Bicycle Enthusiats, Look in here!

[Maniah]

Now that I have stolen your attention, can I ask for some advice? 

Just in case there is any confusion, I am talking about a pedal bicycle. Not a motorcycle. My insurance lady got confused when I talked to her about it, so I thought I would state that up front.

I'm going to buy a bicycle to ride to work. Its 1 mile there and 1 mile back. Obviously I don't need something super fancy. But I will be riding at night and in the early morning. And I will be working 10 hour shifts sometimes, so I want to get something that will be safe. If the weather changes suddenly at work, I would prefer being able to ride home. I want the brakes on it to work well also.

The last time I bought a bike, I paid right around $100 for it and I got it from WalMart. I didn't much care for it after having some time to ride it around. The brakes didnt work well and it was uncomfortable.

I've looked into buying a bike at a bike shop this time, and I experienced sticker shock. I looked at a Raleigh that was $319 I think it said "Tales 2.0" But I can't read the writing on the tag that I took a photo of very well. Another was A Raleigh Route 3.0. I also looked at a couple of Townie bikes, but they were like $450. They looked really comfortable to ride though.

I want a bike that will be comfortable to ride. I dislike the racing style bikes where you have to lean forwards alot. I like having the gear options.

So Do you have advice as to what might make a good purchase? I can go get a $100 Huffy from Academy Sports.. But if anything breaks on it I'm stuck fixing it. If I buy the more expensive bikes from the bike shop, they come with a warranty and free maintenance checkups for life. Anything other than regular wear and tear, they will fix it.

And who knows. Maybe as I continue to lose weight, I might enjoy riding it just for the heck of it. We have a few trails around here.

The good thing about all of this is that my bike is covered under my renters insurance. If I ride it to work and it gets stolen or vandalized, or if it gets hit by hair, or damaged in a fire, it's covered by my insurance.

[ZennaBug]

Find a used bike shop, you should be able to find something decent in there!  I've been riding the same bike for almost 15 years (it was my first "grown-up" bike) and it was just a $50 cheepie from a yard sale.  I'm looking to upgrade to a road bike, since mine's a heavy mountain bike and I'm going the used route myself.

For you, something with wider tires might be better for all seasons.  I rode my ancient mountain bike in the snow and rain to classes all through college and it served me well.  Since you have a short commute, you probably don't need anything too fancy.  You can buy an LED light for the front and back, I have them on mine.

I'm a fan of Schwinn, Specialized, and Trek personally.  I have a '93 Trek Antelope.

[Maniah]

Thanks for the input Zenna! With your bike, did you ever have many repairs on it? Im wondering what the price range is for the maintenance costs of a bike.

[kaoskat]

Not a clue but a used bike shop sounds like a good place to start to me too.

[melodys_angel]

Just protect it if it has to be left outside.  Rain will rust it out like nothing else.

I had a similar bike in that ive had it for 15ish years and my brother needed it to get to coop a few years ago.  Needless to say I wasnt amused to see the sate he gave it back to me in when his placement was over.

[Eviecorn]

I'm a Schwinn girl   All of my bikes have been Schwinn, and I'll probably never ride anything else.  They range quite a bit in price - I think I bought my most recent one at Academy for about $180, and it was from one of Schwinn's mid-range lines.

If you purchase a used bike, make sure its frame, chains, and brakes have been inspected.  You don't want to get a good deal only to find something breaks on you a month later which you have to replace (as used bikes are sold as-is.)

[Maniah]

Yeah.. The breakage on used bikes is what worries me most. Most of the websites I have been poking around on suggest going for a new bike from a good bike line at a bike shot. Big Box stores bikes aren't so great they say. That is, if you plan on riding it more than once a week, which I do. Id love to ride it 5 days a week.

[ZennaBug]

Thanks for the input Zenna! With your bike, did you ever have many repairs on it? Im wondering what the price range is for the maintenance costs of a bike.

I bought a new, comfier seat for it right away.  You might have to replace tires and tubes every once in a while, since rubber degrades, but that's the same with all bikes.  Mine lived outside during college, so my dad helped me take it apart once a year ans scrub and grease all the pieces to keep it in decent shape.  It would have been better off inside, but my apartment was only 400 square feet and there was no room to keep a bike in there.  A sturdy bike is pretty low-maintenance anyway.

These days, it has trouble with the gears and with the brakes, but it's also a 20 year-old bike that came from Indiana (so it had some rust) and then lived outside for 4 and a half years (more rust).  It has never needed a major repair, since i just dealt with the weird gears and brakes because my commutes were short.

[skyrocketneko]

I have a Gary Fisher mountain bike and love it. It's pretty light and the gears are excellent on it. I have no issues road biking with it.  I've only had to replace tire tubes on it. You can do maintenance on it yourself- like a car, the gears need to be lubed and such.
They are pretty expensive, but you do get what you pay for usually with bikes.

[Rocketeer]

They are pretty expensive, but you do get what you pay for usually with bikes.

I agree with this sentiment. Look to spend about $200-300 on a good used bike and you won't need another any time soon.