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Two months ago I decided to take up bicycling. Thanks for the advice everyone. After determining that as my learned friend @MollieTheMare indicated, the Pacific mountain bike I'd come into was kind of a piece of shit, I went hunting around for other bicycles I could borrow from people, and found myself with a menagerie of old bikes that had been sitting in garages for years or decades now sitting in my garage and being fixed up and ridden around my neighborhood. I've got a 90s Trek hybrid for girls, a 2012ish Trek hybrid for men, a remake Schwinn cruiser, and a Jamis road bike from the 2000s that I quite like but have to keep fiddling with to make work for me because it's actually the wrong size. Eventually I'm going to return all but maybe one of them to their original owners. I'm still kind of figuring out what exactly I like/want/need in a bike, and how to go about finding it.
So cycling mottizens, consider this the "What are you riding?" thread, or the "What bike would you advise someone to buy?" thread. I'm curious what the fine people of this place think is a good bike.
In my opinion, if you're mostly on the road, not doing serious distance yet, and not entirely sure what kind of riding you want to do, then a Hybrid is probably what you want. Usually they're mostly mountain bike frame and parts, but smoother tires, possibly road wheels, and at least slightly relaxed handlebars. They're usually okay-ish at pretty much everything and not terrible at anything. Maybe not quite enough tire grip and wheel strength for semi-serious trail riding, and not quite comfortable enough for long rides at high effort level compared to a road bike, but you probably won't notice until you actually try to do those things.
You probably want brand names on everything, but not top-end stuff. Usually means Shimano parts and pretty much any brand advertised and sold in actual bicycle stores. 2012ish Trek hybrid sounds decent as long as it comes reasonably close to fitting you. I don't honestly know what that runs these days, but used is probably a good deal. Bikes like this will usually go thousands of miles without breaking stuff, and are easy to fix or replace parts on if needed. The Walmart specials tend to start falling apart after a few hundred miles and be difficult to fix or find replacement parts for.
It may take some experience to understand how road bikes are really supposed to fit and work. You should be leaning forward enough to put significant weight on your hands. The drop bars provide several places to put your hands to help with this strain. Between putting significant force on the pedals most of the time and keeping some weight on your hands, there shouldn't be that much weight on the seat most of the time, so it's not meant to be that comfortable for just tooling around.
The only bike I actually have right now is a fixed-gear on a road bike frame I built many years ago. It's decently fun and comfortable for most things for me, and ugly enough to not be an attractive theft target. The lack of gears make it not that great for climbing hills/bridges, but it's okay for me on the ones near me. Also not great for carrying cargo, but I don't have much need for that now. I used to have a nice hybrid like the one I'm suggesting, which had decent saddlebags for cargo, but it got stolen a while ago. I do miss it a bit, but I wouldn't have storage room for it now anyways. I sold my nicer road bike a while ago too, since I don't ride long-distance much anymore.
It might also be worth getting a setup for changing out tire tubes that you can ride with if you are interested in riding at least moderately far away from home and civilization.
Interesting how that is a consideration I don't really have for this purchase, but is clearly important for others. 90% of my rides start and end at my house, the rest are on trails in parks, and none of them feature public stops.
I've been embarrassed by this already. I actually really like how the road bike rides when I get it under way, but getting it under way ends up being significantly harder or more clumsy than the more upright bikes.
The only thing that makes me consider pushing a bigger budget, like $500 rather than $200, that some of the newer bikes I see around are 1x10 or 1x12 gear systems. The 3x8 systems you see on most used bikes seem to add a lot of complexity for very little benefit (to me). Older bikes too, but nothing that's both working and cheap. One of those weird manufacturing moment-in-time things where for a while 24 speeds was really difficult to do from a manufacturing perspective and became the standard of excellence, and now you're starting to see less of it for the same reason: everyone can do it, so let's see what the best thing to do is.
If your budget is only $200, then you can't be picky about features. Hell, if your budget is only $200, offer that for the Trek, because that's about as good as you can reasonably expect for that price. The public has for some reason come to expect that a relatively complex item with a lot of moving parts, some of which need to be machined, shouldn't cost more than $500. It's like expecting to get a decent new car for $10,000.
