Seeking bike recommendations

[theanimal]

I'd like to purchase my own bike. There are some bikes available for the community where I live now for free, but in general they are in poor quality and the availability is always up in the air. FYI, I have read through this thread: viewtopic.php?t=5232


I know some basic technical info about bikes but not too much so I'm probably not doing the best job of finding what I'm looking for. The roads are gravel 90% of the time in varying conditions, from smooth to washboard, with the remaining being dirt or pavement. I think that something like the Salsa Fargo would be the ideal bike but I'm questioning whether or not I want to pony up the funds for that. Something between $500-1000 would be ideal, but I could probably be persuaded to go up if the reasoning is well.

Are there any similar bikes to the Fargo you'd recommend? Any other thoughts/ideas?

I'm also drooling over fatbikes. The prices keep on dropping big time. But I'm holding off on one of those until at least next winter...

[Ego]

It seems the trend is toward bikes that can be everything. The Surly Troll Mrs. Ego just got will accept fat tires, mtb or 700c road wheels and can accommodate disc or rim brakes, rohloff hub, derailleur or fixed gear, belt or chain drive, front suspension or not, and tons of braze-ons for racks, fenders, bottle cages and both types of trailer nuts. The Ogre is their 29er model that does the same. You could, in theory, have one incredibly versatile bike with cyclocross handlebars and three sets of wheels for road, mountain biking and fat. I believe Salsa has one that does the same.

We stumbled onto a good deal on a size XS. The larger sizes seem to hold their value much better than the child-size bikes .

[wheatstate]

It is neat seeing lots of niche bikes come out and create options. It sounds like you could have good bike options from rigid XC 29er MTB, to cyclocross bike to touring. For the best bang for your buck, I like www.bikesdirect.com. Friends have bought their motobecane cross bikes with success. Below is one of their dropbar, 29er, disc brake bikes for $600.

The great part about buying new is you have size selection. The bad part of web buying is the shipping costs are high. Make sure you measure your current bikes to confirm your preferred size.

Let us know what you find.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/zilla.htm

The new 2015 Gravity Zilla is just the bike for the rider wanting the performance of an aluminum frame, wide gearing, comfortable riding position and dealing with a budget.

This Gravity Zilla is monstrously capable!

Versatility, Options, Fun…run road approved wheels and tires…even run full on 1.75″ 29er rubber. A jack of all trades…own one bike and go almost anywhere, all in the same ride! …tailor made for such adventures.

Utilitarian Rig: …work horse bicycles…from bar hopper to commuter rig, from touring bike to part time road rocket, and everything in between...the perfect all-rounder. Able to cover a vast amount of your cycling needs in one… Hard to argue with that

[tommytebco]

I don't understand why, on this supposedly frugal website, $600 seems to be the minimum possible price for a functional bike!!! A beater bike will work just fine. If you want to upgrade, get good wheels and tires for a couple of hundred. I would suggest an unsuspended mountain bike for the foundation. Bike Nashbar sells everything, one piece at a time and has FAQ/ tutorials to do anything. Why "gotta have disc brakes???

Sheesh!! I just don't get it. Functional cheap is what's happening.
My mountain bike cost $20 for the frame and gear (sans wheels), $80 for wheels and about $50 for chain, tires and tubes. I'd upload a picture, but the site doesn't allow that.
Admittedly, you have to like to DIY, but that's what frugal is all about, isn't it??

[themodernchap]

I have built a few bikes in my time. Working on a new one now, and this is what I have learned:

Steel, you want this. Steel will bend rather than break, can be cold-set to accomodate different sized hubs, won't suddenly fail like carbon, won't crack suddenly like aluminium (most aluminum welds on bikes are crap, try to find out where the frame was made, China is a poor choice). It will rust if exposed to water and air, but this can be prevented via painting or powdercoating. You can check for steel with a magnet. Check the fork too and avoid any frame with rust that doesn't ring when hit or cracks, this is structural rust and the frame is shot if that is present. The steel frame I am currently riding is about 40 years old.

Powdercoating, this costs £50 where I live, but it's so hardwearing you can hit the bike with a metal tube and it won't flake off like paint. Money well spent. Also saves you sanding old paint off, most places will soda blast the frame as part of the service.

Gears may be useful in your conditions, but don't matter for my paved road riding. The fewer parts the less chance something will fail, Singlespeed mountainbikes are becomming more popular because a simple drivetrain is more efficient and less likely to let you down. If the place you live isn't particularly hilly you might be able to get away with this.

Knowledge you will learn more by building your own bike to your own spec off a beater frame you have restored. And the result will be a bike you understand how to ride and how to fix without relying on expensive shop services.

Disc brakes are great if you need them, but 99% of riders don't need them. Unless you are riding this thing down a mountain you do not need disk brakes, double pivot side pull rim brakes are the easiest to service, cheapest to replace and easiest to get brakes. Disk brake rotors can get bent surprisingly easily.

Suspension built into the frame makes the ride more comfortable over rough terrain, but you also lose power, some of your energy will be lost into the flexing of the suspension while you ride. Again, whether you need this depends on how hilly and rough the terrain is.

