# Bike Buying Advice?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-buying-advice/777074>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 13, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-buying-advice/777074 "2017-01-13T22:08:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-buying-advice/777074/21 "2017-01-16T23:29:01Z")

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> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> No way a bike that has a range from 5-8 to 6-3 will fit properly unless you get lucky.
> 
> A straight upright position is going to be a bear after a few miles. Even mtn. bikes distribute weight between the seat, pedals and handlebars.

So will a stretch out position on a full on race bike, either MTB or road. I had a Specialized M2FS Comp that stock was a nightmare to ride until I swapped the handle bar stem for a shorter one and added riser bars. I’m not disputing a proper fit is important, and a decent bike shop will help with that. For $400 this fits the bill of a short term ride around the campus, which is what the OP asked for. This has the added advantage of being low maintenance to boot.

There are plenty of reviews that support that this is a viable alternative to a \<shudder\> big box bike.

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bike-buying-advice/777074/22 "2017-01-17T14:11:19Z")

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> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> Didn’t I note in the post you quoted “after a few miles”? It has nothing to do with riding style, it has to do with ergonomics.

By" riding style" I didn’t mean riding posture, I meant lifestyle. If you are riding a few miles to work or class every day, an upright city bike works BETTER than a road bike or MTB.

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