Poor Cyclist

[Popoki_Nui]

Value Village, Salvation Army, Goodwill. This morning I did my monthly circuit of these stores. On other outings I've seen bike shorts, tights, helmets, and occasionally even some decent bikes. It pays to be persistent; keep going and you're bound to find much of the goodies you need/

[Trek420]

...bike swap meets are my favorite way to save a buck or two.

Check your local cycling club. I've gotten wonderful deals. Stick around here and you'll learn ways to make the sport affordable and welcome to TE.

[teigyr]

Take it slow and buy things as you need them. You don't need a computer, especially right away. The shorts? See how far you start riding. Could be you can get by with what you're wearing until the distance is such that you are uncomfortable. Check with local cycling clubs to see if there are swap meets around where you are.

You need gloves, a helmet, a multi-tool, tire levers, and tubes/patch kit. Oh and you need a pump. After that, just see how far you go with it!

I've seen bikes listed for very reasonably. There was somebody in Washington from TE who had a whole bunch of bikes she was selling for about $100/ea +/-.

You can do it

[singletrackmind]

We have a used bike store in our town that sometimes has bargains....another place to look. My first road bike was a Flandria for $60 at a garage sale. I rode it for 16 years before the mountain bike bug hit me. I wore regular shorts on all my rides and while I admit there's a plus to bike shorts, I was ok with what I had.

Familiarize yourself with good and bad components if you haven't already, so you can sort the difference between good cheap and bad cheap. Stamped steel brakes come to mind. Flat and you could prolly bend 'em with your hand.

[Python]

I bought my bike for £18 ($36). Tyre repair kit which included tyre levers - 98p (under $1). My helmet cost more than the bike £26.99 ($52). Cycling shorts were £14.99 ($30) and cycling shirt £11.99 ($24) - both items were sale prices. I'd a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms - what you call tights lurking in my wardrobe. They cost me £2.99 ($6) just over a year ago when the local sports shop had a sale on. They're not cycling tights but are fine for my 2 1/2 mile commute to and from work. You don't really need any special clothing if you're only going short distances. Normal T-shirts are fine

[dex]

I was wandering through Target this afternoon and saw padded cycling shorts for $25. I don't know how good (or not) they are, but they might be worth a look. I've also occasionally seen used ones for cheap ($8-10) at various thrift stores.

[RolliePollie]

For cycling clothes, gloves, saddle, pedals, etc., I've had great luck with shopping online. Ebay, Sierra Trading Post (my favorite!), and Campmor are great. REI has an online outlet that's pretty good too (and shipping is free is you have it sent to your closest REI store). Also, check out the sales right here on TE. I bought my bike new from my LBS, but I did see some pretty nice used bikes on Craigslist too.

I paid $42.99 for a new Terry Butterfly saddle and $19.99 for a new pair of Pearl Izumi Attack Shorts on ebay. And I picked up some Canari jerseys from Campmor for $19.99. I basically refuse to pay full price for anything if at all possible. Even my cycling shoes...I went out and tried on a bunch of brands and sizes, then checked around online and got a pair of $95 Pearl Izumi's for $24.

You can do it on a budget! Good luck and happy shopping!

[enzed]

Getting back on the bike didn't cost me that much.

After a couple of years walking alot & using public transport, my elderly neighbour offered me a old mountain bike. I had been doing some errands for him & he said I could keep it.

It came with a helmet & a safety vest. I brought a cable lock, a pump & a patch kit - not much $$. I had this bike for 9 months, before I retired it. Though it wasn't flash, it got me back into cycling & gave me alot of freedom.

My next (& current) bike was a Trek 7100fx. In July 2005 I was at my LBS, getting my mountain bike gears adjusted.
I eyed a sleek silver bike in the back & it caught my eye. It was a lightly used bike somebody had traded in, but it hadn't yet been priced for sale.
$220 later, it was mine. I reckon it was fate - we were meant to ride together
My old mountain bike was traded in for a good set of bike lights, and has since been serviced and resold to a good home.
The good thing about buying from a LBS, is that the bikes have been serviced & they offer a waranty (in my case it was for 3 months).


My first pair of bike shorts were actually shy shorts brought from my local charity shop but for a few months I rode in normal shorts without too many problems.
I used to ride in normal teeshirts all the time, until I saw a bike top on sale at my LBS. Most of my bike tops were brought for 1/2 price, just like all my bike shorts. I can usually get a good pair of bike shorts for less than $50.

Good luck, the bargains are out there.