Classic & Vintage - 90's Schwinn Traveler- Thoughts?

I'm a college student and am pretty new to cycling, and I'm looking for an older, reliable road bike to get me around campus at a decent price. Found this bike on Craigslist, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it's a good buy:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/bik/2603051574.html

I actually already emailed to see if the seller would bring the price down to $150, since most people on Craigslist are pretty open to haggling if you're a serious buyer.

yeah - in my area - you could get a nice old road bike for under 100 without much trouble - it may need some work, tuning, what have you - i think the 200 is high for sure - having said that - i had an 80s traveler and LOVED it - but it was huge and i traded it (and half regretted it) - anyway - i'd say keep looking

i think someone will also say the fork is bent - but they always say that ;)

Haha. Yeah, if he doesn't go for the price drop I'll definitely keep looking. Unfortunately I haven't found more than a couple of old road bikes for under 100 in my area, but I'm keeping my eyes open. Thanks for the reply.

no problem - just be vigilant on CL - also - i ave had sellers go down 50% in their offer once i am there looking at the bike - if its a flipper - he wont budge much - but if it is someone looking for space in the garage - they start to realize how much nonsense it is setting up appts with people coming to kick tires - so u might do well in offering 50% of that offer - where are you located

edit: duh - atlanta...my bad

how bout this:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/bik/2615002884.html

I actually just saw that post as well, and I'm emailing them now to ask about the frame size. For just $20 though I'm certain that I can put up with a bit of a deviation from my size.

schwinns are good bikes - i also had a world sport that i recently traded - an 86 - loved it - size looks very close by look of the head tube -i think you could make it work

Definitely. I don't know much about bikes, but to my untrained eye it seems like it's in pretty good condition, especially at that price. I'll probably pick it up. Thanks!

$200 for a 90 Traveler? maybe if the bike is in new or almost new condition. That year of Traveler was actually a very nice bike for the money, it was made by Panasonic which along with Fuji at the time put out the best bikes out of Japan, so the price of the bike depends on condition. If the bike is only average condition then maybe $100. Make sure the bike has the original components, I think they had Shimano SIS 300EX Hyperglide derailleurs which worked very well along with BioPace chainrings which I liked. In the Schwinn line up of bikes at the time it was a mid level bike, it was heavy at around 27 pounds but that heft was due to being built stout for sport touring. It would be a great bike for commuting with.

Unless it's in new like condition then I think it's priced too high, but I can't tell from the pics what condition it's in.

Awesome, thank you very much for the info. Something for commuting would be perfect. It seems to be in good condition, but I will definitely check in person before making any solid deal, and I'll do my best to see about the original parts as well.

Look, if the bike is in decent shape another thing to consider, you can't find a new commuter bike for $200 unless you go to Walmart. If you decide the Traveler is in good shape and you can get a better deal always know that if some point down the road you decide to sell you can always get at least what you paid for it...try doing that with the Walmart bike!!

Check the gears front and rear for wear, if the teeth are squared and not pointy or bent or broken then the bike probably has low miles on it. Also ride it with no hands (be real careful you don't crash!), riding with no hands will tell you if the bike tracks straight or not which could indicate a bent frame or stays or fork. Make sure it fits, the top tube should be about 1/2th of an inch to 2 inches max from your crotch, but you should not be smashing your balls to death to straddle it with your feet flat on the ground. Seat and handlebar adjustments can always be made later, frame top tube height cannot.

After the deal is made, assuming you buy it, ask the seller for any spare parts or catalogs or anything else he might have related to that bike.

no matter the size, buy the $20 bike and sell it to fund a correctly sized bike for you (though i'm sure the $20 bike is long gone.)