Originally Posted by
Narhay
Those bikes seem to be all from the same seller...some of them look flipped, others pre-flip. I wouldn't trust a seller trying to pawn off a bike with no cables etc for $300 or whatever it was.
My take on it exactly!
Originally Posted by
Narhay
If you have a local Craigslist equivalent I would first figure out what makes a good bike good, then wait for the right deal to come along. A MTb is a good commuter but sometimes you just want a specific type of bike...maybe a road bike with drop handlebars. For 5 miles you can ride anything. I would go with the style of bike that you have your heart set on.
The biggest thing in Japan is Yahoo Auction. According to a seller I know, Yahoo takes a lot out of the sale. If he is right, it may partly explain why prices are high. Years ago there was a Buy 'n Sell paper in Tokyo. A lot of foreigners used to it to furnish their apartments and stuff. Nothing like it up here in Tohoku and I am not aware of anything like CL. Rakuten is a service for on-line sellers who are usually businesses rather than individuals. It may be virtually unique to Japan — or so Rakuten itself says. A lot of the sellers are small time ventures — not the giants of Japanese retailing. Most of the goods are new retail stuff, and sometimes you can save some considerable money. The OP might just go on the site and see if there is any new rigid steel around. I have seen new road steel fixies and SS bikes there from various businesses, but the savings were not huge and you pay some freight. But — maybe worth a try. If there is say a rigid Giant with some decent tubes in a large size, it may be just the ticket.
Narhay has a point: if you have the time and are willing to sweat it out, go for what your heart is set on.
And, by the way, there is a frame-maker up here in Sendai that will make any custom steel frame you want out of excellent tubing for between 8 to 10 man-yen. That is way over your budget, but if you come by a supply of parts, it would be a way to your dream machine.