What's a good beginner road bike at a price of =<$200

90s MTB with slicks

>>1088679
Lol

If you plan on riding more than 1000 miles per year, then I would get a bigger budget. Trek has nice aluminum frame bikes for around 1k. Emonda alr i believe. I would have bought one if i did not buy my fuji Roubaix for the same price

>>1088678
Some piece of shit 80's steel tenspeed off craigslist.

Try getting a job instead of being a skeezy parasitic NEET and then you can afford a bike that isn't an antique.

>>1088681
I'm a father buying my kid a bike because he wants to get into cycling but I just don't wanna break the bank

Go to Walmart and look for the huffys

Literally any bike anyone wold sell you at that price. A Walmart schwinn varsity aluminum with stem shifters is $400

>>1088686
You will save money if you get a decent entry level road bike. If you buy a cheap road bike, your kid will need a new one in a year if he actually rides it. Shit bikes dont last long. Go to local performance bike . Com. ..store front and get a fuji roubaix...mine was my first road bike and put 10k miles on it plus

http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/mProduct4_10551_10052_1202730_-1_catNav

>>1088694
In what way don't cheaper bikes last long?
A clunky steel frame from several decades ago will not fail, and components are cheap. They too will last quite a while if you tend to basic maintenance.

>>1088701
There are no bicycles for sale in the price bracket you specified - only bicycle shaped objects. They may look like bicycles, but they are not intended by those who manufacture and sell them to be used and enjoyed like one. They exist merely to sate a consumer's instantaneous demand for something which may briefly facilitate some flirtation with the idea of cycling. When the bicycle shaped object's plastic and impossibly soft metal components begin to come out of adjustment (if they were ever assembled and adjusted properly to begin with) and fail after a week or two of use, it's of no consequence as the flirtation period is over - it has served its purpose.

By comparison, a bona fide bicycle will be a loyal and trustworthy companion over many megametres of transportation, exercise or sport. She is built by people who wish her a long and healthy life. She is assembled by those who care for her wellbeing and that of her rider. Even if she is no longer desired after the same period of flirtation which describes a BSO's entire useful life, others will see her as a prospective partner, rather than the scrap heap which the BSO is invariably destined to become.

Talk to your kid about which discipline of cycling he wishes to pursue, then talk to a bike shop. Even if they don't have any new bikes to suit your budget, they will most likely be able to direct you to an appropriate cycling club whose members may have bikes they wish to sell.

>>1088709
>She

I stopped listening right about here.

>>1088709
Is this copypasta?

>>1088701
Basic maintenance is often impossible on Walmart bikes due to a history of proprietary parts.

Examples of such parts.

Where a standard bicycle would use a press fit zero stack headset or integrated headset.

To save money a Walmart bike may use an inset cup that is not quite universal zero stack yet not quite integrated bearing sizes.

Often times weird parts would be incompatible with the universal tools, for example the Walmart fixie had a flip flop rear wheel.

That featured a freewheel that did not have indents for removal. Walmart decided it was cheaper to leave the removal method of the freewheel off the unit.

Seatpost diameters are sometimes proprietary and was a huge issue with the Walmart bmx style bikes.

Ditto with the unique odd brake and gyro setups like no other on the market. They exclude a number of components found in the standard.

>>1088717
pretty sad when walmart is inovating with proprietary parts and no one else is

>>1088715
You can copy it if you want friendo. This one's on the house.

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>>1088678
>What's a good beginner road bike at a price of =<$200
Eh, a more realistic expectation would be $500-$800 for something that's not a death-trap like pick related.

Most big brands like Giant/Raleigh/Fuji etc should have something around this price range with Shimano Claris.

>>1088714
Are you a fruit?

>>1088678
post local craigslist.

expect to pay: $500-$600

>>1088888

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>>1088680
>aluminum frame bikes

>>1088983
beginner = crashes
also budget = replacing a carbon frame
Aluminum frames are amazing, especially fuji, trek, and caad

>>1089030
I was shilling steel frame not carbon.

>>1088714
Hopefully that allowed you to concentrate fully on reading the post.

>>1089030
you fuck up a modern aluminum frame easier than modern carbon frames

they are like soda can thin in some spots

I have a CAAD12 now, its much nicer riding and a lot stiffer than my carbon CX bike

I also had a CAAD10 that was very stiff but rode like dogshit

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>>1088709
>>1088715

If that's not pasta it should be

The author of this piece is a poet, able to perfectly convey so many truths in these few words

OP, I am also convinced you should consider a proper road bike, but only after that cycling commitment talk with your child. If it looks promising just fucking go for it. It's one of the very best gifts you can give children!

