Originally Posted by kokomo61
I've already got 3 less crappy bikes.
By buying carefully and taking my time, probably about 100-125 bucks or so in parts and 40 in labor to swap the fork/headset. The rest is on me, and I want to use this for some hands-on experience in working on the bike. With the others available, I can have this one out of commission while I'm learning how to do it right.
I know the desire to hold onto a bike with a history. I'm selling a nice beater bike to a coworker to make room, finance other projects, and keep the Mrs happy. It hurts. I won't have a bike I can feel comfortable leaving locked up outside. On the other hand, it's also fun to wheel and deal, to upgrade.
Have you considered saving time and money by giving the bike to someone as an encouragement to start riding / commuting?