Best inexpensive/cheap bicycle brand?

[Mr.Ace]

Does anyone have any opinions on this? I'd like to buy a bike, probably mountain bike style with the front shocks.

I remember when I was about 12 years old, my dad bought my brother and I bikes, they were Raleigh brand, probably cost $150, pretty cheap basic bikes, 21 speed, front shocks, the gear shifters where you just click a button to move between them. And I rode it to and from school for years, really rough handling of it in ravines and trails etc. And it still works absolutely fine today, except my brother has it at his place on the other side of the country since I moved..

I wouldn't mind getting the same thing, but I just wanted to see if anyone has any ideas. I see with spring here a lot of the stores are offering low end bikes for 40, 50% off.

[jd_1138]

Giants are decent bikes -- a little bit more pricey than the Wal-Mart brands.

[blary54]

There really is no best cheap bike brand. You get what you pay for with bikes.

Bike manufacturers makes low end and high end bikes. I would recommend maybe trying to get a used bike. You can get a decent bike with decent components.

[Mojo88]

It all depends on the type of riding that you are doing. If it is just casual riding on paved paths and not hardcore off road mountain biking, then an entry level bike is fine. One thing to consider is bike maintence, the cables will stretch on the first 50 miles or so and will need to be adjusted. If you can do it yourself it's not a big deal, if not then a local bike shop can do it for you. If you get the bike somewhere else and take it to a shop it might take a while to get it tuned up. I bought a Trek 7.1 last year and the shop offered a free tune up for the first year.

However, no matter how good the deal is, if the bike doesn't fit it is not worth anything. A bike that is not sized properly will wear you out quicker on a 10 mile ride as opposed to a bike that is fitted on a 20 mile ride. Saddles are important also, I sufferered until I was fitted at a shop.The best bet is to go to a local bike shop and get fitted for a bike.

In my opinion I would also get a helmet, a helmet saved my son from a severe head injury. He slid in some gravel and hit a mailbox head on. It destroyed the helmet, but he walked away. Helmets are a huge topic of debate, but I never ride without one.

[mgiah]

SWMBO and I did the cheap route from the local big box and the quality was horrid. We returned them when both bikes turned up defective after the first couple rides. We went to the local bike shop and picked up a much better quality bikes for not much more $. Any average size shop should have a good selection of new and used bikes in a range of prices. We're not serious cyclers, but IMHO it's worth paying a little more for a higher quality bike. Better than pushing a piece of junk home.

[Wsamsky]

I would check out performance bike if there is one locally, there brand is decent and they have good prices on other brand bikes.

[TimmyBoston]

Buy a used, Trek, Giant, or other good brand.

[jesta384]

CRAIGSLIST.

I got a $1200 Canondale mountain bike with a only a couple years on it, decent tires and breaks, a few MINOR scratches, for $125 from a guy looking to just dump it before he moved.

Research too. spend some time on bike forums..even lurk if you dont register....

[TheGravedigger]

I've got a Trek I've been very happy with.

[MikeP]

Three things:

1) Check out your local bike shop first. Stay away from the big box stores (with one exception - see #2). Cheap bikes come with horrible components and they're heavy. My father in law had a Mongoose with a cheap rear suspension that broke on a paved trail. He could have been hurt *bad*.

2) If your local shop doesn't have anything in your price range, check out the Forge line of bikes. I have the Sawback 5xx and love it. They come with good quality components, they're light, and they aren't very expensive for what you're getting. You can get them through Target. This is the only bike you would want to get through a big box store. The cool thing is you can find Target coupon codes online and get free shipping, 20% off, etc. I got mine for $250 after coupons and stuff. Awesome bike.

3) If you don't mind going used, check Craigslist for Specialized bikes. Any of them are good (Stumpjumper/Rockhopper/etc.). Probably some of the most durable, quality mountain bikes out there. Just like with anything used, though, check it over and make sure it's safe for riding.

Mountain biking is an incredible sport to get into. It's good for your health (unless you're crashing all the time like me), it makes you appreciate nature a little more, and it's an activity that your entire family can get into. I love it.

[Subrage]

Mountain biking is an incredible sport to get into. It's good for your health (unless you're crashing all the time like me), it makes you appreciate nature a little more, and it's an activity that your entire family can get into. I love it.

+1

Bought one 3 years ago. The only thing that keeps me off it, is the cold weather...

