Buying a bicycle

[Kunzite]

So I've been thinking about buying a bicycle recently. The thing is, I'm looking for something that would serve as a means of conveyance: something basic and low-maintenance that would last a while. And what I keep finding are thousand-dollar ultra-light bikes designed to win cycling competitions. I'm not going to enter the Tour de France, but on the other hand I'm afraid that if I go with a bargain-bin bike I'll end up with something that falls apart in a few months. Can anyone recommend something relatively inexpensive that's best suited for going down the street to the park?

 

[Marquis De Sade]

How about a BMX? Those are relatively cheap. You could fight one with a baseball bat and it still wouldn't fall apart.

 

[Mephistopheles]

try the Omafiets. Simple, nearly indestructible and black.

 

[locker669]

I'd buy something inexpensive first. That way if you ride it all the time and it breaks you know you use a bike enough to warrant an expensive one. And if you never ride it at least you didn't spend hundreds of dollars.

 

[kopfhorer]

I might check out Craigslist or Freecycle or even a good bike shop for a used mid-high-end model (bike shops usually allow returns and have warranties of some kind). There are mountain/BMX bikes, but make sure you don't get one that's beastly heavy as some of them are. (Nothing will put you off cycling faster than pedaling a 40-pounder up a hill!). While I haven't bought a bike in a long time, I'd say that a lighter mountain bike or hybrid might do the trick.

This seems like it might help: http://www.cyclingforums.com/