looking to buy a bicycle.

[jonathan_matos5]

what do i need to look out for?

i am tall and weigh 260lbs and have slow income i want to spend $400~ $50 for a mountain bike. also its been a while since i last rode so assume the $50 would get me a helmet, chain lock, and waterbottle mount

[bassteban]

Go to a bike shop, not Wal-Mart/Costco/Mega-Store. The guy in the bike shop likely actually rides whereas the Megastore guy is often the guy from the lamp section filling in or they don't even have a 'bike' guy. Important to consider if you plan on ever coming down a slight grade, doing say 15-20mph in light traffic, & want your brakes to work.
I imagine there's a TBer or two who can reccomend a good shop local to you.
The good thing is that your budget will buy a very nice ride these days, as well as all your stated accesories. Keep us posted.

[mothmonsterman]

I'm about the same, I have a little schwin bmx trick bike, hurt a little at first and no doubt my fat ass looks goofy on it, but it does the job, and light enough where i can just carry it if i get tired.

My budget for a new one is below 200$
and something not too over the top looking
http://www.dunhams.com/product/index...entPage=family

too over the top?


There's about 50 million bike shops where i live and i'll check them out.

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Go to a bike shop, not Wal-Mart/Costco/Mega-Store. The guy in the bike shop likely actually rides whereas the Megastore guy is often the guy from the lamp section filling in or they don't even have a 'bike' guy. Important to consider if you plan on ever coming down a slight grade, doing say 15-20mph in light traffic, & want your brakes to work.
I imagine there's a TBer or two who can reccomend a good shop local to you.
The good thing is that your budget will buy a very nice ride these days, as well as all your stated accesories. Keep us posted.

my brother used to work at the biggest bike shop in town as the bike tech. he would have great advise if i could stand more than an hour around him.

Originally Posted by mothmonsterman

I'm about the same, I have a little schwin bmx trick bike, hurt a little at first and no doubt my fat ass looks goofy on it, but it does the job, and light enough where i can just carry it if i get tired.

My budget for a new one is below 200$
and something not too over the top looking
http://www.dunhams.com/product/index...entPage=family

too over the top?


There's about 50 million bike shops where i live and i'll check them out.

ive heard bad things about that brand from my brother mentioned above. apparently some of them were shipped in a state that they couldn't even be assembled properly.

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by jonathan_matos5

my brother used to work at the biggest bike shop in town as the bike tech. he would have great advise if i could stand more than an hour around him.



ive heard bad things about that brand from my brother mentioned above. apparently some of them were shipped in a state that they couldn't even be assembled properly.

Grit your teeth & go to your brother- he can help tremendously.
As for Schwinn, they were great in the 50s & 60s, fair in the 70s & 80s but since then the name has been bought, sold & so mismanged that I would definitely avoid it.
See? Your bro has already helped.
Some good names are Trek, Specialized Marin & Jamis.

[mothmonsterman]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Grit your teeth & go to your brother- he can help tremendously.
As for Schwinn, they were great in the 50s & 60s, fair in the 70s & 80s but since then the name has been bought, sold & so mismanged that I would definitely avoid it.
See? Your bro has already helped.
Some good names are Trek, Specialized Marin & Jamis.

eh 50$ wasn't a bad price and it moves.
cannot get the handlebars to line up right and the back brakes to work.. at all.


well can anyone suggest a good brand that has a lowergrade model fro under 200 bucks?

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by mothmonsterman

eh 50$ wasn't a bad price and it moves.
cannot get the handlebars to line up right and the back brakes to work.. at all.


well can anyone suggest a good brand that has a lowergrade model fro under 200 bucks?

My advice was actually aimed at the OP, but feel free to take it if you know this guy's brother.
As for $50 being a deal, yeah- sure, until you ask your brakes to stop you before going under some drunk persons' Hummer.
And I tend to cut it off at around $300. If you can get a knowlegeable cyclist to help shop, used stuff often goes for 50% of the original price. College towns have very high turnover.

[mothmonsterman]

Originally Posted by bassteban

My advice was actually aimed at the OP, but feel free to take it if you know this guy's brother.
As for $50 being a deal, yeah- sure, until you ask your brakes to stop you before going under some drunk persons' Hummer.
And I tend to cut it off at around $300. If you can get a knowlegeable cyclist to help shop, used stuff often goes for 50% of the original price. College towns have very high turnover.

hmmm living in Royal Oak, MI, this danger of runaway drunk yuppies in hummers is very real.

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally Posted by bassteban

My advice was actually aimed at the OP, but feel free to take it if you know this guy's brother.
As for $50 being a deal, yeah- sure, until you ask your brakes to stop you before going under some drunk persons' Hummer.
And I tend to cut it off at around $300. If you can get a knowlegeable cyclist to help shop, used stuff often goes for 50% of the original price. College towns have very high turnover.

tulsa is a college town. OU, OSU ORU, TU

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by jonathan_matos5

tulsa is a college town. OU, OSU ORU, TU

You should not be able to swing a dead cat w/o getting it's fur stuck in a decent used bike, in Tulsa.

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Go to a bike shop, not Wal-Mart/Costco/Mega-Store. The guy in the bike shop likely actually rides whereas the Megastore guy is often the guy from the lamp section filling in or they don't even have a 'bike' guy. Important to consider if you plan on ever coming down a slight grade, doing say 15-20mph in light traffic, & want your brakes to work.
I imagine there's a TBer or two who can reccomend a good shop local to you.
The good thing is that your budget will buy a very nice ride these days, as well as all your stated accesories. Keep us posted.

+100

[mothmonsterman]

want green bike!!

good starter bike?
http://www.rei.com/product/760846

[jsbass]

Mongoose and Schwinn are crap now. Go for Trek, Raleigh, Cannondale, Kona, etc...

I personally ride a Trek 3700. I paid about $350 I think. Pretty reasonable for a Trek. Solid, reliable, lightweight hard tail.

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by mothmonsterman

want green bike!!

good starter bike?
http://www.rei.com/product/760846

Looks alright, but who's going to assemble it? Mail-order/online often looks like a great deal, but when the bike arrives damaged or is missing key parts, repacking & shipping can ruin the experience. Again, go to a real bike shop.

[DanGouge]

What kind of riding are intending to do with the bike?

+1000000 to going to a bike shop over Wal-Mart/Costco/Sears

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally Posted by DanGouge

What kind of riding are intending to do with the bike?

+1000000 to going to a bike shop over Wal-Mart/Costco/Sears

anywhere and everywhere. ill probably stick to the paved for a few months but i want to be able to take it on the trail when i develope some kind of balance.

[bassteban]

www.mtbr.com

[evan_phi]

go to your local bike shop (which from now on will be known as your "LBS") and ask them for help. They will be able to hook you up with the right bike. LBS's are the way to go, especially when something breaks!

Also, make sure they know your weight! There is a special class of bikes and a special racing class for people over 200lbs. it is called Clydesdale.

I would suggest hitting up www.bikeforums.net Clydesdale Forum and see what help they can offer you.

I have been wrenching for about a year now, and a bigger person needs a WELL MADE BIKE!!! You are (unintentionally) harder on your bike, so it has to be built for it!


Good luck in finding the right bike for you, and AVOID BIG BOX STORES LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

[jonathan_matos5]

should i send an email on this one?

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/bik/691669079.html

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by evan_phi

...

AVOID BIG BOX STORES LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

This.