Buying a bike at Canadian Tire??

I am looking to buy my first bike and have been researching online and took out a book from the library but am a bit overwhelmed. I'm looking to buy a bike for casual riding, errands, and occasional longer ride.

I was wondering if anyone's bought a bike from Canadian Tire (good and bad reviews welcome)? General consensus from online research is that large department store bikes are lemons but I don't want to spend too much money ($200 or less). I also do not have any bike knowledge to be able to buy a used "good" bike off craigslist/kijiji.

The bike I'm looking at:
- Basic mountain bike http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/su...1557p.html#srp-
- Comfort bike http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ev...1386p.html#srp

The reviews on that bike are pretty good (scroll down on the page) - and it's a great price.
It's meant to be a casual bike, mountain bike style - seems that those who would have problems with it are using it on tough terrain, not just regular biking.

Another consideration is replacement parts if you are a bit of a handy man

Keep in mind you get what you pay for.

Dh bought himself a bike at Canadian Tire about 6 weeks ago. He's really happy with it.

He has a mountain bike (not an expensive one), but wanted to replace it with a more comfortable bike (so similar to the comfort bike you linked to). He was looking for an inexpensive bike that had thinner tires than the mountain bike that would be more appropriate on roads, paved trails and really compact gravel trails than his mountain bike is. The thinner tires of the comfort bike means less resistance on paved surfaces than the wider mountain bike tires which are better for rough terrain. He also wanted a bike with a more comfortable seat than his mountain bike and that doesn't require leaning forward as much.

Dh didn't pay for assembly but brought the bike home and assembled himself. He's not the handiest person out there, but was able to assemble without too much difficulty, but it did take some time.

He paid less than $200 for his bike, although it was on sale.

I think that deciding to buy a bike at Canadian Tire or a more expensive bike elsewhere depends on how you will use it and how often you will use it. The dedicated bike folk, who bike 50km or more each day, with 200+ km on weekends would not want a CT bike. But if you are casually biking and don't have a big budget, it might be a good place to start.

EDIT: I should add, that while dh doesn't bike every day, when he does bike, he easily does 40 to 60 km on one ride. He does that a couple of times a week.

It'd be a good idea to see if you can sit on each model in the store to see how you feel about the seat comfort/height, handlebars etc.
Like others have posted, there is an assembly charge to have the bike put together (someone hired specifically to do bike assembly at CT during a specified period of time).

I used to have a 12 speed Supercycle road bike. It was great for rides to school or grocery store or the library. A knapsack was my "basket". Did have rust issues where spokes met the rims. Made a point to oil the metal with a rag to help keep the rust from spreading. You'll need to get oil for the chain so it does not dry out and allows you to shift smoothly. Tire patch kit might be a good extra if you are handy in repairing tires.

Suggest you budget for a helmet and horn or bell as well and maybe a reflective vest if you plan on doing any twilight or poor weather riding. Of course, a locking mechanism is needed.

Thanks for all the info!!

Comfort bike is better.

I bought a super cycle 1600 at Canadian Tire last year. It was on sale for $125.00.I tried to return the bike for a refund with my receipt and the store refused to take the bike back just because there was mud and dirt on its tires. I was pissed of.:rant:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tierra Lemieux

I bought a super cycle 1600 at Canadian Tire last year. It was on sale for $125.00.I tried to return the bike for a refund with my receipt and the store refused to take the bike back just because there was mud and dirt on its tires. I was pissed of.:rant:

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Really? You were angry because a store didn't take back an item that you had purchased a year ago? Let's not forget to mention that it was dirty and used... Oh brother. Entitled much?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoJays

Really? You were angry because a store didn't take back an item that you had purchased a year ago? Let's not forget to mention that it was dirty and used... Oh brother. Entitled much?

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:lolsign:

I did not wait a year to return the bike. This was something that happened a year ago in the spring.

The information above is very good to me, thanks for sharing!