fortherecord13

This will be my first time buying a road bike. I didn't want anything fancy, just something that is reliable and that I can buy and put in money just by doing some tune ups and such. I'm not looking into doing hardcore riding, at the most like 10 miles, mostly for leisure.

I saw this JC Penny's bike by me and I was going to go and try it out. I know it's an older bike, they don't give an exact year but it is from the mid 70's. Do you think this bike would be worth taking a look at and putting some money into? Do you guys think this bike would be ok for someone buying a roadbike for the first time?

What are some things I should ask in terms of looking at the bike?

Chicago Al 

Hi and welcome FTR. I probably know the least about bikes of anyone who'll reply here, but I don't think you will find anyone calling a Penney's bike a classic. Old is not the same thing as classic. That does look like a bike from the 70s or early 80s, the 'bike boom' era when millions of bikes were being sold at bike shops and dept stores. In the latter these were huge companies contracting to get bikes made cheaply for buyers who were not knowledgeable. As such the quality was not great, and 30 years has not improved it any.

There are many, many bikes from that era around still, and good ones can be found quite cheaply. Some may need work but some were taken care of, or were ridden a few times and put into the basement, so it's not unsual to find an 80s bike that needs almost nothing. (New tubes/tires counts as 'nothing'.)

People on this forum haunt garage sales and thrift shops, and of course Craigslist, and have scored excellent bikes for great prices...down to free.

Any functioning bike will get you from point A to point B. But if you want a good bike that you can spend some time with and learn how to work on it's worth the trouble to find something better. With a little patience you should be able to find a bike you'll be happy with for a long time.

Others will post here with much more knowledgeable advice, particularly on how to evaluate a bike.
If you'll tell us where you are maybe someone more local to you can help you more specifically, maybe even point you to a good bike.

I'll just throw out one suggestion: that you look for a nice 1980s 'UJB' (Universal Japanese Bike) of the type that was imported to the US by the millions. These range from extremely good to entry-level, but even basic bikes from Japan were usually well made. Think about it this way: if you want an inexpensive older car that you can learn to work on, wouldn't a Toyota or Honda from the 80s make the most sense?

RobbieTunes

Fit first.
Frame second.
Al from the windy city is correct.

I'd probably pass on the JC Penney bike unless it was very inexpensive, in great shape, and all you wanted to do was point A to point B as far as errands.

There are very sharp ChiTown BF members, and a good market because the city is so spread out it keeps local prices low due to the drive time...I'd be hitting CL there and see what comes up.

fortherecord13

The price is real low, it's only $50. I'm going to look at it tomorrow along with a Schwinn racing bike! Thanks guys for the info

wrk101

Not worth putting any money into. If it is ready to ride as is, and you need a heavy, cheap, recreational bike, it could be worth the $50.

Brake levers and cabling is really messed up. Someone put flat bar levers on it. Housings are way too long. Makes me wonder about other mechanical aspects of this bike.