cruiser bike shop
Department store bike?
Alright I want a bike but of course I can’t afford a 200-1000 dollar bike. (My parents wont buy me an expensive bike either)
So I am unfortunately gonna have to go to the dreaded department store or dicks sporting goods. Should I avoid a certain brand? I just want a cruiser bike or comfort bike, nothing special, and I plan to ride everyday if weather permits it.
Please don’t tell me to go to a bike shop or the money is worth it, you all may be able to afford such luxuries but I am 16 and my mother is a single mom, we don’t have that kind of money.
…thanks Steve. Hey, why don’t you send me like 400 bucks, so I can buy a quality bike then?
Hi Aijaana,
I think all Steve was trying to say that if your funds are limited, it’s probably best to keep it as simple as possible. The components on department store bikes are just not made very well, and known to break, so the fewer parts on the bike, the less there is to break and have to repair.
That said, I mean, my husband bought a Huffy a number of years ago at K-Mart, and my stepdaughter is still riding it! I personally bought a 10 speed Schwinn Supersport, used, at a rummage sale for $35 almost 30 years ago, and I still ride it–all the time! It’s totally bulletproof–my favorite commuter bike of all time! Oh, I also have a high-end AirborneTitanium racing bike, but no way would I ride it in rain, snow, or ever even think of leaving it unattended for more than 5 minutes, not even with a dozen Ulocks on it! Ain’t no one gonna even think about stealing my rusty old Schwinn–and I’ve put more miles on that bike than most people do on their cars. I LOVE my old Schwinn!
That said, the rest of the information Steve gave is actually correct. You don’t want to go with cheap disk brakes, they’ll break, but even the cheapest V brakes should be just fine. Stay away from any type of suspension, it’s pretty much worthless on anything other than the highest end bike, and the simpliest gearing system will work the best and last the longest. As long as you don’t jump curbs, plan on doing any tricks or abuse the bike in any way, you should be just fine.
Enjoy your new bike!
Edit: I have to admit I’m somewhat confused by some of the answers below. Who are these “people who assemble them”, (ie., bikes) anyway? MY $3,000 bike was shipped to my house unassembled–the person who assembled it was me! And hey! I was grateful that at least I didn’t have to figure out how to put the spokes on the wheelhubs.
And taking it to the local bike shop to check it? Yes, did that after I was finished, and they charged me $69.95 to “tweak it.” I could have bought and rode a Huffy right out of any Walmart store for that price.
It’s not that hard to assemble, maintain, and repair your own bike. Many bike shops offer free maintenance classes, just bring your own wrenches. Otherwise, just go to Sheldon Brown’s website which will provide all the information you need.
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