wild animals

it's been awhile! my arm still hurts, but i'm trying again.

what do you think of this one?
https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/bik/340239952.html

is it way overpriced? good deal? any advice?

i would prefer a bike with all the mounts and space for fenders and everything, but i'm desperate for something in my size and price range that's steel and relatively good quality.

also i'm a comparatively tall girl with a short torso, so i am looking at smallish bikes. i'm 5'8" with about a 32 or 33" inseam. i forget! do you think this bike is way too small for me?


thanks for any help! ive been scouring craigslist for months but either the bikes are wrong or they come up when i dont have the money. augh!~ i just want to ride a bike!

zeytoun

I'm 6' with about the same inseam as you (maybe a bit shorter...), and I ride 22-23" frames. With a 19" frame, you might need an extra-long seat post...

cyccommute 

The price is a bit high for a bike from 1989. That's close to what it sold for new. Try to talk them down to less than $200 and preferably less than $175. Although it's an okay bike, it's not an outstanding bike.

As to size, a 19.5 seem small even if you have short arms. You might be better off looking for a 21" (you could ride a 23" ). Go look at the bike and ride it. I'll bet you feel hunched up when you ride it.

wild animals

ok, thanks! sounds like solid advice. i have an 18.5" bike that is way too long for me in the top tube. so i'm kind of at a loss there. haha. but i'll try it! i hate to negotiate with people though. i dont want to be a jerk.

dynaryder

You could always try swapping your stem for a different length to get your fit right.

That price is a touch high.

cyccommute 

An 18.5 that's too long in the top tube They should have saved some of that leg for your arms You really need to go try a women's specific design or a Terry Cycle. It might help.

wild animals

thanks guys! i wrote back and said i could do 175 and drop me a line if s/he still has it later and will let it go for that much. i'm not too invested in that bike. it just looked nice.

dynaryder, ive looked so long and hard for a shorter stem that will fit my bike! i dont know if it exists. plus the bike is already kind of twitchy so im worried if i shorten the stem it will be unpredictable. it has all left a bad taste in my mouth so i'm just starting from scratch. skip the whole thing!

cyccommute, it's kind of a weird bike! the top tube curves down so the seat tube is a little shorter than it would be otherwise. it has a 59cm top tube i'd love to get a women's specific bike but i want a tourer or something along those lines, and the ones i'm interested in don't seem to have women's versions, or they cost a fortune (which i dont have!). i guess im just going to have to cough it up anyway if i want to ride.

M_S

Try this one instead. About the same price, but it's pretty good if it was actually "used only on rollers" as the OP says (pretty amazing seeing as the bike is not a recent model). Anyways, it might be closer to your size.

https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bik/340970431.html

cyccommute 

I know what you are going through. I've been fighting this battle for 30 years for my wife. Some bikes to look for that would make good touring bikes with relatively short top tubes are:

Bridgestone XO's. 2 different models both with 26" wheels and rather upright geometries.

Fuji Touring. Cheap new. About $900 which is really a bargain. My daughter rides one and likes it.

Trek 8000 WSD from around 2000. There are other WSD models too. The frames fit nicely for you ladies with kinda short arms. The early 2000s models also have rack mounts.

Terry Cycles. Not many around and not many get sold used but maybe you'll get lucky.

Look for early or mid 90s mountain bikes. Geometry on them was more laid back with rather slack headtubes which makes the top tube short. A good frame can be a nice base for building a touring bike. Go over a cruise the Touring forum for ideas.

And, finally, look at Jamis. They make bikes with good value. The Coda ladies version is only $450. That's a real bargain for a woman's design.

Good luck.

dynaryder

What bike? I'm going to guess you're talking about an older threaded stem? Check over in the FG/SS forum. Lots of folks over there running threaded stems,could prolly help you out or point you in the right direction.

wild animals

yeah the stem is threaded but it's a new bike...06 milano!

a couple weeks ago i bought a bike for 25 bucks BUT i dont know ... its more work and money than i want to put into the bike it is. its a volkscycle mark V. it's orange and nice-looking but i think its too small (21") and like i said, too much work.

so i saw this bike:
https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bik/352475320.html
and wondered if its worth the listed price. i've seen pages with comments about the same bike (77 raleigh grand prix) and it seems like a fair number of people think it's not necessarily a desirable bike. is this a bike i can grow with? will it be worth it to modify it later (new rims, cross levers, whatever)? or is it better to get a bike with a better frame before i put any money into it?

i just want to ride again, so i dont need my dream bike, but i'd rather not throw away 125 bucks either.

thank you so much! i've been looking at bigger bikes thanks to you guys (and my "squished" experience riding the 21" volkscycle) and now i have many more choices.

so, i may not have a job to ride to after this summer but i'm going to do my darnedest to have a @#*(@ bike to ride to the unemployment office!

ollo_ollo

That Grand Prix looks to be in fairly good shape but it will be heavy due to its hi-tension steel frame. If you are persistent, you could probably find something similar equipment wise with Reynolds 531 or Columbus chrome-moly steel frame for similar $$ & it would be at least 2 pounds lighter. For the same $$ you might have better luck finding a Raleigh Sports 3 speed & it would be more suited to commuting & would already have fenders plus be low maintenance & not so quickly sold. Don

Bill Kapaun

" i'm 5'8" with about a 32 or 33" inseam"
I'm 6' with a 30" inseam and my neice is 5'4" with a 30" inseam.
Her legs are shorter, but the difference is in her hips.
You can't necessarily relate men's vs women's inseams.
They tend to wear their pants "differently".

wild animals

i have hills to go up and down, though, and i weigh 215. do you think its worth the money for someone who doesnt care toooo much about bike weight and who needs 10+ speeds?
will i be able to resell it for anything near that?
i am supposed to go look at it very soon!

i hate having to bother you guys about each bike but i keep making bad bike decisions so i need a little guidance. craigslist taps into the part of my brain that says "GET IT BEFORE ANYONE ELSE CAN, AND THINK ABOUT IT LATER!" thanks so much for all your help!

oh and my inseam measurement is from my crotch to the floor, not my pants inseam. its approximate, too. i have no idea how long my torso or arms are except "short and it makes me mad."

Podolak

Wild,

Even if you can't afford it, have you tried to to ride a new bike fit for women? Like a Terry's? I'm not sure where you live but Terry's is about an hour from my house.

jyossarian

I doubt you could sell it for $125. Haven't the summer garage sales started in your area? Maybe a bike co-op will have something you can build up? Even if you weight 215, you'll still want something a little lighter simply because dealing with hills is much easier with a lighter bike.

If you see a steel bike, check the bb and inside of the seat tube for rust. Also look to see if it's 4130 cro-mo, Reynolds, Tange, Dedeccai or Columbus tubing and not Hi-Ten. If aluminum, check it for corrosion. Check any used bike for cracks, bubbled or wrinkled paint, etc. Also make sure any roadbike you look at has an English threaded bb. French and Italian bb's are harder to find and spendy if you need to replace. Good luck and happy hunting!

dynaryder

They do make shorter stems. Your LBS whould be able to hook you up.

When you talk about twitchy,do you mean when you're standing on the pedals out of the seat? I noticed this on mine when climbing. The front feels kinda like a wheelbarrow. It's the bars that do it. You could swap the stock bars for some upswept MTB bars and maybe solve both probs. Rotating the bars back would cut your reach,and the straighter hand position should help calm the twitch. If you can deal with the esthetics,you might also want to look at switching to some moustache bars or even trekking bars. You prolly wouldn't need to swap the stem then.