I know nothing and would like some advice
 

New to the site and biking in general, but I'm looking for a nice bike to get around town and to my University (parking sucks). I've found a bike on Craigslist, but I have no idea if I'm going to get ripped off. It looks to be in great shape, the owner says it's just to big for him. Below is the description:

Very lightweight. Frame is clear coated raw metal, 60cm- standover height is 34". Origin8 700c flipflop rims with brand new Hutchinson nitro whitewall tires. Fuji seat, new chain, origin8 stem, and fairly new grips. Wellgo pedals with white toe clips. Sealed bottom bracket. Has rear axle tensioners.

He's asking 300. Is this a good deal? I can post pics if needed

Thanks!!

Size is most important.

What is you Cycling Inseam?

http://veloweb.ca/bike-fit/

How can anyone tell anything about the bike without good pics?

maybe your 1st bike shud be a beater, 'specially at school where it can be vandalized and ripped off. where are you?

http://images.craigslist.org/01414_3...Pd_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_j...1O_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00Q0Q_b...oq_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00M0M_4...Fd_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00c0c_h...aP_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00Y0Y_f...dT_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/01717_9...H1_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00E0E_a...OY_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00n0n_6...qO_600x450.jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/00000_e...Hm_600x450.jpg

Well heres the pics. From what I've looked into it, the size seems about right, with me being 6'2. But Ill look into the cycling inseam as well Thanks!

Im at the University of Florida. I dont mind it being a beater, I just don't want to dish out $300 as a broke college student to find out its worth more for scrap haha

If you do get it (and I'm not remotely endorsing this selection), do add some brakes to the thing.

$125 without brakes..

You need a 59 cm to 61 cm size and some more$$

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/bid/4253827626.html

Has a rear brake

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/bik/4241011537.html

Great bike if you perform in a circus. For commuting, not so much.

I'm partial to the mid 80's to 90's rigid mountain bikes like this one; http://gainesville.craigslist.org/bik/4249679821.html. This one might be a little on the small side but test ride it anyway.

Also check out some local bike shops and see if they sell used. They may be a little on the expensive side, but you can almost be guaranteed it's in very good working condition. Your area may also have bike co-ops as well.

This being the commuting forum, you are likely to get a lot of very practical advice and not much that will help you be cool. You should try the single speed and fixed gear forum if you want to know that's a good value or hot, or not. But since that's a bike for being cool, it will get little love down here. We're more likely to tell you it's silly and expensive and to get a 20 year old mountain bike, which is how you get the most features for the least money.

That bike is overpriced. You can do a lot better on CL.

Idea: squash the CL scene for a moment and check out what the school has- http://www.surplus.ufl.edu/

That's a cool enough looking bike, but if you're new to cycling, it's probably not a very good choice.

The big problem I'm seeing is that the rims don't have polished sidewalls - which means that if you put brakes on the front or rear, you'll end up with ugly black streaks at best and damaged rims or brake failure at worst. In my opinion, even a fixed gear bike should have a front brake at minimum. So, that nice bike just got a lot more expensive.

Although I'm a fixed gear enthusiast, it's not clear that it's a good choice for people new to cycling: unless you're an athlete with a lot of leg strength already, riding without gears or the ability to coast can be a bad time. (I want you to love cycling and have a good time.) Something like what moochems suggested might be good. I generally think that vintage road bikes from the 70s and 80s are great starter bikes: they still have a bit of the cool factor, and you can easily do a single speed/fixed gear conversion later on.

Campus security cuts locks and clears bike racks of bikes abandoned by graduating students.
so look for that auction.

Fietsbob's idea for checking to see what the school has is excellent. You should also check out used bikes at local shops. IIRC, the biggest hill in Gainesville is about 2' high so a single speed would likely be OK, though having 3, 7 or 8 wouldn't be a bad idea. If you'll be in shorts all the time and don't mind getting wet from tire spray when it rains then a fixie with a front brake wouldn't be a bad idea, though the one you picked seems a bit overpriced.

If you'll be wearing long pants or don't want a streak up your back when it rains or need to carry more than you can sling over your shoulder then you might want to look for something with a chainguard and fenders. If you get more than a single speed you may want to go with an internal geared hub unless you enjoy working on stuff.

BTW, what are you majoring in?

Currently majoring in Aerospace Engineering, may switch to Computer Science though. I really just thought a fixed gear because i don't plan on going very far (2 or 3 miles) and I like a good leg work out, But all of this advice is awesome I didn't even know the school had a surplus warehouse haha but ill be looking into it

Aerospace is for true believers :-D

I'd recognize those welds anywhere! That is a Nashbar road frame - $100 shipped tops. While inexpensive, it's a really nice frame. I used one to build my bike and have nothing but great things to say about it. It's hardly "clear coated raw material" though; it's painted that color. As for the other components, I'm sure they were extra parts that we're sitting around that the seller had. I wouldn't pay more than $200, maybe $250 for that bike as that's about what it would cost to build it yourself.

Wut? You can clearly see the rims have MSW.

I'd say 2-225 would be a good price for this bike too, it's craigslist so there is always room to haggle. I would strongly recommend getting a front brake at minimum on it, even though FL is flat you still will need to come to a quick stop at some point especially as a novice rider.

What I was thinking. $300 is a good asking price for someone willing to haggle. Offer him $100, and go no higher than $200. Those are some decent components on the bike. Also, I hope you know the difference between a fixed gear and a single speed. Single speed bikes are very appropriate for flat Florida. I fixed gear is a whole 'nother animal. Unless you are very skilled, riding them in traffic can be very dangerous. (I own one, rarely take it out in traffic). If you are going to do less than about 5-10 miles a day, I would look into a single speed beach cruiser that you can put racks and baskets on.

For real? Nashbar road frames have track ends?

OP_ that bike represents 2005 fashion, and as others have stated, very little practicality. I'd pass. I'd pass at $100, too.

What do u want from your commuter bike? Speed, durability, low-maintenance, versatility?

Personally, I think a single speed, fixed gear bike with no brakes is a poor choice for a new cyclist planning to commute on it. The frame also may be too large unless you are at least 6' tall. The price is not too great considering it's a cheap frame with few components. On the plus side, a single speed is very simple to maintain and you may not need more gears if you are attending college at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Gears might be too complicated for a Gator fan anyway. (Sorry for the gratuitous dig from a UGA grad and Bulldawg fan.)

If you plan to bike commute regularly, I would look for a bike with more gears (6-7-8-9 speed double), mounts for fenders and racks, and room for tires at least 28 mm wide. You should be able to find a decent used bike on Craigslist that meets those criteria for about the same price or not much more than the fixie. Before you buy anything, I would try to get a better idea about what size bike you should be riding. Bike fit is the most critical element to enjoyable cycling, and you need to know what size frame is ideal as your starting point.

I'll save him the trip.

It would get chewed up and spit into a storm drain by the SSFG crew.

I'd pay $10 for the saddle, to give it a try.

I agree but it's relatively inexpensive to add brakes. Which is a minimum requirement in my opinion.

Honestly, for short distances and commuting to classes and close about town, just about any bike in good condition will do. Personally I wouldn't worry that much about the resale value because in that environment you can't count on it. I would think along these lines, is the transportation that the bike will provide for the duration worth $300?

Others will advise differently but I'd be reluctant to shell out $300 for a used single-speed for campus commuting. I'd look for a decent hard-tail on craigslist or on-campus sale.