I'm really kinda lost on what you're saying here, Rov, though I'm sure it's my ignorance of what I'm talking about. It seems to me like $200-300 is a reasonable budget for a 10-20 year old mid-range used bike around me, both from craigslist/FM and walking around the big bike flea market near me the other weekend, at which price point one can get a decent bike from a respectable brand with what I would consider a lot of different feature sets from suspensions to frame materials to gearsets to handlebars, so like yeah one ought to get picky.
I guess if I were looking for something really specific and in better shape it seems like $600-1000 gets me there, but I really don't get what I get other than "new" for more money than that. Enthusiasts try to explain it to me and I don't get it, it feels like they're telling me I have to buy a new Mercedes and a Camry just won't do.
Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention to your posts, but I got the impression you were looking to buy new for that price, since most people buying used don't have much option wrt features or brands, especially at the lower end of the used market. Maybe things are better where you are, but most of what I see on FB marketplace/CL is junk, and the specialist bike sites are more along the lines of "This year-old $6500 bike is a steal at $3000". It's for that reason that I usually steer inexperienced (i.e. if you have to ask) buyers away from used models, because they simply don't know what they're looking at or if they're getting a good deal. The one exception would be buying use from a bike shop, where they often have fairly-priced trade-ins that are guaranteed to be in good mechanical condition.
That last point is something to consider and take into account. Any 10–20 year-old used bike is going to need a chain, probably a rear cassette, probably tires, probably new cables. The parts aren't expensive and you can do the repairs yourself if you're willing to learn, but there can be specialized tools involved (that are cheap to come by), and if it's your first time doing this work you simply aren't going to get it dialed in the way it should be. there's also the issue that if you don't know what you're looking at, it's going to be difficult to even know what parts you have to order. It's usually along the lines of if you can find out what the bike originally came with you'll find out that they don't make that part anymore. They make a close-enough equivalent (actually several) that will be compatible provided that you make some minor adjustments. These are the kinds of things bike shops will do without even telling you but that can give you fits if you try to do it yourself. At that point, it's almost easier to just take it to a shop and have them do it, which will cost approximately what you paid for the bike, which is why I tend to recommend buying used bikes from a shop that paid a lot less for the bike itself than you would have and with parts, labor, and profit can sell it for approximately the same price as if you had bought it yourself and had the work done, which may sound like a wash but at least means you can take your bike home and ride it on Day One without any surprises. I'm not trying to say this to discourage you from buying used, because I generally think it's a great idea, especially for what you're looking for, but it's something to be aware of.
Now that I have a better idea where you're coming from, I can give you some detailed advice. Most people here have said that anything from a reputable brand will be good, and they're right, but it's useless information if you don't know what a reputable brand is, and there are a few caveats. The issue is making sure you get a "bike shop bike" and not a "department store bike", which is generally easy to do if you buy at a shop but harder on the used market due to a variety of factors. First, anything by the following brands, from any era, can be recommended without hesitation: Trek, Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Scott, Norco (unless you're buying it in Canada), Co-Op (REI's house brand), and Kona. GT and Diamondback must be approached with caution, as they make both higher-end models and models that are sold at places like Dick's. I wouldn't recommend one unless you really know what you're looking at. Schwinn and Mongoose are in a similar boat as they used to be good brands until they got sold and deprecated by their new owners. The goodwill has been gone long enough that few people would even be fooled these days, and require some convincing that one from the 90s is actually a good purchase, but unless you're looking at something really old they're best to be avoided. Raleigh, Jamis, Fuji, and Nishiki seem to have had various identity crises over the years where they can't decide whether they want to be a legitimate brand or a budget brand; a used model could be a find or could be crap, and there's no way of knowing unless you already know. Brands like Huffy, Next, Murray, Roadmaster, or anything with the name of a pickup truck is department store crap and should be avoided at all cost, as is anything that weighs about a thousand pounds. Someone mentioned Motobecane and Gravity's ID bikes earlier. They're basically cobbled together from spare parts, and can be great value for money, though buying one used is asking for an adventure. People also mentioned other internet direct brands, and there are innumerable boutique brands that also make excellent bikes. While I obviously wouldn't want to discourage you from taking advantage of a deal on these, most of them specialize in Serious Mountain Bikes or Serious Road Bikes, not what you're looking for, and in any event you aren't likely to find one for cheap at a bike flea market.
