Anyone Here Into Bike Riding?

i want to get a mountain bike this summer so i can get some extra exercise in. the thing is i
dont have a bike and i dont know where to start.

for those that are into bike riding, what is a good moderately priced mountain bike? im looking to spend $150-200 max, no more. i want a mountain bike with suspension, front disc brakes, and gears.

no way you are going to have a decent mountainbike with suspension for that price. A moderate price is between 500-700$

You will only get wal mart garbage on a budget like that. At MINIMUM for a decent mountain bike FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING (not riding around like a pussy) you will need to spend at least 500 dollars.

My recommendation would be something in Specialed’s Rockhopper line

well i want it to just ride around and go places on bike trails. i guess i dont really want a mountain bike then. i just want a bike thats comfortable to ride.

Hi buddy.
What you really want is a road bike. Much more fun. You go much faster.
Let me know if you have any questions about road bikes.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
Hi buddy.
What you really want is a road bike. Much more fun. You go much faster.
Let me know if you have any questions about road bikes.
tweet tweet[/quote]

DECENT road bikes start at even more than decent mountain bikes, and if your riding is not going to be very aggressive, which you seem to be suggesting, you’d probably be best suited to a 700c diameter wheel hybrid bike. Something that rolls easily and quickly on pavement but is suited towards any other terrain as well and is a little more comfortable than a mountain bike. Regardless, ANY decent bike is going to cost more than 150-200 dollars. You should look into the Crosstrail, by specialized. It may a bit more than youre willing to spend but you can at least get an idea for the type of bike im talking about.

yes im looking for a road bike, bird tell me about road bikes.

i dont plan on doing very agressive riding, all my riding will be done on pavement. so yeah i guess a hybrid bike. whats are some good ones? im sure i can find one for about $150.

150? maybe a used one. Bikes are pretty damn expensive especially if you want a good reliable bike the price goes up alot.

If your budget really is $150, here’s a bike that will do the job. It’s not something that will last you a long time, but it shouldn’t fall apart immedately. Robot or human?

The next step up would be the Nashbar Hounder or a Bikes Direct bike. On sale you can get the Hounder for about $200, the Bikes Direct bikes will cost you about $300.

Craigslist is a good option but you’ll have to know what you’re getting.

Specialized Crosstrail. 700c hybrid that will do what I think you want it to. I don’t know now much they cost in the US, but the cheaper ones are £3-500 in the UK.

It’s worth getting out of the bottom bracket of cycle prices. Bikes that cheap tend to be made of low grade aluminium or even plastic. If you aren’t intending to ride it in a straight line on a flat, infinite sheet then cheaper bikes usually last less than a year before bending, shearing, snapping, buckling or similar in some place. What’s it worth to you to ride a bike? $2 a day? I don’t know how far a $ goes, but in a year thats >$700. Bikes are worth the investment considering what we ask of them.

Second hand however… Older bikes are often made of steel components, which whilst heavy will last much longer than modern cheap bits. If you look around on ebay or gumtree bikes like this are common. It’s much easier when you know what you’re looking for, but a good guide might be a racing looking bike from the 70s that is shiny and doesn’t have any wobbly bits. And try and avoid stolen bikes.

Hi buddy.
What kind of riding are you planning to do? Commuting? Casual ride down to the shops? Time trials? Group rides? I do all of the above and love it.
My first road bike was the cheapest I could get new, and that was $1000.00, About 18 months later I got myself a all new carbon racing bike for $6000.00. I still use my first bike for trips down to the shop etc.

Its great fun and does wonders for your fitness. Saying that if your plan is to add on weight, you probally want to stay away from any serious riding.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
Hi buddy.
What you really want is a road bike. Much more fun. You go much faster.
Let me know if you have any questions about road bikes.
tweet tweet[/quote]

Road bike? How do you figure?

#1) An entry level road bike is less common and more expensive than an entry level mountain or hybrid.

#2) You can’t ride road bikes on trails, comfortably up poorly maintained sidewalks, or shittily paved roads.

OP,
If you’re not doing any rough trails, get a mountain bike or hybrid. The mountain bike doesn’t need any rear suspension or disc brakes. You won’t be able to get those for under $400 anyway.

My advice to you is bump your budget up to $300 and you can get something decent from a local bike store. I got a real nice mountain bike for $350. It’s worth every penny. While I can’t go on any crazy trails it’s perfect for going to the local stores, work, and easy/moderate trails.

What’s your location and how tall are you? Height makes a big difference when choosing the size of the bike. I’m not talking tire size either, the size of the frame.