If you do good research before buying used (involve the child!) I'm absolutely certain that the right pre-1990s road bike will represent way more quality per dollar or whatever currency spent, compared to a brand new decent bicycle.

Plus, the usual fiddling necessary with even a good condition used bike bought from a stranger will require learning and using basic mechanical knowledge that any bicycle user should have.

You could also be more ambitious about propulsing your child towards cycling self-sufficiency, by buying a used bicycle with the best quality of frame possible, and the best quality of wheels possible, regardless of the quality or state of the other components. With the right upgrades, this route can give even more bang for the buck when you consider the money spent vs. the end result. And it gives maximum bicycle mechanics learning opportunities. Plus, further improvements are always possible, especially if the passion picks up in the young rider.

Whatever you end up doing do not underestimate the importance of sturdy wheels. Crappy wheels will always have to be maintained (hours of your time and/or wasted money) and if the bike is actually ridden, they will inevitable have to be replaced.

People selling good used road bikes in good condition, well they usually know that what they have rivals or surpasses the current brand new decent rides for sale, so you can see surprising high asking prices. Good bicycles in some state of disrepair can go for a lot less especially if the sellers don't know so much about the quality or rarity of what they've got. Good luck

>>1089485
>you fuck up a modern aluminum frame easier than modern carbon frames
I would have to disagree sir. Aluminum will scrape, and dent and bend....Carbon will splinter and crack. I feel safer on a aluminum framr post crash then a carbon one from the factory. When they fail, its catastrophic.


Also nice choice on caad12. Thats top tier Al

>>1088701
>A clunky steel frame from several decades ago will not fail, and components are cheap.

yeah, nowadays they're "cheap" but they might have been top of the line bikes back in the day. how many walmart/kmart BSOs do you see still rolling around from the mid 00's with clunky steel frames and "cheap" components?

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>>1088717
finally seig says something i can get behind

had to tuneup a BSO at work the other day and it gave me more trouble than higher end/precision bikes just because the parts are so shitty that the same ways you'd fix a higher end bike just don't apply because the quality of the components makes them not behave like you'd expect

>>1088878
>mfw realizing the drop bars on this are in half and shimmed together so they can fit the twist shifters on there
>mfw cutting costs to the EXTREME

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Alright guys I'm not a retard like OP but I'm also not a bike guy.
All I need is something that'll carry me slightly out of the suburbs every now and again or help with cardio.

I'm cool with anything that's not much in excess of like 500 bucks. Not specifically looking for a model or a brand (though those are appreciated), just wanna know what to watch out for, what to make sure I check before I buy something, how to not get ripped off by some hipster bike shop, etc.

>>1088828
it's not really innovation it's slamming old tech together. I had a quill stem bmx bike wit ha riser bolted to it in 2006-ish

and the gyro parts were just stamped steel which doubled as spacers and headset components

it was all sorts of fucked.

so imagine a pressed in cup, BMX frame, with a threaded fork, that utilized some components of the gyro as part of the headset and part of the odd mechanism to get the quill stem w/ riser to work

it was as heavy as it sounds since almost all of that shit was hi-ten

including the loose ball bearings in the headset

the big and heavy as fuck 1-piece crankset with the stamped steel bearing retainers for the american bottom bracket

that was back when like even low end Haro bikes had integrated headsets and euro bottom brackets

>>1089557
he just regurgitates upboated stuff from reddit and other forums, "agreeing with sieg" is like agreeing with those google spam scraper bots that consolidate random internet posts into fake message boards that look real enough to click on when you see it in the google search results. there's some kind of opinion out there, that someone else had, that you agreed with, but it's a tenuous link

>>1088828
it's "innovating" in the same way that a roadside bodge to get home after some mechanical issues is "innovating"

I'm about to purchase a bike for my morning work commute in a city.

Is 3 miles one way doable without showering after and not sweating profusely? I'm a fairly in shape dude but don't bike really.

Absolutely, as long as you take it easy

>>1089594
Check the catalogue for /bbg/ - bike buying general. If there isn't one, post your local bicycle classifieds/craigslist on /bqg/ - bike questions general or here.

If you're in a pinch, more or less any used Trek, Giant or Specialized hardtail (among others) in that price range will serve adequately for basic use.