Preface: I have never ridden a bike outside of leisure riding. The only thing I know about bikes is the difference between a mtb and a road bike.
I need to buy a bike for a 2 mile commute to work and back. The commute will be almost be completely on paved roads/bike trails. I will also be using the bike to carry my backpack, groceries, etc.
The problem is that my budget is very low, and the lower the price, the better. My question is with such a short commute, will I be hurting if I just spring for the cheapest road/mt bike off craigslist?
If your budget is tight Craigslist is probably your best bet. The problem with that though is all the scammers, crooks and cheats that used to be on ebay have moved to Craigslist. If you don't know anything about bikes I would try to find someone that does and have them check out any potential purchase.
Preface: I have never ridden a bike outside of leisure riding. The only thing I know about bikes is the difference between a mtb and a road bike.
I need to buy a bike for a 2 mile commute to work and back. The commute will be almost be completely on paved roads/bike trails. I will also be using the bike to carry my backpack, groceries, etc.
The problem is that my budget is very low, and the lower the price, the better. My question is with such a short commute, will I be hurting if I just spring for the cheapest road/mt bike off craigslist?
For a 2 mile ride, I'd definitely look at used...I do about 50km/day and just bought this vintage 80's mountain bike at Goodwill for $40.00 CDN. It's in remarkable condition, I added slick tires for road use, and a rack and panniers so that I can carry spare tubes, a pump, tools...do my grocery shopping daily on bikes like this...my other commuters are hybrids, also with panniers.
Some of my other city bikes cost CAD 15.00 and 20.00.
