I see a lot of great looking bicycles around Cen. Austin and was wondering... (sales, buying)

[tekka-maki]

Where are the best places to buy good mountain and/or road bicycles at a competitive price in Austin? I looked at Walmart (don't laugh) but the bikes there just look atrocious (oblong wide body shaped frames, etc.) compared to what I see folks cruisin' around on in town on (i.e. thin and neat).

A lot has changed since my Huffy/Murray adolescence.

[hoffdano]

There are many fine places to look at and buy bicycles in Austin.

The hippest place is probably Mello Johnny's - Lance Armstrong's "store."

But you could go to Bicycle Sport Shop for a wide selection of bicycles in all price ranges. Keep in mind that it isn't hard to spend thousands on a bike today if you want light, fast, and beautiful.

[mark311]

I spent most of my time at Buck's Bikes and Bicycle Sport Shop when I was researching mountain bikes. I ended up buying a couple at Buck's Bikes, but both places seemed pretty good.

[atxcio]

You should choose what bike you want first, see what the MSRP and actual sales price should be, read reviews, what other people paid, etc. A good site for this is:

Mountain bike product reviews forums classifieds trails

Then visit a couple of bike shops as an informed consumer. They carry different brands, so where you buy may be determined by the bike brand... Canondale, Specialized, Trek, etc. Bicycle Sport Shop is great (but not the cheapest, usually) also Bucks Bikes, Ozone Bikes, Mellow Johnny's, University Cyclery, REI, Freewheeling, Sun and Ski... all good places to try out & buy decent brands. Sometimes the prices are negotiable!

[mimimomx3]

We've bought and serviced all our bikes at University Cyclery on Lamar and 24th. Who buys a bike at Walmart???

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

We've bought and serviced all our bikes at University Cyclery on Lamar and 24th. Who buys a bike at Walmart???

You would not believe the number of otherwise 'normal' people who take their $79 Walmart/Target bike to the LBS needing a hundred dollars worth of tweaking just to make it somewhat roadworthy. Penny wise and pound foolish, as they say.

[south side chap]

I'll second Bicycle Sport Shop. Huge stock and knowledgeable staff. Also I'd agree that is very easy to overspec your bike. You really don't need to spend $1,000+ unless you want to seriously compete in a triathlon or some similar endeavor, but equally a $100 'trail' bike will fall apart first time out on the greenbelt. At the aforementioned store tell them exactly what you want the bike for and they'll point you in the right direction.

[woodinvilleguy]

My preference is Bicycle Sport Shop but there are many great local bike shops here in Austin.

[tekka-maki]

Thanks fore suggestions! I'll check out these places.

I know bikes can go into the thousands, but I'm definitely not that much of an enthusiast, nor am I looking to race one in a triathlon.

Discount retailer bikes may look cheesy I agree (in fact I stated as much in my original comment), but I doubt they'd fall apart the 1st time on the greenbelt, you're being facetious right? My 18 speed Target Huffy as a kid lasted years, and I rode that 'hooptie' every single day all across town in the Midwest. Parks, trails, you name it...

Definitely not looking to spend more than $300. Do I stand a chance at any of these places or should I just go look at Craigslist?

I'm first and foremost a jogger so this would be primarily for leisure...

Thanks again!

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by tekka-maki

Discount retailer bikes may look cheesy I agree (in fact I stated as much in my original comment), but I doubt they'd fall apart the 1st time on the greenbelt, you're being facetious right? My 18 speed Target Huffy as a kid lasted years, and I rode that 'hooptie' every single day all across town in the Midwest. Parks, trails, you name it...

I've seen that literally happen on the greenbelt! Poor guy, his Huffy's chain was always falling off, and then the handlebars broke! This was his first ride on the greenbelt! Of course, he was trying to keep up with some more experienced riders on technical areas of the trail, and that includes some dropoffs, and rocky ascents.

I also had a Huffy as a child, and it held up well enough. I think they just don't make them like they used to. What you'll find all too often now at Target and Walmart are cheap bikes that LOOK like more expensive ones... instead of making a quality product with simple components, they try to load them up with full suspension, disk brakes, etc so they look like more expensive bikes. And as a result, they have to use incredibly cheap components, and they end up literally falling apart.

Definitely not looking to spend more than $300. Do I stand a chance at any of these places or should I just go look at Craigslist?

Sure, places like the ones mentioned will have entry level bikes. Probably not much under $300, but right around that price you can probably get a good bike. If you are wanting an all-around bike for Austin (combination of road and trail), get a hardtail mountain bike. Like a Specialized Hardrock (Specialized Hardrock Sport review | Mountain Bike Reviews || SINGLETRACKS.COM) or Trek 820 (Trek 820 review | Mountain Bike Reviews || SINGLETRACKS.COM) or something similar. I'd spend the extra money and buy new vs. craigslist -- people on CL don't seem to discount enough to make it worth it. The new bike experience is really just too fun. Like when you were a kid!