On Mon, 5 May 2008 18:26:05 -0700 (PDT), Ablang
wrote:
I know that a lot of details would factor into this, but I am
wondering what bicycle enthusiasts consider when buying a new (or
used) bike?

I guess I don't want to underspend and end up w/ a piece of cra*, but
I also don't want to overspend and risk having it get stolen.

I would like to use it for daily exercise and going to the store (not
more than 10 miles one way).

As much as you're comfortable with?

You can get a decent bike from an LBS starting around $300, I guess,
for a rigid mountain bike. I think I saw a touring bike online for
$700 or $800 the other day (sorry, I don't remember where) that looked
pretty decent. You can spend up to $1,000-$1,200 for a more popular
brand of touring bike (or other road bike) and still not be
over-paying. You might decide you'd outgrown such a cheap bike after
a year or three, but I think you could live with it -- as long as it's
from a bike store, it's a bike; if it's from XMart, it's probably a
Bicycle Shaped Object (BSO), not to be confused with a Real Bike.

If I were starting over and in your shoes, I'd look for the touring
bike. It's still a road bike, and those really do roll easier than
the mountain bike on a street or road; if you're 10 miles from the
store, you'll quickly learn to appreciate that. Also, you can rig up
a way to carry things on a touring bike that might be more difficult
on a "racing" road bike.

BTW, thanks for asking a bicycle-related question! This should
generate some interesting, on-topic discussion.

Pat


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