rachel35

Looking to buy my first bike as an adult. I'm trying to spend around $300. I plan to ride on the weekends--paved paths, maybe 5-8 miles. While I don't want to get the best of the best since I'm just starting out, I do want to be cognizant of getting something that is quality if I can. Right now I'm looking at Raleigh bikes. I signed up with a corporate account and see that I can get the 2018 Eva 2 for $260, current Eva 2 for $311, or 2018 Alysa 1 for $269. I'm also looking at a used 2018 Trek FX 2 for $325 on Facebook marketplace. The bike was purchased 8 months ago and has only been used about 5 times. Looks brand new. How do the Raleigh bikes compare to Trek? I'm leaning towards Raleigh because it would be a brand-new bike and I don't have to go to a stranger's house with $325 cash. Would you recommend a different Raleigh bike?

Bigbus

Hands down I like the Eva 2, if only it had disk brakes. But even so, the trek is over priced according to average retail in excel condition it should be under 300. I like the front suspension vs non-susp but again, that's just me. Good luck.

VegasTriker

The Trek FX-2 is a more expensive bike but still in the price range for entry level bicycles. If you look up the prices and specifications for the three years it has been made in the bicycle blue book (https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/Sear...50&model=86443) you can see prices for all three years.

Frankly, you should not expect great things from an entry level bike but one that comes to mind right away is the suspension fork on entry level bikes. They don't work very well compared to the suspension forks on more expensive bikes. The particular fork sold with the Eva 2 is one that has been recalled by the CPSC in the past. I'd rather take the Trek bike with no front suspension over one where they wasted money on a cheap fork. The Trek has disc brakes while the Eva 2 uses rim brakes. The listed weight for the current Trek 2 medium frame is 25.75 pounds. Raleigh does not list weights for their bikes. It is certainly something to think about. A lighter bike is far more pleasurable to ride than a heavy beast.

Of course, this only works if the Trek fits you. If it is too large or too small don't buy it at any price.

rachel35

I'm still trying to get my head around all the components and what's good and what's not. Would the Detour 1 with a steel hybrid fork be better or is it still so-so?

wipekitty

I'd agree that the suspension forks on entry-level bikes are not always the greatest and can cause more problems than they're worth.

The Trek would be a fine bike - if it fits you. If at all possible, I'd insist on meeting the seller in a public place - shopping center parking lots are a popular option, and some communities have set up places in town (with cameras) for conducting online transactions. Sellers can be equally skeptical of strangers showing up and seeing all the good stuff in the garage! If the bike is good and you show up with cash, you may be able to talk the seller down to $300.

Spinay70

Check your local bike shops. Often you can get new, last year models at great prices. FWIW i bought a new Trek for that price. But, depends on model you want.

Spinay70

Troul 

Can you do standard maintenance & assembling?
Consider bikesdirect if you can. For under 400 you could find a really nice entry level bicycle.... or pay a nominal fee to have it assembled by a lbs.

rachel35

I was JUST looking at their site. I don't really get how they work. Are they hiding the brand names?

riverdrifter

You're looking to do up to 8 miles on paved paths? Definitely the Raleigh Alysa 1. My wife has the 2018 model and she absolutely loves it. It has totally renewed her interest in cycling. Now she always wants to ride further, and she talks about how efficient the bike is. It's a nice bike, solid, lightweight, well designed.

Wilfred Laurier

99% of bikes you see on the road today are built and assembled by contract manufacturers in Asia. Larger brands specify unique and interesting design features, but smaller brands often pick stock frames out of a catalogue and order bikes based on that. All the parts come from a handful of component manufactures in the same geographic regions.

The contract manufacturers build the bikes then ship them to a warehouse somewhere in your country, then they are ordered and shipped to a retailer, where customers can go and touch the bikes and even test ride them. The retailer wil generally help find a bike that fits you and help you dial it in. The retailer is responsible for initial adjustments and maintenance for a short while after the bike is built. They also generally catch any quality control issues with the bikes when they are assembling them. Lastly, if any failures occur that are covered under the bikes warranty, the retailer usually handles this as well.

Bikesdirect gets their bikes exactly the same way, but cut the retail locations out of the chain. You get a lower price, but you are also responsible for everything the retailer would have done - assembly, adjustment, fitting, warranty claims, etc.

BookFinder 

It takes a good bit of detective work to dig out the facts, but it appears that four companies produce most of the bicycles on the US market.

Dorel Industries (Canada)
Kenesis
Pacific Cycle
West Coast Cycle (but not so much anymore; see below)

The following list is not complete by any stretch, but here is what I can determine about brands by company.

Dorel: owns Pacific Cycle and markets under brand names including Cannondale, Iron Horse, Schwinn, Mongoose, Roadmaster, and GT

Kenesis: Diamondback, Felt, GT, Haro, Ideal, Jamis, K2, Kona, Kross, Raleigh, Redline, Santa Cruz, Schwinn, Storck, Sunn, Titus, Torker, and Trek

Also produced by Kenesis are the brands marketed by BikesDirect.com: Dawes, Fuji, Mercier, Motobecane, and Winsor.

West Coast Cycle: (Initially Kawamura Cycle Co in Japan, and later Giant): manufactured the line of bicycles branded as Nishiki. Later the Accell group picked up Nishiki. Also, please note there is a contradiction as Wiki lists Accell as manufacturing Diamondback, but at another Wiki link Diamondback is stated to be owned by Kenesis. Giant is now big enough to be their own deal.

At the end of the fog, it seems the same Taiwanese assembly lines make most of the frames sold in the US. Browsing stores over the last 10 years, my examination of the welds reveals similar if not the same automation factors. Some Schwinn frames I’ve seen at Walmart look like exactly like Trek frames I’ve seen in the Trek store. The only difference is the paint colors and the badging.

Schwinn (Dorel of Canada) markets two lines of bicycles. One is a line of discount bikes offered through mass-merchandisers such as Wal-Mart, Sears and Kmart. The other line is known as their Signature Series (featured on their website). These are higher-end models sold through specialty shops.

Links:

Bike brands & manufacturers

Nishiki Bicycle Company

https://www.bicycle-guider.com/bike-...l-hybrid-bike/

FWIW, my next bike will come from bikesdirect.

rachel35

Thank you for such a thorough reply!!