Living Car Free - Beater Bike for the Rain?

I have been looking for a decent
beater bike that I can take on buses
and use when it rains so I won't get
my nice bikes soiled in the mud and such.

I am thinking a 12, 18 or 21 speed comfort
bike or cheap mountain bike and I put beefy
tires on it and put Kevlar liners between the
tube and the tire.

I have been checking Craigslist, but the only
bikes on there are about 50 miles away and
I don't wanna drive that far to get one.
(Yes I still have a car, but I HAVE been riding
pretty much car free on my bike and am feel'n
fine about it.) Much mellower lifestyle and I
can actually laugh when I see big SUVs and Hummers.

Got any ideas for good beater bikes? Any particular
cheap brand better than another? New? Used?

Ned Goudy

i saw pull one outta the dumpster.
ghetto bikes
beater bikes
ugly bikes.
they have a place.
rain, snow and the like.

make it fixed or single so it is easy to maintain, mabye.

i ride an old gt mtn. bike its rock solid, i rode all last winter. it needs some help this year but it will be good to go.man i love that bike i made it a single speed but i think i want to make it fixed this year. in the snow , salt and slush the brake just gets all slimy and is almost use less.

I do...an old but gently used hybrid fits that bill nicely for me.

Got any ideas for good beater bikes? Any particular
cheap brand better than another? New? Used?

Buy the cheapest new bike from a big retailer like Walmart. Why? because the frame will be made solid enough that nobody ever gets into an accident and sues the big chain. Mine's a $99 thing, to which I added my beater racks and bags that I pass from one beater bike to another, and my lights. My beaters last 2 or 3 years, after taking much abuse in the winter with salty snow and mud. A little more if I care to spray it after each ride with the garden hose in the winter, which I never do for more than 3 days.

If you don't want to buy new or don't want to patronize Walmart, you can always get an old frame and rebuild the bike. Old frames are a dime a dozen, you can usually find anything from bare frames with all the componentry gone for a fiver, to complete stolen bikes for a lot more at the police pound.

Also, don't bother with tuffy tape and the likes, they're just not that useful. Fit cheap knobbies and inflate them with good quality tubes. It's the quality of the tubes that make the difference between constant flats and leaky valves, and tires that hold their pressure for a year without posing any problem. Very cheap tires tend to deform and get all out of true, in my experience, but as long as they don't touch the frame or shake the bike too much, I don't care. Their claim to fame is their low price, not their performance.

Well Ned, I noticed you live in my neck of the woods. So I can feel confident to let you know how the used bicycle market is here in the Los Angeles area. I purchased my final used bicycle 6 years ago. I find it harder to harder to find good, used bicycles in this area compared to just 10 years ago when you could walk in a store or look through the ads and pick up one for under $100. Why? The demand by new arrivals to the area as well as the inherent value of a bike (changing from a toy to serious transportation along with gas/petrol price inflating) made anything in a ridable with a handlebar, saddle, two wheels, and a frame more valuable. Plus I feel that people are hanging on to their used bikes longer or giving them to relatives and friends.

But don't let it discourage you from the used market. You will have to spend alot more time looking in thrift stores, classified ads-suggestion: The Pasadena Star News Bargain section-I found my last used bike there, college/universities newspapers and boards especially at semester's end, bike shops, bike clubs and the like. I would not use the internet services like Craig's list or Ebay (too much pontential trouble).

Now I prefer to purchase new bikes between $250-500 dollars at the LBS of my choice. I find that the lifetime tune-ups offered, choosing a steel (prefered) frame that fits, and advice on bicycle matters and other garentees offered take most of the risk out of selection of a bike. I would gladly purchase another used bike from $5 to $100 that's not stolen if I could find one. But I think those days are over at least here in an high demand area.

Well Ned, I noticed you live in my neck of the woods. So I can feel confident to let you know how the used bicycle market is here in the Los Angeles area. I purchased my final used bicycle 6 years ago. I find it harder to harder to find good, used bicycles in this area compared to just 10 years ago when you could walk in a store or look through the ads and pick up one for under $100. Why? The demand by new arrivals to the area as well as the inherent value of a bike (changing from a toy to serious transportation along with gas/petrol price inflating) made anything in a ridable with a handlebar, saddle, two wheels, and a frame more valuable. Plus I feel that people are hanging on to their used bikes longer or giving them to relatives and friends.

