Bicycle Opinions

[shyatt3]

Once again I seek the input of my fellow Eskimos on something completely unrelated to Damien. Bless the "Everything Else" category. Anyhow, I'm looking to get a new bike, which I will be using daily and will be my main mode of transportation. I'll be riding mostly around city streets and will use it for most anything you can think of involved in that situation. I now have a Specialized that is quite nice, but needs replacement. I want something comfortable and durable, of course, and I have about 500 USD to spend tops. Naturally, I want the best I can get for my money. I've checked out some bikes by Specialized, Trek, Giant, and a Cannondale. So, any suggestions?

[soda]

it totally depends on what you want (hybrids all the way). day to day commuting or raging down a mountain? (mountainbike with a lot of front suspension)

[Rai]

For everyday use (unless you are a sherpa), I'd buy a simple, old bike, the kind the Dutch use in their everyday life. Nothing extra, but it will last at least a thousand years. And it is dirt cheap.

[Bumpman]

I guess the question is are you a Dutchman or a Sherpa?

[shyatt3]

Well I come from a long line of both. Seriously though, like I said in my first post, it will be mostly around the city stuff, but some of the roads around here are still cobblestone and there's always that sand in the beach areas, so I don't want something strictly road oriented. I agree with the hybrid comment, that's mostly what I've been looking at. I was mostly hoping someone here may have specific experience regarding brands and such. I've done a lot of reading online, but I always like to check and see what others have to say.

[Bumpman]

Folding bikes are useful in cities, you can fold them up and put them in a bag, then bring them on the bus.

[shyatt3]

Originally Posted by Bumpman

Folding bikes are useful in cities, you can fold them up and put them in a bag, then bring them on the bus.

I was actually just checking out one of those, this one. I haven't come across any others thus far. This one seems to be standing out to me as well.

[carvinC980t_kid]

i'd reccommond looking at some more specialized bikes. now days for 500bucks you can get a bike with mechanical disk breaks, which is great. honestly, i'd suggest something that is a comfortable mtn. bike. road bikes are uncomfortable unless ridden for their intended purpose and hybrids are just gayyyyyy. when i get back from my marines training i'll give you specific model names.

the company raleigh actually offers some decent bikes that would be of equal quaility to the other brands youve listed.

if you are thinking any specific models, just tell me the brand/model name and i'll check out the specs and let ya know what would be best for your money. i'm a bike addict and a former sponsored track and mtn. bike racer, so you can trust me!

[shyatt3]

Well, I don't particularly find hybrids to be problematic in any way, but to each his own. I'm currently really looking into the Trek 7100/7200/7300 line. I've also looked into the Giant Cypress, and a couple Specialized that I can't immediately remember. I have checked out the Raleigh bikes, but nothing immediately stood out to me. Perhaps you could suggest some of those. I appreciate whatever input you can give me on them.

[Gibbo]

I own a Specialized Sports hardtail, fab lightweight with disc brakes etc and looks cool, I usually ride around tracks and countryside but would be great for those cobbles........it cost around £500 so you need a decent lock !!

[shyatt3]

Originally Posted by carvinC980t_kid

i'd reccommond looking at some more specialized bikes. now days for 500bucks you can get a bike with mechanical disk breaks, which is great. honestly, i'd suggest something that is a comfortable mtn. bike. road bikes are uncomfortable unless ridden for their intended purpose and hybrids are just gayyyyyy. when i get back from my marines training i'll give you specific model names.

the company raleigh actually offers some decent bikes that would be of equal quaility to the other brands youve listed.

if you are thinking any specific models, just tell me the brand/model name and i'll check out the specs and let ya know what would be best for your money. i'm a bike addict and a former sponsored track and mtn. bike racer, so you can trust me!

Now that you mention the disk brakes, I have a friend who works for Surly Bikes and he actually said that he wouldn't suggest them in my situation, for several reasons. It stood out to me when I saw a couple Raleigh bikes and a couple Giant bikes that had disk brakes in that price range though. So, I'm not totally sure about that one.

