New Bike Purchase - Request Assistance - 15 yrs. Old

I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.

K-Mart

Honda Trail Pilot $100
Huffy Stone MT. II $80
Huffy Arlington $90

Target

Great Divide Magna $70
Huffy Falcon $99
Eddie Bauer EBS $159
Schwinn Ranger $126
Glacier Point Magna $54
Vertical PK7 $119
Magna Excitor $69

Walmart

Mongoose DXR $100
MT Fury RoadMaster $54
Roas Master MT. Sport $65
Schwinn Sidewinder $100
Schwinn Aluminum Comp $154

In article , newbike101
@yahoo.com says...
I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.


Assuming you want to get a decent bike for your money, I would say that
none of the bikes you mention are going to be what you want. I would
suggest you look at eBay for an alternative. You can almost always find
a Trek 800 or similar quality bike for around $100 or less (remember to
add the cost of shipping).

If you cant get a payPal account, have a family member set one up for
you, or give them your cash and have them put it on their credit card.
All in all, eBay is often a good deal if you know what to look for. Stay
with a name brand (Trek, Specialized, etc) and you should be fine.

Oh, one more thought. I know around here (Raleigh, NC) there is a chain
of stores called Play it Again Sports that sometimes have used mountain
bikes for sale. At least you can look them over before laying down your
cash. No warantee, but I have seen bikes of the kind mentioned above for
well under 100... often less than 50.

Good luck,
Dan


--

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9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700,
,
(Walter Cronkite) wrote:

I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.

If at all possible, I'd look locally for a used bike. Otherwise the
main problem with *mart bikes is the assembly and preparation. The
*mart bike that fits and is the best suited for your riding could be
gone over by an experienced bicycle mechanic and made into a
servicable mount. The wheels are most crucial. Machine built wheels
need to be properly tensioned and stress relieved.

No steel rims or stamped steel brakes for safety's sake.

At that price point I'd avoid any bike with suspension components.
They're merely decorative and could be dangerous.

Good luck. Cycling is the greatest way to get around.
--
zk

I agree with the other 2 posters. You can get more than twice the bike
by choosing slightly used than new everytime. That is unless you have
the money to spend.


NS

On 9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700, Walter Cronkite wrote:
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.

It's unfortunate that you must get one of the bikes listed
below. For pavement use, at least get yourself a pair of
slicks to replace the knobbies you will find on all of
them.

That said, while I can't comment on individual models, I
can comment on brands.

Brands that you should most likely not bother with:
Huffy, Magna, Roadmaster

Brands that are most likely made by the above manufacturers:
Honda, Eddie Bauer, Vertical

Brands that may be worth a second look:
Schwinn, Mongoose

You should look at the components on the bikes, and feel
the weight of the bikes. You should also look online to
learn about fitting the bike, as proper fit will make all
the difference. There's more to it than just if your
crotch clears the top tube.

For components, you will probably find all these bikes
to have mainly Shimano components, but Shimano makes a
wide range from garbage to very good.

I personally don't like grip shift systems; I like
indexed thumb shifting, whereby you push a small lever
until it clicks, resulting in a shift, and the lever
springs back to it's original position for your next
shift.

Anyway, look at the parts and write down which model
they are; for example, the rear derailleur is important
to get a good one, and you might find Shimano Altus, or
Shimano Acera, on these bikes. Look at Shimano's web
site, and you will see the whole lineup; try to avoid
bikes equipped with less than Acera; Altus and lower
tend to be heavy, fragile, and don't work so well (my
Altus rear derailleur broke when I least expected it!).
--
Rick Onanian

Dan Brussee wrote:

In article , newbike101
@yahoo.com says...

I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.



Assuming you want to get a decent bike for your money, I would say that
none of the bikes you mention are going to be what you want. I would
suggest you look at eBay for an alternative. You can almost always find
a Trek 800 or similar quality bike for around $100 or less (remember to
add the cost of shipping). ...
Oh, one more thought. I know around here (Raleigh, NC) there is a chain
of stores called Play it Again Sports that sometimes have used mountain
bikes for sale. At least you can look them over before laying down your
cash. No warantee, but I have seen bikes of the kind mentioned above for
well under 100... often less than 50.

I agree with the idea to look for a better-quality used bike rather than a
poor-quality new one. A few more places to look:
1) Check with local bike clubs to see if there are any 'Swap Meets' of
other sales of used bikes in your area. Our club sponsors one annually and
it's where I bought my current bike at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
2) Read descriptions for yard/garage/classified sales in your area to see
if any list bicycles for sale.
3) In many places the police periodically sell off bicycles that they've
found - some are abandoned, some are stolen but where the owners are
unknown. If there's a college nearby check with their security department
- lots of students leave behind perfectly good bikes when they graduate.

