Originally Posted by
Doc_Wui
What's going to break on your current bike, Dansginger, that warrants spending bigger bucks on a replacement? Watch youtube and if you don't get distracted watching Alec Baldwin skits, in a few hours you can learn how to tune your bike and replace its components.
However, I recently bought a $299 Downtube folder bike, and while I haven't had an opportunity to ride it (it's too cold), I can see it's well made. Even then, because it ships in a box, ac ouple of adjustments to the steerer components were needed to get the bars straight, Nothing needed for shifting or brakes, which were sweet.
There are $100 folders on Amazon with free shipping, but you'll probably need to adjust a few things too, They will have steel frames and be a bit heavier. I thought about getting one.
Problem is I can't take my bike all the way to southern California cause Im gonna be flying. I also just spent 50 bucks on a tuneup which seems like a waste, but it feels good for now. The tech said however that the bikes prolly only gonna last me till the end of this year at most, so I figured I might as well buy a good commuting bike or a temp folding bike for the summer. One problem with current bike is that my bottom bracket is coming loose and my gear shaft is wiggling right and left (but only slightly as for now) when I peddle, and the technician said it might only last me a few months before it falls apart on me. Also all the gears are pretty rusty, so I'd have to replace them and spending another 100 bucks on this might not be worth it. My derailleur is broken and can only go on the first and second largest shafts. I might invest in a more expensive bike ($400 range), but my only problem is how I'm gonna bring my bike to and back from my summer relocation.