New Bike Purchase - Request Assistance - 15 yrs. Old

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Walter Cronkite

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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 <[email protected]>, 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

--

Remove NOT from email address to reply. AntiSpam in action.
 
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, [email protected] (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.

--
http://home.sport.rr.com/cuthulu/ human rights = peace Spreading peanut butter reminds me of opera!!
I wonder why?
5:02:11 PM 9 August 2003
 
On 9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700, Walter Cronkite <[email protected]> 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 <[email protected]>, 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 <[email protected]/\/\> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> On 9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700, [email protected] (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:

>
> ... If anyone can offer advice regarding ...
>

I got an old Nishiki road bike for $30 US here in Orlando a few weeks ago after having a bike
stolen. I had to buy some tubes --- so lets say it ran $40.

It is as light as most $1000 bikes I see, and it is much more fun *because* is was such a bargin.
Plus, if I screw it up there is not much to cry about at that low price.

Perhaps you might look around your town and see if a great little bike needs a friend to ride it.

--
Regards, Joe
 
"Walter Cronkite" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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
 
I would buy the Schwinn for 154 $ and get some slicks for it.For road riding .it your going to do
dirt some to then it not that hard to change the tires.The Schwinn is a alum frame should be light
than the rest .
PS the rest of the bikes on your list are junk .I know I have worked in a bike shop and the part are
junk and put together buy a 17 year old kid and a crescent wrench. Just enjoy what you buy .The
ebay sale thing is good I do it my self .But be careful .

--
J/O Trailblazer At large !!
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> In article <[email protected]>, 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.
 
Chris says:

>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.

Or, put another way (being a parent this one would have more effect.....):

"Convince your parents it's worth the extra $50 - because if you buy a bike-shaped toy built by a
doof with a crescent wrench it's going to hurt you someday - badly!. Buy a Mart-bike and hurt, buy a
real bike and survive."

Steve
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (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 ****. 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 **** 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!
 
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.
>
> 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

My son (a bit older than you) bought himself a $300 Mongoose full susp from Toy 'r Us. I was out
there a couple of weeks ago and that was all that was available for me to ride -- so I did :) (after
giving a good tune-up). It's not my Cannondale Jekyll, but it's also not *that* bad bike.

One thing -- it may come assembled wrong and adjusted wrong unless you're very lucky. Go to Sheldon
Brown's web site (http://sheldonbrown.com) and the Park Tools web site
(http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml) and read-up on adjusting deraileurs, levers, and
truing wheels. If you need more depth, get Barnet's Manual (I don't have the link for that one
handy -- check Google's news search engine). Go over all of the nuts and bolts and make sure
they're snugged (don't overtighten them either) and make sure that it shifts correctly (avoiding
cross gears).

David
 
"Walter Cronkite" wrote in message

> 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.

> The bike will be used only for street but I do not care if the bike's purpose is mountain/
> or street.

What will you be using the bike for? Short distance basic transportation (getting to school, running
errands, etc.)? Fitness riding? Longer rides of 30-60 miles?

If you're only going to be doing a couple of miles at a time, you might be able to make do with some
of the bikes you listed. One problem with those bikes is that they often only come in one frame size
(which may or may not be right for you). Secondly, the assembly and set-up at places like K-Mart
leave a lot to be desired. You may end up with a bike that's downright unsafe to ride.

A bike like a Trek 800 can be had new for $220 at a bike shop. It's available in five sizes, and you
will be fitted by people who know what they're doing. The bike will be assembled correctly, and
you'll get a free tune-up after a few months.

http://brandscycle.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1141&Catalog=39&sort=Price

Buying used is an option, but that has pitfalls if you're not knowlegeable about bikes. The main
thing is to get a bike that's right for your intended use, that fits you, and that will last.

One final suggestion: If you decide to buy one of the bikes you listed, by all means AVOID any with
suspension!

Art Harris
 
since you have such a limited budget try to find a ****'s Sporting goods or the like around you. The
one near me actually assembles the bikes correctly, unlike the K-Mart, Wal Mart and Target. You
should be able to get a good quality bike at ****'s for $150.