Although bikes bought at these sources may need some repairs, you can
generally try them out, make sure they fit you properly and see in what
condition they are before deciding on a purchase. If possible bring along
a friend who knows something about bike maintenance - most problems can be
fixed simply, but some (like frame damage or misalignment) should be avoided.

Kevan Smith /\/\ wrote in
:

On 9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700, (Walter Cronkite)
from http://groups.google.com/ wrote:

I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street.

You would still probably get a better bike used at an LBS.

fyi LBS means "Local Bike Shop".
LBS can be a bit daunting, especially when you see in the cabinet some
shiny widget of uncertain use that costs more than your budget for a
whole bike!

HOWEVER if you explain what you are looking for they are often a good
source of info, many will have 2nd hand bikes for sale as well. Or at
least a notice board where other people are selling.

I second the idea of not getting a new bike, If you can find someone
(either at LBS, or in a local cycling club) to look over a bike then you
can be sure you are not getting a crappy one.

I would say that any 2nd hand named manufacturer bike would be better
than the list you gave before.

Fragg

"Walter Cronkite" wrote in message
om...
I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.

There are bicycles, and there are bicycle-shaped toys. Bikes at K-mart,
Wal*Mart, Target, and toy stores are not modes of transportation and, almost
universally, are poorly assembled from already inferior components.

Go back to all your local bike shops and look at hybrids...they claim to toe
the line between road and street, but in reality, are just plain comfortable
means of biking around. See if there are any Marin dealers near you - they
make great bikes that are an excellent value, even at around $200. Also,
any decent bike shop gives a period - often lifetime - of free adjustments,
something no -Mart will. Note this does not include repair, but brake and
drivetrain adjustment, headset manipulation, etc.

Convince your parents it's worth the extra $50 - because you plan on riding
it. Buy a -Mart bike and hate it; buy a real bike and ride it.

Chris

In article ,
says...
In article , newbike101
@yahoo.com says...
I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents and
my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I can not
finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal retailers.
The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's
purpose is mountain/ or street. If anyone can offer advice regarding
the models I have listed below it would be appreciated such as "not
this one" or "give this one a try" that would be great.


Assuming you want to get a decent bike for your money, I would say that
none of the bikes you mention are going to be what you want. I would
suggest you look at eBay for an alternative. You can almost always find
a Trek 800 or similar quality bike for around $100 or less (remember to
add the cost of shipping).

If you cant get a payPal account, have a family member set one up for
you, or give them your cash and have them put it on their credit card.
All in all, eBay is often a good deal if you know what to look for. Stay
with a name brand (Trek, Specialized, etc) and you should be fine.

Oh, one more thought. I know around here (Raleigh, NC) there is a chain
of stores called Play it Again Sports that sometimes have used mountain
bikes for sale. At least you can look them over before laying down your
cash. No warantee, but I have seen bikes of the kind mentioned above for
well under 100... often less than 50.

Local bike shops will often have used bikes for $150 or less, which have
been inspected and adjusted by pros.

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

In article ,
(Walter Cronkite) wrote:

I looked over the posts for the last few days so I hope that I am
doing this right. I checked the bike shops near me and not a one
offers a bike for under $225. I have asked friends to grandparents
and my absolute ceiling is $150 give or take only a few dollars. I
can not finance at this time so I need to purchase from the lcoal
retailers.

The simple truth is that a new bike worth riding is going to cost much
more than $150. I'm sorry to say it, but all that's available in that
price range is crap. If you're only going to ride it two blocks to
your buddy's house, that may be adequate. If you live in a high risk
neighborhood where bike theft is prevalent and you have to keep it
outside (e.g., Manhattan), then a crap bike makes sense.

My cheapest bike, a single speed old track bike that I've converted to
road use, cost me about $250 all told. It's a great bike and every
bit as much fun to ride as my $2000 "good" bikes. I bought it used
from a friend to use for track racing, but now it's my commuting bike
because it isn't likely to attract the interest of thieves.

I'll echo what almost every other poster said: look for a used bike.
Bikes do not hold much resale value and are such simple machines that
used bikes are normally every bit as reliable as new bikes, unless
they've been abused.

Time for your financers to step into the 21st century as far as bike
prices go. You may want to look at finding some way to earn money and
to match the $150- that'd give you $300 and a much better chance at
getting a bike that won't be horrible to ride and will last longer
than a year. Plus your demonstration of personal responsibility will
impress them.

If you tell us where you live, we might even be able to make a
specific recommendation. People in this newsgroup are from all over
the place.

Maybe you should print out the entire thread and show it to 'em!