Should I Buy A Ready Made Bike Or Customized?

Should I buy a ready made bike or customized? I'm thinking of buying a bike to be used mainly for city cycling for around 10 to 12 miles. I have a budget of around $250 to $300. I'm thinking of buying a ready made bike and there were a couple of brands on sale... What brand can you recommend that would fall under my budget? My friend said that bikes on sale on the mall are "built to self destruct" and that I should have one customized instead... any advice?

 

If you would ask me, I would buy the ready made bike. It is okay to assemble a customized bike but it will cost more in money and also more in time. My reason is that I would test ride the bike and if it fits me perfectly then I can buy it. And if it doesn't then look for another in the rack. But when there's no bike in that store that fits me then maybe I would go to another store. I don't believe in that "self destruct" thing because who is in his right mind to sell such bikes?

 

For basic point a to point b commuting, a ready made bike will more than suit your needs.

You don't have to buy from the mall if you don't trust the quality. Try looking up some local bike shops instead and see if they have anything that fits your budget. A lot of the places that do repairs around here sell bikes secondhand and you'll often find something of a higher quality that's at a department store price because it's a few years old or a little beat up.

You could spend the extra money on something customized, but even if you plan to do that I would recommend starting on something a little less expensive for awhile. It gives you a better idea of which features you'll want and which you can do without before you commit to a big purchase.

 

Since you're not going to be cycling very far, preferably buy the ready made bike. One can still purchase a good quality bike at the shopping mall. Try and purchase your bike from a specialist store rather than a large hyper market chain, if this is possible. They tend to give better service and are far more knowledgeable on bicycles. They should also have good deals or offer discounts, depending on the competition present in the area the store is doing business in.

 

I think a bike fresh from the shelf is fine if you are going to use it for city riding as you have mentioned. Although you can still opt for a customized one if you so desire. If you think you will regret it if you did not choose the latter then by all means follow your desire.

 

For what you want to do, a custom would be a total waste of money. And it will hurt a lot more when it gets stolen. Which is what usually happens, eventually, to bikes used for city commuting.

 

[email protected] thankd for the advice! Do you have any brands you can recommend? Is Giant any good? @mpre53 I guess i need to take extra precaution i would hate for it to get stolen

 

I would suggest you to buy a readymade bike. Customization can cost you much more then ready made and moreover drawback of customization is its service. If you face any problem with the bike, it is very difficult to get a quick service for a customized bike. Readymade bikes can be easily purchased and transported to our location. You can even visirt WeWillTransportIt for shipping your bike to your location.

 

Yep, me too. If you want to customize a bike it's better to do it yourself, buy the parts you want, it will become cheaper.

 

Giant is a very good brand. In fact, they build frames for many other companies, such as Trek and Cannondale.

Invest in a good lock, make sure both wheels are secured as well as the frame, and remove the seat post and saddle and bring it inside with you. That's right, people do steal seat posts and saddles.

 

Alright but what about folding bikes vs a ready made city bike? Which one is better in terms of cost and suitability for daily commute? Most of the folding bikes i saw come cheaper, and the sales guy told me that its speed is comparable to road bikes even though they have smaller wheels because their plates are actually bigger than road bikes...

 

The speed of one of those things may be comparable to a road bike's in the city, but out on the open roads, it won't even come close. So the sales guy wasn't totally full of bullshit.

 

Hi, I'm a newbie and I want to get involved in your quest on obtaining a new bike.I know a bikeshop with a great deal and the owner is open to talk to you about your needs. That said, a bike which is tailored fit to your age, purpose and budget.

 

Mine is ready made and I swear by it! I picked it up in one of the sales some years back and it's lasted me while giving me very little, if any, problems.

With that budget I think ready made would be the way to go.

 

Off-the-rack if your needs aren't that unique and cost and value are a high consideration. Custom if your needs are really extraordinary, or you want to make a hobby out of tinkering with your bike, or you have a pile of money you don't mind spending, or you feel compelled to make your bike the center of attention at your weekly group ride.

 

I suspect your friend's reference to "customized" is different than what is typically thought of as "custom" by the cycling community. Truly made-to-measure (custom) bicycle frames are typically $1,800 - $4,000+. That's just the frame.

More likely, your friend was referring to a bicycle from an established bicycle manufacturer with good quality components. Then, purchasing that bicycle from a retailer with enough knowledge and experience to adjust the bike to fit you properly. That may require simple adjustments, or may require substituted components (as opposed to custom) that allow for more adjustment than the pre-configured bicycle allows. Shorter or longer stems, handlebars, and different seats are often swapped in/out to better adapt a bicycle to you. Department stores rarely (if ever) can provide this level of service/support.

12 miles isn't like riding across the country, but on a bike that doesn't fit you comfortably it can be 12 loooong miles.

 

You can always start with a good base bike and then trade out parts if you find something cool/feel inclined. It can be fun to pay around with your set up. Lots of good used stuff out there.

 

I think that custom-made bikes are better than regular bikes. However, most custom-made bikes are a bit more expensive. Yet, the quality of a custom-made bike is supposed to be superior to regular bikes. Keep in mind that this is not always the case. So, if you are willing to spend a little more, I would recommend a custom-made bike. Good luck!

 

I second this, cheap bikes from malls are usually much poorer quality than bought elsewhere, and there's no point in buying a cheap bike if you spend more money on repairs in two years (this happened to my friend once!) than on the purchase itself. If you are on a limited budget, buy a used bike, you can often find ones that were not used too much by the previous owner, and they're sold at much lower prices than new ones.