schwinn , raleigh,canadian tire , money avail.$300/350.00 - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-14-2004, 05:47 AM

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 00:15:20 -0400, "rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote:

>My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
>mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take care
>of his thing.
>
>He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
>and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
>him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
>most of them come from Taiwan.
>
>Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
>Canadian.?
>
>We visited a few local bike shop but man, they want an arm and a leg for
>their bike, and I dont know for you but I need my both legs and arms to ride
>;-)I can understand that their stuff is maybe better but its like any other
>stuff, the sky is the limit and we must stay rational.
>
>300.00 for my boy is a lot of dollars,lots of sacrifice, so I would like to
>see him happy with his purchase, can you minimise my worry ?
>
>Thanks for your input
>

I vote for used also. It will get him the best value for the money. My
friend's 13 year old son put together a bike last year from used parts
purchased from enthusiast friends of his father. For about $500CDN he
has a nice Breezer Lightning with a Chris King headset, Marzocchi
fork, Thompson seatpost, Salsa skewers, Magura hydraulic rim brakes,
etc. He is about to purchase 2 wheelsets dirt cheap that I can't use
any more, as I just switched to disc brakes.
Not everyone will ask the earth for used stuff, especially if
they know your son. Local bike clubs might be something he might want
to join.
Beware, though. Make sure a used frame you buy is not too old,
as there are issues with compatibility with more recent component
upgrades. Poke around the real bike shops a bit more.

06-14-2004, 07:06 AM

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?

You can get a great bike used if you're willing to wait a while and look
around, and if you know something about bikes (or have a friend that does).
Bikes tend to depreciate rapidly.

Your son has about $250 USD available ... there isn't a whole lot in that
price range but there are some good bikes (or for a wee bit more). The
Giant Cypress ST is a decent bike for around $200 USD:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The best part is that it would be brand new and that would probably go a
long way to your son being happy with his purchase.

A couple of my friends have these bikes and like them a lot ... a
Specialized Hardrock and Trek 4300. They would be around $300 - $350 USD at
a bike shop respectfully. They also ride them on pavement all the time:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

That's just to give you an idea of what's out there. The Trek 3500 would be
in your sons price range for instance:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Although you can get a great bike used, I would probably suggest looking
around a bit and deciding on a decent comfort or hybrid from one of those
companies.

Good luck,
C.Q.C.

06-14-2004, 07:06 AM

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?

You can get a great bike used if you're willing to wait a while and look
around, and if you know something about bikes (or have a friend that does).
Bikes tend to depreciate rapidly.

Your son has about $250 USD available ... there isn't a whole lot in that
price range but there are some good bikes (or for a wee bit more). The
Giant Cypress ST is a decent bike for around $200 USD:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The best part is that it would be brand new and that would probably go a
long way to your son being happy with his purchase.

A couple of my friends have these bikes and like them a lot ... a
Specialized Hardrock and Trek 4300. They would be around $300 - $350 USD at
a bike shop respectfully. They also ride them on pavement all the time:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

That's just to give you an idea of what's out there. The Trek 3500 would be
in your sons price range for instance:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Although you can get a great bike used, I would probably suggest looking
around a bit and deciding on a decent comfort or hybrid from one of those
companies.

Good luck,
C.Q.C.

06-14-2004, 07:06 AM

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?

You can get a great bike used if you're willing to wait a while and look
around, and if you know something about bikes (or have a friend that does).
Bikes tend to depreciate rapidly.

Your son has about $250 USD available ... there isn't a whole lot in that
price range but there are some good bikes (or for a wee bit more). The
Giant Cypress ST is a decent bike for around $200 USD:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The best part is that it would be brand new and that would probably go a
long way to your son being happy with his purchase.

A couple of my friends have these bikes and like them a lot ... a
Specialized Hardrock and Trek 4300. They would be around $300 - $350 USD at
a bike shop respectfully. They also ride them on pavement all the time:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

That's just to give you an idea of what's out there. The Trek 3500 would be
in your sons price range for instance:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Although you can get a great bike used, I would probably suggest looking
around a bit and deciding on a decent comfort or hybrid from one of those
companies.

Good luck,
C.Q.C.

06-14-2004, 07:06 AM

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?

You can get a great bike used if you're willing to wait a while and look
around, and if you know something about bikes (or have a friend that does).
Bikes tend to depreciate rapidly.

Your son has about $250 USD available ... there isn't a whole lot in that
price range but there are some good bikes (or for a wee bit more). The
Giant Cypress ST is a decent bike for around $200 USD:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The best part is that it would be brand new and that would probably go a
long way to your son being happy with his purchase.

A couple of my friends have these bikes and like them a lot ... a
Specialized Hardrock and Trek 4300. They would be around $300 - $350 USD at
a bike shop respectfully. They also ride them on pavement all the time:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

That's just to give you an idea of what's out there. The Trek 3500 would be
in your sons price range for instance:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Although you can get a great bike used, I would probably suggest looking
around a bit and deciding on a decent comfort or hybrid from one of those
companies.

Good luck,
C.Q.C.

06-14-2004, 07:06 AM

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?

You can get a great bike used if you're willing to wait a while and look
around, and if you know something about bikes (or have a friend that does).
Bikes tend to depreciate rapidly.

