[thecowsays]

I'm a college student who is seriously financially crippled after paying for school. I am wanting a bike to ride around town and every now and then hit some trails. I probably won't be hitting any really hard trails.

I'm wondering if any of you have some suggestions as to a cheap cheap bike for this ... would a Schwinn from ToysRUs work fine for me? I have about $200 to spend, if even that.

 

[Ridemonkey]

Originally posted by thecowsays
I'm wondering if any of you have some suggestions as to a cheap cheap bike for this ... would a Schwinn from ToysRUs work fine for me? I have about $200 to spend, if even that.

No, don't do that! There is no 200 dollar bike that will be adequate for the trails.

There is hope though - buy used. Look locally or on ebay or mtbr.com. There aren't a lot of 200 dollar bikes for sale on this board.

You might be best off getting a used bike locally though. Just the cost of shipping a bike is going to cut deeply into your budget.

 

[KrusteeButt]

I highly recommend checking the school's paper. There are ALWAYS students looking to sell their bikes. For $200 you can get something that's easily adequate for around town riding. If you're planning on riding on trails, well, I'd recommend that they be pretty basic trails without any crazy climbing or descending.

 

[thecowsays]

Thanks for the Info!

Just curious, are there any brands I should stay away from? Do y'all have any reccamendations for a decent bike that I might find around this price?

 

[FlipSide]

Honestly, you won't really find a good trail-worthy bike in good working order for this price.

My advice would be to look for a full-rigid bike. Any suspension fork will bump the price a bit. Just try to find a used rigid bike without a suspension fork. If you're lucky, you may be able to find a good old cromo bike from the mid 90's that will be a blast to ride. But finding one in good working order may be very hard.

If you have only 200$ and plan to ride trails now and then, I would consider not buying a bike right now. Keep on saving your money until you have like 400$-500$ and then it'll be easier for you to find something you'll enjoy riding.

I'd also STRONGLY advise you don't put all your money in the bike. Keep some $$$ for a helmet and reparations.

Good luck!

 

[Zippy357]

Dude please don't get a bike from A toy store! Just save up for a while. Specilized makes their P.1. FOR ONLY 450$ and it kicks butt. I have a P.2. and so far it has'nt giv'in me any trouble.

 

[FlashBullit]

I think that marins are a little on the weak side so if you dont drop on the trails youll be good but i would say you sould try and get some thing that you can use for a along time i have been saveing for the the first day of summer and im going to save tell march so i can get a nice hard tale that can take a beating!

 

[kissthepink]

just as some have posted, check local sources including your local bike shops.
Some take trade-ins, especially if they were purchased at that shop and the customer is upgrading. They'll also know about people about to unload a bike. find a couple of options, then check back here for feed back on the different models.
Historically speaking, Giant has the best equipped bikes for the $ since they make all their own frames (and those of many other brands...) in their own factories in Taiwan and China. Specialized also has a solid line of bikes, you really can't go wrong with any of their models.
you should also keep in mind that campuses have some of the highest bike theft trates of any area, so bodget some $ for a U type lock, or a NY style chain and Lock. Don't worry about cosmetics of the frame either, mountain bikes are supposed to have scratches on 'em.
good luck!
Cheers,

 

[HippieKai]

Originally posted by Zippy357
Dude please don't get a bike from A toy store! Just save up for a while. Specilized makes their P.1. FOR ONLY 450$ and it kicks butt.

I agree with that!

 

[Skookum]

Originally posted by FlipSide
Honestly, you won't really find a good trail-worthy bike in good working order for this price.

That's not 100% true. While i have to agree partially, there are exceptions. You'd be suprised what deals you can swoop down on for a myriad of reasons, on a decent hard tail. It's not easy though. Just stay away from bikes that weigh more than a small car, have Cantilever brakes, are rusty, and have words like Huffy, Magna, Pacific, and Royce Union on them.
Have a little patience, get a keen eye, get a bike that fits, and hopefully you can find your diamond in the rough.
*edit*above statements are talking about buying used....
A new bike for $200 is really hard unless a bike shop is blowing out last years models of Diamondback, Haro's or something of that nature, in which case that might be a good plan for what you want to do, toolin around.
Just whatever you do don't buy a bike from a big corparate retailer, it's a rip-off anyway you slice it.

 

[Jesus]

As previously mentioned, the theft rate on any campus is gonna be high. So here's what I suggest.

BUy something cheap, I mean really cheap like $25 or $30 to ride around campus on. And you'll probably spend more than that on a lock.

And then spend what you have left on a decent trail bike. Disregarding the theft issue, I wouldn't want a decent bike to sit out in the weather. The rain alone will reek havoc on your drivetrain.

But definatly buy used. Especially from other students. I am sure someone you know will be broke soon, and you'll be able to get one cheap.

 

[Big E]

most of what they said is somewhat true. you can pick up a new Raleigh M-20 for $219 and an M-40 for $269 they are decent xc bikes for just gettin around on and hittin the trails whenever you can.

Peace

 

[Jayridesacove]

Trek 820

This should be good for what you want out of the bike. Reliable commuter with an occasional romp in the dirt. Oh, I forgot to add, it's just a little over your $200 price range, but it's still under $300.

 

[HRDTLBRO]

This would be a sweet bike for trail bike on a tight budget. You may have to save a bit more, but it's well worth getting over the over enginnered department store bikes that weigh more than an old Ford Fiesta. This would be fine for compus riding, but like posted above, get a sturdy lock and helmet.http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=5949&JServSessionIdroot=5xo5fqgxoo.j27004

 

[Ascentrek]

Ebay