OK, here's my situation. I have an older piece O [censored] that I bought from Wal-mart I think, and was using for commuting to work. It looked good, with its front and rear shocks and all, but it don't seem to be built too well. I've went through 2 cranks so far, several pedals, and the derauller don't seem to be tight enough because every time I try to go faster, the chain seems to skip. I'm not up on the latest on bikes, so I was wondering if it's better to take it into a shop to see what they can do, or just buy a decent bike from a shop. It's just for commuting about 4-5 kms, and I'm not looking to spend anything over 3-400 bucks. Any advice would be appreciated.
OK, here's my situation. I have an older piece O [censored] that I bought from Wal-mart I think, and was using for commuting to work. It looked good, with its front and rear shocks and all, but it don't seem to be built too well. I've went through 2 cranks so far, several pedals, and the derauller don't seem to be tight enough because every time I try to go faster, the chain seems to skip. I'm not up on the latest on bikes, so I was wondering if it's better to take it into a shop to see what they can do, or just buy a decent bike from a shop. It's just for commuting about 4-5 kms, and I'm not looking to spend anything over 3-400 bucks. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hey newfie. If it's going to be something used for commuting and not for "real" mtb type stuff I might consider buying a used "cross" bike (sort of look like mtb-ish, but don't have the components or geometry). If you buy used you could cut that budgeted amount by more than half (maybe). If you must have new you could easily find a very capable bike at any decent lbs. I would tell them it's just for commuting and you want something comfortable that will last. They can steer you towards things that will work best for your needs. Good luck.
I would buy new from a local bike shop. I went to mine yesterday with my brother looking for a bike for my wife. There were quite a few nice bikes for under 350 USD for a Trek 4300 and 210 USD for a Trek 820. Since I assume you are in Newfoundland the prices would be a little more in Canadian dollars.
I would take the Trek 820 over any Wal-mart bike. It is already an equipment group up from the Wal-Mart bike, it is lighter and you will have some decent support if you need it from the bike shop you purchased it at.
