See the truly great thing about the SDMB is not that you can get information, although that’s great too. There’s a million websites, places, etc. where you can get information.
The truly great thing is that you can get opinions based on experience from a wide variety of people. So I can make my judgements not only on the true information, but on the thoughts of people who have actually used the device/did whatever I asked.
On to my question: I started another thread about jogging, to which I got some very helpful answers to. I plan to start jogging right away. What i really would like to do is start biking.
How do I go about finding a good, cheap bike? My SO used to race, so he’s no help as he will only settle for a ridiculously expensive bike that is perfectly “ergo” and blah blah and all this stuff. Well I don’t have that kind of money!
Do you think I could get a good bike at a garage sale? How do I know what to look for? I plan to use it primarily for excercise and entertainment. I am 5’5" and female.
Are women’s bikes as sturdy as men’s? Does it matter?
Where else can I go to get a bike? Some the bikes at Toys R Us are priced at $100, are they any good? I’m looking to spend less than $100, but even less would be great.
Where and how are you going to ride? Obviously you don’t want to race, but are you thinking of commuting, trail riding, general knockabout street riding, etc?
That will color your bike choice significantly. A trail bike is different than a comfort/hybrid, which is different from a racer. Discounting racing, a trail bike will be the most versatile, but it’s heavier and has more parts like suspension equipment to break. If you’re going for commuting or fun riding, try to find a comfort hybrid. Fat tires like a trail bike, but the frame is more rigid, and the bike overall is lighter than a trail bike, but in some cases the frame is beefier.
Three years ago, I paid $250 each for a Raliegh C30 hybrid for myself, and a Gary Fisher trail bike for my son. I got them in March, when the shop was having a spring cleaning sale. My Raliegh has only had flat tires, 2 broken spokes, and 1 broken pedal. As hard as I’ve been on it (I’m a fat guy), I’d say it’s performed beautifully to date.
Look in the local trade paper for bikes. Occasionally, you can find good ones at Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Avoid Toys ‘r’ Us and the like, because those $100 specials are junk.
I love bike riding. There is a trail near my house, I plan to start there. Eventually I would like to be able to commute to work when weather permits, which means I would be riding on the road.
Goodwill & Salvation Army are excellent ideas, thank you. I doubt I would have thought of them on my own.
I have been checking the paper and will continue to do so. I just wanted to know what I should look for when I see a bike.
A $100.00 is not very much if you want a decent bike. You might plan to spend about another $100.00 and you will find a better selection. If you are thinking of riding trails then a mountain bike would be best. A good place to start looking is Craigslist. Check the list to the right for a city that is near you.
What kind of trail is it? Dirt? Paved? For any beginner who doesn’t know exactly what kind of riding they’re going to be doing I’d suggest getting a hybrid bike. These are basically lighter version of a suspension-less mountain bike, with narrower tires(though not as narrow as regular road tires). Stay away from anything at WalMart, etc. I’d say stay away from Toys-R-Us too, unless you don’t have any other choice. With a budget of $100 your best bet is to keep looking at garage sales, in the paper, at your local bike shop and online. If you can, take someone who knows a little about bikes with you to look at the used bikes you come across. If that’s not possible a few things to look for are:
Rust. A little rust on the frame is ok, but if there’s rust on any of the drive train components (besides the chain, which is easily replaceable) I’d say forget it.
Shake the bottom bracket (the round center piece where the cranks attatch to. Is it loose? Sometimes they can be tightened, but on an older bike, this usually is from wear. Stay away from it.
Spin the wheels while lifting the end of the bike up. Do they wobble? A little bit is ok, and can be fixed by your bike shop (or in your case, maybe your SO), but a lot is something to stay away from.
Ride the bike. Does it feel good? Whole books and manuals have been written on bike sizing theory, but as long as the bike generally feels ok, it’ll be fine for a beginner bike.
As Demo says, a hybrid bike is probably best for you. And if $100 is what you’re looking to spend, the garage sales are pretty much the only way to go. And be sure to take your ex-racing SO with you because, as much as he may pooh-pooh these humble bikes, he won’t want you to get on anything in ill-repair, as that can be very dangerous.
If you’re willing to increase your budget to the $200-$300 range, you really should check out bicycle shops. Every one I know of has “beginners/comfort” bicycles in this price range.
**Demo **knows his bikes. To answer your question, yes, you can find a very good bike at a garage sale.
We purchased a gently used, very well taken care of hybrid (Bianchi Boardwalk) for myself just a few months ago from a lady moving out of our condo complex and holding a garage sale.
