flyingscotsman

Looking to get my backside back on a bike.

Thinking of gettign a cheap hybrid to get me back on the bike, are any of the cheap ones worth getting?

Any recommendations for the sub $300 range.

Still have the road bike but wanting to get my fitness level up first and thought a hybrid would be a good idea. May even have the chance of the wife joining me.

tchen510

Schwinn has some decent hybrids for cheap. They have Altus parts, so they are decent, and better than the other Walmart/Target bikes. I believe the Tourist is $250. I think you can get it at Target. It is probably the best sub $300 new bike you can get. Craigslist and the clearance section of a LBS will probably have some good bikes too.

loyalty

most people at that price range will steer you towards a used bike, which is makes sense. When I was in the market for "my first hybrid", I wanted a new one under 300. I figured if I enjoyed cycling I would upgrade in a year or two to a better brand...if not I wasn't out any serious cash.

I ended up with a Diamondback hybrid from a Dick's Sporting goods for around 250...had it "tuned up" at a local bike shop and it's been a great bike

Altair 4

If you have an REI store nearby, then you might want to consider this one:
https://www.rei.com/product/791143/no...orsa-bike-2011

Regularly $449 now on sale right now at $330. If you don't like it, REI has a very liberal return policy.

Although REI calls it a "comfort" bike, it's on the same frame as their hybrid Forza bike, although with a different mix of components (more upright handlebar arrangement, wider tires, wider seat, and a gear set that has a better climbing ability). Nothing top-of-the-line, but at that price point, nothing new will be equipped that way.

I don't know how long the sale lasts, so if interested you might want to pursue quickly.

justfitme

I would look for a used one. And look not only toward hybrids but also MTB's.
I was able to find Trek FX7200 in new condition for 200, 2009 Cannondale Bad Boy for $300 in new condiion.
For $200 you can buy in decent condition MTB and convert it into the Hybrid - slicks and rigid fork will cost ~$100-150 with labor to install...

UberGeek

I'll second the Tourist as a decent bike for the price. If you are even slightly handy with a wrench and screwdriver, you can do what it needs prior to getting it on the road.

I had to adjust the front derailleur on mine. Other than that, it was put together pretty well (They must have a person who knows bikes do the assembly at the target I bought from, as the derailleur could have been messed with on the floor).

It's a nice ride, and I've not regretted getting it. It's not a Trek 7.3, but it isn't a BSO either.

justfitme

Is it Charlotte, NC?

I would go with this one - would change to slicks for $30.
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/2583424376.html

You will not find anything better in the store for $300.

Arrowana

The Tourist only comes in one size. If it fits, I'd say it looks good. Though I do wonder how long the wheels on it will last.

Otherwise, I agree with getting a MTB and modding it. It would take a lot more than $300 to find a hybrid that equals my GT. If you get an older one, be prepared to replace shifters and brakes too, most of the MTBs I've found had issues with both. The upsides to an older one are rigid fork, better geometry, and usually more braze-ons for racks and stuff.

justfitme

these are the latest MTB findings - one I found for my wife and other is my first SS:

F5 was $350,
KHS - $200. Nothing needed to be changed except we put our saddles.
Charlotte is not a bad place to look either



just just an example (2)

quattroG

If you're talking what I'll call a street hybrid, with a fixed front fork, then look at the Diamondback Insight. Online and at Performance bike shops as well as Nashbar, you can get it for around $300.00. Also comes with Altus components. Aluminum frame and fork. And can also be found at Dick's Sporting Goods.

UberGeek

Might be a better buy there. The Tourist has Altus rear mech, but SR Suntour front mech.

flyingscotsman

I think my harder task is to persuade the wife that I can buy of craigslist, that bike is the same age as my road bike, so I guess I have to negotiate with the wife first

RollCNY

Just ride the road bike. They can go slow as easily as fast. If you are concerned about posture, buy an adjustable stem to lift the bars higher. Significantly less than $300

justfitme

On CL the bikes can be any age.
One of the latest one I bought 2010 in the condition when there is no wife can tell it is not new.
The bike was full suspension XT/Deore group. I bough for $250 and it did no work for my wife because of size. I'm not going to show the picture because I sold it for $400 in 5 days and I'm ashamed.

I'm telling you not to show what a good CL dealer I'm, but just to let you know tha you can be able to find anything to satisfy anybody.

justfitme

Here you go. I had an experiense with convesion of 9 speed road bike into the hybrid. It costed $70 - LX shifters, flat bar and brake levers. What a great hybrid it was.

ifjeepmadeabike

Whatever you do, don't buy a schwinn varsity! I'll give my quick story.


about 7 months ago my wife bought me a bike from goodwill. I repaired it, then rode it for 100-200 miles. I decided it was a good idea to buy something lighter. So, I went cheap and bought a schwinn. At 396 miles it literally fell apart. The handbars wouldn't sit still, the tires both went flat, the seat post was already wearing out the bracket and I had a grinding in my bottom bracket. I rode this ONLY on the road in town. Never curb hopped or abused it. I did wreck it once, but I got my ass kicked, not the bike. I returned it with no problems though, I have to say that's one wonderful thing about walmart.


