Originally Posted by operator
If you really need to replace all that stuff on the bike - i'd just forget about it.
The freespirit (Sears) is regular run of the mill road bike, the ones that were mass produced during the cycling boom and isn't really high quality or anything.
By the time you get new derailleurs + shifters you might be eating into a good chunk of that $400 for a new get around town bike. Around here you can get a brand new Fuji bike with modern components for that price.
Well, he wanted another opinion and we took it to the LBS, not the one 2 miles away mind you, the one 15 miles away. They told him that it is not worth it. We put a deposit down on a Giant Cypress for him. The salesman was "real high pressure" (LOL) basically he told us to think about it over night. Then they marked all the Cypress' down 50.00 while we were thinking it over. We got it for 299.00 with a year's worth of service etc. I think that we got a good deal. I am even considering a Cypress vs Suede for more gears and less $.
Thanks for the advice!