Our Story
When we first thought of getting into biking we thought of nothing more than some weekend rides. The reason was pretty simple – our lifestyle didn’t give us much time between the kids and full-time jobs, so we only had one day a week for outdoor activities – Sunday. We looked at what Walmart and Target had to offer (including the pricing point) and decided to look for used “Like New” bikes on Craigslist. Target Price? $30-$40. Sure enough, we found a deal – two decent looking bikes for $70. My bike carried me through 2 seasons and died at the beginning of the third one. My wife’s bicycle had to be replaced after the first season. Why? Gear shifting mechanisms and brake system started failing, and if you plan to go up the hill, down hill or anywhere at all it is crucial to have those in good shape. Besides that if you cycle with other people, you will notice that they’d go faster easier, maneuver better, and just look like they are having more fun that you do pedaling.
Cheap Bike: Pros.
The best part about these bikes is that they are …. CHEAP. You could buy a new one every year for under $100 or so and toss it at the end of the season. This might come handy if you have tight living arrangements, since you don’t have think about winter storage. When we bought two bicycles for $70 it did look like a great deal since we paid only a fraction of the retail price, but we didn’t know at that time how much riding we would actually do with two kids. (I have to mention, when I made the purchase, my my wife was 7 months pregnant with our second child).
Cheap Bike: Cons.
The first time I took my bike to a mechanic, the guy said; “I’ll try to tune it up for the season, but you can forget about any kind of upgrades ‘coz they’re not compatible with a lot of standard size items.” What upgrades? Why do I need upgrades? I was puzzled. However, when you spend enough time pedaling, you do learn that there are add-ons to change/improve your bike. We will talk about upgrades later on, but I can tell you right now you will want to customize your ride to fit your lifestyle.
Next time we will talk more about what to look for when buying a bicycle.
Thank you for the information! I really need to get my son a new bike this year for his birthday and this comes in handy.
thank you for your point of view on this! i am looking into getting family bikes and this has helped!
You make a great point though, sometimes what you save in investment means you can just get new the next year. By then, you might know more about what you actually want.
You did make the right choice in the beginning, for sure…because why spend hundreds on bikes when you’re a beginner? That would be silly. And, upgrades? You can upgrade a bike? What? So, I would have been out a couple hundred dollars (cause when I’m in, I’m all in) AND then I’d have a huge learning curve ahead of me. Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your experience!
What a great way to stay active with the family. For those intermediate bikers or newbies (like me) I support the cheap bike approach, though athletes and trainers will find it worth it in the long run to invest 3-4 times as much and deal with storing them. Of course, on So Cal it is always bike weather, year round!
We’ve gone through quite a few bikes and I didn’t know there were upgrades either! We love biking though and there are definately benefits to a cheap bike – use it for a few season and then get a new one!
We bought all brand new bikes not long ago….every time we try to go the used route we always end up with a dud. :/
Can’t wait for part two! Hubs has always biked. We always get hand me downs from people for our 5 kids so no clue on what they cost originally. Recently bought 11 yo a used Trek for $90 so he could do all his long Scout rides. We’ll see how long it lasts!
Thanks for your point of view on this! We just bought a terrible bike. I want to return it:(
I wish that we had a safe place to ride, where we live. My husband and I used to bike together when we were young. Great post.
I’d love to start biking with my family. Hopefully in the spring we can start doing this.
As a former serious biker, I can definitely relate! A cheap bike might be convenient in terms of cost, and great if you’re going to be leaving it somewhere (like school or the train station) because you’re not worried about a huge replacement cost if it gets stolen or ruined. But if you’re doing distance rides, spending money on a quality bike makes sense.
You could always have a cheap bike as an extra too… we used to do that in our family in case someone wanted to go for a ride with us. Granted they were stuck on a less efficient bike, but at least we could ride together.