Originally Posted by
Andy_K
What are your criteria for a beater? Or to put it another way, what is it about the intended use that makes you want it to be a beater?
You don't want to care if it gets stolen?
You want it to be so undesirable that it won't get stolen?
You want to be able to abuse it without worries?
You want to make it as cheap as possible?
Well... a lot of you are asking questions. I don't know if I can give all the right answers. For me, I have the bike, which is a bit too tall for me, and I'd like to see it find a home, it's not what I would call collectible, but, we were looking for a project that both of us could hang out together and rehab. I'll give responses for my bud, which may or may not be exactly right. He has a nicer bike, but wants something to run around town, run errands, but mostly pick up burritos from the only Mexican Food store about 4 miles away from his house. He's generally not worried about leaving the bicycle unattended but having the bike be unappealing does have a lot of appeal. I don't think he's going to drink and bike too much (he's not much of a drinker). We live in a flat land, wind is more of concern that grade, so a single speed would be possible choice. He is a fan of stem shifters.