Originally Posted by
agarose2000
SoCal Craigslist is even worse. 1970s bikes with no upgrades being sold for $300. Ridiculous.
That depends on the bike. I'll take every 70's De Rosa, Tommasini, Colnago, Pinarello, Merckx, Cinelli, etc for $300 that you can find. Also, good high-end Japanese bikes like Miyata 912's, Nishiki Internationals, and Centurion Ironman's are worth $300 if they are in good trim.
I agree with you on the low-end gas-pipe stuff like Peugeot UO8's, but even one of those in overhauled and ready-to-ride shape is worth the $200-$250 it takes to buy it.
If you can do your own work, CL can be a pretty good place to find a deal. A lot depends on what you're looking for. If you want a bike with a modern drivetrain, that's going to be a lot tougher to get a great deal on - you have to be quick, and you have to know what you're looking at. It is very definitely a "Caveat Emptor" environment.
Oh - one last thing.... small bikes sell for a premium here because they are in very, very high demand. If you're looking for something in the 48-52cm range, that's a super-heated segment of the market.