Okay ~ how about the best for $350 considering I'm 5'7" a fit 140, and will be riding it every day.

Hahaha I just remembered something I saw happening to a friend of mine about 2 years ago. He actually managed to land a 20 foot drop off a small cliff ... but also managed to rip his Hanebrink dual crown fork off his custom Nicolai Bass... he was fortunate enough to get the Nicolai replaced for free. :1orglaugh

You better have Eq! ONE of these days I'll get to that. The last few months have been toooo much fun. Between working, the step daughter, him falling on the ice, and a million other things, I just haven't had time to do much. We were shifting storage rooms last night in the dark. :( Freaking computer cases and such. Argh!! Wish he'd toss that stuff out. lol

On the up side... I got a paid day off today! Going to take a nap in a minute. :) 4 hours a night just doesn't cut it when you get old. :1orglaugh

Very nice!!!

My personal dream.

http://www.yeticycles.com/1_bikes/media/dh9_popup.jpg

Like nothing else in life when you buy a bike you get exactly what you pay for. For instance, my bike weighs 22 pounds and change.

That's pretty light for a bike.

A $350 bike will weigh like...40 pounds?

A $550 bike will weigh like...35 pounds?

(hint - less is more)

okay, stupid idea then. wtf?

who wants to take over my car payments so I can buy a pair of Reebok.

jeez.

LOL at you guys trying to impress her with you knowledge of fancy bicycles.

Just buy a decent Mt. bike and you will be fine. It's not like you are going to be doing down hill trail competitions and stuff.

Bunch of show offs here....

If you going to be casualy riding your bike around town, get one with a comfortable seat, and some gears for going up hills.

http://www.schwinnbike.com/images/ca...0.SCH_VOY_.jpg
$350.00

I doubt you will be jumping 12' or going up mountains.
Have fun!

I'm not doubting you, like Jimmy.. I'm genuinely interested in the price breakdown on a 17k + bike.

Custom frames from local companies are usually cheaper than Trek's high end OCLV stuff. You can get a complete custom Ti road frame for 4k. Add Dura Ace components, that brings it up to 5.5k. Slapping on some super duper high end Bontrager wheels might bring it to 7k.

Ah! One thought... were these people your hubby was building for getting custom bikes because of unusual proportions? If you were 6'9" or something and you just had to have that Lance OCLV frame, I could see having to spend 10k + to get one custom moulded to your proportions.

I'm serious: www.supergo.com they have shit for half price on clearance all the time...

I can't help it, I'm a hater.

Just kidding, the one reason I'm dubious is a couple years back one of my best buds got an enormous insurance settlement and set out to build the best bikes possible, he started with a custom built Pinarello Dedacci steel road frame and a custom fit Merlin XLM butted Ti mountain frame and hung the most expensive of EVERYTHING on them, the price for THE PAIR was $17k.

I mean this dude got a nine speed Ti rear cog set for christ's sake...so I think it'd be impossible to spend that much on one bike.

You might want to contact that womens cycling club I linked. They may be able to point you to a store with a nice selection of well maintained used bikes.

The higher price quoting isn't an attempt to impress you. New entry level road bikes and decent hybrids really do start at $600-$700.

hahah, shit... what I meant to say was: I'm not doubting you. Like jimmy, I'm genuinely interested..

:thumbsup

Don't laugh...... I bought myself one of those "autobike's" about 8 or 9 years ago. Fairly lightweight at around 34 lbs, only costed me about $250 US, it shifts it's 6 gears by itself and it's great for street or trail riding.

Found this link on it here: http://www.hallsport.com/products/csa_autobike.htm

Most bike shops know how to fix and maintain it, parts are not hard to get.



Other advice: If no one's said it yet, get a good quality carbide lock, and also one of those long flexible cable locks too. Use both of them when leaving your bike anywhere. 2 locks are better than one, and if one is a good solid carbide it will take theives that much longer to abscond with your bike.

Sounds to me like you either need to manage your money better. OR (and this is what I really think) YOU NEED A RAISE.

You work where you do for the biggest tycoon in the business, and you are still making car payments?

Make it your goal to come to NY for the summer. If you are looking for adventure we can go Manhattan "street rollerblading." That's always pretty exciting with the Taxi demons and all. ;)

You know GB, I don't really know about the people that buy the things. I *do* know they usually are titanium alloys and the like. And the frame company has the customer out to their place to measure and then fit them after the bike is assembled to make sure the frame is exact. You can hold the finished bike up on two fingers without even trying. (I wouldn't want something that light under ME!)
The sprockets, and whatever you call the other whatchamacallits, the whole deal is usually custom made. I just have gone with the hubby to help him out by reading the micrometer. lmao He has a mind block and can't read them to save his life. (And Oh NO! I are a certed machinist so I can't get out of it)

But they don't sell those every day. ;-) They DO have orders from all over the World tho. The sales guys that come in say that shop is one of the hidden secrets for racers. They don't advertise that they cater to the big people I guess. Haven't been there for awhile and only know what I have picked up. Just never cared to ask many questions other than "You GOTTA be kidding me?" when they start totalling things. Sheesh they were getting 60 bucks to measure people!! If it doesn't have a key and ignition, then I don't want it. :1orglaugh

Decent upgradable bikes in your price range...

http://www.fisherbikes.com/compare/r...=Tiburon&bike=

I heard Cheshire rides a 10 speed huffy with no seat :)

Hey Cheshire, here's my ride, I just bought last summer.
http://www.pornfetish.net/images/kona.jpg
Go for the full suspension, you'll love it!

