bike questions

[kevinf]

i have a few questions about bikes. if i buy bikes at stores like walmart and target, than do i assemble it my self or just bring it home asembled. another question is if roadmaster is a good brands as the brands like schwinn, and giant is too expensive

[Cricket]

I think you have a choice how you want to take the bike home from Walmart...either assembled or in the box. Assembled will cost you extra.

Roadmaster? Roadmaster, Royce Union, Huffy, etc...those bicycle brands you see in department stores are what we call "anchor bikes" because they're so heavy and cheaply made. They're "okay" if you're just going to pedal around the neighborhood, but don't even think of using one if you're going to seriously take up cycling.

Brands like Schwinn, Giant, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, etc...are more expensive because they're much better bicycles than the "anchor bikes".

What kind of bicycle are you looking for and what will you be doing with it? Serious cycling or just puttering around the neighborhood?

:) Cricket

[kevinf]

i am going to ride around neiborhood and ride to school with it, i want a mountain bike though, what do u mean by serious cycling, and please recommand as cheap as possible

[Cricket]

i am going to ride around neiborhood and ride to school with it, i want a mountain bike though,Oh, then just get the Roadmaster (if it's a mountainbike).

:) Cricket

[glc]

Kevin, the bottom line is you get what you pay for. The better a bike is, the easier it is to ride and the more enjoyment you will get out of it - and the longer it will last. I don't know how it is these days, but a Schwinn used to be the best compromise between a clunky bike and a quality bike - and they lasted forever.

[Hi Ho]

I have a Mongoose mountain bike from Wal-Mart. It has held up fairly well. It was only $99 four years ago. It has an aluminum frame, handle bars and wheels and is very light. There are a few steel parts mixed with the aluminum which have rusted but keeping it away from the ocean should prevent that (happened after having it at the ocean for a week). The other problem I had was the crankshaft fell apart. The sprocket fell off of the pedal shaft. I would recommend a one piece crank if you can find one.

[Cricket]

I don't know how it is these days, but a Schwinn used to be the best compromise between a clunky bike and a quality bike - and they lasted forever.Actually, Schwinn bikes are pretty good quality nowadays, not like before. I think Schwinn may actually be owned by Trek now.

But like glc says...you get what you pay for. From my own experience, cheap bikes are a pain to work on and not easy to maintain properly because the parts wear out so fast. Better bikes come with better parts that perform better and last much longer.

But if cost is a major concern and you don't plan to do any racing or century rides, the Roadmaster should work out for you nicely.

:) Cricket

[lil Jimmie]

Schwinn bikes built after 2001 are considered to be in the anchor group. Schwinn is now owned by Pacific Cycles.

You do get what you pay for and if you do by a department store bike go over it with a fine tooth comb and make sure every nut and bolt is tight, rims are not bent and hope the geometry fits your body size.

Prices for a good bike with decent componets will start around $400.00

Fuji makes a decent entry level bike http://www.bikesdirect.com

[Cricket]

Schwinn bikes built after 2001 are considered to be in the anchor group. Schwinn is now owned by Pacific Cycles.Really? I guess I've been out of the game a long time...I didn't know Schwinn's were that bad now. Pretty sad considering their history.

:) Cricket

[glc]

As long as we are talking history - I had a Schwinn middleweight with a 3 speed Sturmey-Archer hub gearbox - (this was what - 40 years ago?) - and it was indestructible - God knows I tried! It survived a daily and Sunday paper route with a front basket and twin rear side baskets for several years.

[mc2phat]

My wife worked at Wal-mart. The Mongoose bikes were troublesome...a lot of returns for the front shocks. You can score a Mongoose for cheap and upgrade parts on it as you have the $$ though. Better brakes, Rock Shox, & titanium parts make them decent to own.

[Hi Ho]

Hmmmm.... Well the front shocks on mine seem to work fine. Maybe I was just lucky.

[ktkendall]

It really does depend upon the riding your going to do, and for the type of riding your going for a walmart, or Target bike should do fine. I would get the best one I could though from either of those stores. I would actually go with a lower end quality name brand from a bike shop though. I just bought my son a Raleigh from a local shop for just a bit over 200 dollars and I am well pleased with the quality as compared to dept store bike, and with shop you get much better service, quality assembly, usually a free tune up after the cables stretch and all, and the crankshafts are basically junk on those dept store bikes, but if your not going to be cranking up alot of major hills you'll be OK. Can't hurt to see if any local bikeshops have anything you could afford, you'd be much better off. The above mentioned comments are true as I have found out because I have now migrated up to a steel/carbon true road bike in the 1000 dollar range and am finding that it can take what I'm dishing out, as I have rode about 4000 miles last year, 2 centuries, and do some pretty intense hill climbing. Anyways one other thought that occurs to me though is that it sounds like your looking for a basic transportation bike and will be locking it up at schol while your in class, so if it were me I really wouldn't want one too nice for that cause if its too nice it may certainly attract a thief.. Good Riding and good luck.

