I want to get a bike to get some exercise everyday and burn some calories and have a small fun riding around while I am doing it. Do I really need to spend $600+ dollars on a bike at a bike a store or can a $100 dollar Butt/Walmart bike do the trick?
Also, what kid a bike must I get? Mountain, 12 speed, etc?
WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike SeatProduct Description The WeeRide Kangaroo Center Mounted Child Carrier offers an award-winning design that allows childr… More >>
Racor Pro PSB-1R Single Folding Bike RackStore bikes flat against the wall for maximum use of space with this folding bike rack from Racor. Two arms support the … More >>
Disclaimer: This site is a paid affiliate of Amazon.com
The bikes that you buy at a bike shop have much, much better parts. I’ve been a bike criterion my whole life (47 now) and you’ll be much more pleased to just spend the extra money and get something you’ll delight in. Currently, I ride a Trek 1200 road bike (I also have several other bikes). The Trek 1200 is the “cheapest” road bike I would ever buy. It is a very nice bike and it cost me about $800 two years ago.
————————-
If you are going to be doing off-road riding down dirt paths then buy a mountain bike. If you’re riding on paved roads, the road bikes are much quicker.
If you ride bikes just for fun or on the weekend, you can doubtless get by with a $100 bike from Butt/Walmart. The $600+ bikes are usually made with better composite materials so they are lighter. Also, the more expensive bikes have better seats, better braking systems. Besides, expensive bikes are more likely to get stolen or have parts (such as the suspension fork) stolen.
It’s all up to you. But, for me, a $100 bike does the job, I couldn’t justify spending several hundred dollars more on a “better” bike. Don’t forget the helmet!
The difference is the same as cars. The bikes at Wall mart and Butt would be the equivalent of a cheat affordable car like a KIA or such. The bike at the bike store are more like a Mercedes Benz. They are place together better and will last you a lifetime if you take care of them. They will not break on you, and rust. The mechanism is that much better and precise. The breaks are disc not rubber pads against the rim. Those brakes will hold you no topic what. The kind of bike depends on what you want out of the bike. If you plot everyday usage. Buy a bike that is excellent for on road and off road, 21 speeds is more the norm than 12 speed, even in butt or wall mart bikes.
Excellent luck
P.S I had both, the 165 dollar Butt bikes and the 1200 dollar Cannondale
they say the more you spend the better the product but…when I was growing up,all my friends parents bought their kids $400. 10 speeds,my mom couldn’t do that paying mortgage and taking care of 2 kids so she bought me a $80. 10 speed. it weighed 12lbs more then my buddie’s bikes but : it didn’t come apart,needn’t cost much to keep going. my friends bikes seemed to constantly come apart and the repair bills we’re huge.some of them kept replacing and return their nice costly bikes, not me.I got it at age 15 I ‘hidden it age 19, the miles I did on it was 67k. not terrible for a ‘cheap’ TSS special! what to get? depends on what you use it for.
Just riding around, the $100 bike is doubtless OK. I keep a beater around for just that purpose. I rather MTB style, since the tires resist flats better. Its going to be heavier and slower than a road bike, but you’re looking for exercise anyway, right?
That said, don’t expect it to stand up to any significant distance, or hard off road use. I’ve snapped the frames on a couple of cheap bikes.
FWIW, I’ve also got an expensive triathlon bike, and a more moderately priced MTB for racing and serious riding.
There is a couple reasons Butt is cheap:
1. huge retailers have buying power and can demand lower prices from the wholesaler/manufacturer.
2. the cheap bikes sold there are mass produced on a very large scale – economy of scale.
3. cheap bikes are usually entirely assembled in China as are many parts – cheap overstress
4. final assembly is done buy lower skilled store employees to less exacting values.
5. no service is provided at a Butt. No free tune ups or other help.
6. they commonly sell the very cheapest quality bike.
So, do you need a $600 bike? Only you know that. If you want a bike that will work well for many years and be tuned free for a period of time after buy and get excellent advice before and after the buy visit your LBS. If you will ride your bike hard – trails, long and frequent riding buy from the shop.
If you can work on you bike and have a excellent knowledge of how the thing works mechanically maybe you don’t need support. If your keen to tinker with cheap equipment constantly and don’t mine the bike by no means effective as well as it must buy at Butt. If you’re simply going to ride on the occasion around the block or at the park and one-size-fits all works for you then buy at Butt.
As for what kind of bike? I don’t know what you want to do so I can’t answer that.
(please excuse spelling errors- spell checker is acting up again)
The personal health and financial benefits of using a bicycle can be significant; Riding for recreation, riding for small errands, using bicycle rides for entertainment, maybe even some bike commuting -saves some significant money while making you healthier and know your locality better.
Considering these benefits, you force want to consider that this is not an expense, but an investment in yourself. And that if this venture is successful, you may end up with more than one bike for more than one purpose- Nice to have a back up bike when tinkering with the other one, and a bike for an out of town buddy to ride with you.
So figure what your first needs are,. proabably like you stated, intown general purpose, and do some research on the benefits and issues with different styles of bikes.
Road bikes are a small finicky on less than perfect terrain, but they are really quick and simple to pedal. Even cheap Mountain bikes are excellent on dirt roads and handling small pot holes, but are less efficient in turning your pedal power into miles travelled.