As for what you are looking for, I'd recommend a hybrid. They kind of get a bad rap in the bike community because they aren't particularly great at anything, but for someone who wants to do relatively short rides on the road or easy trails they can't be beat. There's a reason why manufacturers sell more of these than anything else. To explain why you should get one, it's easier to explain why you shouldn't get something else. The road bike may feel better on the road, but there are two big caveats. The first is that the riding position is going to be more aggressive than what you're probably used to, and while that's a good thing for the long haul, if you're talking about ten miles max at this point then I don't know if it's worth it to get used to it. More importantly, they aren't made for riding off-road, period. I know you said you plan on riding on roads, but crushed limestone rail trails can present a challenge, and gravel is pretty much off limits. If I only have one bike in the quiver, I want something that will be able to handle a dirt road in a county park that small children can ride without hesitation.
For similar reasons I would recommend against hardtail mountain bikes—if most of your riding is going to be on the road, and you don't have any intention of doing serious off-roading, a mountain bike isn't the best choice. The wide, knobby tires they're equipped with don't perform well on pavement and if you don't change them immediately you will soon enough, since asphalt wears them down quickly. Of more serious concern, though, is that these will probably have some kind of front suspension that will require its own maintenance and is another thing prone to breaking, except the bike is unrideable with blown out suspension forks and replacements are really expensive. Some hybrids will come with suspension forks to make things seem sportier; avoid these as well, for similar reasons. It's actually more imperative to avoid hybrids and low-end hardtails with front suspension because the cost of the forks takes up a significant proportion of the total cost of the bike, and requires sacrifices elsewhere. The forks are usually of low quality and will be the first thing to break, especially after 10 years. If you are considering a bike with suspension at all, only buy RockShox or Fox products and run from anything Suntour. A fully rigid mountain bike might be worth looking at, with the caveat that you'll want road-appropriate tires.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention gravel bikes, since others have. While this would be a good option, combining road bike geometry with a stouter frame and wider tires to handle the off-road better, they are a relatively recent development and have only become popular in the past ten years, and only within the last five or so at consumer-friendly price points. For full disclosure, these are great and this is what I use for all my road riding, rail-trail cruising, touring, and light gravel riding. The isue for your purposes is that there isn't likely to be anything available at the price you're looking to pay. A bike that sold for $2,000 in 2019 isn't going to lose 90% of its value in 6 years. If by some miracle you can find one, go for it.
Since you're likely getting a hybrid, a word of caution about what kind of hybrid you want. I've seen the term used for everything from old-lady comfort bikes to wannabe mountain bikes. I'd recommend something on the sportier side, with the cautions about suspension. These used to occasionally be marketed as "fitness" or "sport" bikes. You want to make sure that the riding position is similar to a mountain bike with you leaning fairly far forward and a fairly low rise to the handlebars. Some hybrids have handlebars with a lot of rise, favoring a mre upright riding position, but this puts too much pressure on your asshole. I'd also add that bike fit is more important than the bike itself.
I bought a brand new gravel bike last year. Before that I was riding a 1999 Cannondale hybrid that had seen thousands of miles and one partial rebuild. I was looking at parts for rebuild number two and was beginning to doubt the wisdom of sinking money into something that should be hanging on a wall by now, but it worked for what I needed it for and I didn't want to spend the money one a new one, or a new to me one. Then I was looking at my REI dividend statement that had been ballooning for years and now stood at $750 or so, and I had been using it to make minor purchases like chain lube because I hadn't had any major equipment needs in five years. Then I saw an ad that a $1200 gravel bike was on sale for $999, which meant that I could get a brand new bike for only about $300 out of pocket. Though I admit that's not a typical reason.
Certain enthusiasts need to have the newest and baddest shit that will be a failed, forgotten experiment in five years, though I guess that's not typical, either. The real reason is that buying new is just easier for the kind of money involved. Spend $200–$300 on a used bike and another $200 on parts and labor to get it up to spec and you aren't too far off how much you could get a comparable new bike for. The process involves a lot less friction than buying used, because you can just go to stores and test ride bikes and talk to a knowledgeable salesman about what would be best for you and go from there. When you're ready to buy, the bike is going to be there, and you pay with a credit card. Buying used means you need a certain amount of knowledge to know what you're looking for, can mean driving around and testing one bike at a time at a guy's house, which guy probably can't be of much help to you. You have to know what you're looking for in terms of mechanical issues. If you don't make a decision right away, the bike might not be there when you call again. You're going to need to give a stranger cash and be stuck with the purchase. No warranties will carry over to you. If it's a dud you could be out a lot of money. I bought the most expensive bike I own used, but for the casual rider looking at a first purchase, it's not something I'd recommend.