BTW: Got a 40 mile ride in today and was great to be able to ride here in W. PA on New Years Day, 60 degrees and partly sunny, in fact we were spared here from the winter storm that devestated areas as close as Cleveland..

[mc2phat]

Hi Ho,
That info was from late 2002- early 2003, They may have changed the shocks, the supplier, etc now. I'd recommend, for a cheap basic transportation bike, the Mongoose over anything else at Wally World. I rode one around the neighborhood and it "felt" like a more expensive bike to me than it is. It definitely felt better than a Huffy/Roadmaster to me. I'm not even a novice when it comes to bicycles though. ktkendall's post makes a lot of sense.

[kevinf]

what is the best quality bike i can get between 100-130

[ktkendall]

I had a Mongoose Rocadile that I put smoother tires on for road and rails-trails riding and it worked quite well but as I rode more and more the crank became the problem. It would keep loosening up and develop play in it, but as I said it just wasn't made for the long and hilly road riding I'm into now. It was previous years model for 179 clearanced, So I suppose that for 100-130 range I would stll check local bike shop for possible clearance bike, especially this time of year is the best time at those local shops, you may just luck into one heck of a deal, but if not I would go to Target or Walmart and go with the Roadmaster, Mongoose, or Schwinn but avoid Huffy. I talked to a local shop owner here and Schwinn took their business right out from him with no notice and have given it to WalMart. Schwinn is truly not what they used to be but it would be top of the line for walmart.
I got 10 years out of my old Schwinn I bought in 1992 for around 200 at a real Schwinn Bike shop out in SoCal. Loved riding that one down to the beach and back..

[Cricket]

Have you considered buying a used bike? For $100-$130 you could actually get a pretty good used bike since bikes don't really hold their value too well. You might luck out and get a used bike that may have cost around $400 to $500 when bought new...and that would be a pretty good deal for a pretty good bike.

:) Cricket

[Force Flow]

My wife worked at Wal-mart. The Mongoose bikes were troublesome...a lot of returns for the front shocks. You can score a Mongoose for cheap and upgrade parts on it as you have the $$ though. Better brakes, Rock Shox, & titanium parts make them decent to own.

I've had 3 $80-$100 bikes from walmart, and none of them lasted more than a year. They usually wore out and fell apart just before hitting the one year mark. It doesn't even have enough time to start rusting.

I use my bike just about every day for pleasure or just to get from place to place. Nothing too fancy. Course, I do ride it in any sort of weather, be it snow, rain or hail. Maybe that has something to do with it...

[lil Jimmie]

Here is a good read on Schwinn
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29737-2004Dec2.html
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6642037

I agree with you Cricket, it is a shame that the Schwinn brand has degraded

[Cricket]

At least it looks like they're still keeping Waterford Precisions Cycles going. Lugged steel frames will live on.

:) Cricket

[mattg2k4]

I cast another vote for a used bike. You can easily pick up quality used bikes at garage sales and police auctions for less than $15, at least where I have checked. I paid $5 for my bike, but it's a single gear. It has lasted daily riding around campus since september, with no signs of failing yet.

At those prices, you can get yourself a few spares if you're worried about one breaking :D

[Sauron]

I have had a Trek Sport (I think tis) for about 3-4 years now, and I love that bike. I have never had any major problems besides blown tires...I have this nasty habit of riding on pavement and running into bloody potholes...I hate 'em! But otherwise, it still rides and runs fine. No problems. Its a excellent bike. I am sorry, but I wouldn't touch anything from Wal-Mart like that. Its better to buy a used bike that has a good name behind it.

[ktkendall]

I was through walmart today, and would readvise to stay away from those roadmasters also, I think they may even be lower end than Huffy. I wasn't thinking in my earlier post, but my son's buddy has one and I've worked on it and it lookls to be the lowest of the low end that you could get. I couldn't get those brakes to set properly no matter what I tried, the wheels are junk. Did you try ebay??

[Litespeed]

Kevinf,
I have been racing bikes, road and mountain bike for about 12 years now and have spent more money on bikes than I have on my car. Yet, to this day I can still remember the fun I had with my first used bike. I would say look for a Mountain Bike Forum in your area and check out the For Sale section. I have raced in Cali quite a bit and know they have a large bike community. I would recommend a used bike made in America. You can still get a life time waranty on the frame on most American made bikes. Trek is a great company and if you do live in Cali there are alot of local bike companies. I spent $50 on my first bike and it was great. But just like we do here with computers find out what your needs are first then go in that direction. I will check with some of my buddies and see if I can find a local forum for you. Where exactly in Cali do you live? And yes a whole bike loses it's value, but a frame can last forever. And if you buy a used bike with all the components for $100 and take care of it you can get alot of miles out of it.
-Matt

[lil Jimmie]

http://www.bikeforums.net does have a pretty active Buy-Sale and Trade forum