[cthip]

If you don't mind going used, check Craigslist for Specialized bikes. Any of them are good (Stumpjumper/Rockhopper/etc.). Probably some of the most durable, quality mountain bikes out there. Just like with anything used, though, check it over and make sure it's safe for riding.

this.

i bought an old steel-frame rockhopper for $50 and probably put another $80 into it (new tires, chain, cable, etc). it's bulletproof and survived the fall that broke both my radius and ulna with hardly a scratch. it still rides like a dream, unfortunately i don't get to mountain bike much anymore.

learn to do basic maintenance yourself, it will save you a TON of money in the long run and you learn about how the bike works as you go. there are lots of great guides online.

also, do your research about the shock suspension bikes. most shocks on bikes under $1000 are fairly worthless and regardless of price they will require more maintenance/adjustment than a hard fork.

mtbr.com is a good place to do research

if you absolutely MUST buy new, be prepared for some sticker-shock. expect to pay $50-$100 for a basic tune-up/set-up on any new bike, or learn to do it yourself. local retailers won't charge you for this, but the price is usually built into the cost of the bike itself. this is a good basis for comparison shopping.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mountain_bikes.htm

prices are about on par with the lowest prices you'd find at retail stores (~40% discount). mechanical components might be designs from a year or two ago, but they are mostly name-brand and that stuff doesn't really change all that often. frame designs are usually copies of name-brand frames from 2-3 years ago, and again that stuff hasn't really changed much in the past 10 years! i would probably avoid their bottom-end stuff, which can be sorta crappy but pretty much any of their mid to high-end bikes are on par with what you'd find at performance bike or similar shops.

just about EVERYTHING is made in taiwan/china these days, so don't overpay for brand names. true made in usa or made in italy stuff usually costs $3000+

if you must have a suspension fork, this is about the cheapest i could recommend in good conscience:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_trail08.htm
solid components, and the rockshox dart3 fork is probably the lowest/cheapest that could be considered an acceptable/decent/reliable fork (don't get it confused with the dart1 or dart2, they're junk!). keep in mind that on a true mountain-bike the tires will be much too knobby to ride on the pavement--they buzz/vibrate, are really slow, and will wear out prematurely if you ride them on the street a lot. i'd only recommend this if you ride more than 50% off-road

if you're like most people, and ride 80-90% on the street, i'd recommend something like this:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gt/gt_tachyon_3.htm
it's much cheaper, and the components aren't as nice as the previous bike, but they're still serviceable. nothing here is gonna fall apart on you. the gearing and tires are more appropriate for roads and the solid fork will actually be MORE comfortable and efficient on pavement. suspension forks are very heavy and if they don't have a good lockout feature, much of your pedaling effort gets absorbed by the shock--slowing you down and tiring you out quicker. this bike comes with road tires so again you'd need to change the tires (a 10 minute job) if you wanted to do some serious off-roading.

[truegreen]

Is there a bike forum that you guys recommend? I am soooo greatful that I read a lot in the B&B forum before taking on the wet shaving. Thanks to all the B&B folks and B&B, it saved me a lot of headaches and help me avoid costly mistakes.

Is there a similar forum for mountain biking? or biking in general?

[LeverTime]

Is there a bike forum that you guys recommend? I am soooo greatful that I read a lot in the B&B forum before taking on the wet shaving. Thanks to all the B&B folks and B&B, it saved me a lot of headaches and help me avoid costly mistakes.

Is there a similar forum for mountain biking? or biking in general?


bikeforums.net is the main one I read.

[Crixus]

While we're in a bike thread, anybody know anything about inexpensive one-speed/coaster brake cruisers for us leisurely older guys. My use would be on paved, pretty level Rails to Trails paths.

I'll assume they're heavy and made in China. But I'll also assume they don't need much more than general oiling and occasional washdowns.

Would I be correct? Anyone use them, or know folks that do?

[LeverTime]

While we're in a bike thread, anybody know anything about inexpensive one-speed/coaster brake cruisers for us leisurely older guys. My use would be on paved, pretty level Rails to Trails paths.

I'll assume they're heavy and made in China. But I'll also assume they don't need much more than general oiling and occasional washdowns.

Would I be correct? Anyone use them, or know folks that do?

I have a vintage Raleigh sub-brand. In my opinion:

If you live in or near a big city, check out Craigslist. You can often find vintage ones for much less than a new one, and they will usually be much better made. They are bomb proof, so if it work when you buy it, and you oil it occasionally, you shouldn't have many issues.

