Good Quality Bike?

Question

I need a new bike rather desperately. This morning, my dad moved my $350 bike (that I just bought last summer) behind his truck because he was cleaning out the garage to put the boat in it (a small bass boat). He forgot he put my bike there and backed over it, and it's damaged beyond repair. I hardly have any money (only about $60) because I have to fill the gas tank of the car so that I can get to school, and I am not going to pay for gas over the summer so my mode of transportation is a bike. My dad's pissed at his own mistake and is telling me that I need to pay him for the damage my bike caused to his truck (a big dent in the fender), and isn't offering a dime to pay for my bike that HE destroyed out of his own negligence. I wasn't even home when he did it, I was picking up the flooring (we're in a full kitchen remodel, so I had to go pick up the new flooring).

I need a good quality mountain bike (over the summer I always take it through the woods and the mountains) that'll last.

Answer 1

I would put the bass boat on craigslist, sell or trade for bicycle.

Answer 2

You may want to look into Forge Bicycles. They have a model called the Sawback 5xx. An excellent value and well within your price range. They have also been written up on mtbr, people who know and ride bikes.

Here's their site:

http://www.forgebikes.com

Or look at the Giant Boulder, this is a good value.

Answer 3

Your Dad is totally unreasonable.

Claim it on the insurance or something.

Answer 4

Well, your father sounds like an unreasonable jerk... HE ran over your bike after putting it behind HIS truck... He is at fault, and he should pay...

Barring that... What exactly is your question? 400 dollars is not much for a good bike - I second the previous recommendation that you search the used market...

Answer 5

I would suggest a Diamondback Response (there are a couple of bikes in that series) or a pick from the KHS Alite range. Both excellent bikes for the buck and very tough to beat... I know- it is part of my job to build bikes that compete against them and they have it dialed.

Answer 6

Well... check Craig's list.