General Cycling Discussion - Okay... so I found a bike for sale

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/660732614.html

Is that bike worth the price? Does anything seem fishy about it? Is it overpriced or should I go for it?

did you contact the seller for more information?

I gave him a call and we can meet up sometime for a look. What should I look for? Or, if I should ask him, what should I ask him?

I'm not very good at this bike buying stuff.

Not sure of the terrain you are riding, but if flat, you'll only have about 4 useful gears.

Flat? What does that mean?

How will the gears affect me.

it is made by huffy, I'm not sure about the quality of their older bikes. i do know the newer ones I've encountered were sub standard even for department store bikes to say the least. the drop outs that hold the rear wheel in place weren't welded to the frame they appeared to just be crimped or possibly spot welded.

$85 is kind of a lot to spend on a junker. I've seen bike shop brand bikes on craigslist for about $175 in my area pretty commonly thats what I'd look for.

but it really depends on what you are using the bike for. you're gonna want something reliable for daily commuting. if you're just taking a spin around the neighborhood occasionally pretty much anything that works will do. like Bill Kapaun said, where you're gonna ride is important to consider in a bike purchase.

Flat? What does that mean?

How will the gears affect me.

flat as in no hills.

15 gears isn't a lot of gears by todays standards. so lets just say that half of the gears are only useful for going slow or climbing. once you get to "speed" you're probably going to run out of gears that wont leave you there spinning the pedals really fast and not increasing velocity.

also road bikes are only useful to flat smooth roads. if i couldn't roll over it with a skateboard i wouldn't roll over it with a road bike.

Flat? What does that mean?

How will the gears affect me.

Flat = no hills.

Gears are not too relevant for a beginer. Lower-end bikes will be geared low enough for you, and you're not going to become a road racer overnight.

I wouldn't spend $85 on a Huffy (new or old).

flat as in no hills.

15 gears isn't a lot of gears by todays standards. so lets just say that half of the gears are only useful for going slow or climbing. once you get to "speed" you're probably going to run out of gears that wont leave you there spinning the pedals really fast and not increasing velocity.

also road bikes are only useful to flat smooth roads. if i couldn't roll over it with a skateboard i wouldn't roll over it with a road bike.

The top gear on that bike is probably at least 25 mph @ 90 rpm. He's not going to sustain that on a flat without practice.

i would have guessed lower than that. i've ridden my friend's around before and i was only going about 18-20mph in the top gear. i'm not sure how many gears it had, it did have 2 sprockets though.

Looks a lot like my touring bike - 26" wheels and drop bars, pretty relaxed geometry; triple crank and 5 cogs in the back. (I swapped mine out for a Shimano 7 speed hub for cheap and gave myself lots more gear range). It would probably be just fine for moderate use - commuting, weekend rides. You won't be racing on it, but hey, if it gets you out riding, that's all to the good.

Make sure it fits - you should be standing over the top tube with not a lot of clearance. Do check the brake pads for wear/hardening. If it's been sitting in a garage those parts may have perished. Ask for a discount. Heck, start with a lowball offer and see what happens.

Down the road - Expect to replace the saddle for sure, but you can get some comfy saddles for $30 these days. I couldn't see what the shifters were on that - I'm going to guess downtube or stem. I don't mind downtube shifters now that I am used to them but they did scare the heck out of me at first! I looked into converting to bar-end shifters and that would be a possibility, though perhaps more than the bike is worth.

Is that a steel frame or aluminum? Bring a magnet... oh, and check the rims of the wheels too. If those are steel, don't buy the bike. Steel rims don't stop worth a darn in the rain! I'd be surprised if they were, though.

Anyway, those are my random thoughts!

So... should I go for this bike or no? He's willing to drop it down to 75 if I pick it up personally, and I suppose I could bargain some more once I get there.

Still, I'm hoping not to have to spend more than $100 for a bike... $75 is looking attractive compared to everything else I've seen.

The top gear on that bike is probably at least 25 mph @ 90 rpm. He's not going to sustain that on a flat without practice.

That's what I meant about having 4 useful gears if he rides in flat country.
Big ring 1-4.
The rest are either too low or near duplicates.

Well.. I found this one as well:
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/661262277.html
and this one:
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/660707181.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/662788077.html

Any comments on that? I may make the purchase on one of these if there's no comments.. It's a reasonable price, seems like a reasonable brand.

The Schwinn or the Raleigh would both be good bets. I'd haggle on the Raleigh - $150 is pretty high! But the frame will likely be made of good steel. (I am a Raleigh fan, personally, no experience with Schwinn).