any Bikers out there?

[mtommer]

If you want to learn about bikes then go to mtbr.com and read through the beginners, commuters and general section. In a couple of days you'll have probably learned the basics of what you need to pick out a decent bike on your own.

Otherwise, as stated before, bikenashbar has a decent enough Nashbar mtn bike or singlespeed Schwinn bike at $199.00. They'll be good enough for you. As your dad is willing to chip in a little extra make sure you get a good U-Lock and cable lock and learn how to use them in the commuting section of mtbr.com

 

[new_tennis_player]

Hey guys, hows this bike?

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807052&CAWELAID=411513564

I went with my dad today, he said he'd chip in a bit if I found a nice bike, I went with him to see this one today. It looked nice, had disc brakes front and back.

How many times have I told you to go to a decent bike shop? Sportsauthority is also one of the worst retailers around, period.

How long will it take you to find a bike anyway? You come across as a serious knucklehead.

 

[OrangeOne]

The consensus among the five other people that have given advice in this thread above me there pretty much covers the normal post I'd write. OP: Read those replies, whether you heed the advice is now becoming up to you.

To those five above - I share your frustration.

I'm going to try one final analogy to see if it works.

Person A posts a thread: Hi, I'm new to tennis, and I've only got $95 to spend on a frame. I've seen this great frame at walmart, and it's by Pro Supex. It's on sale from $400 down to $150!!!, I know it's over my budget but dad will help me out a little if I find a good racquet. This one's great, right? It's got a 130 sq in frame for power & control and it's made of graphite and bovine excrementus, sounds great. Should I get it?

There would be 1000 replies sending the person to a real tennis shop - be it TW or otherwise, to buy a no-frills racquet from a quality manufacturer, like a Head Liquidmetal, or to buy a good second-hand racquet.

Sound familiar?

 

[Leelord337]

Hey guys, hows this bike?

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807052&CAWELAID=411513564

I went with my dad today, he said he'd chip in a bit if I found a nice bike, I went with him to see this one today. It looked nice, had disc brakes front and back.

diamondbacks are good, but personally i would stay away from disk brakes. (i had a motobecane (high end bike) with dual suspension and front and rear disk brakes---worst bike i've ever had period) they make the bike heavy...i would go with a good v brake

 

[AmericanTemplar]

Consider OrangeOne's point along with the fact that a tennis racquet isn't mechanical & therefore there's much less that can go wrong with it than a bicycle. I'm still guessing that as a tennis player you'd advise against getting a crap racquet that's full of BS technologies.

If I were you I'd get a rigged forked single-speed 29er with v brakes like either of the two that I posted. Both have minimal technology so there's less that can go wrong & they can be upgraded to include more gear choices, disk brakes, & a suspension fork if you decide that those are things that you want/need. It's better to start with fewer, higher quality parts for what you're looking to spend & again, if you decide to buy a bike from a big box store, they won't have used any grease with assembly, assuring your bike a very short shelf-life before it becomes un-ridable.

 

[onehandbh]

I bought a ~30 year old schwinn 10 speed from craigslist
for $65. It runs fine w/o a tuneup but it is not light. It weighs
about 40 lbs.

 

[mtommer]

diamondbacks are good

Diamondback used to be good overall. Now they have gone the way of Schwinn (who is coming back to the following model) whereby they make crap and higher end bikes.

 

[120mphBodyServe]

Personal recommendation...
Get a GT Outpost. It's a lower end MTB but it's solid.

 

[new_tennis_player]

I bought a ~30 year old schwinn 10 speed from craigslist
for $65. It runs fine w/o a tuneup but it is not light. It weighs
about 40 lbs.

 

[fundrazer]

Ah, I've got something you might be interested in. A little bit over your price range but you'll be cruising around campus in style.
http://aroadbike4u.com/product/pinarello-prince-carbon-di2-internally-routed-724.htm

 

[SlapShot]

Alright folks - new one for you.

I want a road bike. I have a Trek 3900 MTB for my trail stuff, but I want to train faster and have something to possibly race. We have HEAPS of paved trails in Minneapolis, so a road bike wouldn't be out of its element here.

I'm partial to Trek for no good reason, and have looked at the 1.1 - I'd like to keep it under $800. I've been scouring CL, but it looks like most of the roadies people are selling around here are high-end, or are beat to a pulp, so I'm looking new.

I've looked at the Specialized stuff, Trek, would LOVE a Felt, but that'll probably fall outside of my price range.

Suggestions?

 

[fundrazer]

^^You're lucky because I too have been looking at road bikes and I now have at least a decent understanding of them! First, go to a local bike shop, those guys are usually awesome and very helpful. I'm Guessing you know what size bike you need but if not they'll size you up and get everything rolling.

Regarding the lower end road bikes (800-100), basically they're all pretty much the same. They all pretty much use the Shimano Sora groupset, the lowest of Shimano's component groups. Some might have Shimano Tiagra parts thrown in, Tiagra is one step above Sora. So basically in this price range, go with whatever is more comfortable to you as the bikes are mostly the same. Only thing, if you plan on racing with your road bike. Most people I know recommend at least Shimano 105. It's all around a much more solid group than Sora and Tiagra. However bikes with 105 are going to be above your price range.

 

[AmericanTemplar]

For $800 I would go with a used higher end bike from the late 90's. I got a Serrotta with full Campy Record for that price on **** a few years back.

This looks pretty badass for less than what you are looking to spend:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/1848624414.html

Funky Tri-bars that you could probably sell for a good chunk of change & get something else:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/bik/1865369288.html

 

[120mphBodyServe]

Alright folks - new one for you.

