|   Beater bike recommendation | Ben S
May 19, 2002 6:50 AM | | I aleady have a fs mt bike. I'm looking for an all-purpose bike that I can ride around the block, take on the road, and hook up a child seat to. Any recommendations. |
| anything cheap or cheaper than ride #1 | WadeO
May 19, 2002 7:34 AM | | Mine happens to be a race-ready HT--bought as a used frame and built from parts onhand, but my previous one was an old Trek.
Paint a decent frame an ugly color (mine is powder-coated electrical tape black) and build it up with bike mechanic's old parts and your leftovers from upgrades. Obscure recognizable names if you're in a thefty area.
One fellow I know renames his project bikes "Huffy Puffy" |
| Redline - Monocog | porridge
May 19, 2002 11:49 AM | | Cheap, low maintenance, will help with your fitness (only 1 gear!). No fork to look after, no deraileur to break......
Just bought one myself for riding to work. |
| Giant Sedona or Sedona DX | Applejuice
May 19, 2002 1:14 PM | | Sold a ton of this. The Sedona is arguably the best entry level bike under $300. Aluminum frame (superb quality at this price), strong & reliable components, suspension seatpost. The DX has suspension fork that works well (a rarity at this price point). Skewers. Comfortable seat. Balanced handling.
It's fun to ride. I sold this couple a $1000 Specialized hardtail and a $300 Sedona (his and hers respectively) and he kept borrowing hers to ride because he said he loved it.
And yes, no problem for a child seat. I installed many of them. Though, if you have the funds, I recommend a kid trailer. Much better balance since the center of gravity isn't raised. Many parents were initially skeptical but later said they really prefer the trailer arrangement. You can use the trailer for errands and your kid gets a much better view than your sweaty back. Burley does excellent trailers.
E-mail if you have any questions. |
| A 3 Speed... | Jrm
May 20, 2002 6:44 AM | | Good commuter's, baby seat and rack compatable. Also perfect hand me down's... |
| Spare parts. | Leisure
May 21, 2002 4:20 AM | | I had all this stuff lying around, so I slapped it together:
--Trek 830 frame (old...very old) I stripped it with paint remover and painted it black. Ridiculously slack headtube angle equals ridiculously mellow handling. Cro-moly rides like steel. Rack eyelets, too.
--Girvin vector fork
--Spinergy front wheel
--Assorted junked Shimano drivetrain. It's right-shifter only, nine speed using the middle chainring up front, big ring stripped of teeth so it doesn't eat my pants. Granny of course removed.
I had to buy a cheap brakeset and seatpost, and opted to get a wheel built up with an old LX hub, rhino lite rim, and twisted spokes for a bit of personality. I take this bike on variety rides, sometimes when I'm riding with newer riders and the FS seems a bit much, and then commuting on campus. |
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