Good thing you didn't wait until the last minute.

Forget today. it's Sunday, anyone not stuck doing yard work or family duties is out riding.

Your best bet is to post links (I know you need ten posts for links/pics, but a little creativity: htt___ps://www.bike___forums.net/general-cycling-discussion/ for example ....)

People will want to know where you are (so they can scan CL for you) and will need to know how old you are (approximately,) what you plan to do with the bike (different advice by far for a 16-year-old who wants to ride to school and a 36-year-old who wants to do fast club rides, or centuries, and 66-year-old who wants to get back to the sport after retirement.) How far do you plan to ride? How long. How m,uch gear will you want to carry, idf any? Would you be using the bike for sport or utility? Do you plan to race one day, do you want to go really fast, do you plan to ride paved,., unpaved, or mixed?

Since it seems you have no bicycling experience at all, I would recommend one of two courses: find a friend who knows a little (so you don't buy as clapped-out bike which can not be repaired for less than five times the sale price) or spend a few hours on YouTube learning about the basics of bicycles.

If you are Really clueless about bikes (which is fine of course) then you need to decide if you even want to risk buying something used ... because you would have No way of telling if it was okay or garbage. There is only so much an Craigslist listing can tell you.

Another option would be to visit a local bike shop, tell them your budget is smaller than it actually is, and ask if they have anything used. While you are there, ask if they could check over a bike if you bought it elsewhere .... in which case, be prepared to pay $50 or more for labor, plus any parts.

Also .... if your budget is pretty small you will probably need tires, tubes, and cables ... and would need to know how to replace all that. Old, cheap bikes often have rotted ties, punctured tubes (great practice as you will want to know how to patch tubes anyway) and rusted cables.

Another option is to go to local thrift stores and buy any bike which rolls and seems to fit. You might not get the bike you want,. but you will at least see if you like riding. That is Always an issue with brand new riders: none of us know if you will get a bike, ride it half-a-dozen times, and decide you don't really like riding, in which case we might have wasted a bunch of your money suggesting something a lot more expensive than you need.

A few tips: if you hold up the front wheel and spin it, it should spin for a long time but not shake or wobble. While you are holding the front end off the ground, shake the handlebars and forks: --they should also spin but not shake or wobble.

Put both wheels down, grab a pedal, and shake the whole thing side to side. Spin each pedal and make sure they spin freely.

If the bike has a freewheel or freehub, spin the pedals backwards (if it doesn't you won't be able to, because the wheel will try to spin.) The pedals should spin easily but not shake.

Then lift the rear wheels and spin it backwards.

Basically, any part that goes around should never go side-to-side.

Then squeeze each brake and see how hard it is, and whether the lever pops back. Then squeeze each brake and try to roll the bike (you might well need new brake shoes too, but still, if the brakes are grabbing the wheel you should feel it.)

Then if the bike has gears, hold up the rear end, spin the pedals, and shift through the gears (the seller can help hold up the bike.)

(By the way, when you are doing all this, even if you have no idea what you are doing you should say stuff like, "Well, that will need some work," " Some wear there but that's to be expected on such an old, worn-out bike," " and "Okay, well, replacement parts come off the sale price." This will give you an edge in bargaining later. )

After all this, you should know if the bike is safe to ride around the parking lot/driveway, whatever ... so do that. (it is permissible to fake a crash if you are planning insurance fraud, but I'd not recommend it ... directly. )

If it makes any kind of rhythmic noise when you ride it, something is rubbing. If you can't fix it, don't buy it. If it makes any kind of grinding noise, it is self-destructing. Don't buy it. Otherwise, see what you think.

Then comes the Big Moment: you have to decide if you want to ride thins bike for the next several months at least. Remember that if you buy a bike you might be all excited ... but when you get up the next day and look at it before your next ride, you will see an old, broke-down old bike. When you see the banged-up, rusty old bike you just bought, will you still want to ride it? When the thrill of the hunt and the kill have passed ... what will you do with the carcass?

Try to ask yourself that Before you buy the bike. Every bike looks great (unless it is Total crap) when you see it and want A bike and can have this one. it is not until you are stuck with This One that you can see it clearly. Compensate mentally.

Then all that is left is handing over the cash ... and figuring out, "How the heck am I going to get this thing Home now?"

So .... any questions?