Originally Posted by
LGHT
If the bike needs a part then what? If the bike needs to be serviced then what? How many people go out and buy their first car that's almost 20 years old and is a restored classic car? It's a huge mistake. If you want a reliable serviceable bike for a beginner get a motobecane.
When you buy a used bike, you either know what you're doing, or take a friend who rides with you who knows what they're doing. I'm not talking about restored or soon to be restored classics - which is what I personally would buy - I'm talking about lightly used good mid-range bikes - the garage queens that got bought, lightly ridden, and then hung up in the garage for several years before finally getting sold. These bike are much more common than you think. Yes, it takes some knowledge to distinguish these from bikes with significant problems.