After looking at the article in the newspaper and looking at cost, I thought I would get an entry level mountain bike. With more research I come to realize that what I would get at Wal-mart now wouldn’t be as rugged as the USA made Murray that I owed back in the early to mid 90s. The general feedback is that the department store mountain bikes will last a few months, but that is about it. I know what you are thinking. If I pay $100 to $200 for a department store bike, I can just repair it as needed. The problem is that these bikes don’t accept standard parts that are available at a bike shop. Therefore, department store mountain bikes are essentially a throw away bike. If you want a good quality bicycle, you will have to pay for it. Unfortunately it will probably be made in China or some other Asian country, but the components are what really make the difference.
This realization led to start researching bikes and looking for local bike shops. I soon found that one of the best entry level mountain bikes was the Specialized Hardrock. I went to a local dealer, actually it is about 35 miles away, and looked at it. This was a few months ago, and I was advised of their procedures and services that they offer. I really liked the shop and they may still be my favorite as far as how they treat you when you go in. I also went to a Trek dealer and looked at the 3700 and I also went to another shop and looked at a Fuji Nevada 5.0. These entry level mountain bikes all range from $359 to $420. All I had to do was save up enough money. However, now I am glad that I didn’t have the money then.
That’s right I had my entry level mountain bike all picked out. I had actually chosen the Specialized Hardrock as the bike I would get. However, I really wanted a road bike for some reason. Even when I went and looked at the mountain bikes, I knew in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t be riding off road much, if ever. I would have to travel about 20-30 miles to the two largest areas to ride. While looking at the shops I was also showed hybrid bikes. However, I thought I could ride the mountain bike and just put some street tires on it when the factory tires wore out.
After more time looking around and wanting to actually own a road bike since I was going to be riding around the streets of my neighborhood mostly, I realized that an entry level mountain bike might not be the best choice for me. This is something that you really need to ask yourself also when you start searching for a bike. I had really dismissed the hybrid as something that doesn’t do anything good, but after further research I realized it is a good alternative to an expensive road bike or a mountain bike that only sees asphalt. Another plus is for people who can’t bend over as much as a road bike would require riding in the drops. At this point I decided an entry level mountain bike was out and I needed to concentrate on a hybrid or a road bike, which I will focus my next article on.
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