chriswrong

Some background info: April of this year I purchased a Trek 7.1 Fx from the LBS when Trek was having their big sale. I had some money at the time, but didn't go all out and get the rack/fenders/bags as a smarter person would have done. It's a good bike. I've ridden it almost every day (sans rainy days) since.

Now fast forward almost 6 months -- I've got a 3 month old daughter and a stay-at-home Mom to provide for, leaving for little wiggle room in the budget for picking up all of that required commuting gear. Winter is coming.

My plan was to sell the Trek on CL for around $300 (bought it for $425), and take that money to pick up a sturdy touring/UJB-type bike, or an older MTB in good condition to ride, leaving some money left over to at least pick up a solid set of fenders and a rear rack.

The listings on CL lately haven't been too promising, but there is a guy advertising locally with lots of tuned-up roadies and MTBs for sale. I've been poring over these things for weeks, trying to find the silver bullet to my problem. Some of the options I see are various Schwinns (LeTour, Varsity, World Sport), a couple Fuji Sports, and a couple of nicer Specialized MTBs.

The main issue I guess is that I don't quite know what I need. I live in Lansing, MI. The snow isn't too terrible, and the roads are usually very-well cleared when the snow does fall. However if I want to make this an every-day ride, I'll need something that can get me through the few occasional inches of snow , and the salt/slush crap the rest of the time. Would these skinny-wheeled roadsters be able to handle that stuff? From what I glean on this forum, it probably would be fine until I hit ice...unless I can find studded tires in that skinny size.

The site I'm looking at is Thuma's Bikes.

Any advice, thoughts and comments will be very helpful. I'm stuck on this and not really sure what would be the best direction. TIA.

monsterpile

I don't knwo what to tell you about he snowy/icy commute, but I will ask a few other questions. How far is your commute? How much do you care what your bike looks like? Are you willing to work on your bike or are you going to be taking it to LBS for repairs upgrades?

chriswrong

Commute is 4 miles on relatively quiet city streets. Looks aren't especially important, but if I can get a good-looking bike in the process I won't complain. For repairs I would be on my own, as the budget crunch won't allow for some other guy to take my money to do repairs I'm perfectly capable of doing with some research and patience

LesterOfPuppets

I'd stick with the Trek for winter riding.

I think of racks and bags as luxury items. What all do you need to carry to work? If the answer is not much, then just add carrying capabilities as you can afford to do so.

My commute is only 4 miles and almost as many rainy days as sunny days (at least it seems that way sometimes).
This is my gear list:
Waterproof boots (already had 'em, but they can be had for as little as $40 if you shop around
Backscratcher Mudguard $14
Rain pants $14
Shell $70 (you can get 'em for way cheaper, they just won't be as nice) Let's say $30. Since you live in Lansing, you might already have something.
Backpack.
Spare front wheel $50.
Used 29er tire - free. ask the shop if they have some OK used tires on the trash heap.
A bunch of 3/8" screws - $5
Mr. Tuffies $15

Use the last 4 to make your own studded front tire. You may want a knobby 29er tire on back, too. Just make sure they fit in your frame/fork.

Hopefully the really big snows that stick around for a few days won't hit 'til January and you'll have time to save up for the needed traction.

diff

Yeah, what's wrong with your trek? That bike would be better than a road bike for commuting. Why do you want to sell it?

tjspiel

I've seen some fenders made from the yard signs of political candidates. Those should be plentiful come November. Basic used racks can be had from ebay and other sources for almost nothing.

You can find some good bikes on CL but they often need something whether its cables, tires, bottom bracket or whatever. In the end you'd end up with a worse bike and not have saved much if any money. It's also a tough time of year to get top dollar for your bike. I'd keep it and do the best you can this year and save up for the higher end accessories in the following years.

If you really need a rack, I might have a basic Blackburn model sitting around that you could have for the price of shipping. I can't promise that all the necessary screws would be included but you're better of spending a few pennies on stainless steel ones from the hardware store if you're going to be using it in the winter. My wife would be happy that there's one less bike accessory taking up room in the garage.

chriswrong

Maybe I should have highlighted this more in my original post. I pretty much have 0(zero) moneys available to buy gear for this bike. The goal was to sell the Trek for ~$300, buy a cheap bike via CL for ~$150, and use the remaining money from the sale to buy fenders, rack, tires, etc.