[carvinC980t_kid]

idk why he wouldn't reccomond them. they clean themselves well, are easy to maintain, and offer more modulation when it comes to the control of your breaking. and for you situation it'd be fine.. they are starting use them on a lot of hybrids now!

[shyatt3]

What do you think about any of those I posted?

[shyatt3]

Originally Posted by carvinC980t_kid

idk why he wouldn't reccomond them. they clean themselves well, are easy to maintain, and offer more modulation when it comes to the control of your breaking. and for you situation it'd be fine.. they are starting use them on a lot of hybrids now!

Oh, it also may be best to put the brake comment in context. The conversation was actually about building a custom bike, and thus things such as weight and price were an issue. One of the things that could be left off, out of the "high end" category, was the disk brakes for reasons such as weight, cost, and not being as easy for a novice to work on/adjust should the need suddenly arise while out somewhere. I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that disk brakes wouldn't be suggested if simply going out and buying a pre-built bike. So, perhaps I didn't explain that one well enough. Either way, I'd be interested to hear your insight on what I earlier posted.

[soda]

I did my thesis at Giant, and I quite liked the Bikes they had. I also have a Giant Foldable bike that I use in the city. It is one with 21'' wheels, so not that small.
Then i had a Specialized for 2 weeks (got stolen) but I enjoyed riding it. Only thing there was that I felt a bit cramped on the bike.

[carvinC980t_kid]

Originally Posted by shyatt3

Oh, it also may be best to put the brake comment in context. The conversation was actually about building a custom bike, and thus things such as weight and price were an issue. One of the things that could be left off, out of the "high end" category, was the disk brakes for reasons such as weight, cost, and not being as easy for a novice to work on/adjust should the need suddenly arise while out somewhere. I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that disk brakes wouldn't be suggested if simply going out and buying a pre-built bike. So, perhaps I didn't explain that one well enough. Either way, I'd be interested to hear your insight on what I earlier posted.

haha oops. i always type the wrong "brake" lol

oh my, but simple mechanical ones like the avid bb5 are so easy to adjust. much easier then v-brakes or other standard rim brakes. also, disk brakes aren't consider "high end" anymore and are found on many cheap bikes from wall-mart bikes to 4-600dollar bikes before you start getting into the pricy hydraulic/complicated disk brake catagory.

make sure to compare the quailty of the different brands components. ask questions at the shop by comparing brands like sram and shimano on your shifters and so on. get the best for the money!

[shyatt3]

Originally Posted by carvinC980t_kid

haha oops. i always type the wrong "brake" lol

oh my, but simple mechanical ones like the avid bb5 are so easy to adjust. much easier then v-brakes or other standard rim brakes. also, disk brakes aren't consider "high end" anymore and are found on many cheap bikes from wall-mart bikes to 4-600dollar bikes before you start getting into the pricy hydraulic/complicated disk brake catagory.

make sure to compare the quailty of the different brands components. ask questions at the shop by comparing brands like sram and shimano on your shifters and so on. get the best for the money!

So what do you think regarding the several that I posted links to above? Which would you suggest/are they worth the cost?

[carvinC980t_kid]

i'm confident in saying you should be able to find an extremely good deal on the trek 7500. find someone who carries that model and try it out and talk em down.. you should find it listend in the 600range and be able to to talk them down!! i'd try that first.

the reason i suggest this bike is because the money has gone to quailty rear shifter (shimano lx series) and the wheels are also of sufficient quaility. my worries is that the other models you've shown me with the shimano alivo derailures is that they have a horrible time staying adjusted and the lx won't give you that problem

[shyatt3]

I'll try that. Honestly, that one had been catching my attention, but it was just a bit too high. I do have a Specialized which is just a few years old that I am trying to trade in, so perhaps that will also help with the price. Let me know if you have any more input, I appreciate it.

[shyatt3]

Hey carvin, how difficult is it to buy components and simply upgrade the bike later on, piece by piece? Could it be more beneficial to get one of the lesser expensive bikes and then upgrade certain parts?

