Originally Posted by
HBCruiser1
Wow, assuming that's in good shape that is a great deal. I sold a single speed Townie for $165 barely trying.
Since you were looking at SB C/L, I assume you might be attending UCSB or nearby. My niece went there, lost a bike a year so buy a good U lock, and always lock it.
3 main things for maintenance:
1) the steel parts will rust being near the ocean, keep the chain lubed.
2) Nothing kills tires more than under inflation. Keep them pumped up. Check every week or two.
3) Depending on how much you ride it, if the gears don't shift correctly, the deraileur (or mount) may be bent or the cable may be stretched. Keep it tuned up and look on Youtube for tips. At first deraileurs are intimidating but they are pretty simple once you get the hang of things. I would have gone with a single speed for simplicity but that's a great bike.
Bonus:4) keep the brakes tuned up for when you REALLY need them. 5) Oh and grab a light. Awesome rechargeable lights from Performance are cheap now (<$50) and make a huge difference in night riding. Anything 300 lumens or more from a name brand will be more than sufficient. They clip onto the handlebar and when you park it, you just slide it off, pocket it and off you go.
Have fun.
Yep, that is correct. And that's also the reason why I didn't want to save some more money and, for example, buy a new Townie, but instead went with this used 2013 Cruiser 7D. I have bought a u-lock and that's how the bike sits most of the times:
Thanks for the tips! I really needed it.
1) I expected the bike to be a lot rustier, given that it's 5 yrs old. It all looks good. Only the handlebar has some rust spot starting to cut through the paint.
2) I'll keep an eye out for the tires as well.
3) I use it every day but for short periods of time (maybe 4 x 15 min rides /day). So far shifting has worked ok, no major issues. Sometimes I shift and it takes a few seconds to actually shift, helped by the bike's movement (bumps) but nothing really big.
4) I had them adjusted when I got the bike. Will pay attention.
5) YES. Most days I come back from campus at night and it's really dark. I'm not really worried about not seeing stuff, but more about not being seen. People cross the bike lane looking at their phones all the time. I bought a cheapo ($20) set of rechargeable headlights/tail lights off Amazon. That will do for the moment and my budget.
I really appreciate the tips!