The reason for the rack was to at least for now strap my backpack containing a dry change of clothes and lunch on it instead of my back to avoid sweat.

LesterOfPuppets

For a 4-mile trip, I find I can really take my time getting there, say 25 minutes and arrive free of back sweat all winter long.

It doesn't seem like a good idea to sell your bike for a loss to buy a bike that could possibly need some fixing up that may not be as suitable for 4-mile snowy commutes.

Do you have some decent boots?

A rear fender is only $15. Don't they have plasma centers in Lansing? I think they pay around $30.

If I was gonna sell the bike, I'd buy a rigid early-mid 90s MTB for $75-100 as a replacement. That sounds much more suitable to your riding conditions and requirements.

chriswrong

I hadn't considered the need to replace any parts. I'd just assumed in my fantasy scenario here that the bike would be in solid working condition. That is definitely a good point.

Regarding yard-sign fenders - brilliant idea, I might have to scoop some of these up after election day

PM incoming about the rack.

diff

I see.

I would just keep your bike and save up, look for deals, etc. You have a perfectly good brand new bike.

We have a while before the snow hits. There has to be some kind of side job or extra work you can do over the next month or two to get a spare $100.

You can even make your own fenders and stuff.

CptjohnC

I'd echo this. The odds of finding a bullet proof, completely perfect bike in your price range seems minimal. And didn't your LBS throw in free maintenance/adjustments with the new Trek? That alone could pay for the difference on the beater, unless you do all of your own work.

I feel your pain, I really do, but your actually talking about taking a $125 bath on the bike, not gaining $150.

chriswrong

They did offer one free adjustment and one free tune-up. After that it's on me. I was kind of disappointed after all the reading I've done on around this forum about how buying from an LBS means free maintenance on the bike.

I'm noticing a trend here, which makes me glad I didn't jump the gun on selling this thing. Like I said, it really is a good bike, I just want to be able to ride it year-round. Thanks for all of your responses so far.

diff

I don't know of any LBS that will do it forever. They usually offer 1 or 2 free tuneups in the course of the 1st year. That is fair, they have to make money to pay the bills. I'm sure those free tune ups are a partial marketing plot to help sell the bike, and also to get you back into the store to hopefully buy more stuff, look at other bikes, or to recommend new parts after the tune up. I know every time I walk into a bike shop I walk out with something, even if its just a candy bar and a pop.

irclean

I would strongly caution against following through with your original plan; only because what seems like a great deal on a used bike can quickly turn into a money-sucking lemon. I have an old MTB that was originally purchased for 40 bucks, but has since surpassed the $300 that you are hoping to get for your Trek. Not to mention the sentimental loss that will accompany the sale of your Trek. I understand your plight; a cheap set of fenders and a rack might as well cost a million dollars when you have no disposable income. That being said there are deals to be had... Check your LBS for used accessories also watch for yard/garage sales. If there are thrift shops or second-had stores in your area you may be able to score some deals there, as well. My advice, FWIW, is to tough out the conditions until you can free up enough funds for a good set of fenders and a cheap rack. Planet Bike Cascadia fenders are great bang-for-the-buck and a backpack can be bungeed to a rack until you can afford panniers.

As for winter commuting I will not ride without studded tires. A decent set of studded tires from manufacturers like Schwalbe and Nokian can easily top $100. DIY versions can be made on the cheap but still require "ruining" a set of tires and will not last as long as carbide-studded tires like those made by the aforementioned companies. You can check out this thread in the Winter Cycling forum for instructions on making your own studded tires.

Best of luck, and I pray that better times are coming your way!

chriswrong

True indeed. I think most of my dissatisfaction stems from the lack of support I got when going in for the purchase. My "salesperson" appeared (in retrospect) to have been a college kid on his first day on the floor. He really had no idea how to work the register, and didn't bother "selling" me a bike. I just walked around looking at the selection until I found a cheap on that seemed to fit me, from my basic knowledge of how big a bike should be (~1" clearance from the top tube). There were no offers to measure me, not even by eye, nor were adjustments made to the bike to fit it to me before I left. I was pretty excited at the time and didn't care, but after reading of some of the truly wonderful experiences people on the site have relayed about their LBS visits, I am very much let down. So much so that I'm considering talking to a manager to see what they can do for me.

