# Mommy Needs Help!



## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

Some of my best memories as a kid are taking bike rides with my mom. I now have 2 little ones of my own and want to buy 2 hybrid/comfort bikes for my husband and I so we can go for rides but the bikes at the bike store are out of our price range. Can anyone recommend something for a mom on a budget? We'd like to spend no more then $600 for 2 bikes.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Given your budget I'd say (first choice) is used/ local. Scan your CL ads, ask around at LBS's, check out community news and bike coops. 

Second choice, Bikes Direct (or similar). Just be sure to take steps to get sizing/ fit right. Easier to do with hybrids, but still important.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

PJ352 said:


> Given your budget I'd say (first choice) is used/ local. Scan your CL ads, ask around at LBS's, check out community news and bike coops.
> 
> Second choice, Bikes Direct (or similar). Just be sure to take steps to get sizing/ fit right. Easier to do with hybrids, but still important.



This is really helpful! The LBS was really helpful and told me a Trak Verve 2 would be a great fit for me given what I want to do with it, but like I said it was way put of our budget. I am really clueless about bikes so how do I know what is comparable?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

MrsPavs said:


> This is really helpful! The LBS was really helpful and told me a Trak Verve 2 would be a great fit for me given what I want to do with it, but like I said it was way put of our budget. I am really clueless about bikes so how do I know what is comparable?


It's a competitive market. Most new brands/ models are comparable in specs/ value.

When shopping used, ask the seller to bring the bike to the LBS for mechanical and fit assessment. The nominal charge (if any) may eat into your budget a bit, but will safeguard against buying something you shouldn't.

Re: the Verve 2, personally, I think there are better choices out there (Raleigh, for one), but as you say, it's beyond your budget.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

PJ352 said:


> It's a competitive market. Most new brands/ models are comparable in specs/ value.
> 
> When shopping used, ask the seller to bring the bike to the LBS for mechanical and fit assessment. The nominal charge (if any) may eat into your budget a bit, but will safeguard against buying something you shouldn't.
> 
> Re: the Verve 2, personally, I think there are better choices out there (Raleigh, for one), but as you say, it's beyond your budget.



Can I ask is the Verve2 a hybrid or a comfort bike? For some reason I thought she told me a hybrid with a comfort seat - is that possible?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

MrsPavs said:


> Can I ask is the Verve2 a hybrid or a comfort bike? For some reason I thought she told me a hybrid with a comfort seat - is that possible?


Yes, that is possible, but 'comfort' seats aren't always comfortable. 

The marketing terms blur the lines, but I'd say the Verve is a hybrid with comfort features.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the terms. Find a bike that fits (you and your intended uses) and is comfortable to ride.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

PJ352 said:


> Yes, that is possible, but 'comfort' seats aren't always comfortable.
> 
> The marketing terms blur the lines, but I'd say the Verve is a hybrid with comfort features.
> 
> I wouldn't get too hung up on the terms. Find a bike that fits (you and your intended uses) and is comfortable to ride.



I'm finding this all so overwhelming! I just want 2 bikes with a baby seats to ride to the park, around the neighborhood and on paced trails - ugh

Thank you for all your help!


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

MrsPavs said:


> I'm finding this all so overwhelming! I just want 2 bikes with a baby seats to ride to the park, around the neighborhood and on paced trails - ugh
> 
> Thank you for all your help!


You're welcome. Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

sounds to me you are really into quality family time and not really into bicycles...with that in mind I am going to draw a lot of flack for this... but see if there is an lbs in your area that carries Schwinn (not sure how to spell it), the lbs variety of Schwinn is the signature series and is a cut above the walmart version....not going to make you popular on this forum but would likely suit your needs.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

Thank you! That is really helpful!!!! Hope you don't get flack for it. I hope some day to get a "real" bike but for now I just want something safe for the kids and I to take short adventures on


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

obed said:


> ...with that in mind I am going to draw a lot of flack for this... but...


You've offered a perfectly viable option to the OP, so no flack from me. 

