Hey gang, my son is heading off to college, and I just figured out that the reliable beater bike I was planning on sending with him cannot be checked because size restrictions won't permit a box that big. The cost to ship it is more than the bike is worth, so the new plan is for him to get a CL bike when he's there.
Visiting the campus and taking note of all the bikes I saw in bike racks, there were no bikes that I would call 'nice'. Plenty of reliable looking old Treks and such, as well as BSO and other crappy beaters. This signals to me there would be significant theft risk for anything valuable, so I want to keep it on the down low.
This is the first option that jumped out at me:
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...672798224.html
A SS could be a great option since he'll just be tooling around near campus (flat) or downtown (a couple miles gently sloping down to the harbor).
However a quick google shows this is a
Walmart cheapie, original MSRP $80. I don't mind that so much since a SS is a simple, minimalist machine, and even cheap V-brakes are generally very effective.
But one of the reviews claims
The cranks for this bike are PLASTIC. One bent the first night of riding and the other soon followed.
Are the cranks really literally plastic? I've never heard of such a thing.
Any thoughts on whether this would be a good college bike? $40 is not much to risk if it doesn't work out.