I think Demo guestimated its value new at like $300-$400. Our cost, $60.
Just get out there and look around, and I’m sure you’ll find yourself a great bike. I absolutely love mine!
The one thing I would warn you about women’s bikes is that they’re a bit more difficult to carry than a man’s bike. If you need to get it up and down a flight of stairs or something similar, a women’s bike will be pain in the tuches.
I dusted off my Hardrock after four years of non-use and tried to find a bike for my girlfriend, so may have some advice.
don’t get a bike from a garage sale. The bikes we looked at were in fine condition, but there’s a) the possibility that it’s stolen (a big concern around here, maybe not by you) b) probably needs enough work that it will cost about as much as a new bike (although demo’s suggestions will probably mean you can inspect this better). c) no warranty. I actually know people who have split their deraileurs in very strange ways and were saved quite a bit of money this way.
Get a mountain bike. And a men’s bike. The hybrids, IMO don’t seem suited for either road or street biking while a mountain bike will work acceptably well for road biking (if you do a lot, you can get different tires).
I’d like to take a position counter to the mainstream and say: get a cheapo Walmart bike new. I’ve seen them for as little as $50 or $60. It will do to help you figure out whether or not you actually want to or can ride a bike regularly. If you ride the WalMart bike regularly, then you can step up to a better bike. These people who are advising you to spend $200 on a beginner bike must be rich or something.
You know this is a **great ** idea. If I get this cheap bike at Wal-Mart’s I can a) get back into it, b) decide, like you said, if I really want to do this regularly, and c) save money for a really nice, expensive bike. Oh, and d) find out what kind of riding I’ll really be doing.
In the meantime, I took notes on what all you guys said. I think that when I do buy a nice bike I won’t go the garage sale route and I’ll buy a good bike. This way I can also spend time doing research.
Thank you all for your advice. I’ll keep you posted on my hunt, but now I feel like I can take lots of time.
Don’t forget that most local bike shops offer a ‘trade-up’ program of some sort … just like trading in a car, folks do the same with bikes, and it’s possible to find a killer deal on a few-years-old Raleigh, Trek/Gary Fisher, etc. Any good bike shop will also let you test ride them before you buy.
Excellent post! The point of going to your Local Bike Shop (LBS) is that they will fit you to a bike, and with their selection, test ride a number of different bikes with different setups and see what’s right for you. Most LBS will have bikes that they sell on consignment, and you can get a really good deal if you’re patient. I bought my wife a used Specialized Stumpjumper for $175 that was in excellent condition and is practically bomb proof (the current year model was around $450 at the time). Some other side benefits include warranty service, free gear and brake adustments for as long as you own the bike, upgrade programs and sometimes a free water bottle or tire patch kit with purchase.
IMHO, get a used mountain bike. It has an upright riding posture, it’s designed to take a beating, and is versatile enough to be an efficient commuter by just changing the types of tires. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive add-ons (bar extensions, panniers, fenders) that you can acquire as your budget allows. Good luck and welcome to the sport.
I think this is penny wise and pound foolish. You’ll hate your $50 Walmart bike and never get into real biking. Even a fair yardsale bike, if it is from a good manufacturer and in good shape, will give you a much better experience than a bike that is lousy from the start.
Plus, you’ll be spending some extra money on a helmet (you are getting a helmet, right?) some riding gloves, and a pump so don’t think that $50 is all you’ll spend. Once you get into it you’ll probably want some biking shorts as well.
That was precisely my reasoning. I’ve bought enough crappy bikes from those kind of places to know they always end up in frustration. They always have shoddy components that don’t work right and are heavy as all get out too. And if you don’t have to assemble them yourself, they’re inevitably assembled by some moron who doesn’t know squat about bikes. Never again, I say.
Take a look here. There’s 10 or 15 bikes in the $100 range. I bet there are at least 5-7 that are miles beyond some shitty Walmart bike.
I still say take some time and look in your paper or online for used bikes. Used bikes from a bike shop is also a good suggestion, but they’ll usually be more expensive.
I too would advise against just buying a crap bike. I spent a bit of money and got a bike that I just love. I had a bike that would move on wheels and such, but it wasn’t any fun and I didn’t like riding it so I didn’t. Now I make excuses to ride my bike. Work, grocery store, MacDonald’s, dry cleaning, etc…
Get one that you like and can more or less afford. Some places have a finance plan that may work to your advantage. I remember that Sun & Ski had this thing where you write them post-dated checks to be cashed one at a time every month and you get your merchandise right then. I really liked that.
