buying bike advice

mchjhn said:

Hi all,

i am a student at University of Pittsburgh, and want to buy a bike for 300$ and under. I will be riding it to class each day (about 4 miles), and then for exercise occasionally.

i have been looking around on the web, and found this http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1310000&f=25

any suggestions, or used bikes that are better?

I've never owned or ridden this bike, but the specifications give it the look of a nice versatile bike. I have a Trek road bike and am pleased with its quality and components.

Hybrids often fit between the mountain bike and road bike groupings. For riding around campus it will probably be a perfect bike. The straight handlebars will give you good visibility and allow you to see over the urban traffic that Pitt's campus offers. Yet, you'll probably want to take it out to Schenley and let her run free. This bike will be fun for that too. The wider tires that a hybrid offers will give you better riding for the bumpy roads and sidewalks that you'll be covering as well as a little off roading across some of the Cathedral's lawns. The wide gear range and the triple gears on the crankset will enable you to cruise the flats of Forbes Avenue and go up cardiac hill to get to the top of campus. I think you should give it a test ride and see for yourself.

Let me know what you decide.

Hail to Pitt!
Engineering Class of '87
🙂

if you're really on a budget, this bike looks like it will get you through college. however, the problem with a really cheap bike like this is that you will be spending more than you need to later. for example, when one of the chain rings gets worn, you'll have to replace the entire crank because they are rivetted on. on a bit better bike, you'll be able to replace only the chainring itself because they bolt on. plus, with a bolt on type, you can replace the rings easily, usually with only an allen wrench. replacing the entire crank requires a specialized tool to get it off. or you'll have to pay a bikeshop to do it. and so it goes.

if you're not in too much of a hurry, do a little more window shopping and homework. or consider a better quality used bike.

I think the arguement between buying cheap which may not last and better which may last longer may be mute. If you are looking at cheap for riding around campus cheap may serve you well. If you are bit by the bicycling bug, then you learn more and yearn for better quality. I don't know whether you are bit by the bug yet.

I know that that UC Davis (California) has a bike auction every year to sell cheap bikes that accumulate. Most are beaters but sometimes you can find a good deal that is a fixer-upper of a better quality bike. The rub is, buy used and you may need to fix it up or spend more to let a bike shop fix it up for you. Therein lies the rub. Buy new, cheap that lasts for a while or buy used cheap that you must spend more on to fix on the get go, but which will last a lot longer.

as Insight Driver says, and i concur, there's nothing wrong with going cheap, as long as you know what (not?) to expect. if all you're doing is a few miles a day and you keep the chain, rings and rear cluster clean, you can probably expect 2 or 3 years before you need to do much of anything more than lube the chain and keep the tire pressure up.

as for repairs when they do come up, my advice is to get a good bike maintenance book and the tools you'll need for the job at hand. you probably won't spend any more for the tools than you'd pay to have a shop do it for you. it's not rocket science; anyone can handle bike repairs. as long as you're carefull about not stripping threads, about the worst that can happen it you might bash your knuckles.

good luck with whatever you get. 😉

All I get when I click on the link is the Trek page to select a country, and I have never ridden a Trek, but I do have an opinion.

Unless you are racing or doing long distance touring any $300 bike from a reputable manufacturer is probably all the bike you need.

Buy the $300 bike and when it starts to break down in 3 or 4 years buy your next bike for $600 to $1000 and you will have better equipment than a person who buys a $3,000 bike today. It will cost you less in initial investment, and less in maintenance.

Of course, this doesn't account for the pound or two you can save on bike weight if you choose to go the expensive route, but unless you are racing, that is not likely to be an issue.