boringparties

I don't know much about bicycles, so I'm having trouble deciding on which one to buy. I need one to get around the city, mostly for work and school. I've been looking for vintage road bikes (mostly mixtes) on Craigslist, these are the ones that I'm considering:

Centurion mixte at $270




Nishiki mixte at $200




Miyata mixte at $220




Univega Nuovo Sport with shimano components at $200


Univega mixte at $350


Peugeot at $220



Please drop any knowledge you can. Or even recommendations of better bikes to look for. Also, would it be more sensible to get a regular road bike frame? (Instead of a mixte)

Again, I'm new to bikes so, sorry in advance if these picks and questions are absurd!

bent-not-broken

Repost this in the "vintage what is it worth" forum and you will get knowlegable feedback. I know the Centurian is about double what it should be. If you are not knowlegable of bikes, make sure you get a bike that is ready to ride. If you pay for repairs to these bikes you will add $$ quickly.

A good vintage commuter that is ready to ride should be in the $150 to $200 range.

tjspiel

I agree that you should check with the classic and vintage forum. You'll get lots of feedback. There's nothing wrong with a mixte. They tend to be available for less money and they also tend to be mid to lower end models so they're not super light, nor do they have high-end components. They are however, easier to got on and off of which may come in handy depending on your clothing choices.

Miyata, Univega, Nishiki, and Peugeot all made decent bikes. That Peugeot looks like it's in really good shape but based on the fact that it has stem shifters, I'm guessing it's a lower-end model.

fietsbob

So you don't even have any idea about bike sizing to not get one the wrong size?

Learn that first , stand over a few bikes of different size..

determining the condition of a used bike without seeing it in the flesh
is a c**p-shoot. ... roll of the dice..
bring someone knowlegable with you to assess that.

boringparties

No, sizing I know.
I'm looking for frames close to 20" / 50 cm
Around 30" standover height

SlimRider

Go test ride them all and only pay for the one that feels the best!

Take someone with who "knows bikes"....

monsterpile

Dang,, for some of those prices I could ship you a bike ready to ride (after you put it back together of course) cheaper and I would still come out smelling good. Seriously. Heck you might be better off buying something new although you probably won't find anything cheap thats a Mixte frame. Mixte frames have gotten popular recently so they aren't as cheap as they once were. I am not saying you are crazy to pay these higher prices, but if you do get one thats in nice shape all ready to ride.

aglauser

The "My Ten Speeds" website has a lot of really good information about assessing the quality of older road bikes.

cycle_maven

All of those look fine, and are of similar quality, except maybe the Univega- that one is a little better (downtube shifters and no "turkey levers" on the brakes). But, they're all priced about double what they're worth, being 27" hi-ten steel mixtes. If I had a gun to my head to choose, I'd get the Nishiki after bargaining down to about $125- at least the rear brakes are in the right place and it has aluminum rims.

tjspiel

Pricing on CL is highly dependent on location. Those prices may be the going rate but you can always offer less to see what happens.

If it seems like you're going to have to spend $200 on a nothing special used road bike, it should be in tip-top shape with newer tires, tuned up, cable housings in good shape, etc. Otherwise I'm not sure it's worth it. You can get a new road bike from BikesDirect.com for about $300. I'm not a huge fan of BD but it's an option. There will be some assembly required if you go that route but everything will be new.

old's'cool

Replies so far have been on the money. Come on over to C&V https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...ic-amp-Vintage, do some lurking, post your questions, spend a little time to learn what's what, and the odds of your first vintage bike purchase being positive will go way up.

monsterpile

If you want a modern Mixte frame for relatively cheap check out this Bikes Direct offering.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...gesport_xi.htm

cycleheimer

Definitely another option to consider. They may need a little adjusting when they come out of the box, but the other used bikes will probably need more work (adjustments, tires, brake pads, regreasing hubs & BB, etc.). The older bikes, fully serviced and in top condition, are very durable. These are good if the bike is not going to get heavily abused, and will get properly stored indoors.