Folder Fanatic,

I agree it is harder to find cheap used bikes. I have bought several in the last 10 years and
past them on to friends or relative. I like the idea of checking the COLLEGE newspapers
for deals on used bikes. May would be a great month for that!



But don't let it discourage you from the used market. You will have to spend alot more time looking in thrift stores, classified ads-suggestion: The Pasadena Star News Bargain section-I found my last used bike there, college/universities newspapers and boards especially at semester's end, bike shops, bike clubs and the like. I would not use the internet services like Craig's list or Ebay (too much pontential trouble).

Yeh, Ebay sucks in my opinion. I don't like buying something I can't touch and feel
unless it is software that I have used previously. I checked out several deals on
Craigslist but wasn't satisfied with what I saw for the money. Then too, some
dude was selling a Huffy 12 speed Mtn. Bike for $20 but was getting all the respondents
to bid it up after the fact. I just told him no thanks with the head trips.



Now I prefer to purchase new bikes between $250-500 dollars at the LBS of my choice. I find that the lifetime tune-ups offered, choosing a steel (prefered) frame that fits, and advice on bicycle matters and other garentees offered take most of the risk out of selection of a bike. I would gladly purchase another used bike from $5 to $100 that's not stolen if I could find one. But I think those days are over at least here in an high demand area.

Local Bike Shops are the BOMB and salvation of Bike riders like me.
I have Bicycle Central right around the corner from my house, (formerly
a Schwinn dealership for 25 yrs.) and Sports Chalet which has a Bike Shop
AND repair right next to BC. I pay them what they are worth but once in
a while they throw in freebies. I can't tell you how many times they have
saved my butt as I don't like to do bike repairs myself for safety reasons.

Riding in the San Gabriel Valley is pretty car friendly if you don't mind
playing tag with giant SUVs on occasion. It is FAIRLY flat throughout,
west to east and yet a few rolling hills or worse for a heart pumping
experience once in a while. Then of course, the San Gabriel Mtns.
provide all the torture one could ask for if you want a challenge.

Ned Goudy
Glendora, CA USA

I would go with the used mountain bike, hardtail of course. You should be able to find a decent one without much problem. I bought one yesterday for $30. It was a brand I was not familiar with, but it had low-end Shimano components that all worked, and the frame seemed light and strong. I will let my stepson use it until he fixes up his Trek MTB (paid $6 at a yard sale). Then it will be a spare for me, and really I hope I never have to ride it. I bought this $30 one at a resale shop right across the street from me. They had a Ross with a lugged steel frame that I liked better, but it needed a lot of work and wasn't worth the hassle to me.

It's a matter of personal preference with beaters as with nice bikes. Some would prefer a shiny new Walmart bike (if you can call it a bike). I would rather have an old one that has seen days of glory, even if those days are a little in the past. Hell, I could say the same about myself! :D

I didn't notice anyone mention mudgaurds and a totally enclosed chain case to keep your bike and
you clean. The mudgaurds keep dirt off you in the dry too. Of course if you share the road with
cars they spray that road slop all over you so you still have to wipe the bike down if you want it
to look clean. My utility bike has the hub gears that don't get all glommed up and the enclosed
chain that stays pretty clean - I use wheel bearing grease to keep it from rusting. Very little dust
filters in to it through the cracks in the chain case. Sometimes it is difficult to find after market
mudguards that fit a particular bike. I've fixed up cheapo or trash heap bikes and gotten years of
use out of them but the ones that come stock with fenders, lights and chain cases seem to work better.
The stuff doesn't come loose or rattle as much.

My last cheapo steel frame bike died when the frame cracked after 4 years of errand running. I took it
to an auto body shop and the welder fixed it for $12.00 but it only lasted for 8 or 9 months of daily use
before the frame cracked again just outside the weld. I replaced it with a Trek Navigator L200
a year ago. The expensive bike has been less trouble and it was rain and darkness and cargo capable
right out of the store. What I'm getting at is maybe other car free people would find that a decent
foul weather bike needn't be a 'beater'.