So I got to thinking "How much different could an expensive bike really be?" My wife, being the ownderful woman she was, handed me 500.00 and said "Go buy a bike that will work" so I did and I test rode multiple bikes. The Fuji absolute 4.0 is what I settled on. I paid 402.25 after tax at the LBS here. If I had a couple hundred more I wouldn't have thought twice about buying something with drop handles. However, for a hybrid it's wonderful.

The question, about how much of a difference is easy to answer now. Think about buying a pair of shoes from dollar general. They may look really nice, but go running in them. They fall apart and are worthless. A bike is the same way. Not only that, but running in a pair of cheap shoes hurts your feet. A bike is the same way!

I've put around 90 miles on my 4.0 and it feels like a glove. It's not an expensive bike by any means, but damn for the 150.00 difference, it's a world away from the schwinn.

Lastly, others have said it I'm sure but I'll echo it. Walmart doesn't let you test ride a bike. Now you may be ok riding 103 miles on a craptacular bike and not even notice. But what happens when you decide to start riding 10 miles a day? You're riding a bike that is prone to failure and may not even fit right. One size fits all doesn't fit all, it fits very few and the rest beat up their body trying to fit on it. You're riding for enjoyment, and for health. If you're riding something that sucks to ride and hurts like hell while beating up your knees and back, you're gaining nothing.


SAVE a few hundred more and buy something that will work for you and test ride it!


Damn it, one last last thing. Don't buy anything off of craiglist without having an lbs check it over. Hairline crack can= injury and worthless bike. It's happened multiple times. The owner sees the frame starting to give and gets rid of it quickly for cheap. The next guy now owns a bike that is going to break soon, maybe while he's riding it.

SlimRider

Hey there FlyingScotsman!

Looks like you need to go to your nearest Jamis dealer and check out these two bikes:

(1) Citizen1

(2) Commuter1

If they don't sound so good, then go to bikesdirect.com. Otherwise, you can get another steel-framed bike from Raleigh, called the Venture for about $300.

Good Luck!

- Slim

flyingscotsman

Thanks some great suggestions there.

clockwork247

my schwinn tourist costs me 75 off CL, i think i saw a few at around 120-150... it's not a light bike, but it's not too heavy either (i didn't weight it but my friend's road bike are a little lighter).

the shifter on the tourists is nice, it's a legit road/hybrid shifter, sometimes you even see road bike that people put together using grip shifter (like wtf).

The wheels on the tourist uses strader valves, so you can just stop by any gas station if you have a problem pump it up and ride home.

The rear derailers are just entry level/so is the front, but i don't mind, it's usable...

for 75 i think it's worth it, i like the upright position of hybrid compare to road bike, you can add an end bar and it'll turn your bar into a drop bar (some what)...

always buy bike used, everything on a bike is so simple, unless it's broken most things can be fix pretty easy, just make sure the parts aren't broken.

sh00k

you can find a used trek 7.2 or 7.3 fx on craigslist for about that. just gotta be vigilent about it. a 4 year old trek will beat any newer sub $300 you can buy.

Tundra_Man 

Another vote for the Diamondback Insight RS. I bought mine two springs ago on sale through Performance for $199. Came with fenders and a rear rack. Mine came with SRAM deraileurs. I'm sure they're on the low end, but I've never had to adjust them and that includes when I first unboxed the bike. Also even though the frame is aluminum, it rides as smooth as my two steel bikes.

Even at $299 this bike is a value.

clockwork247

i saw a trek 7.1 and wasn't too impress, the tire is on the larger size if i remember correctly (like 700x38), swaping out 2 tires and 2 tubes is gonna run you like an extra 40 bucks. generally the larger hybrid tire aren't really road tire, they're more of mountain bike type with alot of grip on the road which can get annoying if you're mostly riding on roads.

justfitme

yeah, you are right. Trek 7.5 or Cannondale Quick have very decent road tires. 700x28. But they cost 900-1000 dollars. But they have very cool tires and Trek 7.1 does not have and it needs $40 for tires.

......

I purchased Trek 7200 FX for $200 in absolutely new condition. I would ride this bike for 5 years without any single issue, but I wanted skinny tires and I wanted to make this bike better then TREK 7.5 FX for $950.
All I needed is to invest $300-400 and now it has components and wheels better than on any $900 bike in the store. Plus I used all parts on lower level bikes in the family (like daughter hybrid) and it was a great upgrade too. ... And with the wheels and tires (I did not like in the beginning) I made one person very happy by selling them on CL for $100.