Your son has about $250 USD available ... there isn't a whole lot in that
price range but there are some good bikes (or for a wee bit more). The
Giant Cypress ST is a decent bike for around $200 USD:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The best part is that it would be brand new and that would probably go a
long way to your son being happy with his purchase.

A couple of my friends have these bikes and like them a lot ... a
Specialized Hardrock and Trek 4300. They would be around $300 - $350 USD at
a bike shop respectfully. They also ride them on pavement all the time:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

That's just to give you an idea of what's out there. The Trek 3500 would be
in your sons price range for instance:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Although you can get a great bike used, I would probably suggest looking
around a bit and deciding on a decent comfort or hybrid from one of those
companies.

Good luck,
C.Q.C.

06-14-2004, 03:25 PM

Well what I would do I take the specs down, and go to local shops
and ask what they want for the same specs. You will be able to see
if there is a huge price difference or not. Problem is most of the time
LBS don't sell very low quality stuff like you might find at superstores,
so you are comparing apples with oranges. I am sure you could find
a Norco bike with similar pricing than what Canadian Tire is offering.

Also remember that once he has the bike, if he needs maintenance
Canadian Tire has to be the worst place for it. So he will have to
pay extra to have it done while it might be free or at lower cost
from the local bike shop.

Hope this helps

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?
>
> We visited a few local bike shop but man, they want an arm and a leg for
> their bike, and I dont know for you but I need my both legs and arms to
ride
> ;-)I can understand that their stuff is maybe better but its like any
other
> stuff, the sky is the limit and we must stay rational.
>
> 300.00 for my boy is a lot of dollars,lots of sacrifice, so I would like
to
> see him happy with his purchase, can you minimise my worry ?
>
> Thanks for your input
>
>

06-14-2004, 03:25 PM

Well what I would do I take the specs down, and go to local shops
and ask what they want for the same specs. You will be able to see
if there is a huge price difference or not. Problem is most of the time
LBS don't sell very low quality stuff like you might find at superstores,
so you are comparing apples with oranges. I am sure you could find
a Norco bike with similar pricing than what Canadian Tire is offering.

Also remember that once he has the bike, if he needs maintenance
Canadian Tire has to be the worst place for it. So he will have to
pay extra to have it done while it might be free or at lower cost
from the local bike shop.

Hope this helps

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?
>
> We visited a few local bike shop but man, they want an arm and a leg for
> their bike, and I dont know for you but I need my both legs and arms to
ride
> ;-)I can understand that their stuff is maybe better but its like any
other
> stuff, the sky is the limit and we must stay rational.
>
> 300.00 for my boy is a lot of dollars,lots of sacrifice, so I would like
to
> see him happy with his purchase, can you minimise my worry ?
>
> Thanks for your input
>
>

06-14-2004, 03:25 PM

Well what I would do I take the specs down, and go to local shops
and ask what they want for the same specs. You will be able to see
if there is a huge price difference or not. Problem is most of the time
LBS don't sell very low quality stuff like you might find at superstores,
so you are comparing apples with oranges. I am sure you could find
a Norco bike with similar pricing than what Canadian Tire is offering.

Also remember that once he has the bike, if he needs maintenance
Canadian Tire has to be the worst place for it. So he will have to
pay extra to have it done while it might be free or at lower cost
from the local bike shop.

Hope this helps

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?
>
> We visited a few local bike shop but man, they want an arm and a leg for
> their bike, and I dont know for you but I need my both legs and arms to
ride
> ;-)I can understand that their stuff is maybe better but its like any
other
> stuff, the sky is the limit and we must stay rational.
>
> 300.00 for my boy is a lot of dollars,lots of sacrifice, so I would like
to
> see him happy with his purchase, can you minimise my worry ?
>
> Thanks for your input
>
>

06-14-2004, 03:25 PM

Well what I would do I take the specs down, and go to local shops
and ask what they want for the same specs. You will be able to see
if there is a huge price difference or not. Problem is most of the time
LBS don't sell very low quality stuff like you might find at superstores,
so you are comparing apples with oranges. I am sure you could find
a Norco bike with similar pricing than what Canadian Tire is offering.

Also remember that once he has the bike, if he needs maintenance
Canadian Tire has to be the worst place for it. So he will have to
pay extra to have it done while it might be free or at lower cost
from the local bike shop.

Hope this helps

"rick" <rick @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:WD9zc.19358$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
> My son want to buy with his own money his first bike.He is 15 and ride
> mainly on paved road and nice bike path . He is a serious kid and take
care
> of his thing.
>
> He looks now at the hybrid or comfort bike.There is one on sale this week
> and made by Schwinn. To be honest with you all the brand I have seen with
> him seems to be made from the same components, brake, derailleur, wheels,
> most of them come from Taiwan.
>
> Can you get a decent bike within his price range ( 250.00 to 350.00)
> Canadian.?
>
> We visited a few local bike shop but man, they want an arm and a leg for
> their bike, and I dont know for you but I need my both legs and arms to
ride
> ;-)I can understand that their stuff is maybe better but its like any
other
> stuff, the sky is the limit and we must stay rational.
>
> 300.00 for my boy is a lot of dollars,lots of sacrifice, so I would like
to
> see him happy with his purchase, can you minimise my worry ?
>
> Thanks for your input
>
>