quatrix
Premium
join:2005-02-11
Davie, FL
| reply to PCInTech
Re: Need advice buying a bike
said by PCInTech  :So, he might as well get a good bike and not a piece of crap that's going to be in a landfill in a year. Are you speaking from experience, or do you just badmouth everything that costs less (even if it's because the company is run more efficiently and doesn't rip off its customers)? |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
| reply to PCInTech
said by PCInTech :Go to a bike shop. You'll get a quality bike with components that will last for a very long time and it'll be sized and setup properly. In that price range, you have a lot to choose from. Raleigh, Trek, Fuji, Giant, the list goes on. AVOID the cheap department store bikes like the Plague! I've looked at several bike shops and was unable to find anything in the $200-$300 range. $500 was about where the bikes you mentioned start. |
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| reply to dibbb
said by dibbb :It's OK, you're new here, we all misread sometimes.  Registered since 2000 is new? |
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bent
not broken
Premium
join:2004-10-04
Loveland, CO
clubs:
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to dibbb
#1 Get a mountain bike. You can put street slick tires on it if all you're going to do is ride pavement, and you'll be happier with the lower gearing, more upright riding position, and durability.
#2 Buy it from a local bike shop. Almost every major manufacturer makes a decent sub-$500 bike and even if your local shop might not stock them they can measure you and order one to fit. It's like buying a car in some ways, you shouldn't limit yourself to what's on the showroom floor at the time.
#3 Buy it from a local bike shop. They'll be able to fit the bike to you, and that's really really important if you are going to get any pleasure out of riding it at all.
#4 Buy it from a local bike shop. You'll get a bike you know fits you and your needs, and you'll be supporting a local business. Piss on Walmart.
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Greedy Old Pigs |
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MIRV
join:2000-12-01
Louisville, KY | I disagree. Walmart, used, flea market, & hot bikes work just fine and are completely comfortable to ride. They're also much cheaper to buy. |
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SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17 | reply to r81984
Please don't feed the Walmarts! |
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SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17 | reply to dibbb
Just a side note, we have a bike shop that is some sort of Specialized demo store or something.
They have GREAT Specialized kids bikes. I bought a 16" wheel-size one for my daughter's 3rd birthday - fantastic quality. |
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mfeeny
Sweeper51
Premium
join:2000-06-03
Detroit, MI | reply to dibbb
also you might want to check craigslist. it might take some time, but if you have a good idea of what you want, it will show up. i've bought 2 mountain bikes (iron horse, cannondale scalpel) that were no longer wanted. got a great price on both. |
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dibbb
join:2003-09-19
 ·Time Warner VOIP
| reply to Cheese
said by Cheese :said by dibbb :It's OK, you're new here, we all misread sometimes. Registered since 2000 is new? I left off the /s, I knew they knew I was joking.
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Certified Medisoft reseller. |
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visuelz
join:2003-05-01
Brooklyn, NY | reply to dibbb
I'd go to a bike shop because only then will you get a bike you'll like with the correct height. I bought my Trek bike for about 300. I highly recommend one. |
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Alakar
Facts do not cease to exist when ignored
join:2001-03-23
Milwaukee, WI
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to dibbb
You could go with something like this:
»www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bi···gator10/
They run about $350 at the bike shops around here.
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"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom; it is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." William Pitt the Younger |
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treetop1000
join:2003-11-07
Lexington, KY
4 edits | reply to dibbb
First real bike?
Do not waste time with an expensive one. Yardsales, auctions, Craigslist. If you're in a larger town, check the local police auction.
And your wallet will thank you too.
I can't believe the anti-Walmart sentiment here, buncha bike snobs is what you all are. In my day we rode a Huffy from Walmart and we liked it! If we didn't like it, we walked.
By the time I got the one I really wanted (Schwinn Apple Crate) I was damn near old enough to drive, and then I had to start all over.
Character. It's what builds us. |
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DannyZ
Gentoo Fanboy
Premium
join:2003-01-29
Erie, PA
1 edit | Huffys were solid back then. I've seen Huffys survive things they should not have.
