Hey guys, I'm just now getting in to road biking, and I have a few questions. For the time being, I'm just interested in getting in shape, so my budget is fairly limited. I plan to stick to the local park bike trails, at least until I get a little more experienced.

With that being said, I picked up a Kent GMC denali road bike. I know everyone likes to bash this bike, but I think it suits me fine, I don't plan to put a ton of miles on it. Plus, i only gave $75 for it off craigslist, and it had only been ridden twice. It does need new tires, the ones on it are dry rotting. I have read reviews though where they're dry-rotted out of the box, so I'm not surprised. Also, the brake pads on it were terrible, less than half of the brake surface was actually contacting the rim. I put some decent avid pads on it, the kind with the washers that allow adjustment of the pad angle, and it stops 100% better. I'll try and get a picture up soon.

I'm a little confused as to what my options are for tires though. The stock ones are 700x28, but could I use a 700x23 or 700x25? Those sizes seem to be easier to find. Also, the bike doesn't have quick-release wheels, is it possible to just install quick-release skewers? Lastly, I'm considering changing out the bars to a flat bar, like a hybrid cycle. Is it just as simple as bolting on the new bars, and installing new shifters? I thought I read somewhere that bar diameters differ on some bikes. Any info is appreciated, like I said I'm a complete newbie, I haven't ridden bikes regularly since I was a kid.

I've ridden with people on those Denalis. If you can keep the pedals turning it'll get you through the ride.

You can mount 25s and/or 23s on those rims. I usually ride 23s but 25s are more than fine, your choice.

Going to flat bars will cost you more than the 75$ you spent ad be of dubious benefit. Ride it as it is and see if you like it. If the bug bites you'll soon realize that $75 might buy you a set of tires.

Ride it like it is.
Get another bike once you learn what you really need to do some long road rides.

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I know it's basically a cheapo wal-mart bike, but I just couldn't justify spending several hundred dollars on something to get started with. I have looked at high-end bikes like trek, specialized, cannondale, etc, and I can definitely see the difference in quality. But, I'll get something better after I run this one into the ground. I do think though that this bike has a decent frame, just with junk components on it.

Anyways, here's a few pics, I still think it was a great deal for $75:

Still looks brand new


New brake pads - I think these are actually MTB pads, but I like them. Stopping power is good, but not so much that it will lock the front wheel too easily.


MTB style grip-shifters - I don't really like them, but they'll do for now.


This is one of the awful brake pads that came on it. You can see how little of the pad surface was even being used for braking.

You will have some fun rides on it.
Leave the drop bars on.

They give you multiple options for your hands on long rides.

Besides new tires (I'd recommend 25's) and the brake pads you already changed, I wouldn't do anything else except ride it. If you think you'll get the bug, I'd consider road shoes and clipless pedals, that'll go with you when you're ready to upgrade. More money into that frame would be better spent saving for your next bike.

+1

Go with 25s, your stuck with the non quick release axles, put some short wrenches in your seat bag. Ride it and have fun, it's as much about the engine as it is about the bike.

looks to me like you could have done much worse for $75.

most people who are not familiar with cycling's first complaints are about how the "skinny saddle hurts my ass". I would recommend buying at least one nice pair of bike specific shorts. they may be a little pricey, but they will undoubtedly give you a better feeling for riding a bike, and you can use them with this bike or any other down the road you wind up buying.

good luck!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the tips. I went ahead and put on a new set of Michelin city tires ($28 each from REI), and installed a Bell wireless computer ($20 at wally world). I went with 700x28 tires for now, but I may get a set of lighter race tires for use on better pavement. These are just a tad heavy, but I feel confident they won't slide around on bad pavement. So far I'm up to $163 total, still less than it would have cost me to buy this bike new off amazon/target.com. I do need to get some good bike clothing and shoes, but other than that, I think I'm done with upgrades for now.

On a side note, I live just outside of Dallas, does anyone here ride around White Rock Lake? That's where I plan to go once I get a little more comfortable and can hold my line better.

Technically, you probably could convert to quick release, but you'd need to replace the axle with a hollow one, and get qr levers. Is it worth it ? probably not. Carry an adjustable wrench in your seat bag, along with 2 spare tubes & tire levers. Don't forget a pump (or CO2)