Overall it would probably be best to buy a cheap beater, abuse it and find out what you do and don't like, then swap it out for a more suitable bike later on. Could save you a bundle.

[Gilberto de Piento]

If you plan to buy a fatbike eventually anyway consider buying one now and getting a second summer wheelset for it.

[JL13]

I've owned three bikes:

1.) A partsbin singlespeed bike. Only had one brake and the gearing was wrong (I think 52/13) so it was impossible to climb hills. I tried to swap parts but after pricing them and not having any luck at swap meets I sold it as is for a $50 loss.

2.) A 1989 aluminum road bike I got for $300. I've ridden this for 4 years. It works but the gearing is again a problem (lowest gear is 42/23) so hills can be a challenge. My only true complaint here is the brakes are terrible! I have to squeeze them as hard as I can to come to a stop at speed. I've swapped pads to no avail. I think it's just the design of single pivot doesn't offer as much mechanical advantage vs modern dual pivot?

3.) A 2011 aluminum road bike for $260. The brakes are great and it's so much more convenient to use brifters versus downtube shifters. If I could go back I would have started with a more modern bike, the technology changes slowly but over 30 years the differences are noticeable.

For the type of bike you're looking at, I only have experience reading about bikes. I would say for gravel/pavement I would go more towards a full rigid bike - I think a fork is really only necessary for extreme terrain and probably not worth the tradeoffs for just gravel riding. If you were thinking about touring then a Vaya is pretty awesome, or if you want to go fast then a cyclocross style?

Essentially anything with a steel frame and a style of brake that will allow wide tires should work, the Salsa premium is probably not required imo.

[themodernchap]

I've owned three bikes:
the design of single pivot doesn't offer as much mechanical advantage vs modern dual pivot?

The technology changes slowly but over 30 years the differences are noticeable.

I think a (suspension) fork is really only necessary for extreme terrain

Essentially anything with a steel frame and a style of brake that will allow wide tires should work

There is much truth in this post.

Why did you get rid of your SS though? Could you not have just swapped out the rear sprocket? Or was it welded to the hub?

[JL13]

Becuase of the huge chainring, I would have needed at least an 18tooth rear cog which is rare. Also I needed another caliper brake plus cable plus pads plus brake lever plus the handlebars were ridiculous (from a beach cruiser). After pricing the replacement for all that it would have been less $$ to just sell it and buy a complete bike.

Also decided I wasn't much of a fan of single speed. Lots of hills in my area make it impractical. Like Ricky Bobby - I want to go fast!

[vexed87]

A fixer upper bike is great for occasional use if you can put up with lumpy shifting and dodgy brakes, but daily commuting over long distances, you might regret not spending a little more and just getting a new bike. Obviously it all depends on your individual needs and mechanical/repair skills. If buying new means you can get out of your car/public transport sooner, you can learn to repair your ride as things (gradually) go wrong, that's better than biting off more than you can chew by picking up a junker on craigslist/gumtree that needs loads of work. If you spend more time fixing it up, than just getting out there, it probably makes sense to buy new initially.

For example, my first bike was a hand me down that had been stationary in a garage for >10 years, the brakes were seized, the chain had a mysterious stiff link, the seat-post clamp was temperamental, the rear derailleur was out of alignment and the cable tension was way off. I probably had to put in 10-15 hours of frustrating trial and error repair, and trips back and forth to source various components and time and consulting youtube videos to get all the issues worked out.

My new road bike paid for itself within two months of not running a car, frugally purchased during the end of season sales of course!

I am in a much better position to buy second hand now, I know what to look for in terms of frame damage, how to tell components are worn, and how to replace and repair virtually all components after only a year and half of daily riding. Yes, future purchases will be second hand. But my advice to newbies, is buy new (or used from a reputable LBS). If you don't know what you are looking for when you buy used, your could end up with a lemon and spending more buying specialist tools and replacing components than just going for a new bike/frame in the first place.

Obviously, YMMV.

@theanimal, it sounds like you would definitely benefit from a cyclo-cross bike.

[enigmaT120]

The Fargo is a touring mountain bike, with attachments for front and rear racks and fenders, though most people seem to use bike-packing luggage on them. I use panniers. It's expensive for a Taiwan bike but I love mine.

How far are you riding, and how much stuff do you need to haul? I commuted on my free Rocky Mountain for 10 months until I saved up enough gas money to pay for my Fargo, and it worked pretty well considering it's too small for me. I put a rear rack on it and used panniers. Now it just gets used for fun exploring up on the logging roads, but I put over 2,000 miles on it in under a year. My commute always has miles of gravel as well as more pavement. So if you aren't touring, an older used mountain bike with more street-type tires can be a good deal. Front suspension would be nice on your washboards, not so nice everywhere else, but lots of them are adjustable.

The catch with a used bike (or any mail order bike) is how to get one that fits you. It's not obvious how to tell when a bike is your size. Sheldon Brown (linked to above) has an article on sizing as well as tons of other stuff.