When I thrashed the rear wheel of my $400 Walmart bike and could not get a rear hanger anywhere to rebuild it, I spent $120 on an interim Walmart bike until I could save up enough to purchase a XO-1. That $120 bike lasted all of 3 months before the bottom bracket came apart.
You get what you pay for. My wallet thanked me at checkout, but then it was pissed at me for being penny wise and pound foolish 
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Out the 10BaseT, through the modem, down the co-ax, over the fiber, across the backhaul, past the edge router, off the network...nothing but net |
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PCInTech
In another place and time.
Premium
join:2004-06-07
Massena, NY
clubs:
·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to quatrix
said by quatrix :Are you speaking from experience, or do you just badmouth everything that costs less (even if it's because the company is run more efficiently and doesn't rip off its customers)? I'm speaking from over 50 years as a cyclist. I've bought all kinds of bikes in my life and witnessed others buying them, also. I've also witnessed many cyclists on cheap bikes getting seriously injured because of cheap components and faulty construction and materials. It doesn't cost that much more to get a quality bike from a real name manufacturer, backed by local bike mechanics. Unless you only have high-end bike shops in your area, you CAN get an entry level quality bike for $350. - $500. that's infinitely better than even the highest priced bike in a deparment store like Walmart. And, that's hardly a "ripoff"! |
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PCInTech
In another place and time.
Premium
join:2004-06-07
Massena, NY
clubs:
·VoicePulse
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| reply to bent
said by bent :#1 Get a mountain bike. You can put street slick tires on it if all you're going to do is ride pavement, and you'll be happier with the lower gearing, more upright riding position, and durability. Or, get a Hybrid bike (also sometimes called Urban, Commuter or City Bikes), the best of both worlds. An upright riding position, but without the bulk of mountain bike frames. Pavement can be unforgiving, too, with potholes, loose gravel, etc. Plus, you can do light off-road biking, such as park trails. Just a suggestion. |
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Gbcue
E.I.T.
Premium
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA
clubs: 
 ·T-Mobile US
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| As others have said, the local bike shop is the best place to start.
I just purchased a $1000 road bike and it's so smooth.
It's got all 105's (for those who want to know).
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My BLOG!
Black Friday Ads |
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elbm
join:2000-08-03
Reisterstown, MD
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | reply to dibbb
Re: Need advice buying a bike
We are a riding family-- and you do get what you pay for. I have bought piles of bikes over the years for me and my kids. I started 25+ years ago with a 150.00 bike from Montgomery Wards-- first time I tried to go 20 miles it fell apart. I went to a bike shop bought a 600.00 Diamond Back, before they were bought and put in the big box stores. I still have it, it has been riden to death and never needed a major repair. Same with my kids at first big box bikes, they lasted a couple weeks once they started mountain biking with me. Bought them two Treks-- about 550.00 each-- kids were 11&12. 8 Years later we still have them and the kids still ride them. So get something a little better you will enjoy it more, for longer and with less headaches. Might even get the bug.
Aside to avid riders-- I made the plunge this year and bought a new road bike a Trek Madone full carbon bike. I had riden steel, aluminum and Aluminum/carbon all my life and thought them to to be great bikes-- I don't think I can ever go back. Do your self a favor try one. |
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PCInTech
In another place and time.
Premium
join:2004-06-07
Massena, NY
clubs:
·VoicePulse
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| said by elbm :Aside to avid riders-- I made the plunge this year and bought a new road bike a Trek Madone full carbon bike. Which series did you get? Are the higher end Treks still made in USA, or are they Chinese like the lower end models? I know they've gone through some changes lately. |
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elbm
join:2000-08-03
Reisterstown, MD
·Verizon FIOS
| I bought the 4.5 which is an Asian made frame and I ended up about 2300 out the door. Once you get two models above mine the frames are made in the USA. But the cost jump prohibitively significant for me and I bought as high as I could afford. Next round I will move up. |
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