Chicago Al 

Our son is now in college in northeastern Ohio, and he took along his beloved bike, an early 80s Trek converted to fixed/flipflop (with brakes). Before he left I gave it a thorough overhaul and it's in GWO, but he has found that the hills are too much, and flipping the wheel to the freewheel side is not going to help. I suggested he could convert the bike back to geared, but really it's probably simpler to just find him another bike, one that will handle the hills, also the snow that he's surely going to see. I'd welcome any advice from C&Vers, esp some of you who probably have bikes built up for just this purpose.

There are a few right-sized bikes around Chicago CL that might fit the bill. One is a mid 80s Schwinn Passage, a Panasonic-built (I think) tourer. It has goofy bars/stem on it now but that's an easy fix. I think it has 27" so Paselas, etc. Another two up for sale are Miyata rigid mtn bikes, one an 80s Street Runner which I assume needs a complete overhaul, the other an early 90s Elevation 300 with some updated components, looks to come from a knowledgeable seller. All three have been listed and relisted so probably are still available, if not something else will come along.

All three bikes are between $100-200, but my question is not about the best deal, but about the best bike for the job. Which of those three would you recommend and why...or what other bike should I be looking for?

gomango

Our oldest is at the U of M, living in a freshman dorm.

The campus is a large, urban layout and it is quite handy to have a modest bicycle.

I solved the bicycle question by shopping at garage sales a month ago.

Found a Raleigh mtb for $25. Looked like it had been ridden 20-30 feet in its life.

I did some quick maintenance, put on some lights and a bell.

It already had a rack, so I gave him an old set of panniers we had in the garage.

I gave him my old lock and sent him on his way.

So far, so good. No one stole it yet.

Total cash outlay? $61.

So my recommendation is to go as cheap and safely possible. It will lead a very tough life.

The Golden Boy 

That Passage could be cool, but then I'm a sucker for touring bikes. Throw some 1 3/8 knobby CX tires on there and a rack- good for panniers for books and stuff, even in sloppy weather- the 28-28 gear would be low enough for most hills.

I think the smart choice is an old ATB- but the touring bike is long term cool. Plus, it's Columbus!

The Golden Boy 

Have you been by U of M right after the school year? There's some really nice bikes that people just LEAVE.

gomango

Yep.

Amazing collection of goodies at the local colleges when the kids leave in the spring.

Pompiere

For the hills and snow, a road bike is probably not the best choice. I would agree with gomango about the cheap mountain bike. The bike racks at my daughters' campuses are full of them, so it wouldn't attract as much attention. The gearing and knobby tires would work better for the normal student routes, which usually involve shortcuts across unpaved areas and curbs. The less you spend, the less you will be out if it gets stolen.

cb400bill

Alan, how tall is your son?

oddjob2

The Street Runner is a hi-tensile frame, not Miyata's best effort.

I would suggest a Hybrid or MTB. Trek, Specialized, Giant, Miyata, etc. You know the drill, good luck.

Schwinn Paramount PDG 20 Ridgid Mtb

Great Mountain Trek Bike

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/4678205104.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/bik/4640554644.html

It seems the student rush has depleted stock in Chicago and Cleveland. But if you look, $50 should get you a decent bike, like post #495 . All it needed was fresh grease in the hubs and bb. It's chro-moly/hi-tensile frame.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...llenge-20.html

Murray Missile 

This one gets my vote. 820's are decent entry level bikes, handle nicely in snow, decent gearing for hills and this one is just beat up enough to deter thieves.

bikemig 

I found and rebuilt an old specialized hardrock for my daughter to go to college with. It's tough to beat an old mtb as an all around commuter. They have stout wheels and tend to go pretty cheaply on CL.

fietsbob

Which doesn't matter much .. spend more, on a lock & security chain to keep it un-stolen ..

arex

I dunno what Ohio snow is like, but it's if heavy and persistent enough, it might be worthwhile to consider shopping for some studded tires for the winter.

oddjob2

Compared to Colorado snow, Cleveland snow is mostly lake effect snow, heavy as cement.

gomango

Hah, our son will ask me to come pick up the bike at the first sign of a snowflake.

