I need to know which is better for the half mountain biking that I do. Is it better to get a steel framed bike or aluminum? I ride on paths/roads for half the time and the other half I'm on gravel and/or dirt tracks.
I'm so far I'm thinking of getting one of the following two bikes:
26-inch Schwinn 210-FS Men's Bike
26" Schwinn 210-FS, front suspension mountain bike Steel hardtail diamond frame with oversize tubing and RST front suspension fork Shimano Tourney front and rear derailleurs 21-speed SRAM MRX indexed grip shifters Pro Max alloy V-type brakes Alloy rims, stem, seat post, pedals Kenda K816 26 x 2.1" tires 20" frame
Schwinn Sidewinder 2.6 FS 26-inch All-Terrain Bike
Schwinn hand-built steel frame RST Omni 191 CL suspension fork SRAM grip shift shifters Shimano TY-32A front and Shimano TY-22-7 rear derailleurs Shimano 13-28T 7-speed freewheel Frame: Schwinn ride-tuned steel frame with bend seat stays Fork: RST Omni 191 suspension fork Handlebar/Stem: MTB riser handlebar and Schwinn stem with 2-bolt faceplate Shifters: SRAM grip shift shifters Derailleurs: Shimano TY-32A front and Shimano TY-22-7 rear derailleurs Brakes: Pro Max alloy front and rear linear pull brakes Levers: Pro Max alloy 3-finger brake levers Crank: Alloy 24t/34t/42t MTB crank Freewheel: Shimano 7-speed 14-28T freewheel Rims: 26" x 1.5" 36-spoke alloy black with ground sidewall anodized rims Hubs: Front alloy quick-release Tires: Schwinn 26" x 2" Black MTB tires Seat: Men's Schwinn sport saddle
Judging from the specs, its not a really good bike..
If your going entry-level bikes, you can have one built at your LBS..
Say, an Alivio or Deore Groupset will cost you about $180 US, a decent frame for $100, decent rims for $40 a pair, a decent fork for $100. Misc(handlebar, seatpost, headset, saddle) parts will cost another $80...
for a total of $500, you can get a pretty decent bike..
I can't really spend more than $250 CDN on it (I have to pay for it myself and I don't have a job yet) is it a bike that is not going to break if I'm on kind of bumpy terrian? I don't want to do the majour mountain biking, just I don't like being on paved roads on the time.
well, invest on the critical parts such as the drivetrain, hubs, crank, rear derailuer, shifters.. these are the moving parts, you need quality parts here.. i would suggest shimano deore, but the alivio's will do.. BTW, alivio is 8spd and deore is 9spd.. you'll be adding about $50 if you want these parts though..
you can have these swapped out at the LBS. I'm sure your LBS will give you a better deal and will help you out.. Don't limit yourself with schwinn.. Try out Fuji, Trek, etc..
The schwinn frames are fine... The rst fork is ok, but it may give you problems later... But it really depends on the rides you take..
