Opinion on Used Bike on Craigslist
 

I looking to get my first fixed gear bike. I don't know enough about bikes to build one from scratch. I'll be riding mostly for small commutes and just to get around.

Does anyone have an opinion about this bike?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1537959570.html

I don't care about color and it has some on the components and look I was going for. He started selling it for $375. I know he's not including the fixed cog but that's pretty inexpensive to buy.

I'm guessing I would ride it for about a year to get comfortable with riding fixed and then keep it as a winter bike.

Thanks for the advice!
Matty

In my opinion it's overpriced and ugly.

+1.

$375 is plenty for something much, much cooler.

I love Nishiki's but I wouldn't even consider 300+ for one in that state, especially that one. Green grips, are you F'ing kidding me?

Way overpriced, and built really weird in certain respects. It has one brake but it's the rear (pointless), and it's a Raleigh centerpull? Strange choice. Cro-moly is steel. 160mm cranks are really short, but that's OK. Half clips are worthless, meaning you'd be relying on that one rear brake. Still, these things could easily be straightened out, if you could buy the bike for around $150. He probably has more in it than that if he's bought all those components separately, so that's not going to happen. Some idiot will probably pay his asking price too.

Build your own. It's not that hard.

OT, but I'm thinking about running a rear brake only on my vintage track bike, to supplement my leg/brakes, and keep the front (undrilled) original and clean looking. I have a kierin brake option for the front but it makes the bike look muzzled. Okay, back to the overpriced nishiki!

yea.. take ur money somewhere else.
That thing is overpriced.

It's really hard to tell without a garage door behind it. :roflmao:

you could do better

Lipstick on a pig. You could do a lot better for the money. A new BD bike still beats a used conversion like this.

Thanks for the advice. I was pretty sure it was overpriced.

@Brian - what is a "new BD bike"

When it comes to building a bike from scratch, how do I know/learn about what size wheels go with what frame, what size cranks, do I need horizontal drops, etc? Are there any tutorials out there?

Look here. You can get a complete bike for around three bills. If you decide ss/fixed is not for you, you won't lose as much as you would buying some converted junk.

dunno...converted 'junk' may have better resale if you haven't shaved & painted a frame...the asking price is probably about what it would cost to build the bike if you bought the parts new, paid someone to paint the frame well, & all that. personally, i'd say no to a BD bike if you're thinking re-sell it...and I say that owning a BD bike and having been generally very pleased with the bike + company....it's just you probably get more play if you have to resell it if you have a clean vintage frame...even with kinda junky components (no intention of selling my motobecane fantomcross uno, so i just enjoy it). But, then again, I operate from a 'zero loss' perspective on buying stuff, so don't listen to what i say & simply buy & enjoy a bike.

Probably the only useful thing to say is that for $300-400 there are a LOT of choices out there and you would be hard pressed to build one (starting with no spares to pull from) for less.

**probably used a rear center-pull 'cause the guy had the hanger for that one & didn't have one for the headset...that's my guess**

OK, maybe "junk" was not the right word. But unless you know your bikes and parts, used can be a sketchy proposition. I would never buy a used carbon fork. In my opinion, a conversion is something you build from your spares, not buy.

That is a $200.00 Bike thats a fair price.

Only way it would be worth $330 would be with a better (double-triple butted) frame, IMO.

Nishiki Sport were decent bikes, but nothing special.