Living Car Free - What's yall's opinions of this bike?

Will use it to bike approx. 7mi a few times a month.
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1531774689.html

it seems that the frame may be too big, im 6' and inseam is 32

It ought to fit you. Only one way to know for sure.

What brand is it?

If you have many steep hills on your route though, that might be a problem with only 3 speeds.

I would try to ride it and see if everything works, price is fair for what they are if everything works, looks like they should be from the early 90's.

Aaron:)

You can ride almost any bike 7 miles a couple times a month. However, if the bike fits properly and has the right number of gears considering the terrain, then those 7 miles will be more enjoyable!

That bike is a Huffy and you need to be aware that it is a fairly low-end vehicle. For me, the deciding factor would be the age.

I would buy an older Huffy if I needed a bike that was relatively unbreakable. Some of the older Sears Huffys weren't great, but were OK. I commuted on one for 3 months, then opted for something a little better.

Newer Huffy's tend to be much more breakable in my experience. I've worked on some of the Walmart brand bikes at the local bike co-op and wouldn't recommend it for any purpose.

If you want to look at the bike, take it out for a good ride and make sure the brakes feel strong, the chain doesn't skip... just the simple stuff.

As for the helmet, are those new? I'd be wary of an older helmet. Some manufacturers recommend not keep a helmet longer than 5 years. Some of that might be with the intention of keeping themselves in business, but since landing on your head might be a serious possibility, I'd personally stick with a newer helmet.

It probably has really low-end heavy parts. It might even have steel rims. It's going to be really sluggish and much harder to ride. You should be able to find a good used bike for $100 that will be much easier to ride.

It might even have steel rims.
It looks like it has coaster brakes, so steel rims shouldn't be much of a problem.

It looks like a nice utility bike with the 3-speed, chain guard, fenders, upright posture, rear rack, etc. It looks like it has a nice saddle also. Bikes like this are hard to find. I say try it, if you like it then buy it.

...I say try it, if you like it then buy it.
Yes, that's the only way to know if the bike is right for you. If you can, do a test ride that's long enough for some part of your body to start hurting. If you do that, be sure to tell the seller you'll be taking a long test ride so he/she doesn't start thinking you stole the bike!

If there are hills in your area, be sure to try the bike on one. A common complaint about 3-speeds is that the low gear isn't low enough for steeper hills.

I don't think Baltimore has many hills, but I could be wrong.

It looks like it has coaster brakes, so steel rims shouldn't be much of a problem.


They're heavy and will make the bike harder to ride and more difficult to lift it and move around in general.

I'd at least get something with water bottle bosses. I don't know much about the Baltimore bike market, but it seems like you could do better than that.

I'd at least get something with water bottle bosses. I don't know much about the Baltimore bike market, but it seems like you could do better than that.

Water bottle racks don't necessarily have to have bosses to be mounted. FWIW outside of my touring bikes I don't have water bottle racks on the bike, bosses or not. I throw them in the basket or bag if I even carry one at all.

Aaron:)

My opinion is for 75 bucks you can drink yourself a much nicer headache than this thing will cause you. Might even meet a chick at a bar, de finitely can't do that on that. ;)

They're heavy and will make the bike harder to ride and more difficult to lift it and move around in general.

On the other hand, steel rims tend to survive in urban riding better than alloy.

Bottom line: The bike's a low end steel three speed with a Shimano hub. It's heavy, however it's probably decently strong. The Shimano 333 hub is functional and holds up pretty well. Not as good as a Sturmey Archer, but we never had problems back at the bike shop when we were selling them new.

Other advantage: It's cheap, and any bike thief who knows anything about bikes is going to pass it by in favor of something more desirable. If it is stolen, you haven't lost much, just go out and find another.

Would I buy it? No. Because I've spent the last 40 years riding better. But, if it's in good nick, fits you, and feels decent underway; it'll get the job done. Negotiate like crazy - try to get the price down to $35.00. That's a lot closer to what it's really worth. And forget the helmet deal - you can probably find something just as good for two or three bucks at the local re-cycle bike shop.

Would I buy it? No. Because I've spent the last 40 years riding better. But, if it's in good nick, fits you, and feels decent underway; it'll get the job done. Negotiate like crazy - try to get the price down to $35.00. That's a lot closer to what it's really worth. And forget the helmet deal - you can probably find something just as good for two or three bucks at the local re-cycle bike shop.

That's a great idea. Going to the local bike co-op might give the OP a better idea of what bikes are available.

The Huffy isn't ideal, but I started my cycling career on one... I just wanted a cheap bike so I could figure out if I wanted to ride.

A Huffy might scare someone away from biking.

Here's three that are much better bikes
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1539905735.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1537575058.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1531899857.html

If you turn out to not like riding, they'll be easy to sell.

A Huffy might scare someone away from biking.

Here's three that are much better bikes
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1539905735.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1537575058.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1531899857.html

If you turn out to not like riding, they'll be easy to sell.

Gotta agree with Big-E on this one. Hard nose/hard tail Trek and Fisher mountain bikes are about the best you can get. Spend the $100, then budget another $30.00 for a set of 26x1.75 street tyres (26x2.0 if you're talking heavily potholed urban areas). Wonderful inner-city commuters. Add fenders if you find you're going to be using it regularly.

And yes, they resell easily.

A Huffy might scare someone away from biking.

Here's three that are much better bikes
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1539905735.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1537575058.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/1531899857.html

If you turn out to not like riding, they'll be easy to sell.

I agree that they're better bikes and i would buy them as the prices are good. but they do cost twice as much as the bike the OP was considering.