kyledr

Hey,

I was recommended to get a track bike for use at college, as I heard it's a cheap way to get a street bike. I'm aware they have no brakes normally, or you can install one which is apparently optimal for city use. Any recommendations on this? I'm looking at ebay and craigslist and have found a few that look interesting:

https://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRACK-ROAD-R...QQcmdZViewItem

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Pr4_PcY_BIN_IT

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/bik/157382733.html (may not be available any more. Asking him to go down on price)

https://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2006-TRACK-B...QQcmdZViewItem

The fourth looks especially good to me for the price. I'm not opposed to slight fix ups if a complete novice could do it, but I'm not going to spend more than $100 to fix it up. I heard the stock parts are fine so I rpobably won't fix it up unless you all say I really should. I'm not a cyclist--I just want a way to get around that is as fun as possible. $300-400 is my range, so if you know something else, I would love to hear about it. I'm not opposed to used bikes as long as it wont end up costing me more in the end. I went to some fiting sites and think I have a 50-52 cm frame size and 30 cm stepover, so the 4th bike looks like it fits. My dimensions are 5'7" and 30-31" inseam.

Thanks,

Kyle

trons

all 3 bikesdirect bikes, what?

kyledr

I'm not advertising for them, I swear. They were the only bikes I could find for that cheap. I know people hate bikesdirect here, so if you know something better, please tell me.

barba

What is your budget? How much would you be comfortable spending?

kyledr

It's in my post: "$300-400 is my range, so if you know something else, I would love to hear about it."

teiaperigosa

you prob wanna get a used road bike and convert it for that amount

Jerseysbest

I hear BikesDirect uses underaged slave labor.

kyledr

Thanks for the advise, but I have no idea where I would find a used bike or what is a good used bike to get or how to convert it and what the costs and parts are involved with this. I still prefer a whole bike that won't require any or much building or maintenance in the future. For that reason, I'm leaning towards those bikes I mentioned above.

Still looking for ideas, hopefully with details on how I can get it done.

Thanks again.

sivat

All bikes require maintenance. Its part of the deal. Otherwise, you might was well get a walmart POS and ride it until the rusty chain breaks off. I'm sure you've seen similar bikes around campus. If you really want cheap, get really cheap. If you think you'll want to have some fun with the bike, spend the extra $150 and get an IRO. either way, use a brake.

Learn_not2burn

I concur, if you are just looking for cheap go cheap with a walmart beater or else a used road bike. Those bikesdirect bikes will only please you if you are looking to go fixed for mega cheap. Track bikes aren't cheap (even the bikesdirect ones will be begging for upgrades , everyone catches the disease. If you are just looking for something to ride to class, a fix isn't really the best, and will be a heckova lot more expensive. Buying a used roadbike and making it single speed is really the best college ride. There are no advantages (and actually some disadvantages) from using a fixed around campus as opposed to singlespeed, beside the massive amount of women that will swarm you. If you roach a rear hub on your campus fix, it'll end up coasting you more than a walmart beater or other used bike. I don't want to dissuade you from fixed though, I'm sure you'd be plenty pleased with any of those bikes. Like people have said, the Iro is definetely worth the money as well. If you do join the fixed team, welcome and I'm sure we'll see you around after you catch the bug.

sivat

I love riding fixed on campus. I run a pretty low gear ratio, and i feel I have a lot more control getting through crowds of people. Especially following tubby sorority girls down hills.

kyledr

I guess getting a frame of some sort and putting cool things on it would be really fun. All I really need is handlebars, wheels, maybe a brake, the thing the chain/pedals attach to, and pedals right? That doesn't sound too bar. Any of you have an idea of what I might want for a frame to start or maybe even some other stuff like wheels that adds up to around $500 or less if possible? I don't think I'll be a bike nut, but I'm willing to do what it takes to learn it right... I always like a new hobby. My goal is to have fun with it and have a solid ride that will not be a headache. So solid budget parts that are not overly fancy sound best to me. I don't know though... keep recommending stuff if you think you know what's best.

By the way sorry if I come off wrong... I'm on drugs from oral surgery and I'm a little out of it.

chip thunder

I ride the Mercier and LOVE it. Yes, I've upgraded most of the parts (ok, everything but the crankset), but that's not so much because the parts were junk. It's more that I love wrenching and I've found myself in a position to upgrade for not so much money. The frame is fabulous. It's not the fanciest and the welds are downright ugly. Its geometry is fairly steep. I believe it to be the steepest of the bikesdirect offerings. It does have some pretty significant toe overlap, but the whippy responsiveness more than makes up for having to be very meticulous about tight turning at slow speeds. If you're willing to deal with toe overlap and don't demand top shelf, I would heartily recommend the Kilo TT.

On the other hand, there can't be enough praise for IRO and its father, Tony. His customer service exceeds the highest expectations and the bikes and components are very high quality. I probably would have replaced fewer parts had I bought an Angus.

Kilo TT = Black Label
IRO = Gold Label
High end Keirin/Italiano track bikes = Blue Label

Expect pricing to follow accordingly.

helvetica

build your own.


I was in love with IRO but, man Id treat my bike better if i built it myself which I ended up doing.

sivat

I'm pretty sure there's some middle ground between the gold and blue labels. For the O.P., just look for a decent road frame that fits you. Ebay, craigs list, garage sales are all good places to look. Being near a campus (if you're staying for the summer) i'm sure there are people getting rid of bikes. All you really need is a new rear wheel. You could get a matching set if thats important to you. You can use the same bars/brakes/cranks that come on the bike. Just strip off the stuff you dont need (front and rear deraileur, rear brake(if you're going fixed), extra chainrings... etc. A new set of wheels will cost you between $140 and $200. the bike you can probably pick up for less than $100.

kyledr

I'm leaning towards a Raleigh Rush Hour now. I was told buying a frame and building a bike on it is probably more expensive than buying a new one. Could I build an IRO that's better than the Raleigh? Building sounds fun, but I don't know. I looked at a bunch of old road bikes but none of them looked good for a conversion. I might be able to get the Rush Hour for $550 or even a little less, and it retails at $600. I'm also looking for slightly used or last year Bianchas, but those seem hard to find used that are newish.