Hello,
I am trying to get into biking for exercise and just to have a reason to get outdoors in general. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a bike at this moment because I want to make sure I actually create a habit of using it and actually enjoy riding. If it’s a hobby I get into I’ll invest more into a better bike in the future. I want to ride on both the road and light trails if possible. I am not expecting any of these bikes to be of the highest quality, I just want to get started. I’m asking for advice on which might be the better option because I honestly don’t know much about bikes. I have been browsing facebook marketplace and have 3 options that I like and will fit me:
The first is a like-new Schwinn ranger 21 speed with 26” wheels and a 15.5” frame for $160
The second is a Trek 7.2 fix with 700c wheels and a 15” frame for $150
The third is an asbike 21 speed with 26” wheels and a medium frame for $80
I am 5’3 and a woman
by Traditional-Local90
5 Comments
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Get the trek. The other two are what we refer to as “bike shaped objects”, the Trek is well built from a reputable brand and looks to be in really good condition. Good price too
While the Trek is for sure the most solid, you would be better on a bad bike that fits you than a nice bike you won’t ride because it doesn’t fit. Can you test ride these? If not, and you just buy the Trek and you have some issues remember you can swap out parts to try for a better fit.
Trek Fx is a solid choice. I would go there as my FX has lasted me like 6 years across lot of difference riding. 700c road centric tires are less sluggish than 26inch, and the frame can support moderately chunky tires if you end up wanting to do light trail rides.
Bikes with front suspension are slower, heavier and sap your energy when not riding trails. Consider how much pavement vs trails you will do.
Just to clarify: that “Asbike” is a truly bottom of the barrel bike-shaped *thing*. The kind that you’d get off of Temu or something. The fork is not name brand, which is a red flag, and I suspect the other parts aren’t a name brand (Shimano, Sram, Microshift, etc.) It’s built of the cheapest possible components to get it rolling, but it won’t last, and it’s unlikely it was built by knowledgeable mechanics. Also 26″ tires are a little hard to find.
The Schwinn is slightly better, but only slightly. You likely have heard of this brand; it used to be one of the biggest and most reputable bike companies in the world. However, since around the year 2000, the company sold to Pacific Cycles, which almost exclusively builds really cheap Walmart bikes. Ever since, Schwinn has produced mediocre bicycles that are not on par with other “real” bike manufacturers. The bicycle shown here isn’t horrible, it’s not a bad as the “asbike,” but there really isn’t any reason to pay that much for it when you could get a brand new Ozark Trail g1 from Walmart for just a little more. Also 26″ tires are a little hard to find.
Honestly, the Trek is the clear winner here. Trek is a reputable manufacturer, they do have some entry-level models but nothing they build is bad. This model isn’t the lowest in their lineup; it’s midlevel. Decent parts that should work well and reliably. Also, its’ 700c tires are far more numerous than the 26″ tires on the other two. It does appear to be a bit older than the others, so the one caveat I’ll mention is that a service may be due, but even so it’s the clear choice amongst these.