Thanks for all of the great advice, mate. I'll definitely check in at the two shops I know in town to see if they carry any used gear, and maybe if they have any disposable tires. I'd love to try my hand at making some studded tires for myself. Things should look quite a bit better for me money-wise after the new year; who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and the snow will stay away until then

I appreciate all of your help today folks. You've really given me some good insight and some things to try in making this work. I'll leave the CL hunting to the guys who can afford to replace parts on the bikes!

exile

Every area differs as far as what's available and for how much with the used market. You may find it difficult to sell your hybrid because of the season or it might be difficult to find something relatively cheap of good quality and working condition.

I recommend the early to mid 90's non suspension mountain bikes. Many had eyelets for racks and fenders both front and rear, and a pretty relaxed geometry. How much it costs will depend on your area. You can also look at LBS that sell used, coops, pawn shops as well as craigslist and yard sales. It just might take some patience.

I echo the sentiments of others, just save up some money and purchase as necessary. Fenders will help with all weather conditions, and a rack adds versatility to what you carry. Clothing wise you really don't need to purchase cycling specific. I usually layer my clothing and have only one item considered cycling specific (leg warmers).

Getting studded tires really depends. In my area there are maybe 5-10 days out of the whole year when I think studded tires would be useful. They salt and plow pretty frequently in my area. Although I do not discourage their use in anyway.

monsterpile

I am cheap so don't let me steer you too far that direction, but you can absolutely get a very good working bike for $150 or much less that will work just as well as your current bike (that website had a few of them) while giving you some cash to outfit the bike. You sound like you are willing to be creative and do your own work and your commute is about the same as mine. A 90's mountain bike sounds like something that would work for you. These are pretty easy to get for less than $100 on CL and alot the time less than $75.

On the other hand you can probably be creative and make fenders (did this once) and if you can get a rack for the price of shipping that one poster offered you will be in business. Look around your house and see if there are some items you don't need any more and sell them on Craiglist to help your bike fund. Have a garage sale. If you can come up with $20 for stuff for your bike you can make that stretch a long ways. My fenders, rear bag and basket cost less than that becasue I got them used.

No matter what you do start reading up on how to work on and maintain your bike now.

LeeG

that is not a good reason as you will be losing tremendous value in the sale of your bike for full retail price accessories.. It would be much wiser to find those accessories for near free than trade in the new bike for a few components and a bike that needs work. Look up Freecycle.org , make your own parts, etc.

ratell

While everyone's advice is good I like the look of one of those centurions (if they were the right size). You could probably make money loading them in a van and driving them out to Portland and selling them. Actually, it's probably true of all those road bikes. Bring them out to Portland and sell them off. You'll have enough money to buy a new bike.

slcbob

Awfully wishful thinking that you'll get $300 for your bike.

I hear you, times are tough. But you're talking about selling a very useful asset at a major discount, just because it's a bike and you've got bikes on your mind. Sell another piece of useless property you've got. Flip some burgers or go shovel some snow the first time it comes down. Check the dump, goodwill, etc.

Go with the devil you know....

fietsbob

Ebay and part it out... you might do better to sell each part of the bike individually.

h. bicycletus

There are LBS that do lifetime basic tune-ups. . ..not much that a competent home mechanic can't do, but sometimes that professional wrench will see stuff you won't and not just to sell you crap you don't need. I work part time in a shop that does exactly that- - -free tune-ups for as long as the bike is with the original owner. I assume the "one adjustment" relates to bike fit? Saddle height, saddle fore-and-aft adjustment? Stem height? A decent LBS will help you with that without charging you for a racer fitting.

chriswrong

From what I was told the "adjustment" just refers to shifters/derailleurs/brakes. Like I said above I'm going to have to talk to a manager at that shop to see what level of service I should have expected originally and push them to make it right.

Thanks to everyone for confirming what was suggested earlier today. I am definitely going to stick with the Trek for now and do some hunting around for cheap accessories.

chriswrong

Just in case anyone else is thinking about doing the homemade fenders, I found this blog post detailing one man's full kit of panniers, rack, and fenders out of coroplast yard signs.

https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2007/0...s-fenders.html

I'm going to have find some nicely-colored signs around the neighborhood

zeppinger

There are good deals to be had on Ebay this time of year for used touring bikes. Everyone buys them at the start of summer and sells them after their trips.