I would like to purchase a cheap (maybe around 200-300€) and spartanic single-speed racer-like bike. I don't need fancy extras - just wheels, a frame, and brakes (but please no backpadel-brake and with freewheel).  I want to have this kind of bike mainly for the city to be able to make some speed and have fun with it. I don't want the expense and maintenance of gear change on this bike. I don't want the fear of an overprized steal-inviting deceiver/poser bike. Simplicity wins.   Where should I search when I am looking for such a bike?   Second hand is an option.
121575
I'm looking to buy a single gear bicycle. My experience with bikes is very limited, I haven't owned a bike since I was a kid. I have been mountain biking in the Lake District a few times in the last 3 years or so and enjoyed it a lot. At that time, I just hired a mountain bike.  I would like to buy a bike to to commute to and from work (8 miles/13 KM each way - no steep climbs). I'm tempted by the single gear bicycles because they require low maintenance and fitness wise they can be more of a workout.  My criteria so far is:   Has to have a free wheel,  Chain tensioning mechanism, Brakes on both wheels   Is there anything else a newbie like me should consider before buying a single gear bike? I'm 6'2" and weigh 10 stone.  Appreciate the help.
96189
I recently purchased a Masi Fixie Riser with a flip/flop hub (gearing on both sides) and brakes, but the rims aren't machined. Is this common on $700+ single speeds?
66186
Naturally, carrying a light bike up the stairs is much more enjoyable compared to a heavier bike. Are there any other aspects of a bike which are affected by its weight?  For example, would the weight affect handling at low speeds? Higher speeds? Turning? Stability in strong crosswinds, heavy rain or other adverse weather conditions?  What does the weight say about a modern bike's components? About its durability or dependability? Maintenance? Wear and tear?  Are lighter bikes always better? What would be a reasonable weight threshold below which gains are diminishing?  As an inexperienced cyclist looking for a new bike, I'm unsure how much I should be paying attention to its weight.  UPDATE: what specific weight ranges should I be looking for these days? What would be considered very heavy, reasonable, and at what weight do we enter the multi-thousand-dollar pro racing bikes?  I found a cheap made-in-China fixie in Singapore (where I live); when I learned it weighs 17kg I realized why it's so cheap!
13161
In the (distant) past I commuted 6 km (more than half an hour) each way, on a cheap bike with big knobbly tyres.  Soon I'll have a new commute: 18 km each way, daily. That's much further than I've done in the past, and I don't want it to take 2 hours each way; but  suggests that it's feasible:      Most people who reside 10 to 20 kilometres away will also find it quite easy to cycle to work, although the distance in the high end of this range will become a little more demanding.   If I can do it in 80 minutes or even less each way, that would be ideal. I'm 49 years old, 6 foot tall, and weigh 170lb, and I want to commute by bike because otherwise I'd be getting no exercise in my week at all.  I've never bought or ridden anything but a cheap bike.  What equipment should I buy then, to commute 11 miles each way through a city (Toronto) on  flat, paved roads, shared with cars:   Wheels? Tyres? Clipless pedals and shoes? Gears? Handlebars (e.g. flat or dropped)? Frame (size, shape, material)? Mud-guard/fender?
45272
I have an older version of this bike:    They have made some changes to the components since I bought my bike but it is more or less the same.  Here are the .    I was hoping to put a solid fork on my bike for the winter.  I want to keep the mountain feel and have lots of clearance for wide tires, etc but I want to get rid of the weight and give my fork a rest.    When choosing a solid fork what do I need to know?     Will any solid fork fit onto my bike?  Do forks come in different sizes?  Different diameters?  Different lengths?  I heard something like you need a special fork if you are going to put it on a bike that was designed to be used with shocks.   I know that I want a fork with disk break mounts so this makes the search slightly more difficult.  Ideally I would also like rack/fender mounts.  (For future touring).   My wheel size is 26 inches, what would happen if I used a 700c fork on my bike?  This seller claims thats what he was using  for.    Edit:  Thanks for the great information.  After reading I have been looking around for a used local fork.  I think that I found one possibility.  But any feed back would be appreciated.     The fork was designed to be used with 700C or 29 inch wheels but it has an axel to crown length of roughly 17 inches (431 mm).  I currently have 100mm Travel in my suspension fork so  that I should get a fork with a length of 455 mm (17.9 inches).  Is this reasonable?  Does it matter if it was designed for a 700C tire if the fork length is correct? As you can see in the picture of the fork the fork has some rake.  Is this a problem?  Will that amount of rake make the bike ride strangely/differently? The steer tube/ headset size is 1 1/8th standard size which is the same as my bike so no concern there.     Here is a picture of the fork:
60586
I have a ~1993 Giant mountain bike.  It's not great, but I am a very new and casual rider.    The bike has a solid fork and it makes for the predictable rough trail ride.  The trails are generally fairly modest (I live in North Texas, a 100' change in altitude makes our ears pop here) and the surface is generally dirt (very few rocky areas).  So, I am thinking that it would be very nice to have a suspension bike.  And seeing that a modest fork can be purchased for a modest price, I am wondering if it makes sense to add a fork to this bike.   asked about going the other direction, and there were some cautionary words about changing steering geometry.  So, on balance, is this something that I would be best off to avoid?  I suspect that if I have to replace a bunch of steering parts, the cost will quickly approach that of a new low end bike.
