holydevil

Hey Folks,

I'm looking to explore into the world of Hybrid bike. Till date i used to ride MTB bike's for fun and now looking into options of hybrid bike where i can use to even commute to work.
I have around 6miles each side commute so assuming around 12-15miles daily ride.

Since its starters in hybrid im looking to start with a small investment.

I have listed 3 bikes below

1) 700C Schwinn Kempo Men's Bike
2) Vilano Diverse 3.0
3) Schwinn 700c Men's DSB Hybrid Bike


I feel Schwinn Kempo, should be a good option or if you wanna suggest some other options im open too. Please help me in finalizing with your expert opinion.

livedarklions

I'd steer clear of any of those and look for a used bike on Craigslist. I'm guessing either Target, Walmart or Amazon is where you have been looking?

Those will not be reliable bikes that I'd want to use every commute, and if you buy it at a big box store, they will likely be put together badly. If you must stick to that price range and want new, look at some of the bikes at Dick's Sporting Goods, Diamondback is a little bit higher quality. If you can spend a couple hundred more, you'll do better with a low end Trek or Giant hybrid bought at a real bike shop and properly assembled.

rumrunn6

what size are you & where do you live? maybe we can help you find a used bike

Gymschu

Trek DS all day. I'm not saying a dept store Schwinn CANNOT be a decent bike to start with, but, for a few dollars more, why not INVEST in something less likely to let you down?

mwl001

I'll agree with everyone here on buying a cheap/properly sized bicycle from a shop rather than from a big box store. If you plan on riding even weekly the cost will be cheaper in the long run. Also more likely you will enjoy your purchase more.

SouthFLSteve

As long as you are considering the Schwinn Kempo, take a look at the Schwinn Phocus 1500. It's an upgraded version of the Kempo that can be had for $300 and specs-wise is comparable to a Trek FX 2 Disc which costs $260 more. I'm not going to say the Schwinn is the equal of the Trek but it is a good bike at much less cost. I've got one and couldn't be more satisfied, and I did compare against Trek bikes. If you don't mind doing adjustments yourself you will wind up with a good bike that will be a fine introduction to hybrids.

livedarklions

BUT, and this is a big one, be honest with yourself. If you are not familiar enough with bikes to do those kind of adjustments, you also probably aren't going to know if the big box store set up your bike correctly. My LBS guy tells me he makes A LOT of his money fixing up screwed up bikes from WM that are essentially brand new.

Also, definitely try a bike before you buy it. Fit is not easy to figure out with just numbers. I'm not saying you won't prefer the Schwinn to the Trek or something else, but you won't know until you sit on them.

SouthFLSteve

In my case I told the big box store NOT to assemble my bike because I wanted to learn how to do it myself. There are plenty of YouTube videos for making all sorts of adjustments and the Schwinn printed instructions were also pretty good.

livedarklions

That's really cool, and I'm glad that worked for you. You are definitely NOT the typical big box buyer. Were you mechanically inclined before you got into bikes?

SouthFLSteve

I do agree with trying before buying. In the case of the Schwinn Phocus 1500 you won't find it in stores. But the Schwinn Circuit uses the same frame and is available in Target stores to try. So for purposes of fit, you can get an idea if the Phocus 1500 will be acceptable.

SouthFLSteve

Thanks! Not very mechanically inclined unless it involves computers. Lol. But YT is a great resource and you can learn a lot if you want to. Making mistakes is part of the process and helps you improve.

SouthFLSteve

I should also mention this forum is also a great resource thanks to the helpful people here!

holydevil

Im around 5.10" from California

rumrunn6

north? south? central?

BookFinder 

Frizlefrak

When I first got back into cycling in 2014 at the ripe age of 50, I didn't have a clue where to start. Reading here, I learned all of the pitfalls of dept store bikes. For $300, I found a one year old Trek FX 7.2 that probably didn't have 50 miles on it. In just a tick over 4 years, I have put 3200 miles on the Trek, and it's been flawless. I've had a LBS tune it up once at about 2000 miles in, and it just continues to perform. It's equipped with Shimano Alivio and rides like a dream. Good deals are out there....

hokiefyd 

For those who are interested in department store bikes, check out the 'KevCentral' YouTube channel. He does a lot of honest reviews of big box bikes (mostly ones he finds at Walmart). I think he does very fair review and demonstration videos, and often compares them to other "real" brands he owns (like Trek or Raleigh). He's found a few gems along the way, along with a number of real losers as well. It's worth checking out, even just for curiosity's sake.

