Need a mountain / hybrid bike

[mlc2000]

I'm looking for a a decent quality bike. Preferrably one I can purchase at SportChek / SportMart so I can use GiftCards.
Sportchek sells DiamondBack, G3, Ironhorse, and Nakamura.

I can also use Canadian Tire Gift Cards, they sell Schwinn, Raleigh and Supercycle.

I currently have an old bike, but I cannot extend my legs fully , I am 6'5" tall.
I'm finding my pedalling is not very efficient. I tired too easily.
I have the seat as high as it can go, so maybe I just need a taller bike.

I don't know what the frame size is, but I just replaced an innertube, it was 26X1.75 if that helps to determine frame size.

Can anyone recommend a good bike? I'm not thinking of entering any marathons, and or mountain climbing comeptetions so a $1000 bike is pointless.


I'd like front fork suspension and maybe seat suspension.
15 speed is fine, I can;t tell 15speed from 21 speed.
Prefer shimano gears, thats about it.


Can anyone recommend something?

And please, for any of you "professional bike riders", don't try to tell me how useless a sub-$1000 bike is. That sort of input is wasted in this thread.

Thanks.

[mlc2000]

Can't anyone give me some bike advice?

[afong56]

well, depending on how 'bent' your legs are, it may not be a bad thing. at full extension, i think you should still have a slight bend in the legs--locking the knees is bad, iirc.

have you considered a cheapo option? buy a longer seat post and replace the old one--they should bolt on and off--a good bike shop will sell them in different lengths.

btw, what is your preferred spending limit? if it's around $500 then you can easily avoid buying anything from crappy tire (ugh).

[wushudrew]

the tire tube measurements are just related to the tire itself, not the size of the bike. 26x1.75 means that the wheel is 26 inches in diameter and the tire is 1.75" wide. 26" is standard on most bikes. the other type of tire youll see are called 700cc, which are strictly for roadbikes.

anyways, i dont know if stores like sportchek or CT stock a great wealth of sizes, but you could give it a shot.

when youre looking at bikes, sizing is generally provided in inches. this inch measurement is the length of the tube into which the seatpost fits. its called the seat tube. to find your proper size, measure your inseam in inches and take 2/3 of that. for commuting around the city, you may want to shave a couple of inches off of that result to allow for emergency dismounts (yours nuts will thank you later). another way to test sizing is to straddle the bike (dont sit on the seat) and lift the front part up by the handlebars until it touches your crotch (nuts aint thanking you yet). there should ideally be a couple of inches between the ground and the front tire.

that covers basic sizing.

now as to bikes, i dont really know how much you want to spend. if given the choice of CT and sportchek, id go with sportchek because CT bikes frighten me due to their inherently poor quality. sportcheks ironhorse line is a bit better because ironhorse is a bike-specific company and does sponsor professional athletes at competitions and such. a cheap ironhorse bike (mountain or hybrid) may be something to consider, provided they have your size. never buy a bike thats undersized because the frame geometry will make you very uncomfortable.

if all you plan to do is bike around the city on pavement and maybe a few dirt roads, a hybrid is probably your best bet.

if youre willing to spend some more for better quality, durability, and service, try shopping at a local bike store. not all bikes there are insanely expensive, and they do offer some great alternatives to the more pricey CT and sportchek bikes (~$400+). also, bike shops have service terms that come with bike purchases, which are great for tuneups and such (these you will need if you plan on keeping your bike for a while). tuneups get expensive.

[mlc2000]

Thanks, some good info there!

the tire tube measurements are just related to the tire itself, not the size of the bike. 26x1.75 means that the wheel is 26 inches in diameter and the tire is 1.75" wide. 26" is standard on most bikes. the other type of tire youll see are called 700cc, which are strictly for roadbikes.

anyways, i dont know if stores like sportchek or CT stock a great wealth of sizes, but you could give it a shot.

when youre looking at bikes, sizing is generally provided in inches. this inch measurement is the length of the tube into which the seatpost fits. its called the seat tube. to find your proper size, measure your inseam in inches and take 2/3 of that. for commuting around the city, you may want to shave a couple of inches off of that result to allow for emergency dismounts (yours nuts will thank you later). another way to test sizing is to straddle the bike (dont sit on the seat) and lift the front part up by the handlebars until it touches your crotch (nuts aint thanking you yet). there should ideally be a couple of inches between the ground and the front tire.

that covers basic sizing.

now as to bikes, i dont really know how much you want to spend. if given the choice of CT and sportchek, id go with sportchek because CT bikes frighten me due to their inherently poor quality. sportcheks ironhorse line is a bit better because ironhorse is a bike-specific company and does sponsor professional athletes at competitions and such. a cheap ironhorse bike (mountain or hybrid) may be something to consider, provided they have your size. never buy a bike thats undersized because the frame geometry will make you very uncomfortable.

if all you plan to do is bike around the city on pavement and maybe a few dirt roads, a hybrid is probably your best bet.

if youre willing to spend some more for better quality, durability, and service, try shopping at a local bike store. not all bikes there are insanely expensive, and they do offer some great alternatives to the more pricey CT and sportchek bikes (~$400+). also, bike shops have service terms that come with bike purchases, which are great for tuneups and such (these you will need if you plan on keeping your bike for a while). tuneups get expensive.

[swiftfox]

I bought a SportChek bike for around $300 last summer; it fell apart on me 3 times in 3 rides, so I took it back. Go for the local bike store..This time of year is perfect; I bought a 2005 model Norco Scrambler at 'The Bike Depot' (local bike shop) for $500. Great bike.

[kcorscadden]

My advice is to go to a bike store/shop as well.

CT and SportChek sell/receive items in mass and they don't specialize in any specific area. CT sells everything from bikes, camping equipment, dishes right down to toilet paper, so asking a rep there is useless since they don't have a clue. Same goes for SC. They sell strictly sports good, which is better than CT but they still don't focus in on a specific area or product. If you want to deal with only CT or SC, then go with SC.

Since CT and SC deal in mass and don't specialize in any specific area, they look at the $$$ instead of the quality. That's the problem with big mass stores like CT, Wal Mart, etc., they only look at the $$$ figure in most cases and they don't care about the quality and it shows. Thus is the reason why their electronics suck. People have already said that CT bikes are garbage which I agree 100% with. Though I have never bought or riden one, just looking at them you can tell they're crap. If you want some bike to ride around on occassionally, then this might be ok. If it is regular wear and tear, then STAY AWAY.

If you go to a bike store/shop like CyclePath (or something similar), you at least know that their primary product or market is bikes and accessories for those bikes. Plus, when you talk to a rep, you'll get someone who hopefully has some knowledge (better chance than CT and SC) and can suggest the right bike for you based on your size and budget.

[swifferman]

Since you are such a tall guy, the bikes available at wal-mart will not fit you properly. I would recommend looking at the following bikes which should be around $400 and would come in an XL size.

Giant Boulder
Specialized HardRock
Kona Lana'I
Trek 820

Good luck

[mlc2000]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Oh, and I won't even buy toilet paper at Walmart.