Suggestions for a CHEAP hybrid bike?

Jenny

I haven't ridden a bike since I was a kid but I want to start riding a bike to get in shape. What are some suggestions for a good, but cheap Hybrid bike from Wal-mart or Target? I want to be able to ride on the gravel trails around here, but not off-road, so I don't want a mountain bike. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Answer
For riding on gravel trails, the hybrid bike is a good choice. It's got bigger wheels like a road bike and a more upright position. It also has mountain bike style gearing in case you run into hills. I own a hybrid for just that purpose and it works very well.

Don't go to WalMart or Target. The bikes they sell are one size fits all, are heavy, don't work very well, and don't last very long. Your local bike shop will have bikes at the low end of the price range, probably starting around $250 to $350. Brands don't matter. Bikes that cost the same are usually built the same and have the same components. Unlike the WalMart, a bike shop will have bikes that fit you. They know how to properly assemble them. You will be much more comfortable and much safer.

Above all, save enough money for a helmet. Don't put your butt on the seat without a helmet on your head.

HTH

What brand used mtn/comfort/hybrid bicycle to get for $100?

fourmechau

When looking on ebay or craigslist, I have come across: Roadmaster, Huffy, Magna, Trek, Pacifica, Mongoose as the usual brands that pop up for $100 or less. Should these all be avoided? I am a mom who wants to ride with her kids when we go camping, on some trails, around town. So, I am not an avid cyclist and do not need a wonderful bike/brand but also do not want junk. Thanks.

Answer
Well, for $100 used a Trek could be the best. Every brand you mentioned is very low end, except Trek. Trek makes good to very high end bikes. It'd be the 1st choice, but a BEAT UP Trek may be the worst choice. All companies make many models. It's like saying which car should I buy a $500 Chevy or Ford, hard to say.

I will say this, get one that fits you. Look for a bike that has v-brakes instead of side-pull. Stay away from thumb shifters, grip shift or rapid fire types work much better. Of couse test ride, if it works well, wheels are strait and it's in good shape you are set. If it's for camp riding etc. almost anything that work's well when you buy it should be OK. With infrequent use, a used < $100 bike could last forever.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Bikes for kids what brand should I go for it?

AW0405

decent bike for age 5, 9 &11.

Answer
Forget Brands!

At their age they won't give a hoot, A cheap store bike is just the job!
Avoid cheap full suspension because they will fall to bits before your kids grow out of them (which is another reason I said buy cheap, 'cos in next to no time they will be too big for them)

If you are determined to get Branded stuff then check these out, they specialize in kids bikes.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/index.html

Best of Luck.

EDIT: Nice of you to amend your answer Bob, after I have given mine! (It's protocol on the cycling site to show ammendments, - just so you know for next time OK?)

.

What pit bike brands are good quality?

Pearse N

Ive been looking around for a pit bike and i see a lot that are in my budgert but i am just wondering if they are a quality brand worth buying.

So what are a few good brands of pit bikes that i should look for

Answer
Any "pit bike" you find online will be cheap Chinese crap. The only good pit bike will be a small kids Japanese dirt bike or a BBR MM12P for $3995.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What are the most popular expensive BMX bike brands?

best kids bike brands image

perryinjax

When I was a kid a looong time ago...I am 42, the dream bike for any bmx rider was Redline. Are they still a respected expensive popular bike? They seem pretty cheap on eBay. I seem to remember they were one of the best bmx brands available when I was a kid. Is Red line still good? Also, what are the other popular BMX brands of bike and how much are the expensive ones?

Answer
for a while redline has been mostly racing bikes but now there are starting to make some great street/dirt/park bikes like the 7.1 the are still a great brand making great products

How do I pick a freestyle BMX bike?

argh.pirat

What brands are respected freestyle BMX bikes? I thought Mongoose where cheap kids bikes but they're everywhere. From what I can tell I should be looking for one that's 20". I'd like to ride street and vert for now and am looking for something under $150.

Answer
20" has a lot of possibilities... it would take a while to find one under 150, i would expect to find one under 200. go on danscomp.com , they have a lot of bikes. heres 2 under 200
(red looks better even though they dont have full pic for #1) http://www.danscomp.com/101140.php?cat=BIKES http://www.danscomp.com/101466.php?cat=BIKES

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How do these little church mice kids get nice Trek brand bicycles?

best kids bike brands image

Ismael

I don't know about you, but in my city, I get a lot of kids asking me about God and trying to convert me to whatever religion they belong to. Then I see them ride away on nice Trek brand bicycles. What I want to know is how in the hell do they get these bikes and can I join their group to get the bike and quit later?

Answer
They get them at the local bike shop that sells Treks. They were probably Mormon missionaries.

http://www.mormon.org/missionaries/

When buying a new bmx raceing bike what do you look for?

pickle

How do you know it's the right size for you? What parts are important to the weight of the bike? What brands are good? What size and tires are right for this sport.
This is for an 8 years old boy who wants to race for the first time. He's got a helmet and protective clothes. But his bike is not right because it has foot brake. I don't want to asemble and our budget is 250-300.

Answer
For an eight year old, you are looking at a mini or junior sized bike. Micro Mini will be too small. You are looking at a bike with 1 1/8" Tires.

There are complete bikes out there for around $300, but be aware that kids grow out of mini and junior sized bikes all the time, meaning that there, and you can ofen pick up a $400 bike for under $250 that has bee raced 1-2 seasons. Most bike shops could give it a good tune-up for around $50 and you are ready to go.

You are correct that a bike with a coaster brake is not a good choice.

If you are looking for areas to improve a race bike in the weight department, the wheels are the best place to make improvements - as anything that is rotating is more important that the non-rotating parts.

Good Brands? GT, Redline and Diamondback are companies with a hisotry of BMX racing and they are still producing bikes for racing today.

Mongoose, as suggested by one other poster, has not been producing competitive race bikes for a number of years. THey have some entry level bikes that woudl be OK for racing for around $200 and then the rest of thier bikes are Dirt Jump/ Freestyle Bikes. The parent company that owns Mongoose also ownd GT and Schwinn as well as some tother brands. GT is currently thier "race bike" brand.

If you do decide to go used, there are some premium brands to watch for in addition to Redline, Diamond Back and GT, there is also Intense, Supercross, Redman, GHP, Felt and a bunch of others.

Be awere that there are also very nice race bikes bearing the FMF name, and they are good bikes and components. But they are no longer produced and getting any sort of mfg's warranty, even on a new bike, will not likely be possible. But if you can get a new FMF at near used prices, it may work out well.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers