Thank you all for your replies. I have been spending some time exploring the subject a bit more so that I can give a better response.
Originally Posted by
fietsbob
What do you want out of a bike ?,you can probably assemble it out of mostly low mileage parts,
Given just chain and sprockets.. and the braking tracks so, rims need be replaced as they wear out.
I'm mainly after something that can get me around without costing too much.
Is building it from parts actually feasible? I figured it would either cost too much or require a LOT of time building and searching for parts (or both).
Originally Posted by
wahoonc
The Paver is a decent bike for the money and has been my top recommendation for someone that needed a decent bike for the money. However I wouldn't expect to buy one and ride off on it without having it checked out by someone that is a capable cycle mechanic. NONE of the big box stores hire bike mechanics to set up their bicycles properly.
If I do choose to get a Paver online through CSN (my main hesitation is that it would take too long), would it be realistic to think I could assemble and inspect it myself using online resources?
I don't know where you live but Target has a couple of models that aren't a bad deal for the price.
I'm in San Antonio, TX and there's just about everything here. I was looking closely at the Paver because it seems to be mentioned in quite a few places. It's a bit harder to tell whether other dept store bikes are worth it or not; do you have any suggestions?
Originally Posted by
irclean
Older, rigid (non-suspension) mountain bikes from big companies like Specialized, Giant, Trek, GT, etc. make great commuters.
What about some of the older road bikes? Is the leaned over position bad? There seem to be more non-dept-store road bikes on craigslist than MTBs (especially non-suspension).
Originally Posted by
AlmostTrick
You’ll still need that bike expert friend or a shop to help you check out the bike before you buy... and then to give it the once over after.
...
With the Paver you shouldn't need any parts. Just someone to set it up and adjust it for you.
Do you think I might be able to do that kind of checking/adjusting myself? I don't really know any bikers in the area. I did talk to CycleLogic (an LBS), though, and they said they might be willing to look it over before and/or after I buy it (for a price after I get it).
Right now I'm looking at two main options: ordering a Paver from CSN which would arrive in 4-5 business days after Monday (too long, but is the "easy" way out), or trying to find something on craigslist. (The local bike shops don't have anything that would work for me right now.)
Any more advice for getting one on craigslist? How do I tell a "quality" bike on there from the rest of the stuff? By brand name? The main problem I'm running into is that I'm not sure how much a bike is worth.
Thanks!