If you’re in the US:

Get this if you don’t mind a little heavier bike due to a steel frame. YOu can find it for $250-$300

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/boulder/7305/44110/

This one is a bit lighter because of the aluminum frame but costs $50 to $100 more depending on the year. Just like cars, bike shops have last years models for cheaper:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/sedona/7357/44082/

[quote]nosronfuuk wrote:
If your budget really is $150, here’s a bike that will do the job. It’s not something that will last you a long time, but it shouldn’t fall apart immedately. Robot or human?

The next step up would be the Nashbar Hounder or a Bikes Direct bike. On sale you can get the Hounder for about $200, the Bikes Direct bikes will cost you about $300.

Craigslist is a good option but you’ll have to know what you’re getting.
[/quote]

Sorry but riding a 700c rim bike from walmart frequently is going to result in lots and lots and lots of wheel truing. The bottom line is, for anything other than a piece of garbage, the budget needs to be stepped up to at least 300, and even then, if youre a bigger guy, there arent a lot of 300-400 dollar bikes that are going to hold up well under even minor abuse

i weight 170.

some of you guys do some competing/ sports riding or heavy duty riding.

I DO NOT plan on doing any of that. my goal with this bike is to just be able to go for a ride once in a while on paved roads. that is all. im not going to do anything heavy or stressfull with the bike, just ride it.

Well then once again, as i stated before, look into the specialized crosstrail. Even if a new one is out of your range, if you can find one on craigslist or something for cheaper that is in good shape (theyve only been making them a few years so you dont have to worry about getting stuck with a 10 year old bike) i would say go for it. If you really INSIST on getting something in the 150-200 dollar range and cant find something like the crosstrail used, you should at least look for a bike with similar features;700c wheels, something around 700 x 38 tires, a suspension fork, etc. This definitely sounds like the type of bike you are looking for and it is considered a HYBRID, not road or mountain. However that doesnt mean just look at any hybrid. Hybrid is a pretty vague term when it comes to cycling, and has its own “sub categories.” you probably dont wanna end up with a big cumbersome “old person” bike with a giant seat and goofy low step over frame just because it was a “hybrid”

[quote]talon2nr7588 wrote:
i weight 170.

some of you guys do some competing/ sports riding or heavy duty riding.

I DO NOT plan on doing any of that. my goal with this bike is to just be able to go for a ride once in a while on paved roads. that is all. im not going to do anything heavy or stressfull with the bike, just ride it.[/quote]

I don’t compete or do heavy duty riding. I needed a bike to commute to work and hit local stores. Later on, I started doing light trails then got a cheap road bike.

I’ve originally got a Walmart bike. The reasons I’m not recommending them is:

  1. They’re cheaply made and one of the parts will break sooner than later. Whether it’s a bent rim, broken pedal or whatever.

  2. They ride like shit. They shift like shit and the cranks are usually shitty.

  3. If you’re 6ft + or have long legs, they’re too small. That’s why I asked you for your height. On the Walmart website, it’ll say they’re 26" inches. This is the wheel size, not the size of the bike. The actual frame size is important. It’s measured from the middle of the crank to where the seat post connects to the frame. I personally need this to be over 19" for the bike to be comfortable.

Why would you not add the extra $100 to your budget and get something decent from a bike shop? What’s a $100 in the long run?

If you’re not carrying the thing around, you’ll be fine with the Giant Boulder even though it has a steel frame. I used it to commute to work for 2 years and part of this commute was on a dirt trail. It’s a good bike and I got it for like $250 at a bike shop.

If its just for casual riding on smooth paved roads, I suggest you look into a “fixie”.
You should be able to pick up one for a decent price. They has less components/gearing to it, so its easy to maintain and look after, they wont break down easily… And its the best way for one to learn the art of cycling in terms of technique. Great for fitness aswell.
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[quote]talon2nr7588 wrote:
yes im looking for a road bike, bird tell me about road bikes.

i dont plan on doing very agressive riding, all my riding will be done on pavement. so yeah i guess a hybrid bike. whats are some good ones? im sure i can find one for about $150.[/quote]

I picked up a 21 speed mountain bike at at yard sale! I’m not an avid rider, just a sometimes rider so it didn’t really make sense to spend a bunch of money on a bike when I knew I wouldn’t be riding it everyday or even every week!

[quote]theBird wrote:
If its just for casual riding on smooth paved roads, I suggest you look into a “fixie”.
You should be able to pick up one for a decent price. They has less components/gearing to it, so its easy to maintain and look after, they wont break down easily… And its the best way for one to learn the art of cycling in terms of technique. Great for fitness aswell.
tweet tweet[/quote]

Yeah, and plus if you like being looked at like some pretentious hipster douchebag, fixies will accomplish this for you better than any other bike! especially if you go around calling it your “Fixie”