I want a road bike. I have a Trek 3900 MTB for my trail stuff, but I want to train faster and have something to possibly race. We have HEAPS of paved trails in Minneapolis, so a road bike wouldn't be out of its element here.

I'm partial to Trek for no good reason, and have looked at the 1.1 - I'd like to keep it under $800. I've been scouring CL, but it looks like most of the roadies people are selling around here are high-end, or are beat to a pulp, so I'm looking new.

I've looked at the Specialized stuff, Trek, would LOVE a Felt, but that'll probably fall outside of my price range.

Suggestions?

What about getting a flat bar road bike and just fitting different handle bars to it???
Giant CRX series aren't bad value...

 

[OrangeOne]

What about getting a flat bar road bike and just fitting different handle bars to it???
Giant CRX series aren't bad value...

It's not just a matter of new bars. He's thinking about racing, which means he'll definitely want braking & shifting accessible when down on the drops, something that would not be an option with the mtb-style gear & brake levers that come on such a bike. He'd need to buy sti levers as well as bars, and that's starting to get expensive.

(And all of that is before looking at geometry, and the geometry of the crx style bike is designed for flat bars and an associated more upright riding position, it wouldn't be too comfortable, let alone easy to ride fast, with road bars).

 

[OrangeOne]

For $800 I would go with a used higher end bike from the late 90's.

Almost agreed - I think I'd look for a mid-level bike from the early-2000s.

To slapshot - the "new-OP" - keep looking mate. I know you've said you come from MTB, the biggest thing to remember is that, as a general rule, road bikes don't see even 10% of the wear and tear that a MTB does, even assuming the fact that they usually cover much greater distances.

Giant (here in Australia at least) are usually the best value if you're definite on buying new. But after looking at their entry-level roadie - which is right-on your budget, I'd much rather still recommend something a few years old and a few levels up. As I advised the actual OP: many people buy a bike thinking they'll take up the sport and never do. The best value is often a couple or few year old bike that has been rarely ridden.

Have you gone to a few local races to check them out? Often people will advertise bikes at races, or know of bikes for sale (that have often been treated well).

 

[Anaconda]

Either get a GT mountain bike, or get a Mongoose BMX. I've got a Mongoose pro-sinper and they're pretty good for bike jumps/racing etc.

 

[LanEvo]

hey guys, which model bike is this? http://stockton.craigslist.org/bik/1883288954.html and is it worth the value, and judging on its condition, what do you think?

 

[LanEvo]

this one as well: http://stockton.craigslist.org/bik/1819174435.html

 

[120mphBodyServe]

hey guys, which model bike is this? http://stockton.craigslist.org/bik/1883288954.html and is it worth the value, and judging on its condition, what do you think?

Buy this one.

 

[LanEvo]

Buy this one.

Do you know what model it is? What do you think of the condition? And is it hard to install rear brakes? I am a bike newbie.

 

[120mphBodyServe]

Do you know what model it is? What do you think of the condition? And is it hard to install rear brakes? I am a bike newbie.

I have no idea what model it is. But both the bikes you linked are Trek.
And you really want to ride a bike with pink in the paintjob? NO.
Installing rear brakes? Probably not hard but I'd just take it to a bike shop for a service.
I mean it's a $50 bike. You can spend some money on having it serviced...

 

[Polaris]

Yep, I have someone who will take care of maintenance for me, my dad. He's a handyman in almost everything.

This is worth a quadruple facepalm.

 

[hollywood9826]

If its break pads, super easy. If its just the break and the cables are good. very easy. If you have cables its not that hard either. But a good servincing from a bike shop wouldnt hurt. That way you know everything is set up properly. around here they only charge 40 bucks for a tune up.

 

[SlapShot]

The 4900 is Trek's mid-level MTB. They are good bikes - I have the 3900, have test ridden the 4 series stuff - same frame, IIRC, but the 4 series has better components.

That's a great price, even if it needs new cables. You will want to budget for a full tune-up, though - take it to a bikeshop and have them go over the thing.

Once it's tuned up, it should be good to roll.

 

[LanEvo]

The 4900 is Trek's mid-level MTB. They are good bikes - I have the 3900, have test ridden the 4 series stuff - same frame, IIRC, but the 4 series has better components.

That's a great price, even if it needs new cables. You will want to budget for a full tune-up, though - take it to a bikeshop and have them go over the thing.

Once it's tuned up, it should be good to roll.

how much should a tune up run for?

 

[AmericanTemplar]

how much should a tune up run for?

Normally around $200. :wink:

 

[new_tennis_player]

This is worth a quadruple facepalm.

This thread belongs in "epic fail."

 

[SlapShot]

Normally around $200. :wink:

That's probably about right....

But even for $300, that is a solid bike and no matter what bike you buy, if you're not adept at maintenance, you'll need to have it set up.

 

[SlapShot]

More questions....

I took this frame out for a spin last night - love the feel, love the Tiagra shifters, etc:

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaen.../CAAD8-S/Details/1246-0RA86C_0RA86T-CAAD8-S-6

In order to step up to 105 components, I'm looking at a $250 or more price hike (to the Felt Z85 or Specialized Allez Elite).

The Tiagra shifters are key - I don't think I could get along with Sora levers/shifters. If I were to buy and upgrade F&R derailleurs to 105/Ultegra, would I miss the 105 levers?

 

[onehandbh]

facepalmx2

Make that a triple. I also sometimes carry it up and down the metro
stairs (VERY LONG FLIGHT) just for the exercise. I actually like it.
I was looking for cheap, basic transportation. Not hipster, fixie or
$3K roadbike.