I used to own a mountain bike shop (5 years ago) and I dealt in s/hand bikes (seeing as the price of some of the new ones were so high...).

First thing to do is go and buy a couple of magazines.
Read all the bumf on the mega-machines.
Sigh and get back to the real world.
Go near the back and check out the second-hand stuff - you will be able to get a $700 bike about 2 years old for half price.

When you look at a bike to buy there is a 'grade' of equipment fitted to the bike :-

XTR = Top of the range
XT
LX
STX-RC = Quite good
STX
Alivio
Altus = basic

Manufacturers don't usually equip a good bike with anything less than STX-RC (the wheel hubs, brakes, gears and changers usually have stickers on them to state what 'grade' they are).

Bring a bikie with you when yo go to buy to check the bottom bracket / head bearings etc

It's not that big of a deal, but you still might want to think about how you do it. I used to switch b/w slicks and nobbies when I did a bunch of street riding in college. I had two sets of rims, one set of tires on each - the whole nine yards - trying to make it as convenient as possible to switch b/w them. The problem is that a chain kind of wears with the sprockets, they're kind of molded together (almost). anyhow, when you switch up rims, you switch up rear sprockets as well and the chain is no longer always a perfect fit. like I said, not a super big deal, but if you're doing a steep climb and you're leaning completely into it - and then all of a sudden your chain slips and slides over your spockets - that shit SUX! I'd consider a seperate bike for slicks as for nobbies, or go through the hassle of changing out the actual tires themselves.

Also, if you're out riding freestyle, as in, not in a park or confined area, make sure you bring supplies. nothing worse than getting far out and not having an extra tube, or a patch kit, pump or chain tool. that can help save a long pain in the ass walk home.

nice ride!

This is what all the poseurs on their mega-machines forget - spending extra $$$ to save a tiny bit of weight is a complete waste of time once you've put a full water bottle, puncture repair kit, basic tools, pump (maybe lights and mudguards too) on the bike :thumbsup

Ok babe what's really going on.
1st you had to get a roomate.
2nd no home internet

Now your talking about giving up your car ???


I will help anyway I can even if we have to start a Cheshire Fund.

SF bay to breakers?? Uhhh?

it all depend son the suspension. full suspension take sno pwoer away. rear suspension with just a single arm does take away pwoer, but a good hardtail suspension is just as good as a real hardtail

I say fuck the dual suspension. My bitch ex-wife too my good hardtail when she left like 4-5 years ago, and I just got it back. I had since replaced it with a super plush downhill bomber. Let me tell you... I missed that hardtail. Much lighter, much more, I dunno... I just like it a hell of a lot better.... And neither bike is cheap They're both top end Specialized Stumpjumpers. the hardtail is a M2 alloy outfitted with all XT, and the dual is a Stumpjumper FS (I think)... it's got a crazy 4"+ of travel in the front, and a lot in the back. It's even got the combo clipless/paltform pedals for real downhilling. The only thing is, I do XC, not DH!

It's a 12K race out here on the Bay. http://www.baytobreakers.com/
Definetly a fun time. All kinds show up for that one :)

Cheshire... you just have to get out there to a couple bike shops, talk to the salespeople and go for some test rides. Try and figure out what you like and dislike about the different bikes. (shifting, brakes, size, style of riding...) Then go online to find the bike that's 'right' for you http://mtbr.com or http://www.craigslist.org/sfo/bik/ are great resources for bikes in this area.

Once you get your ride look me up. I've ridden some great trails out there in the foothills. Happy riding...

Huh? A decent pump, patch kit, spare tube, and a compact multitool should weigh less than a pound all together. Add a full 12oz water bottle the whole package should still come in at around 1.5lbs.

Between the $350 and $1000 price levels you can shave 15 - 20lbs off a new bike.

Your statement starts becoming accurate at about the 19-20lb level for road bikes. To get below that you start paying $100's for every pound lost because exotic materials and engineering are required. Not worth it for anyone except serious amateur racers, pro's, and people with deep wallets who just have to be seen pedaling the latest and greatest.

Those in the latter group soon find out that the cycling community is one of the few in which you cannot purchase respect.

Oh no sweetie ~ I love your love, but don't worry about me.
Living simply is my goal.
:)

Two decent secondhand bikes $350 - $400

http://marketplace.consumerreview.co...ry=retrieva l

http://marketplace.consumerreview.co...ry=retrieva l

Umm - I have titanium bottom bracket, bolts, quick release wheel spindles and seatpost pin etc.... for that amount of money I would have been better off having a shit before I ride for the weight saved :1orglaugh

Thanks Pennd, that bike rocks out here on the west coast, we've got some really great riding trails, especially in Whistler! :thumbsup