Buying a bicycle

Need some middle of the road bike to get some exercise and to run some nearby errands.

Not a dedicated Tour de France road race bike. Not a crazy mountain bike.

Something in between. Comfy. Reliable (i mean heck its a bike)

I was at the local bike shop and the cheapest there was $375. I was told to keep my eyes out for Trek and Specialized bikes? Trek was recommended twice now. I was also informed that big box store bikes should be avoided.

With a budget under $200 what should i be looking for?

I was just in my LBS the other day and they had a sale going on some Raleigh hybrids for $379, marked down from $500. Really nice bike, but probably more than you're looking for.

I would be on the lookout for a Trek 700 or 7000 series hybrid. If you're willing to go the mountain bike route, I'm a huge fan of the Specialized HardRock. If you were nearby, I'd make you a great deal on a HardRock.

I'd just browse craigslist for the nicest hybrid or MTB you can afford. Make sure you get one that fits you all right. Rigid fork is definitely okay if you're not taking it on gnarly trails.

Get a nice used bike / frame that fits and then pick out parts (seat, handlebars, grips, pedals etc.) that you like will make a much more enjoyable ride.

Look at used bikes if $200 is the budget.

I don't think you need to worry about getting a tour de France road bike or crazy mountain bike in that price range. Honestly, I would suggest you look for a decent used hardtail mountain bike. I have seen some people get lucky at pawn shops, but usually college campuses are the best source of lightly used bikes in the entry level bike store quality range.

as a guy who went from a nice custom built haro to a few years later buying a cheap mountain bike to ride with my kids i will second the avoid box stores comment. even for riding around town and goofing off with stairs and stuff its crap! look at buying a used hardtail like everyone else up there is saying, i wish i would have!

I would probably just avoid suspension components altogether if possible. I rode a used steel Fuji mountain bike for a few years and it was probably the best bike I could buy for $100 all in. Get rid of the knobby tires and you're golden for any longer distance road riding too.

I should clarify some more. This will mostly be only a on road bike. sidewalks, streets, paths, metropark crushed stone stuff. So a mostly onroad bike with comfort is key here.

You all make great points and i am very appreciative of your help

In my experience the best way to get a comfortable on road bike is three things.

1) a bike that fits you.
2) get the handlebars above the saddle in height.
3) run wide smooth tires at lower pressures.

My old man bike is a Linus Roadster Classic:

I got mine on sale since it was last year's color directly from the manufacturer delivered for $333. You can see it here: http://www.linusbike.com/products/the-roadster-classic

There are other old man bikes out there.

I was looking to buy a Flying Pigeon. A little while ago, they were less than $200 new. Now they're over $300: http://flyingpigeonla.myshopify.com/collections/bicycles/products/flying-pigeon-pa-02-classic

At that point, I'm building another BMX.

I bought an old specalized rockhopper for $150 on CL. Just keep digging you'll get one.

You said you wanted exercise...you could go with a used XL framed 'BMX cruiser' with 24" wheels (new way out of the question unless looking for ~$500 bike.) I like my Haro PRO 24 Race Lite - it's nimble, quick, and near perfectly comfortable fit (after changing seat and handlbars out to ones with a better fit and comfort - race bike handlebars and seats are way too low for a tall person, and the factory seats are hard plastic.) Accelerates like crazy and is quick. I don't like 'road' bike seating and handle bar positioning, give me a BMX style bike or no bike at all...

I looked around and these two speak to me as good choices especially the first one.

1997 Raleigh M-80 Mountain Bike 18" - $120 http://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/5499104964.html

Raleigh All Terrain Bike Mojave 3.0 - $100 http://mansfield.craigslist.org/bik/5525351222.html

http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/5527328410.html

Something like this would fit your needs perfectly. Honestly though at a $200 budget just stick with a good brand and budget a little bit for your LBS to go through it and give it a little tune-up

I ride a $90 Trek that came from a pawn shop. My son rides a $100 Giant from Craigslist. In the used market, $200 goes a long way. It won't be the latest tech, but it will be a decent bike. Keep digging.

Agree with the above. Look at CL for a hardtail mountain bike or hybrid bike that's a name brand. Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Raliegh, Felt, Kona, and Giant are good names to look for. Stay away from road bikes with drop (curved under) bars. Stay away from anything withe a rear shock absorber at that price. Be aware that those brands sell bike in different sizes like shoes, and a just like shoes, the wrong size is painful. If you post your height and inseam we can probably help you guess what size you need, but really if it feels right it is right.

Any bike from those brands you pick up will work fine for what you're doing and be repairable for small money. Bike repair is really simple compared to vehicle maintenance so you can probably buy the parts and do it yourself if you need to keep costs down. The Park Tool website has a ton of how-to videos that are gold.