[datzc]

A little off the subject, but does anyone here routinely commute to work on a bike? I've thought about it off and on for years. The things that argue in favor are saving money on gas, less pollution, and exercise. Against the idea is bad weather, two big hills between my house and work, lots of traffic, including some 4-lanes, having to change clothes at work, and the fact I have a briefcase I carry back and forth between work and home.

[LeverTime]

A little off the subject, but does anyone here routinely commute to work on a bike? I've thought about it off and on for years. The things that argue in favor are saving money on gas, less pollution, and exercise. Against the idea is bad weather, two big hills between my house and work, lots of traffic, including some 4-lanes, having to change clothes at work, and the fact I have a briefcase I carry back and forth between work and home.

I commute to work by bicycle when the weather is nice, otherwise I drive. I have a 10 mile commute each way, but I think it's great for saving some money and getting exercise. It takes me about an hour on my bike, compared with about 45 minutes (or more if there's an accident) when I drive. I also feel a lot more relaxed spending my commute on a bike than in my car, so that's worth something. To start, why not try it only when the weather is nice? Then if you decide you are really hardcore, you could try doing it in bad weather.

One strategy that works well, at least where I live, is to avoid traffic by taking smaller side streets. It's sort of a different way of thinking than if you were driving a car. In a car, I wouldn't take these streets because of the low speed limits, stop signs, lots of turns, cars aren't allowed to cut through the park, etc, but on a bike they are not much of an issue. Perhaps you can try going to Google Maps and looking for a route that avoids the main roads?

I have a briefcase, but if I am riding my bike I just dump my laptop and my papers into a bag that sits on the rack in the rear of my bike instead, and then bring that inside. I also put my change of clothes in there. This is obviously situation specific, but for me it's not a big deal to change in the bathroom stall when I get to work. I used to put my briefcase in a basket on the back of my bike, but since I don't need to carry it around once I get to work, I decided bringing the briefcase was just extra weight.

[Legion]

+1 on Giants. They seem reasonable and reliable, and they have something for every price point.

[RalphKNS]

The Raleigh Mojave 2.0 is available for under $300. It's a 21-speed entry-level mountain bike (with front shocks, as you mentioned you wanted) that can be double as a very capable concrete/asphalt machine by switching the stock tires for smooth ones, and adding fenders to keep your clothes dry and clean. The riding position is somewhat "aggressive" for me, because I have scoliosis. If you like to sit upright like I do, there's an inexpensive product called the Delta Threadless Riser Stem that, once installed, will give you a more "relaxed" riding position.

I also recommend replacing the stock saddle with something more comfortable. What constitutes "comfortable" is a very individual matter. I like "noseless" saddles, but most people don't care for them. I also like saddles with springs; these work great to absorb bumps and spares delicate tissues from shock. Don't listen to sales pitches when you're shopping for a saddle. Read reviews, shop around, and buy what you like.

With the addition of fenders (for city use, take them off or don't bother if you're only riding off-road), a better saddle, and the (very optional) riser stem, your total cost should still be well under $400 for a completely new bicycle that you can use on the road, or on easy off-road trails. You might be able to find a better deal on Craigslist, but if not, this is a great bike and it's a real bargain.

[RalphKNS]

While we're in a bike thread, anybody know anything about inexpensive one-speed/coaster brake cruisers for us leisurely older guys. My use would be on paved, pretty level Rails to Trails paths.

I'll assume they're heavy and made in China. But I'll also assume they don't need much more than general oiling and occasional washdowns.

Would I be correct? Anyone use them, or know folks that do?

If it's a single-speed, there is very little to go wrong with it. I've seen the Schwinn-branded Pacific Cycle bikes at big box stores and, for the price, they're not that bad for light use. Single-speeds are just great for rides on level ground and they are very low-maintenance. Those bikes will be heavy and made in China though, you're right about that. But these days, almost any bike under $1000 is heavy and made in China, even those at bike shops.

Just make sure the bike is in good working order. OFTEN bikes assembled at big box stores are assembled wrong, and this can create a hazard for you if something fails at the wrong moment. Check to be sure the braking system works well and can bring you to a stop quickly and easily, and save your receipt in case anything is defective..

[_MementoMori_]

Crixus, you might like the bicycles by Bowery Lane Bicycles. They're one speed cruisers that are actually made in New York city. I have the Broncks Black model and I love it.