No that's pretty much craigslist here as well. Over time I've noticed some decent deals here and there, just wrong size or wrong style for me.
Though I may ultimately just keep the ones I borrowed. I'm fairly certain that the people I borrowed them from don't particularly want them back, at least not from me.
So, like, bike-sensei: I haven't actually changed most of those things on several bikes that haven't been ridden in years, and the tires are hit-or-miss, but with a bit of lubrication the rest seems to work ok in that I hop on and pedal it and it goes. Should I be changing out all those things as well?
With a 12-year-old used hybrid, unless I had information to the contrary, I'd assume that the previous owner rode it a moderate amount, that it still has the original chain and cassette, and that the chain wasn't regularly cleaned or lubricated. I know from personal experience that with moderate to heavy riding a cassette-chain combo will last about 5 years before being completely trashed. The caveat there is that this is mountain biking, which is inherently dirtier, and a 1x12 setup, which is inherently more fragile, but that's balanced by the higher-end components involved. I'd guess that a Trek hybrid from 2012 is running an 8-speed Shimano Altus cassette or whatever the SRAM equivalent is, which will only run you about 20 bucks online, and the chain can probably be had for about that, too, and for those prices I'd be inclined to just replace both now rather than wait.
The upshot is that it's probably due for one. It's not something I'd lose sleep over or anything, but for comparison the cassette on my Cannondale hybrid lasted about 8 years with one new chain in after around four. The reason I prefer just replacing it is that if you wait the early symptoms can resemble any number of other things that are harder for you do fix if you don't have a ton of experience. The chain and the cassette wear each other out, and this initially results in the chain having trouble engaging with the sprockets during shifts. Eventually it will slip when riding and jump to different gears, and may drop entirely. And a worn chain is more likely to just snap under load and inevitably leave you walking your bike back at the point in the ride that takes you farthest from your car. But assuming the chain and cassette are good, most people assume the derailleur is out of alignment, and start dicking around with set screws to try to adjust it so it shifts smoothly. In most cases, this makes sense, since it's really easy for a derailleur to go out of alignment. The problem is that if you're not a pro who does this every day (and especially if you're a beginner at this), it's really easy to throw a perfectly good derailleur out of adjustment while trying to fix a problem that's elsewhere. So if you do decide to let it ride, replace them first thing if you start having shifting problems and don't touch the derailleur unless that doesn't fix the problem.
As for cables, again, nothing I'd lose sleep over, but after a dozen years they've probably had it. Check the cables and housings for obvious damage and replace them if anything doesn't look right. I wouldn't touch the shifter cables unless there's a problem, though, since swapping them out involves adjusting the derailleur.
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We don't allow Chinese branded bicycles to be sold in the US either, huh?
We do, but there aren't any Chinese brands with American equivalents that are sold for a fraction of the price. The "Chinese brands" are relatively obscure and are built to compete with American internet direct brands. You can't get anything basic from them like OP is looking for. There are also cheap Chinese bikes available on Ali Express but the listings don't mention any of the specs, which means they are likely the equivalent of the bikes you can get for $200 at big box stores that use extreme cost-cutting measures to get the price that low and aren't recommended for use as anything other than toys that you're willing to toss if they break—getting these repaired means paying more than the bike is worth to fix something that is likely to break again in the near future.
Chinese cars aren't this bad quality-wise, but I think the idea that Chinese EVs would dominate the US market but for tariffs is overblown. Yes, the BYD Seagull only costs $10,000 in China. No, it isn't anything an American would ever buy. It doesn't meet American safety standards without substantial modification, but that aside, the small size, 75 hp motor, and 150 mile range are nonstarters here. The bare-bones Mitsubishi Mirage is only $16,000 (and was $10,000 not that long ago), and it isn't exactly flying off the lot. the BYD Dolphin, essentially a Seagull modified to meet first-world safety standards, costs more like $25,000 and isn't exactly popular in markets where it's sold. I know this is a substantial digression but I hear this a lot about Chinese cars, but I'm just not buying it.
It was dropped from the US market last year.
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