Bicycle Advice?

[SenselessChiefsFan]

I am trying to get my wife to the gym, she isn't into it. She does like riding her bike, but we just bought a couple of Huffy's to ride around the neighborhood with the kids. My wife wants to start riding around a lake, and she does with her bike, but it is a heavy bike and a bit of a piece of crap.

I want to get here a new bike for less than $500.00. Actually, I want to buy both of us one. I am planning on starting to ride to work everyday.

Any recommendations on what to look for? I don't mind buying used, but I would prefer picking up a good entry level bike new.

[Bane]

I like my Trek road bike but I also have a Giant mountain bike for the trail too.Neither is really entry level I guess but Schwinn makes a few nice bikes for far less $$$.All depends on what you intend to do with it and how far you wanna ride.

[cdcox]

I haven't been in the bike market for several years, but Giant has traditionally been a solid-value brand at the under $500 price point. I would strongly consider a road/mountain hybrid. It sits upright like a mountain bike but has thinner tires for less rolling resistance. I would research a Giant Sedona as a starting point.

[KC Jones]

You can get a good bike or bike parts on craiglist and save yourself a lot of money. Just lookup reviews when you see what looks like a good deal.

Stay away from steel frames, and if she's strictly going to ride on roads there is no point in carrying all the weight of a full on mountain bike.

[Bane]

I haven't been in the bike market for several years, but Giant has traditionally been a solid-value brand at the under $500 price point. I would strongly consider a road/mountain hybrid. It sits upright like a mountain bike but has thinner tires for less rolling resistance. I would research a Giant Sedona as a starting point.

:clap: Yep.

My Giant is a Rincon and on the trail it's awesome,but there's a few paved bike trails at St Joe and the Trek will flat wear the Giant out on pavement.Of course it is a road bike and that's to be expected.

[Bugeater]

Trek. That's all you need to know.

[Bugeater]

Spend an extra $79 you cheap bastard.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/hybrid/7300/

[Psyko Tek]

got my ex a nice beach cruiser about $300

coaster brakes no gears a basket with a flower on it pink

if she's just tooling around the neighborhood this maybe what she wants

[googlegoogle]

Mountain bike or road bike?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mens-Schwinn-Aluminum-Comp-Mountain-Bike-Blue/4016707

[vailpass]

Do you live by a college or university? You can get some very good deals on nice bikes at pawn shops in university towns.

[Bugeater]

Mountain bike or road bike?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mens-Schwinn-Aluminum-Comp-Mountain-Bike-Blue/4016707
Fucking garbage.

[BigOlChiefsfan]

commuter bike thoughts (http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/search?q=bicycle+commute)

slow bicycle movement (http://www.slowbicyclemovement.org/)

A quality older bike from Craig's List or a pawnshop is usually a smart buy if you can do some of the maintainance yourself. Add some fenders and a rack, buy a Krytonite chain or 2 (with all the money you saved over buying the new bike) and have fun. No spandex shorts until your quads double in size.

[MIAdragon]

PIMP/

http://mousek.sk/_3dartworks/old_bike_aug_2006.jpg

[Pants]

Fuck all that. Get a Remedy 9.9. Nuff said.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

****ing garbage.

Thats harsh.

[Bugeater]

Thats harsh.
It's Wal-mart for crissakes. If you want a decent bike, go to an actual bike shop.

[88TG88]

Giant Escape 2

$379 road hybrid

comes in black for men and white & teal for women

They sell Giant in alot of bike shops so it shouldnt be too hard to find.

[Chieficus]

I do a lot of biking, granted they're men's bikes, though...

I have a Schwinn that is 17 years old and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I also wouldn't buy that brand today. You might want to check into a company called Specialized. They do some higher end stuff, but they also have some things more in your price range. I dropped $420 for a Globe--a typical road bike, nothing special--and it's one of the lightest weight yet sturdiest of bikes I've owned.

[Consistent1]

**** all that. Get a Remedy 9.9. Nuff said.

Haha. I would love to have that thing!!! If you want to keep riding enjoyable, go to a nice shop and tell them your price point. They can show you some great bikes for what you need. One thing people do not understand is that the maintenance is so important in terms of making riding enjoyable. They don't even get close to putting bikes together correctly at places like Wal-Mart. If you buy from a shop, the usually give you tune-ups, discounts on accessories, etc. If you get something with a correctly set up Shimano drivetrain and brakes, it will shock you how smooth and effortless things get once you get in decent shape. You can do fine with your listed budget. Have fun.

[TEX]

I am trying to get my wife to the gym, she isn't into it. She does like riding her bike, but we just bought a couple of Huffy's to ride around the neighborhood with the kids. My wife wants to start riding around a lake, and she does with her bike, but it is a heavy bike and a bit of a piece of crap.

I want to get here a new bike for less than $500.00. Actually, I want to buy both of us one. I am planning on starting to ride to work everyday.

Any recommendations on what to look for? I don't mind buying used, but I would prefer picking up a good entry level bike new.

TREK has a good line of FITNESS Bikes. They're road bikes, with more of a heavy duty frame with a more comfortable upright riding position. Their entry level starts in the low $400 range and has fairly decent components. They also have women-spacific-designs (shorter top tube, stem, wider seat, narrow bars, etc). It's all part of their FX series.

Another choice would be pure comfort bikes. However, if you're gonna ride yours to work, then the Fitness series is the way to go. Maybe you get one of them and buy your wife a comofrt bike.

[COchief]

Vote for specialized Rockhopper MTB, great bikes.

[KC Jones]

Get a hybrid or a road bike. If you go with a mountain bike you are paying for hardened off road components and carrying weight that you have no use for as a road rider. Here's some hybrids in your area that would be decent:


http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/bik/1890765933.html

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/bik/1911656512.html

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/bik/1866275003.html