Bicycle People

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it:

Find me a bike on atlanta craigslist. It must be sub-$200. Not a street bike, not a mountain bike. Hybrid / Comfort. Shocks are cool, but whatever. Needs to be strong (I'm 300-ish #). My wife has a specialized hybrid and it's nice - front shock, sprung seat post, comfy upright riding position. Something like that, but for me.

Trek 700 series are pretty nice.

Even if you are over 300, please, PLEASE don't get one of those 11" wide seats. It won't help you at all. All you need is a saddle that will support your pelvis (those extra-wide seats do nothing but interfere with what could be a plesant ride). Your butt is going to be sore anyway for the first few rides, and that has nothing to do with the saddle you're in.

Trek makes a nice bike. I love Cannondale. Get a hybrid that is based off of a mountain bike - that will give you super durability so that you can hit bumps and holes without wearing out the frame (the road bike I just bought might not last 3 years under normal operation - but it's super-light and fast.). Have fun!

Did you go to a bike shop? Do that. They may have a good used inventory.

mixed reviews on www.bikesdirect.com on the forums

some are good deals some are junk..

I would suggest finding a good local bike shop. Most will have leftovers and used bikes. Plus, I bought my bike from here so can you help me with something minor, connection is huge.

+1000 on finding a good local bike shop. Most will have some used bikes but a good shop will also fit the bike to you. The proper fit will make a mediocre bike a pleasure to ride, with a poor fit even the best bike in the world can be torture.

triumph7 wrote: +1000 on finding a good local bike shop. Most will have some used bikes but a good shop will also fit the bike to you. The proper fit will make a mediocre bike a pleasure to ride, with a poor fit even the best bike in the world can be torture.

Good point here. Getting fitted to a bike is crucial. I used to have a large-framed bike (from Toys R Us). I thought it was great. Then my local bike shop introduced me to a Medium frame. I thought, nah, that's crazy. It's too short. Then I rode it. I can't stand the longer frames now - the balance feels off and I'm stretched out funny.

Also, invest in a good security system. I can tell you for sure that a half-inch thick steel cable ($45.00) will not deter the theif with bolt cutters if he is working at night. Make that mothertrucker work. I said bye-bye to an $850.00 Cannondale F400 that way. It was a wonderful bike (see above). It's been two years and I am still burning up about it.

Problem with bike shops is that they are generally filled with elitist shiny happy persons in spandex who are too cool to help.

DILYSI Dave wrote: Problem with bike shops is that they are generally filled with elitist shiny happy persons in spandex who are too cool to help.

you're going to the wrong shops.... keep looking you'll find a good one.

Try to find a place like http://guysbicycles.com/ <--- they were near my old place in philly and a great help.

http://www.bicycleresearch.com/top100/index.html <-- found that list.. There's one in Roswell and one in Marietta.. Give them a shot.

OK one more post.

Check on http://www.sorba.org/ ... Lots of folks from ATL post up what you want and someone should come through.

Speaking of bikes, if any of you Portland-area guys see a raw carbon (not painted) Trek Y-bike (Y22 or similar) for not-retarded pricing let me know. I've been watching craigslist without much success, I don't know if they're super rare due to age and volumes, or if I'm just being retarded. Also, if you Porland area guys know of area-specific boards/stores that are worth checking for weird bikes like this, that's appreciated too.

Bryce

Yeah, look around some more. Some shops are like that and some are not, they seem to change over time also. The place I bought my bike used to be cool, now they turned elitist, the place thats nearest to my house used to be elitist is now a very helpful place. If someone makes you feel not welcome walk away.

Nashco, the first place I would hit would be bikeportland.org, someone there has to know offhand where to find such a specific bike.

Finding wheels that will support a 300 pounder is a bit tricky.

You'll hear creaking spokes on a lower-end wheelset.

Brought it home earlier today, a mid 80's trek 400 elance.

Not at all what you're looking for, but it took me casually searching CL for 2 months to find this. Definitely sub $200, and one of the first decent bikes I've seen on the Baltimore CL in a while. I couldn't find a hybrid for a decent price and I found I liked riding a bike with drop handles better anyways.

what do you guys mean by hybrid? a bike that uses electricity and pedal poewr?

gamby wrote: Finding wheels that will support a 300 pounder is a bit tricky. You'll hear creaking spokes on a lower-end wheelset.

hell my bottom bracket creaks under my ex 220lb girth..

drc wrote: what do you guys mean by hybrid? a bike that uses electricity and pedal poewr?

Nope, not hybrid powered. In bicycle terms, it's a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike.

Take a regular "10 Speed", fit slightly wider touring tires, and a flat bar (instead of drops). Might also have mountain-bike style cantilever brakes (or even discs) and a cheap suspension fork.

CrackMonkey wrote:

drc wrote: what do you guys mean by hybrid? a bike that uses electricity and pedal poewr?

Nope, not hybrid powered. In bicycle terms, it's a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. Take a regular "10 Speed", fit slightly wider touring tires, and a flat bar (instead of drops). Might also have mountain-bike style cantilever brakes (or even discs) and a cheap suspension fork.

Yep. As my wife calls it, a "park bike". It will hit walking trails better than a road bike. Also more comfy IMO. I can't stand to be hunched over - also the main reason for avoiding a true mountain bike. I can't ride with my ass higher than my head.

Is this something close to what you are looking for?: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/bik/711046713.html

92dxman wrote: Is this something close to what you are looking for?: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/bik/711046713.html

Not exactly. I'd like at least a modicum of testosterone involved in the design.

riser bars and the approprate stem will go a long way to changing XC geometry to more comfort oriented.

http://augusta.craigslist.org/bik/703085649.html

univega is a good old name in mountain bikes.. for the extra $100 you can ebay an old suspension fork.

ignorant wrote: riser bars and the approprate stem will go a long way to changing XC geometry to more comfort oriented.

That's a thought. Of course, that also was a thought I had on my old mountain bike - spend a couple hundred getting it how I want it vs. a different bike. It's a Trek 830 that is pushing 20 years old.

Trek 830 is a great bike. Reliable as a rock.

bumping this one b/c i'm in the market for a hybrid bike. planning to use it for recreation/general exercise b/c i hate running. might also use it for my 6-mile commute once in a while. both recreation and commuting terrain would be a mix of neighborhood and city streets and light trails (packed gravel/dirt). at some point i might work into some more challenging trails in the area (which are still nothing too crazy).

i came across these two that seem promising:

Mongoose Sabrosa 3x9: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1807981408.html

Trek 7300: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1798740456.html

the mongoose is an 18" frame; the trek is a 20. i am 6', 215, with a 32" inseam...seems like eithe rof them would fit. planning to hit up a local bike shop at lunch to try some different-sized frames.

Anyone have insight as to the type of bike I'm looking at, and these two models in particular?

That Mongoose looks cool. You'll sit much more 'upright' on the Trek, it's more of a "traditional" hybrid, whereas the Mongoose looks faster/ has the more 'aggressive' geometry. Ride each to compare, if you can.