Whatever gets 'mom' out riding with the kids, works!! :thumbsup:


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

well, I am an old man, and the grandfather in me says, go out and build those memories


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## prome (Jul 9, 2010)

Although my kids are now grown and biking with me, I would suggest you also consider a trailer or tag-along for the kids, depending on how old they are. My wife and I both pulled a couple of ours in the trailer, and it was super easy to trade off if desired. All it takes is one second of inattention with the baby seat on the bike, and they're in a world of hurt. With the trailers, you can go over and they are fine. YYMV.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

prome said:


> Although my kids are now grown and biking with me, I would suggest you also consider a trailer or tag-along for the kids, depending on how old they are. My wife and I both pulled a couple of ours in the trailer, and it was super easy to trade off if desired. All it takes is one second of inattention with the baby seat on the bike, and they're in a world of hurt. With the trailers, you can go over and they are fine. YYMV.




Hello Everyone

a family near me is selling a lady's diamondback Devine vital 1($300) with shimano shifts and a front basket and a mongoose sr sun tour m3000 ($450) both with baby seats for $750 - I suspect this is a bad deal given that can buy the wines bike for new for cheaper but I can't find any info on the men's bike (leading me to believe its either old or bad) but I wanted to double check with you all before I say no.

maura


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

MrsPavs said:


> Hello Everyone
> 
> a family near me is selling a lady's diamondback Devine vital 1($300) with shimano shifts and a front basket and a mongoose sr sun tour m3000 ($450) both with baby seats for $750 - I suspect this is a bad deal given that can buy the wines bike for new for cheaper but I can't find any info on the men's bike (leading me to believe its either old or bad) but I wanted to double check with you all before I say no.
> 
> maura


ummm... NO. Your research matches mine.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

obed said:


> ummm... NO. Your research matches mine.


Well I did something right 

My husband is now warming up to the idea of maybe spending a little more on 2 bikes we can keep for a while. Any recommendations?


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## xxl (Mar 19, 2002)

MrsPavs said:


> Well I did something right
> 
> My husband is now warming up to the idea of maybe spending a little more on 2 bikes we can keep for a while. Any recommendations?





Mrs. Pav, I second the recommendation for getting a trailer for the kids. I did this when mine were growing up, and it was _well_ worth the money. Many fond memories of carting my kids off on the bike trail for an afternoon ride to the park, lunch, etc. 

Plus, they usually sleep.

You can probably pick one up off of craigslist (Burley is a good one), as parents are invariably selling them once the kids grow older.

Craigslist was also my source for a bike not unlike what you've described. There are a fair amount of decent bikes there, for not much money (I spent $150 on mine, and it was a real deal, probably would've cost $600 or more new). I know something about bikes, so I was fine with picking it out, but if you aren't, do you have a friend who might be knowledgeable who could help you?

This board is glad to help, but the turnaround time might be better if you could get a friend to help you. Best of luck.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

xxl said:


> Mrs. Pav, I second the recommendation for getting a trailer for the kids. I did this when mine were growing up, and it was _well_ worth the money. Many fond memories of carting my kids off on the bike trail for an afternoon ride to the park, lunch, etc.
> 
> Plus, they usually sleep.
> 
> ...



thanks for your thoughts - unfortunately I don't have friends into this type of biking - hence me coming here. Everyone has been really helpful though and I appreciate it. We considered the trailer but decided that given their present ages and what we want to do with them we'd prefer them on the backs separated from each other.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

I like bike trailers too, it just seems safer to me. Craigslist is a good source and another option is pawn shops...
When you put your budget together please remember to include helmets, much more important if the kids are in carriers instead of a trailer. Comfort seats work fine for short rides, but in truth on longer rides they tend to chaff you...for the type of riding you are talking about doing you probably will not really intend to use bike specific clothing so a cushy seat will feel better at first...hybrids make good all around bikes...
you might go back to the lbs and test ride a few bikes to see what feels best to you... and then start looking else where for what you eventually buy. I do not like to "USE" folks, but long term you might wind up back at the lbs buying a "quality" bike if you really get into cycling as a result of what you are doing now.
My wife has several bikes to choose from now, but her favorite all around bike is her specialized ariel...a bit out of the price range you mentioned, but a good all around entry level hybrid for a woman.

oh, and maybe list what part of the country you are in, there might be someone on the forum who is nearby you and would be willing to help you check out the used bikes in your area.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

MrsPavs said:


> Well I did something right
> 
> My husband is now warming up to the idea of maybe spending a little more on 2 bikes we can keep for a while. Any recommendations?


