Since my ass is getting hella fat, i wanna get a bike and bike to school.
I mean bicycle when I said bike.
I went to 3 local shops. their bikes start at around 200+
so I went by the campus bike barn and found a old and used Trek bike. It had new wheels and decent tires. the gears and brakes are good. New-ish seats. pretty much the only thing old is the paint job. But they're asking for 190. Should I cut my arm off and get that bike, or just go to Target and get a department store bike there?
I went by the local walmart but all they had was boys and girls bikes.. I just dont see myself riding on a pink bike h:

 

Check the newspapers, especially when it warms up for you. You should find a 1-3 year old good bike for a great price.

I'm probably gonna replace my '99 GT Ricochet this year with something new.

 

rock the streamers and banana seat or don't rock anything.

 

so i'm torn between a used Trek bike with no suspension
or a new Mongoose with front and rear suspension.

 

baseball card spokes FTW!~!!1

 

go for suspension

 

in my research when i bought a bike last year, i noticed that treks are overpriced with subpar components.

i ended up going with kona, which had better components and cost less than other bikes at the same level. i don't know how they'd do for your application though, and i'm not liking what they did with 2006 model for my bike -- seems they went a bit cheaper on the components.

anyway, point being, buy used, or do your research.

 

Pixie bike FTW :thumbup:

Biggest thing for me when I buy a bike is fit. If it's too small or too big, you won't be comfortable riding it. For a mountain bike, when you stand on the ground, the top bar should be ~1-3" from your crotch. The seat should be able to adjust ~ 6-12" above your butt when standing.

Also, is this bike for commuting only? If it is, you might consider road bikes instead of mountain bikes, which will be easier to ride fast (I can do about 26 mph on level ground with full effort, but I can do this on a road bike with about half effort).

As far as pricing goes, the old adage you get what you pay for holds true here. As price increases, component groups become more robust and lighter. However, unless your commute involves stairs, your average Huffy bike will do just fine for commuting. Take in a trail or race it, and you're likely to break something. Check craigslist for good deals on used bikes.

 

I bought a NEXT at Walmart last year, and its been a great bike for $75. Granted I don't ride rough trails, but it has had its fair share of jumps. It has shocks on the front forks, an adjustable shock on the rear, and is pretty light considering its cost. I think of it as disposable. If something breaks I'll throw it away, and get another one. here is a pic

 

I'm not sure how much they go for, but I would say check out the Gary Fisher bikes. my old roommate has one and it was pretty badass.