(05-28-2012 10:15 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Been looking real hard at the big box guys last month and still unsure about how much I want to invest in.

That said, the other REAL bike store in town, http://bicyclepost.com/ , had a lot of variety but a lot of their selection is WAY outside what I would be willing to get in on. Still, I might stop by to see what all their variety means for me in person.

PTNC, there are two entry level bikes at your local dealer that are worth checking out. A Giant Boulder and Jamis Trail X1. Front suspension mountain bikes priced under $400. As noted in an earlier post, Giant bikes are quite good (I rode one as well). Jamis is also a good bike maker. Both offer good warranties (lifetime frame and one year components). They've both got Shimano components, although definitely not highest quality. Both brands are well made and well-respected enough that it's worth checking them out. They will not be well-suited to hard trail riding but for around town pavement and easy trail riding they might fit your needs.

By the way, it looks like a pretty good shop. Among other things they offer free 30 and 90 day tune ups, which are great because, at a minimum, cables stretch during their first few miles. They allow/encourage test rides and will assist in fitting the bike, which as I stated earlier are both very important.

(05-29-2012 12:26 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(05-28-2012 10:15 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Been looking real hard at the big box guys last month and still unsure about how much I want to invest in.

That said, the other REAL bike store in town, http://bicyclepost.com/ , had a lot of variety but a lot of their selection is WAY outside what I would be willing to get in on. Still, I might stop by to see what all their variety means for me in person.

PTNC, there are two entry level bikes at your local dealer that are worth checking out. A Giant Boulder and Jamis Trail X1. Front suspension mountain bikes priced under $400. As noted in an earlier post, Giant bikes are quite good (I rode one as well). Jamis is also a good bike maker. Both offer good warranties (lifetime frame and one year components). They've both got Shimano components, although definitely not highest quality. Both brands are well made and well-respected enough that it's worth checking them out. They will not be well-suited to hard trail riding but for around town pavement and easy trail riding they might fit your needs.

By the way, it looks like a pretty good shop. Among other things they offer free 30 and 90 day tune ups, which are great because, at a minimum, cables stretch during their first few miles. They allow/encourage test rides and will assist in fitting the bike, which as I stated earlier are both very important.

Yeah... the tune ups... caught my eye.

Also, I saw a decent Trek there for $440 w/o shocks as a Hybrid... tomorrow I will have more time to really look at stuff and talk with them.

(05-29-2012 04:23 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  

(05-29-2012 12:26 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(05-28-2012 10:15 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Been looking real hard at the big box guys last month and still unsure about how much I want to invest in.

That said, the other REAL bike store in town, http://bicyclepost.com/ , had a lot of variety but a lot of their selection is WAY outside what I would be willing to get in on. Still, I might stop by to see what all their variety means for me in person.

PTNC, there are two entry level bikes at your local dealer that are worth checking out. A Giant Boulder and Jamis Trail X1. Front suspension mountain bikes priced under $400. As noted in an earlier post, Giant bikes are quite good (I rode one as well). Jamis is also a good bike maker. Both offer good warranties (lifetime frame and one year components). They've both got Shimano components, although definitely not highest quality. Both brands are well made and well-respected enough that it's worth checking them out. They will not be well-suited to hard trail riding but for around town pavement and easy trail riding they might fit your needs.

By the way, it looks like a pretty good shop. Among other things they offer free 30 and 90 day tune ups, which are great because, at a minimum, cables stretch during their first few miles. They allow/encourage test rides and will assist in fitting the bike, which as I stated earlier are both very important.

Yeah... the tune ups... caught my eye.

Also, I saw a decent Trek there for $440 w/o shocks as a Hybrid... tomorrow I will have more time to really look at stuff and talk with them.

That's probably the 7000. Take a look at their Giant and Jamis hybrids as well. All three of those frames should be decent and they're built with virtually the same brake/derailleur/shifter components. All three are US companies. (By the way, don't get caught up in the "Trek built in the USA" hype: that's almost exclusively for their high end bikes now. Almost all other Treks are built in Asia. In fact, almost all bikes of this type/material are built in Asia.)