Inbetween bikes- sometimes called comfort bikes, cross bikes or hybreds, force make a excellent starter bike. The money off supplies are early to involve them.
In addition to the bike, you will want some accessories to make things more useable this time of year- lights, lock, rack, flat prevention material, helmet of course, and a maintence book.
Dont worry too much about the saddle or the tires- you will doubtless change these on any bike to suit your preference and needs.
Ride several bikes before committing, but make sure the bikes are setup well before riding. A excellent time of year to shop.
check the better line of cross bikes at your money off store, then compare to the entry level line sales at your Local bike shop’s . Not a lot of difference when you know what your are getting.
Oh – check Craigslist in your area too.
Or just get a $25 anything used multispeed bike for now, then you will really know what your want next by next month.
My two cents:
I’ll simply be echoing here what many other people have said: it wholly depends on what you want to do with the bike. In my experience, a cheap bike can hold up well and if not needed for anything severe, it will doubtless meet the task.
Case in point: This June I got a SIXTY DOLLAR bike at Wal-Mart—the second cheapest bike in their inventory—since it was all I could afford at the time. I was using the bike primarily for commuting, and it served that purpose well most of the time. The brakes, while fantastic for as cheap as the bike was, wore out pretty quickly and don’t work very well at all right now. The frame was also WAY too small for my body (I stand just shy of 6′1″), so when I could afford it I more or less NEEDED a new bike. I spent $380 dollars on a bike at a local shop and I couldn’t be more pleased.
If you won’t be riding your bike 12-24 miles a day a few times a week like I do, though, your experience will most likely vary. For occasional riding I reflect a cheap bike will be fine; you must, but, keep in mind that it is not top of the line and you must expect for things to go incorrect once in a while.
The absolute most vital factor in owning a bike, at least in my experience, is culture how to maintain it. Even with a cheap bike, if you keep things well-adjusted, lubed, etc., you must be able to get a decent amount of use out of. It will doubtless be value your money, in other words.
Excellent luck.
Like comparing a Yugo to a BMW…Bikes from Butt, Walmart, K-Mart, ect are JUNK as far as quality is. 12 speeds are way out of date. Most mountain bikes are 21 speed or higher. Road bikes are no less than 14 speed. These $100 bikes won’t last long if you’re serious about riding. Go to a real bike store.
I checked around for road bikes for my 9 & 11 year ancient. The butt bikes where about $250 but the weighed over 35 lbs. I bought 2 hybrid Fuji’s at Reality Bikes in Cumming Ga. for $450 but the weighed only 25lbs. Weight and componentry makes a huge differance. Sorry for the spelling.
There are a number of differences between “department store” bikes and bike shop bikes. I am an avid mountain biker so this mostly relates to mountain bikes, but the principals apply to both on and off-road bikes. (I bought a relatively cheap bike shop bike about 18 months ago, a Mongoose Wing Comp ($450) with mid-range componentry but with terrible rims; I have by now replaced it with a Jamis Dakar XC Comp ($1,800). The Mongoose has a decent frame, but the componentry just won’t hold up; I am a fan of saving your money and buying a better bike; you will be much more pleased and you won’t get trapped on a trail since of sub-standart equipment)
First, the frames are not designed to be ridden the same; on all dpt. store bikes, there is a sticker that will warn you that this bike is not made for jumping or competitive riding; the metal is much cheaper and often much heavier, more brittle, welds are not as excellent, the derailleru hangers are not replacable (MTB) which is extremely vital when you start doing more off-road riding.
Second, the rims will more than likely be single-walled or extremely cheap double-walled that will not stand up to any abuse on an off-road trail. On my Mongoose mentioned above, I had to replace both rims within 4 weeks of buying the bike. The hubs will also be commonly “recreational” and will fall apart after 3-4 months, if the rims last that long.
Third, the derailleurs will be bottom-of-the-line. They will more than likely need continuous adjustment and maintenance. They also are much slower when shifting than the more expensive set-ups.
Another really weak point is the handlebars; they don’t use a very expensive component and I have seen several broken handlebars in the past. This can be extremely perilous and can cause you to really injur yourself.
Finally (not really, but I’m discussion too much), the dept. store bikes will all be one size and that force or force not fit you or your needs.
Bottom line, the department store bikes will work fine for you if you don’t plot to do any serious off-road riding (jumping, rocks, downhill, etc.) or if you don’t plot on riding each day. If you must buy a department-store bike, make sure you are buying something with Shimano “Tourney” or “Altus” deraillerus; the low-end SRAM or the Falcon that I have seen are not going to last and will require continuous maintenance and adjustment; you won’t be fortunate. Also, don’t ride the bike harder than it was designed to be ridden. There are several bikes in the $400-$700 range made by Jamis and Trek. Also, since it is nearing the end of a model year, you must be able to find some 2007 models at discounted prices, sometimes as much as 25%. If you can find $400 to $500, then you will have some luck, you just have to look. Here are some websites that you force want to look at. BEFORE you buy anything, RIDE IT!!! Don’t let anyone sell you a bike that they are not keen to let you at least buzz around the parking lot. Excellent luck and fortunate riding!!!
http://www.jamisbikes.com
http://www.trekbikes.com
http://www.giant-bicycles.com
Huffy Recall Notices:
42 hits of various Huffy products falling apart.