What is a pretty good bicycle model I can purchase in the US?

Question

I would like to start biking to graduate school when I'm in the south (TN), and would like to know which bike is durable and a pretty good quality. It will also help save the world from more pollution and also because I cannot drive. How much will it cost and where can I buy one?

Thank you

Answer 1

If you are going to live on-campus or close to campus, just buy the cheapest Walmart bike you can find.  No bike thieves would bother to steal parts off those cheapie bikes, so you can lock them up on campus and rush off to class without quick-releasing the wheels or seat post.

If you live far away from campus (more than 5 miles), then you want to go to a bike shop and get fitted for a proper bike.  A good bike can cost anywhere from $500 to thousands.  Reputable brands include Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, Kona, GT, etc.  Needless to say, you need to be VERY careful when locking up a good bike on campus--  Quick-release the wheels and seat and lock up all the parts so nobody can steal the parts off your bike.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Answer 2

Avoid walmart bikes like the plague.  If you ride regularly, they will break on you in terrible ways.  I'm a strong believer that if one is going to ride on the road for transportation (IE: not over rocks, gravel, and unpaved trails), that one should purchase a bike with larger wheels, thinner tires, and road slicks.  Now this doesn't necessary mean you need to buy a 12 pound racing bicycle, but a lighter bike with less rolling resistance will get you from point A to point B faster and will be more usable as a regular commuter.  Why buy a bike with fat knobby tires that was designed to off road if you are riding on asphalt 90% of the time?  You will work harder and it will take you longer.

Thus, most road bikes and possibly hybrid bikes will fit this criteria pretty well.  Decent entry level road bikes cost around $600 or more and can cost way up several thousand if you want a hardcore race bike, however, this is often way more than most people need.  Good hybrids, which are generally heavier, have thicker tired, and may have some form of suspension will cost around $300-400 new.  Some major brands of reasonably priced bikes are trek, specialized, and giant.  Check your local bike shop and test ride a few to see what fits you properly.

Of course, buying a nice used road bike will save you hundreds!  An excellent vintage road bike will cost $100 or less and are frequently sold on craigslist and ebay.  Find out your size and start bargain hunting.  Make sure you test ride the used bikes to make sure everything works properly, otherwise you may have some headaches getting everything adjusted properly.  Although, in all but the absolute worst cases, a local bike shop and fix up an older bike to perfect riding conditions for a small fee.

Good luck with the riding.

Answer 3

I guess it depends on the distance.   If we're only talking a few miles, I'd garbage pick something and fix it up. No sense spending a lot of money on something that's likely to be stolen.