(05-29-2012 05:02 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(05-29-2012 04:23 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  

(05-29-2012 12:26 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(05-28-2012 10:15 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Been looking real hard at the big box guys last month and still unsure about how much I want to invest in.

That said, the other REAL bike store in town, http://bicyclepost.com/ , had a lot of variety but a lot of their selection is WAY outside what I would be willing to get in on. Still, I might stop by to see what all their variety means for me in person.

PTNC, there are two entry level bikes at your local dealer that are worth checking out. A Giant Boulder and Jamis Trail X1. Front suspension mountain bikes priced under $400. As noted in an earlier post, Giant bikes are quite good (I rode one as well). Jamis is also a good bike maker. Both offer good warranties (lifetime frame and one year components). They've both got Shimano components, although definitely not highest quality. Both brands are well made and well-respected enough that it's worth checking them out. They will not be well-suited to hard trail riding but for around town pavement and easy trail riding they might fit your needs.

By the way, it looks like a pretty good shop. Among other things they offer free 30 and 90 day tune ups, which are great because, at a minimum, cables stretch during their first few miles. They allow/encourage test rides and will assist in fitting the bike, which as I stated earlier are both very important.

Yeah... the tune ups... caught my eye.

Also, I saw a decent Trek there for $440 w/o shocks as a Hybrid... tomorrow I will have more time to really look at stuff and talk with them.

That's probably the 7000. Take a look at their Giant and Jamis hybrids as well. All three of those frames should be decent and they're built with virtually the same brake/derailleur/shifter components. All three are US companies. (By the way, don't get caught up in the "Trek built in the USA" hype: that's almost exclusively for their high end bikes now. Almost all other Treks are built in Asia. In fact, almost all bikes of this type/material are built in Asia.)

I assume you meant these:

Giant Boulder:
http://bicyclepost.com/product/12giant-b...5636-1.htm

Jamis:
http://bicyclepost.com/product/12jamis-e...6021-1.htm

http://bicyclepost.com/product/12jamis-b...6002-1.htm

http://bicyclepost.com/product/12jamis-t...5753-1.htm

http://bicyclepost.com/product/12jamis-t...5746-1.htm

The Trek I saw today was...

...hmmm odd.... It did have Trek on the frame but I don't see the one at the price point on the tag.

Yeah, pretty much. But if you go the 'comfort' or 'cruiser' level bike you are talking about a bike that will not hold up for anything beyond pretty gentle and almost exclusively paved terrain. And if you really want to go mtb I think it's worth a few extra bucks (still under your limit) to get the Jamis Trail X1 with the front suspension instead of the XR. Otherwise just go hybrid. Worth asking the shop, however, how the Jamis XR compares to the Jamis Citizen 1 hybrid (other than weight), which you didn't list above.

Re the Trek, the 7000 retails for $439, so I assumed that was the one you were looking at. Didn't see any Treks on your shop's web site.

(05-29-2012 10:46 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Yeah, pretty much. But if you go the 'comfort' or 'cruiser' level bike you are talking about a bike that will not hold up for anything beyond pretty gentle and almost exclusively paved terrain. And if you really want to go mtb I think it's worth a few extra bucks (still under your limit) to get the Jamis Trail X1 with the front suspension instead of the XR. Otherwise just go hybrid. Worth asking the shop, however, how the Jamis XR compares to the Jamis Citizen 1 hybrid (other than weight), which you didn't list above.

Re the Trek, the 7000 retails for $439, so I assumed that was the one you were looking at. Didn't see any Treks on your shop's web site.

Well.... went in for a longer look today..

That Trek is a 7000 series. I like the speed options but these had suspension and fatter tires that were closer to what I had had
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/tow...brid/7000#


Specialized Bicycles:
http://bicyclepost.com/product/12special...0728-1.htm
--should be right one... the price is the same at it was a 7 speed which this one is as well. The one on their floor was a Red.

Trek #2:
Actually.... I believe this is the black one I saw
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/tow...igator_1_0


I dislike being limited to 7 speeds on the later two but I did like the fatter tires/treads of those for what I have been accustomed to. Only the Specialized has suspension. But, like I said, never had it so I doubt I'd miss it.

