Originally Posted by
jfowler85
Unwarranted advice; perhaps op's sitrep is different than yours, maybe he has 2-3k to burn off for a bike. Teaching for grad school brings good money for the work involved, which is nearly nil in terms of labor or hours.
Let's revisit the OP's sitrep:
I'm a broke grad student but I still refuse to buy crap down here.
He has no business buying an extravagant bike (let's say anything over $500) before he has enough in savings to support his family for 6 months should they have to go without income for a period of time.
He doesn't state how long ago he sold off his passel of bikes, but it seems kinda recent the way he worded it.
I envision him selling off his $1000-2000 bike for $500-1000 within a year if something crops up. If he gets a $100 bike he'll not be tempted to sell it for quick money and not wind up bikeless again.
He's counting chickens, IMO.