown in a taurus that whipped around me, slowed down, then made a right in front of me.

I got a pinch flat two weeks into it, but that's just because I didn't have enough pressure in the tires. I will say that the tube did seem a little cheap. I'm going to be replacing the pedals soon, because the ones it comes with aren't exactly that great. Some people complain about the seat, but I think it's fine.

For $200, I don't think it can be beat. There is no way this thing is only going to last 2 years. People on these forums are rather elitist and uptight. What experience do they have when it comes to these low end bikes? They're all just parroting back the same drivel they hear from everyone else. It's the same story everywhere else on the internet.

In a month I've gotten hooked on road cycling and ride this thing anywhere from 100 to 150 miles a week. My longest ride so far has been 50 miles and my daily commute is 15 miles round trip. It's quick and loads of fun. I will be getting a better bike, but being a lowly undergrad $1000+ for a bicycle is a bad investment when $200 gets you where you need to go. I would definately buy this bike again.

Treefox

I've seen used Trek 1000's for less than $200.

ElJamoquio

[However many we're up to now]++ on a nice used bike instead, whether cheapo (salvation army) or more expensive (~200 of ebay).