CarKid1989 wrote: I should clarify some more. This will mostly be only a on road bike. sidewalks, streets, paths, metropark crushed stone stuff. So a mostly onroad bike with comfort is key here. You all make great points and i am very appreciative of your help

I think an "on-road" bike is going to suck for what you described. A decent hardtail mountain bike is what you want for comfort.

The only thing you give up with going for a full on hardtail mountain bike is speed. A "comfort bike" is a mountain bike with higher handlebars and semi slick tires.

I think you are looking for a comfort bike if you can find one.

I'm going to disagree with all the mountain bike recommendation. Get a road or hybrid bike and enjoy to the speed and efficiency. Scope out Craigslist or buy a Forge bike from Target (check them out before you knock them). They are rebranded Giants with great components. I bought one for my wife and talked my coworker into buying two. All have been fantastic.

I agree with all of the above recommending you look at used bikes on your local CL if your budget is $200. You can find barely used bikes that someone paid $500-$1000 for that $200 if you are a little patient. In addition to Trek and Specialized, look at Giant. Giant is the largest bike manufacturer in the world (last I knew) and actually is the company behind some other brand names. The stuff with their name on it ranges from decent $400 cruisers to crazy expensive cutting edge race bikes.

If you are going to be riding on roads and dedicated paths, a roadish bike will be fine. Mountain bikes don't gain you anything unless you are going to go on actual rugged mountain bike trails strewn with big roots and rocks. The comfort/urban/cruiser hybrid type bikes will be cheaper than actual road bikes though. On a related note, I will be trying to unload a Giant Escape hybrid with only a couple hundred miles on it this summer. I paid $500 for it two years ago and will be happy to get $200 back out of it. I barely used it, maybe ten times and I upgraded to a CX race bike because I was going on longer, quicker rides and entered a couple "gravel grinder" races.

I know I'll get some hate for this, but for your purposes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a bike from a big box store.

(Ducks and runs)

I've had both beautiful custom touring bikes and box store bikes. Both served my purposes at different phases of my life.

Currently used only for neighborhood riding and a little excercise with my kids. My box store bike works fine.

The compromises you will encounter are: MUCH heavier frame (you're not gonna win the Tour de France anyway- consider it more excercise), questionable Chinese weld quality (you really gonna break the frame riding on the sidewalk?), and cheap deraillers and gearsets (these will get annoying after a while, and you will know it is time to upgrade to a better bike).

You can buy a sub $200 bike brand new from the box stores that will give you adequate service for a couple of years. Or, you can buy a sub $100 used bike (which came from, you guessed it, a big box store).

If you love riding, it will be easy to recognize when to upgrade and what you are looking for. If you hate it, no big loss.

I just recently bought a hardtail mountain bike from bikesdirect.com. I wasn't having much luck with CL so I just got a mid-range for $400 shipped. They have some lower range bikes as well which are still better than what you can find on CL for the price. It does require a bit of assembly but that is easy.

Like many have said, look for older mountain bikes or hybrids. Most of the bikes that sold new for $600-$1000 can now be had for under $200. The upside is these bikes come with quality components that will last a lifetime if properly maintained. (look for Shimano XTR, XT, or LX components-- shifters, detailers and brakes) I've never been a fan of "Grip Shift" bikes, but some are. Not too long ago I bought a Bridgestone MB-3 ($800 bike new) for $150 off Chicago's Craigslist. It's a great bike, and by no means a unique deal.

Towns with college campuses are a great place to look.

I will third or fourth Trek. I have an old C/F Trek Mountainbike (forget the numbers at the moment) and even though it is a hardtail, it is a pretty nice saddle to be in.

A rack with a pack will take care of a lot of errands too

SVreX wrote: I know I'll get some hate for this, but for your purposes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a bike from a big box store. (Ducks and runs)

If the store only sells one size shoe but it's you're size, then that's all you need. In other words, you're right - as long as one of the cheap bikes is a comfortable fit, there's nothing wrong with them for basic cruising. It will be heavy but that's really not that big a deal. Many of them now use components that aren't standard mounts or dimensions so repairs can be a problem. Honestly, though, they're built pretty tough so repairs are unlikely for several years with basic care. Buying a nicer bike used may get you something that's slightly easier to pedal up hills, or easier to find parts for, or (maybe) fits you better, but there's nothing wrong with a mas market bike if you find one you like.

bmw88rider wrote: http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/5527328410.html Something like this would fit your needs perfectly. Honestly though at a $200 budget just stick with a good brand and budget a little bit for your LBS to go through it and give it a little tune-up

This is exactly what you should be looking for.