"Walter Cronkite" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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
 
[email protected] (Walter Cronkite) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

Another source for a good used bike for you might be something like Bike Works, which we have here
in Seattle. Check out the URL below:

http://www.scn.org/bikeworks/about.htm

This program gets bikes into the hands of kids (age 9 - 17) who learn also a bit about bike repair
and maintenance. Maybe your community has a similar program?

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky ([email protected])

Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Singing with you
at: http://www.tiferet.net/ Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky
 
x-no-archive:yes

> Another source for a good used bike for you might be something like Bike Works, which we have here
> in Seattle. Check out the URL below:
>
> http://www.scn.org/bikeworks/about.htm
>
> This program gets bikes into the hands of kids (age 9 - 17) who learn also a bit about bike repair
> and maintenance. Maybe your community has a similar program?
>
> Warm Regards,
>
> Claire Petersky ([email protected])

Great idea, Claire. Both Dallas and Fort Worth have these type of organizations--the Dallas one is
called Bikes for Folks, I think and the Fort Worth one is called Bikes for Tykes.

Pat in TX
 
David Kunz <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<I8pZa.2986>

> My son (a bit older than you) bought himself a $300 Mongoose full susp from Toy 'r Us. I was out
> there a couple of weeks ago and that was all that was available for me to ride -- so I did :)
> (after giving a good tune-up). It's not my Cannondale Jekyll, but it's also not *that* bad bike.

When i was just getting into bikes, i decided my 80's sport tourer piece-'o-**** needed a burlier
cousin to handle the stairs i was rolling down and the curbs i was rolling up. i boguht a 120 dollar
Ames mongoose, and spent two years adjusting it. constantly.

i knew it was going to be a POS, but i never really understood how bad a bicycle could actually be.
it was unbelievably bad. my abused 80s bike, a bike that was given away with TVs or some such, was a
better and more reliable ride than the inferior-everything of the mongoose.

>
> One thing -- it may come assembled wrong and adjusted wrong unless you're very lucky. Go to
> Sheldon Brown's web site (http://sheldonbrown.com) and the Park Tools web site
> (http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml) and read-up on adjusting deraileurs, levers, and
> truing wheels. If you need more depth, get Barnet's Manual (I don't have the link for that one
> handy -- check Google's news search engine). Go over all of the nuts and bolts and make sure
> they're snugged (don't overtighten them either) and make sure that it shifts correctly (avoiding
> cross gears).

barnett's manual would be a little overkill, i think. a great manual for a new biker is the
bicycling magazine (jim langley, IIRC) 'complete' manual. its cheap, its comprehensive among the
basic repairs across a range of types of bicycles. It is nicely illustrated, etc. I cant say i use
it anymore, but it was an invaluable reference when i was bike-naieve, and prevented me from doing
silly things like trying to unscrew left-handed threads the wrong way, stuff like that. having a
broad refernce like this was very helpful to me. even though i often use the specialized web
resources of sheldon and park and so on, having it all layed out in one book all together made a
world of difference to me when i was starting out.

like every other poster said.. Used! absolutely. i just had to reaffirm it.

perhaps theyve already been mentioned, but there are a few other places to look for used bicycles.
pawn shops can work, althoguh they are sketchy at best. college campuses are good, but security
staff are generally not too willing to hook you up because of all the red tape. yard sales are
perfect, although you must make sure you dont make the insult-upon-injury mistake of buying a used
department store bicycle. best of all, but only for the few and the lucky who have 'em- thrift
stores which get a lot of bicycles. i used to live near three excellent thrift stores in CT, and for
a time i coudl expect to find a good salvage for 20 bucks. add 40 bucks of bits and pieces to that,
and you have a respectable road machine. add 100 bucks of bits and pieces, and you have a
dependable, perhaps even good looking, ride.

where i live now, there seem to be no thrift stores. people seem to leave their bikes on the side of
the road and they get re-assigned new homes for free. so keep an eye out. finally- some bike stores
see a lot of old bikes come and go. it seems to be an intuitive thing for some customers to drop off
their old bike at the bike shop when they no longer want it. ive seen a lot of bikes get thrown
away. bike shop might get you on the right track here.

g'luck,

anthony
 
Buying those bikes will give you valuable experience in fixing stuff.

On 9 Aug 2003 14:33:37 -0700, [email protected] (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.
>
>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
 
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