EDIT: My local bike dealer has said that the 7000 series would be good for my application, but has also thrown the Trek 7.2 FX into the mix. What do you think about that one and its comparison to the others?

[carvinC980t_kid]

upgrading can be very expensive. i'm sure you could find yourself a guy friend who could replace the parts for ya, but parts can be expensive. i usually pay 200+ for highend rear derailures. the only parts you're going to ever get annoyed with really are the components that involve shifting because lower quailty ones tend to wear out and not stay adjusted.

one good way to go about it is to buy the less expensive bike, which your shop will tune for you upon purchase, and then once you start wearing out the parts or finding yourself needing something higher quailty you can start upgrading from there.

in comparison, if you bought all the parts on the bikes you are looking at seperatly... the price would be substantionally higher. i'd suggest if you just wanna be cost efficent to the max that you buy something you can afford and are comfortable riding and then maybe purchase a shimano lx or xt rear derailure or look into the SRAM x5 derailures.

wheels will hold up fine and shouldn't be of worry and for your type of riding a front fork upgrade wouldn't be neccessary unless you really wanted to save some weight

[shyatt3]

Cool, and I am a guy by the way, but perhaps my wife could do it for me. I noticed the 7300 has the SRAM X.7 rear derailleur on it, which I'm hearing is better than the other options to begin with (others being mainly Shimano Alivio). So, I think I'm taking that last piece of advice and getting the 7300 and will work on upgrading the components as they do themselves in. Thanks for all your input.

[carvinC980t_kid]

oh ****, my bad bro!

yes, well, that bike would do you just fine. my only major complaint about it would be that the fork will be pretty heavy, but i'm sure it'll be fine. you only start noticing big weight problems and the lack of performance once you start getting really comfortable on the bike.

only other thing to look out for on the 7300 is the fact that it has a suspension seat post... those can get VERY annoying, but if you don't like it seat posts are cheap and it'd save ya weight too

[shyatt3]

No problem, man. My long hair has gotten me called "ma'am" from behind enough times that my manhood simply absorbs it and keeps on ticking. My current bike has a suspension seat and I must admit that it does greatly annoy me. The thing is that I like the front suspension because there are lots of less than desirable streets (cobblestone, sandy, etc.) in Charleston that can take a toll on you otherwise. I don't much want to revisit that.

[carvinC980t_kid]

haha i'm in the same boat with the long hair thing. it doesn't phase me either!

yeah, i feel ya, and with those streets for comfort riding you don't want a rigid fork!

[shyatt3]

What do you think about used parts, as in eBay or such?

[carvinC980t_kid]

use parts can be OK, but you have to be careful. i wouldn't really reccomond buying a used part that is involved in the drive train unless it is something like cranks. used forks can be nice as long as they look like they are in good condition... because if they are beat up then they will probably need oil chaned, seals changed, and so on. as for other components. a used seat post is fine... you could find a nice light carbonfiber seat post for cheap, but i would not buy used handle bars, because you can't tell the fatigue point that they are at.. especially with carbonfiber bars. used wheels are acceptable as long as you can see that there are no cracks in the rims. if you buy used wheels you'll want to take them to a shop and make sure they are trued and the spokes are tightened properly and you'll want to make sure the bearings in the hubs are in good shape along with properly greesed up!

they should cover buying used parts. if you find something you wanna buy on evilbay send me the link and i can check it out for ya bro. if you try buying a seat post you'll have to check what diameter post you need and find the matching one.

one good suggestion though.

invest in either the cheap way out which are toe clips, which you just slide your feet into the cage and then you can ride on the other side of the pedal if you don't want to use them... OR you could go clipless, which are the pedals where you have specific shoes that slip into the pedals. i reccomond these because they are about twice as efficient when pedaling. toe clips and clipless pedals allow you to pedal in circles meaning that you are sending power to the drive train when just pushing down, but instead you are pedaling in a steady circle where the power delivery is even. toe clips and clipless pedals make climbing hills SOO much easier!!!!