Warning up front: he's mostly looking at the "mountain bike" genre sold at Walmart. He doesn't have a lot of street-oriented hybrids. He did just look at a $99 Schwinn Cutback, which looks like a bit of a blend of something like a Trek FX and a Raleigh Redux (it has a 1x drivetrain). He has also reviewed a few belt drive bikes (not found at Walmart) which are interesting.

pjthomas

I would not recommend any of these. That said of the three I'd buy the Kempo because is the least expensive and has the least "bullet list" features. The DSB would be the last one to buy, you would being paying for a cheap unnecessary suspension fork that you would be better not to have. The Vilano does a free hub 8 speed and a rigid fork but it is the most expensive of the three; so for a little more...

Generally, you don't need a suspension fork unless you're riding cobblestone streets. Most low end bikes use very low end forks that are theree just to add a marketable "bullet list" feature. Same is true of mechanical brakes. They are better than rim brakes, but not by much. Money spent on poor suspension or budget mechanical brakes would be better spent on better drive train components or tires or saddle, etc.

livedarklions

No, no. In 30 years, they will be posting interactive holograms that let you ride the bike and experience that classic Walmart smell.

bicyclridr4life

No broken/cracked frame welds, no broken dropouts, still running the original wheels with the original bearings in the hubs, and all the original spokes!
Oh yeah, for 12 plus years I was averaging 4,000 miles a year on it.
I've only had to replace 4 sets of tires and tubes, and 3 chains in over 48,000 miles. Yet the bike isn't "reliable"?!?
Full Disclosure: I replaced the 48 tooth chainring with a 36 tooth after approximately 4 or 5 years, and 16,000 to 20,000 miles, because I wanted lower grearing. The chainring did not need replacing. The rear sprocket as never been changed, and does not need replacing. Ain't steel chainrings and cogs grand?

I don't care what bike you buy, who made it, or how much it cost. If you maintain it, it will be reliable and last a long time. If you don't, it won't be reliable (although I suppose you could rely on it to fail) nor will it last.

To categorically state that big box bikes are garbage and unreliable is reprehensible and a disservice to everyone.
How many people who can't afford anything "better" has that attitude STOPPED from getting ANY bike?
"Buy used from CL or the Bay ..." Yeah. Right. And how many of those bikes don't need work, and don't cost considerably more up front than a big box bike, and as an added bonus, just MIGHT be STOLEN?

To the OP: Get whichever bike you like and tell the snobs to take a long ride on a short pier.

livedarklions

Let's stop you right there. You bought a Huffy from a "big box" store in 1973, and you're saying that is relevant to what should be bought today? I don't know what big box store you're talking about, but I do know something about Huffy bikes. I owned one much like you describe in the mid 1980s, and it was reliable, fast and fun to ride. I believe it could have lasted forever much as you describe, but I moved cross country and couldn't take it with me. I remembered it so fondly that I actually bought what was branded as a Huffy cruiser last year at Walmart. Let me tell you, it was definitely not the same bike, and whoever is slapping on the Huffy badge did absolutely nothing like Huffy did when they produced their own bikes. The bearings on it were terrible and clunky, the chain dropped constantly, it probably weighed a a good 10 pounds more than the Huffy you have, and it couldn't possibly have ridden as fast as the one I had in the 1980s. It also had been assembled badly but I was able to correct most of that. I actually gave the bike away after a couple months.
I looked up the specific bikes the OP was talking about. A couple of them I've actually sat on. They're bad bikes, very poorly equipped, and likely to be a bad fit because of the one size fits all approach big box stores use. He can definitely do better for the same money, and I hate to see someone get discouraged from biking because they bought a POS.
I don't appreciate the name calling.

livedarklions

Oh, and one more thing, how does telling him go to Dick's instead of Walmart or Amazon make me a bike snob?

ksryder

Bike Forums logic: anyone who is faster than me is a jerk wannabe racer poser, and anyone who doesn't say nice things about BSOs is a snob.

livedarklions

What got me is that I was also suggesting he'd do better looking at a Diamondback at the same price point at Dick's. It wasn't close to a snobby answer.

If somebody asks for advice on specific bikes, and you respond "get whatever you want, just maintain it", I think that really doesn't answer the OP's request.

Helderberg

If you can, get to a real Bike Shop and try to sit on a few different bikes. Let them fit you to a bike in your price range and you will be money ahead not to mention the fun and comfort. I can not say what you should buy but I did buy a used Schwinn that was the wrong size, put a bunch of time and money into it, sold it for less than I invested, bought a nice flat bar bike that was fitted to me and I could not be happier. I would say that quality and fit would be your two most important criteria as a starting point then look at what options the bike would offer for the future. Things like fenders or racks etc. may be important as you do not know now where you interests are going to take you.
Good luck, Frank.