Best bike for college? Please help me choose!!!!

[Flake]

Either a low end road bike (for speed and ease of handling) or a low end hard tail mountain bike. Your local bike shop can sell you an off year model from Specialized, Trek, or Kona for about what you're willing to spend.

If you don't know much about bikes, don't buy anything used. You won't know how to recognize problems or how to fix them. If you start with something that is in perfect shape to begin with you'll know what's going on when things go wrong.

[Limewater]

what type of components are quality parts? like suspension, etc.

You really are determined to spend a lot of money on this bike, aren't you.

I work with a guy who is a very serious cyclist, though he's really more of a road biker than a trail biker. I'll check with him to find some premium parts for your bike, but they really won't help get you to and from class any easier, and they'll make you a target for theft.

[s1mplehumar]

I'll check with him to find some premium parts for your bike, but they really won't help get you to and from class any easier, <- not true and they'll make you a target for theft.<- very true

I recommend you pick up something out of the box, unless you're serious about the mechanics of a bicycle. Bike maintenance and customization can get pretty tricky.

I'd also highly recommend shopping at a local bike shop. The potential problem with craigslist is that the bike may have had little to no maintenance performed on it. When you purchase something from an actual bike shop you can rest assured something has been done to it. You also want to ensure you get a proper fitting too (also done at the bike shop - it's generally pretty cheap and sometimes free).

Shoot for something with low mileage. The last thing you want is so called good deal with a beat drivetrain. There are 2 main drivetrain manufacturers, Shimano and Campagnolo...I'm personally a Campagnolo fan.

That's all I can think of atm.

Experience:

- 23 years of cycling (namely road)

- Worked in a bike shop with sales and repair

- Used to ride with a local team

[t0yrobo]

I'd recommend a cheap single speed beater (assuming you don't have to deal with hills much). You might look a bit like a douchey hipster, but you'll never have to do more than basic maintenance. And NOT having quick releases on your wheels and seat is a big plus.
I wouldn't be too concerned about carrying stuff, a decent book bag and a rear rack on the bike should be sufficient. I have a set of panniers for my bike, and they really aren't any good for carrying school stuff so I don't use them much.

[boltfanSD]

It all depends on what kind/how much riding you plan to do. From your description of something you can both ride to class and occasionally take out on the trail, I would recommend a low-mid range XC hardtail. Since you'll be riding around campus I would highly suggest a bike with lockout on the front fork so you turn on and off the suspension for riding on or off road. I'd recommend brands like Gary Fisher or Kona, but just check with your local shop. I started on a Gary Fisher hardtail that was awesome as a first "real" bike (non-department store) and fell within your price range (although I just upgraded to a full suspension rig set up for freeride, definitely stay away from full sus. at your price range).

As for other parts, generally look for name brands. Shimano or SRAM for components like shifters/derailleurs. Fox, Rockshox, or Marzocchi for the front fork, Avid brakes, etc. But pretty much if you go to a local shop in your price range the stock components should be fine.

[Betamax001]

If you wanna look cool and classy I would recommend the penny farthing.
Especially if you have a hat like this guy does

Also his bike is a tad small. You want one of the huge ones circa late 1800s. You will be the talk around campus!

[itsmattxp]

Alright thanks. I'm going to check out the neighboring bike stores later and get fitted and talk to them for some suggestions. Is the 300HT I linked in my first post a bad bike?

[CRTGAMER]

Agree with earlier comments about expensive bike might get stolen. Definitely at least 10-15 speed. Absolutely avoid the skinny racer tires, stick with "Mountain Bike" tires for daily potholes and other road hazards. Back pack and small metal carrier over the back tire will help in lugging the college manuals.

[Flake]

Agree with earlier comments about expensive bike might get stolen. Definitely at least 10-15 speed. Absolutely avoid the skinny racer tires, stick with "Mountain Bike" tires for daily potholes and other road hazards. Back pack and small metal carrier over the back tire will help in lugging the college manuals.

There's nothing wrong with skinny tires. I've been using a set of armadillos on my Specialized Allez for a few years now and never had a blow out despite hitting a few pot holes. There's something to be said for the precision steering and speed of a nice road tire. Also, with the decreased surface area he'd also substantially lower his chances of hitting a nail or thorn.

Unless he PLANS on hitting potholes, I don't think skinny tires should be discounted.

[s1mplehumar]

Agree with earlier comments about expensive bike might get stolen. Definitely at least 10-15 speed. Absolutely avoid the skinny racer tires, stick with "Mountain Bike" tires for daily potholes and other road hazards. Back pack and small metal carrier over the back tire will help in lugging the college manuals.

There's nothing wrong with skinny tires. I've been using a set of armadillos on my Specialized Allez for a few years now and never had a blow out despite hitting a few pot holes. There's something to be said for the precision steering and speed of a nice road tire. Also, with the decreased surface area he'd also substantially lower his chances of hitting a nail or thorn.

Unless he PLANS on hitting potholes, I don't think skinny tires should be discounted.

I would have to agree on the tires.

Nice ride, Flake Here's my baby...


Cannondale Six13 - Lampre Caffita Team Replica (Limited)

Here's one for sale: http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-2006-Cannondal ... 45f438e853

The buy-it-now option is cheaper than what I paid in '06