# Bicyclists: Entry-level bike or mid-level? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732 "2009-03-08T14:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732/21 "2009-03-10T04:48:50Z")
> [@Discipline](#): > > We talking road tires here? A 100g difference in road tires means you pretty much went from boat anchors to handmade race-specific ultra lights. Mountain bike tires. I also ride road but not nearly as much as mountain bike. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732/22 "2009-03-10T05:18:48Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Used lugged steel frame bikes can be had for $150 or so via bike shops or ebay, or $20 from thrift stores, etc. IMO they ride much nicer than mid-range bikes which are usually aluminum framed and have to be very stiff to avoid early fatigue failure…to make them ride as nice as a steel frame they need a suspension fork and/or a pogo-stick seatpost, which negates any weight advantage. I have to disagree a bit here, I think steel frames are way overrated. The bike frame is not meant to be a shock-absorbing mechanism; that’s what the air-filled tires are for. I’ll concede that frame stiffness may make some difference if you’re using a road bike for racing, and you’re using the narrowest tires available to cut down air resistance and shave a few seconds off your time. But for the rest of us, moderately wide tires will more than make up for a stiff aluminum frame. Also, the kind of frame you’re talking about would typically come with antiquated components. It’ll be difficult to use for a novice, and difficult to find replacement parts. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732/23 "2009-03-10T12:26:12Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > I did get fit, but I also developed a really sore knee. I also replaced the crank bearings every 2-3 months and the rear axle twice. > > After a year (and a visit to an orthopedic surgeon) I revisited the bike shop, and got a much better (lighter alloy frame, alloy wheels, better shifters etc) bike. Within a month my knee was better… Your knee would have been a bikefit issue, not an issue with a crappy bike per se. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732/24 "2009-03-10T15:16:01Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Your knee would have been a bikefit issue, not an issue with a crappy bike per se. Possibly, and technique may have had much to do with it, too (too high a gear, too much pedal pressure). However, the better bike is probably not particularly well set up for me, and the problem has not come back. So YMMV. But I am not using it the way I used to, just a couple of times a week for fitness. Si ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732/25 "2009-03-10T16:04:56Z")
Also check with some local Triathlon and cycling clubs - I recently bought a Trek Hybrid for 200.00 used from one of the women on another message board I belong to - it was a good deal and I love my “new” bike. Certainly blows the old MTB (free to me) out of the water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicyclists-entry-level-bike-or-mid-level/488732.md?page=1)