Advice on Reliable Commuter/Beater
 

My younger brother got into some **** and can't drive anything with a motor for the next year. I figured this is a good opportunity to get him into bikes and I want to buy him one. From talking to him, I know that he prefers the fixed/SS setup. Also, I have a very limited budget with a maximum of, probably, $350.

I was thinking of getting him the Motobecane Track (the $280 one) from Bikesdirect, but I have only heard minimal amounts of feedback regarding it. Does anyone have any personal experience with these bikes? Also, I planned on getting him another cog for the freewheel side, since it doesn't come with one. Are there any parts on the bike you think I should make small upgrades to? Last, I've never ordered a complete bike on the internet. If/When this thing comes, am I going to have to put it together?

Any feedback would be massively helpful. I know there are better bikes available for a little more money, but I'm not in the position to save anymore as he needs a solid mode of transport ASAP and, quite frankly, I'm stretching my wallet as is.

Pick up the Windsor Hour, replace the cog and lockring and get him a saddle that fits. Also, some lights are a must if he will be riding a night.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1511000_400318
comes with brakes and a flashy color scheme and is probably about the quality of the hour if not a little heavier for a beater.

plus you have fifty left over for lights and a helmet.

performance has a shop in most cities so you can get help when you need it and you probably won't have to wait as long to get it.

I have the Motobecane Track. It's a solid beater/commuter. It's a fun bike to ride, and at $280 you don't have to worry too much about the paint chips and whatnot. Use the leftover cash for a good front brake, helmet, and lights.

Yes, and you will need some special tools and skills to do so. The wheels will need to be trued and tensioned. The cog and lockring will need to be tightened if it's a fixed gear. The brake cable housing and cable will need to be cut down to proper length. The cranks will need to be tightened to the proper torque (~33 ft-lbs). The pedals will need to be installed and tightened. The bars and stem need to be installed and headset adjusted properly. Otherwise, figure paying an LBS about $50 to do this for you.

not sure if someone said this yet, but props for helping him out! good brother.

Awesome. There's a Performance right around the corner from my work. I'll definitely check this out. Thanks to everyone for the great advice. I'll definitely be sure to get him some lights and a helmet as well.

Good suggestion, but I think BD is pretty much out of stock on these. I tried ordering one, but as soon as I tried to checkout it came up as out of stock.

Oh, and congrats on finishing bike tech school.

Dawes SST is what I used on campus from BD. Reliable, got me around campus, and the wheelset was damn near bombproof for commuting needs. Nice steel frame, so I didn't have to baby it. Rode it in rain, hail, sun, grass, dirt, mud, and it still works fine.

<3 bullhorn look as well.

Also, I forgot to ask: What size do you think would fit him decent? He's about 6'1", but his inseam is only a 30. I was thinking something along the lines of a 54 or 56. Any thoughts?

Thanks again for the feedback.

54 will be small. 58 would probably be closer to his size even with legs that short. sizing is very tricky, the trickiest part of buying a bike for someone else by far. with short legs, you can just lower the seatpost. you don't want your torso to be too long for your top tube.

i'd suggest for someone that tall you stay at 56 or above, even 61cm.

is your brother michael phelps? lolz


also, performance sells good ss/fg bikes but they also sell some pigs that really kinda suck. i'd suggest against the se draft. most of their bikes under 350 are kinda crap. they may say you can only get the one i linked to online, some stores have them and some don't.

haha...Yeah, it's pretty funny. I told my mom to check his pant size (we're trying to keep this a secret) for his inseam and I was astonished to hear that he has the same length as I do (I'm 5'8").

Thanks Tejano. Been wanting to go to school for a few years but never had the mulah or time. Now its all done and im sad. It was fun and I actually learned a bit.

are you sure its not the pants? does he wear super baggy pants?

i dunno, i remember in my skateboard days the pants were super baggy and had a very low inseam. just bein devils advo

Pants inseam isn't the same as actual inseam used as reference in bike fitting. Nor is inseam a great measurement for bike fit to begin with. If you want to surprise him, blindfold him on the drive over to Performance, yell "surprise," and have him pick one that fits. Or make sure he can swap for a different size if you pick the wrong one.

yeah, I thought of doing that.....just bringing him to a shop or something. I know that his pants fit him well. They're just standard Levis. You're probably right though. I might save myself a lot of hassle in just telling him and taking him with me when I make the purchase.

commuter/ beater fixed gear / single speed go for the U district torker. It has been getting great reviews and is an awesome bike for the money. link below

http://www.torkerusa.com/bikes/commu...2010-udistrict