49784
When replacing the rear brake pads I noticed that 4 spokes were broken and the wheel wobbles.  I phoned a local bike shop and was told that they recommend replacing the wheel if more than 3 spokes are broken.  I assume that this is a safety precaution but wonder if the recommendation is in line with common practice.  I certainly have no desire to get thrown off the bike in traffic, but it also seems a waste to (probably) discard an entire wheel because it might be damaged and might fail at some point.  This is a 27" road bike, inexpensive, which I ride for transportation in the city (Tokyo).  The rear rim is a bit scored from waiting too long to replace the brake pad, which is another factor to consider.  To clarify slightly, it probably would be cheaper to replace the wheel as suggested below.  My objection is more of an ethical one -- tossing something useful into a hole in the ground seems irresponsible.  Difficult to avoid though, the way things work right now.
5925
We often get questions on bicycles.stackexchange about identifying a bicycles manufacturer, model, make, and year.  Often these questions are downvoted or closed -- usually with a comment attached to them that it's not necessary to know the exact model/make/year of a bicycle if you want to fix, repair, or ride your bike. Why should owners not care about the model/make/year of their bicycle? Especially when it comes to less expensive bikes (aka BSOs) and BMX bicycles? This is intended as a canonical question that we can point closed questions to. Also see      (generally not helpful for identifying a brand/model)
27867
I bought a Repco Warrior 29 mountain bike 3 months ago. The back tyre is now almost bald and needs to be replaced. Because of where I live there are no bike shops, so I can't buy tyres here and will have to order them from overseas.  My problem is that 3 months seems a short time to have to replace tyres (although it does see a lot of miles since I use it a lot). I don't ride offroad, and I'm wondering if that's part of the issue with the rapid wear.  Before I order any tyres, can anyone tell me through experience if it's a good idea (or even possible) to put road tyres on my mountain bike. Are there any pro's and cons to it? Should I replace both tyres or just the back one?  Update:- I now have my new tyres, ordered brake pads as well, and immediately noticed the smoother, easier, quieter ride on the way home (about an hour) Cheers all for the advice.
110203
It seems like pretty much everywhere I look, serial numbers can't do the things that it seems they should be able to do.  They can't help people figure out what bike they have.  They can't help at all when recovering a stolen bike, unless you have the bike's number linked to your identity somehow (good luck finding the bike in the first place).  It seems like the only thing they're useful for is warranty fulfillment. You take your bike to the shop, and they check the serial number to make sure that it's the same one you bought from them three months ago. Is this the only intended purpose of a serial number?
110493
Besides locking a bike up properly, are there other deterrents against theft (such as engraving) that make a bicycle less attractive to a potential bike thief?   UPDATE  It was stolen.  :-(
74173
I recently saw a small clip about how to securely lock your bike.  I was wondering what are your tips for minimizing the chances of getting your bike stolen.                                  Here are a few of my tips:   use 2 chains take the saddle off ( makes it less attractive, especially in a bike rack )
108881
I have a single speed cycle and i want to have minimum of six gears on it, Is there a cheap and good way so that i can get gears on it?
77360
To cut a long story short, I have a full suspension mountain bike. Its rear derailleur mech (see title) is broken, had a trip round the spokes and age has degraded the main springs. I therefore need to replace it. Now, its old, and you can get the model, but its new, old stock so I want to upgrade the rear mech, not just replace.  So I need a Shimano rear mech, for 7 speed rear wheel, that bolts directly to hanger that is part of frame (Direct Attach). Can someone suggest how to select a  replacement mech? I am happy with the rest of the system, which is Dual SIS, and grip shift.  Thanks in advance,  Jawapower
50098
I just bought a new MTB and am planning to change my previous MTB into a Road Bike.   How do I do it? What kind of parts do I need to change or add or remove?  I am not looking to for a full conversion into specialised road bike. But like the answers are suggesting, I am looking for a bridge between commuter or road bike. My majors concerns to be met are:   Should be fast enough to compete with road racers over short distance Should be light as a road  Should be as close as possible in as cheap as possible.
28337
It's an old argue on forums, still cant get it. What is the (real, that worth the money and time for ordering from abroad, in my case) difference, let's say between  shoes and some kind of old school skate shoes (the fat ones, like )?  P.S as far as I know most dirt BMXers are quite happy with regular skate shoes.
42579
Motivation: I'm a casual cyclist (I ride around 4 miles per day, to school and work and back) but I wanted to get into unicycling to casually cycle through parks and the like; nothing too extreme, but just to be able to take it on a bus and cycle around the town.  I was unsure of what to look for in a beginner's unicycle, though.  Main Question: What types of things should a beginner unicyclist look for in their first unicycle?  Is it worthless to buy a unicycle labeled as a "beginner's unicycle"?  I browsed the other unicycle thread, but it didn't explicitly apply to people just starting to unicycle.