From what I see, you're doing a lot right, like asking here before purchasing, researching... you'll do fine. :wink5:

Can you give us an idea of your 'new' budget? Per bike? Then we'll be better able to make some recommendations.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

A couple of random suggestions:

REI.com sells there own brand of bikes (Novaro or something similar) which are perfectly reasonable and good bang for the buck.

Used kids bikes are usually a really good deal. I give away old kids bikes to the neighbors, as well as trailers, trailer-cylces, etc. I would rather do this (with instructions to pass them along to whomever needs them when they are done) than sell them for a few bucks. I am sure there are others who do similar things. 

Find a local bike co-op that fixes up and re-sells bikes.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

obed said:


> sounds to me you are really into quality family time and not really into bicycles...with that in mind I am going to draw a lot of flack for this... but see if there is an lbs in your area that carries Schwinn (not sure how to spell it), the lbs variety of Schwinn is the signature series and is a cut above the walmart version....not going to make you popular on this forum but would likely suit your needs.


My brother has a $200 Schwinn from Target. It's good enough for an occasional trail ride. Wheels are incredibly cheap, but they've held up to a few years of infrequent riding and haven't failed yet... so, that's probably not a concern. The only failure so far has been the bottom bracket which was filled with metal when I took it apart to clean/inspect. I replaced it with a cheap sealed sq. taper that was maybe $30. Many of the parts have been upgraded over the years when I came across a decent upgrade on the used market. The benefit of the dept. store bikes is that most of them can be upgraded to be just as good as the $500 Trek, you just upgrade the parts as they fail. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a dept. store Schwinn to keep at a vacation home or something... one caveat, it's one-size-fits-all, which actually means, it will only fit if you are incredibly average.

It wouldn't even hurt to get on the good side of a local shop and let them know if you want to upgrade parts. People are frequently buying bikes and upgrading the parts at the shop, which means the shop has lower tier parts laying around ("pull-off/take-off") that they want to sell which are still better than what you'd get on a big-box store Schwinn. Stop by for an annual tune-up and upgrade a few pieces each time. I'd recommend having a dept store bike checked by a reputable shop anyways. All new bikes need a tune up, even the name brand stuff. 


My advice to the OP, if you have any bike rental shops near by, watch for the end of season sell off in the fall to get the best price on a used but well maintained bike. 

Another option is to find a local bike co-op which has a lot of donated parts/frames and will give you the opportunity to learn some maintenance... might be a fun family project in of itself.

Where do you live, generally speaking? Someone might know a good resource in your area.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

Hello Everyone:

We went to 2 other bike stores and I was recommended the following


1 - a trek shift 
2 - a Raleigh detour 


Any opinions on these?


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

MrsPavs said:


> Hello Everyone:
> 
> We went to 2 other bike stores and I was recommended the following
> 
> ...


I have never ridden either of those...
I just went to the websites of both and looked at the specs...
looks like 6 of one and a half dozen of the other...some things I like about the Trek better and some things I like about the Raleigh better...
which one felt like the better ride to you?
you also did not specify which model of each, they make about 4 models of each bike. If you are looking at other than the base model of each go ahead and check out the specialized ariel, it has the things I like in both bikes all in one.
either bike would work well for what you want to do.


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## MrsPavs (Mar 22, 2014)

Sorry - 
Trek Shift 1 
raleigh detour 2.5 or 3.5


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

still not too much difference between the bikes...
If you were in Houston I would say the trek because it would be easier to sell when you either decide to upgrade or your kids get big enough to want to ride on their own.


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