He's not so interested in braving the roads here in a Minnesota winter.

For that matter, I'm losing interest as well.

big chainring 

Al, I have a early '70's, 21" Motobecane Grand Touring. Sent u an email about it.

Chicago Al 

Thanks guys, all very useful info. As I suspected an old mtn bike seems to be the best contender. For once we are not worried about theft as it appears to not be a problem in the town where son's college is located, so it doesn't have to be on the cheap, either.

Son is about 5' 7" with a relatively long torso; his Trek is a 21" frame.

That Miyata Street Runner was tempting as I could walk there in 20 mins and ride it home, but I hadn't even checked its specs out and can certainly do better. A Hardrock would be good, I've had four or five of them through my hands and flipped or given them away. The grip shifters bug me as they have plastic parts that break, but they are easily replaceable.

I don't know about the snow there except that they're certainly going to get plenty of it; the town is a good ways inland from Cleveland though.

Anyway, I thought I was done acquiring bikes for my kids but it looks like there will be one more. Which I am kinda stoked about.

gomango

He will really appreciate that bike in so many ways.

Doesn't hurt one little bit that dear old dad helped him out.

MattoftheRocks

I live in Syracuse and lived in Cleveland and bike year-round. Without a heated, dry garage, I highly recommend against derailers. An internal-gear hub laced to a slush-slinging deep-v rim is what I'd be using if the hills here were bad enough. Only for one or two days per year do I wish for a tire wider than 35mm, and those days a measly 60mm still wouldn't be enough to dissuade me (or any other non-fatbike-owning local cyclists) from just walking, driving or taking the bus.

I have two bikes for the winter, both fixed with deep-v's, one with regular 28mm road slicks and full fenders based on a touring bike, geared normal for all of the days that pavement is visible, and one built from an 80's mtb frame with 35mm studded winter tires, downtube and seatpost fenders and geared low for when the pavement is not to be seen anywhere. The studded bike has a disc brake which is really overkill and still needs to be constantly feathered to keep clean and warm just as the rim brakes. The stud bike really has only gotten ridden six to fifteen days per winter over the past five winters here.

wrk101

5-7 = get that Paramount Series 20 MTB.

oddjob2

+1 on the PDG or the Trek 930. The Miyata is too big for 5'7".

crank_addict

Al, PM to you. cheer's

CMC SanDiego

I spent 2 years in Minnesota, riding a 1989 Hardrock all year round. The bike was perfect in and around the University of Minnesota campus. In wintertime with the snow and ice, studded tires were a good choice. Plastic Planet Bike fenders were also a hot item to keep the slush from spraying you when spring time hit. I vote for an 80's steel frame mountain bike.

Chicago Al 

Okay, a lot to think about, including the bike that crank_addict pictures above. I also wondered about an IGH but that's a much bigger project.

Son learned to work on bikes with me when he was in jr high, and his intuition with mechanical parts is excellent, but he has resisted actually doing it in the last few years. I wasn't sure about the condition of his fixie and kept suggesting we overhaul it together before he left for college, but I finally just did it myself. And I enjoyed it, too. I also got him a new set of Gatorskin 32s, and some tools of his own. After he got to school he sent me a nice email saying that while my 'meticulousness' sometimes irks him, it usually works out pretty well. I could have shed a tear. I suspect he will grow into some of that meticulousness himself.

Velocivixen

My vote is for a late '80's or early to mid '90's mountain bike, like a Trek, Specialized or something with similar offerings. I have a '92 Hard Rock Ultra that I really like. It's got 26 x 1.75 tires which seem to be good for street riding, but just a little wide enough for when you might need more tire. Anyway, haven't ridden it in snow, but it seems to be a nice, solid bike. It didn't cost so much that if something happened to it I'd be crushed.

wahoonc

BMX with studded tires... (Just had to be contrary )

I like my Raleigh Twenty with studded tires, low to the ground and get a foot down in a hurry on slick stuff. Don't forget to get him a set of YakTrax too. First time I ever rode on slick stuff with my MTB I was so proud of myself until I came to a stop and put my foot down...

Aaron