On Aug 14, 8:58 am, " wrote:
On Aug 14, 6:41 am, Eddie G wrote:



On Aug 13, 11:17 pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Eddie G wrote:
On Aug 13, 8:48 pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:
Eddie G wrote:
Hi,
I am in the market for a new bike that will be used 98% on the street
and 2% on light trails. The ratio may change. My budget is $200 max.
What kind of bike should I get? Street bike? Hybrid? Are there
street bikes that can be ridden on light trails, or would that be a
hybrid?
A drop bar cycle-cross bike would be excellent for this use, as would a
touring bike. Any road bike that has room for reasonably wide tires
(i.e. 28-mm or more) and is not designed for criterium handling will
work fine on the average hiking trail (when the trail is dry).

Of course, a hybrid bicycle will be fine, but is not as good for longer
distances due to the lack of variety in hand and upper body positions.

What brand should I consider? Are Huffy's still crappy like they were
30 years ago? How about Dynacraft? Or should I stick with
Schwinn,Giant, etc. What bikes are overpriced?
Are Mongoose bikes any good?
You will NOT get a decent bicycle for less than what the lowest price
bicycle is selling for at a real bike shop (or proper store like REI)
[1]. In the long run, the cheaper bicycle will cost more money due to
repairs (that is if you do not give up on cycling because of the poor
fit and quality).

There are good used bikes for less than $200, but getting the right one
is beyond the normal newbie.

[1] Unless you happen to find the same type of bicycle on closeout or
liquidation sale.

Thanks. I am the occasional rider so I am not too concerned "the
long run" if that changes anything.

That is what you think now, but a good bicycle could convince you to
become more than an occasional rider, while a bad (or poorly fitted
good) bicycle will not.

What is the lowest price in a
bike shop, anyway?

The dealers that participate here can give you a better idea, but
typically around $300 for a basic hybrid that would serve well for the
type of riding you describe. Sacrificing $100 from other activities
would pay off in the long run.

Whatever you do, do NOT get something that looks like a full suspension
mountain bike for $200 from your local discount store. You would be
better off with an old "city" 3-speed for $25 from a thrift shop or yard
sale. Real full suspension mountain bikes start at about $1000, and for
good reason.

Also, what is a "drop bar cycle-cross" bike?

Here is one of the best one's, made by my Cheesehead neighbors:
http://www.gunnarbikes.com/crosshairs.php. A cycle-cross bike differs
from a standard road bike by having cantilever brakes that allow for
wider tires for off-road use and sometimes a slightly higher bottom
bracket. A cycle-cross bike will be almost as fast as a racing bike on
the road and much faster than a true mountain bike, but will be much
better than the road racing bike to ride on gravel, limestone screenings
(common on unpaved bike trails), hiking paths, etc.

Oh! That's like my current 10 speed Raleigh that I've had for 27
years!! But it has thin tires (90lb psi) that would not be good for
trails.

As for the type of trails, there might be some fallen branches,
leaves, and MOSTLY flat. But nothing hard core. I just don't want to
pop a tire or hurt the bike if I hit something I'm not expecting.
There is a chance I may never go on these light trails anyway. Right
now I ride with my 6 y/o and we ride on paved surfaces. (This new
bike is for our vacation home in the Poconos)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That Raleigh may be better for your purposes than anything you're
going to get for $200, especially new. Also, if the bike is that old,
there’s a good chance there’s clearance for wider tires. Not mountain
bike tires, but something wide enough for both purposes. I’ve got a
1960s Rudge single speed with 27x1.125 tires that until recently I
used for almost exactly what you describe, except I was riding
probably 80% road and 20% trail. I also put fenders on it to keep my
back and feet dry when riding through the wet stuff. I recently
bought a “real” road bike and dubbed the Rudge the foul-weather bike,
but it served a purpose very near what you’ve described for quite some
time. Perhaps your $200 would be better spent on some new tires
(assuming the ones on the Raleigh are actually all that narrow – once
you hit a smooth trail you may find they do just fine) and a decent
bike rack to transport your bike to and from the vaca home (assuming
it’s a driving trip).

I wouldn’t worry too much about popping tires unless there is a bunch
of broken glass and such all over the trail, and even then there are
some tires available that are very resistant to that sort of thing (at
the expense of a smidge of weight and rolling resistance, likely not a
big deal in the circumstances you describe). Buy a small saddle bag
to hold a patch kit, a spare tube and a CO2 inflator (or, if you
prefer, skip the CO2 and get a frame pump) and go ride. You might be
pleased with what you have. In my opinion, and I’ve done quite a bit
of this both ways, an older wide-tired (27x1.125, for example) is far
better for this blend of riding than a mountain bike, and I’m
referring to nice, high-end mountain bikes, not $200 bike-shaped-toys.

My old Raleigh is great, but I'm looking for a 2nd bike.

So I guess I need to increase my budget to $350ish?