Now the Trek #1 has 21 speeds( I am used to that), slightly less wide of a tire, slightly more "street" looking tire than I have been accustomed to, and no suspension.

They are slightly over my $400 threshold but....

(05-30-2012 08:24 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Well.... went in for a longer look today..

That Trek is a 7000 series. I like the speed options but these had suspension and fatter tires that were closer to what I had had
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/tow...brid/7000#

That looks like a decent bike for a hybrid. Same gruppo (components) as the other hybrids we discussed above. If you decide on hybrid you might want to think about whether it's worth the extra cash for a (maybe) slight upgrade in frame. Boils down to how it feels and what you want to pay.

Quote:Specialized Bicycles:
http://bicyclepost.com/product/12special...0728-1.htm
--should be right one... the price is the same at it was a 7 speed which this one is as well. The one on their floor was a Red.

Not sure what you are getting at re speeds. I can't imagine a mountain bike with only 7 speeds (and the link you provided shows a 21 speed). They had a Specialized Hardrock with only one chain ring?

If you're willing to go a little over your limit, the Hardrock is a good frame. It's essentially the same frame they use to build more expensive bikes (subbing in higher quality gruppo, rims, forks). This is a frame that is a good foundation that you can get started on and upgrade components (although not disk brakes). And by the way, I just looked around online and found a lot of places selling this bike for $399. Try and negotiate them down if you go this route, or see if they'll throw in some stuff (this actually applies to whatever bike you want).

Quote:Trek #2:
Actually.... I believe this is the black one I saw
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/tow...igator_1_0


I dislike being limited to 7 speeds on the later two but I did like the fatter tires/treads of those for what I have been accustomed to. Only the Specialized has suspension. But, like I said, never had it so I doubt I'd miss it.

Now the Trek #1 has 21 speeds( I am used to that), slightly less wide of a tire, slightly more "street" looking tire than I have been accustomed to, and no suspension.

Don't worry about tires. You can buy fatter tires down the road for a reasonable price. Suspension is nearly useless and adds unnecessary weight if you're mostly on streets.

Here's the deal on speeds: If you're riding around town on streets where there are few hills and they're not terribly steep, 7 speeds is probably fine. Unless you are off road and/or doing a lot of climbing and descending you really shouldn't be shifting gears that much anyway. And keep in mind, 21 speeds isn't really 21 speeds because when you move to different chain rings, you find there is a lot of overlapping/duplicating of gear ratios. Having three chain rings and a freewheel or cassette with 7 speeds is really a matter of efficiency in avoiding too much chain ring shifting. And again, it's added weight if you're not utilizing a large portion of that spectrum. What you really need here is a function of the terrain you'll be riding. If mostly/entirely street and gentle trails, it's a non-issue. All that said, if you plan to ride off road you'll almost certainly want more than 7 speeds.

http://www.target.com/p/schwinn-26-men-s...A-13241029

This is the Schwinn I saw at Target. It felt pretty solid. They had another model that was like $290 but with the way the suspension was on it in the rear... I did not like the way it sat down once I got on it.


I'm really struggling to find a reason to go up $250 from this one.... not that there isn't a quality reason so to speak but.... thinking about cost, time to ride, actually riding, and all kinds of other factors.... The difference is a lot. Not quite sure I can justify it.

It's all about what you plan to do with the bike. As mentioned early in the thread, occasional easy riding around town? This bike probably works. If you're going to be riding for more than 30 minutes at a time, and more than once or twice per week? You're likely to have some issues with this bike.

This bike you're looking at is, among other things, 40 lbs!!! That's probably 10 lbs more than the bikes listed above. And it'll have lowest-end components. Again, these are not deal-breakers if you'll be doing limited riding. Sorry to sound like a broken record but how you'll use the bike is really the biggest question you have to answer before you buy.

I pulled the plug today on a Schwinn Ranger in Pumpkin Orange/Dark Gray. I came in at $180... which I felt good about financially speaking. Took me a while to get my seat like I like it at home. Also, the front suspension takes some getting used to as I have never had a bike with suspension ever. I still doubt I would have liked the dual suspension models. Sadly, in riding around a hour on it this evening I could tell how out of shape I was.