Mushrooom

Hey everybody!

Been lurking here for quite some time but this will be my first post. I decided to turn to you for advice because you always seem helpful and able to break down the right info for people like me, not really knowing what is this stuff worth or whether it will be of use or not.

Basically, I've been riding the cheapest bikes since the beginning (bike stealing being a problem in my city, I like to keep a low-profile as much as I can). Right now I have a vintage CCM 440 from the 80s that I enjoy a lot (https://www.re-cycle.com/ImageFetch.a...2&ImageID=4084), but I recently decided to stop messing around and start riding more seriously. Public transportation prices went up this year (again!) so I decided to go everywhere by bike, no matter what the whether will be like. That means that I'll be doing 12 km everyday (going from home to uni and back) and 20 km on weekends (going from home to downtown and back).

Going straight to the point, my reason for posting is that I think I need to upgrade my current bike to a fairly good road bike while still keeping a low-profile. For that, I need your input. On the local classifieds I found two interesting bikes for about 275$ (revised price). I'm tempted by the Fiori Roma, which is in excellent shape and looks pretty sexy (EXCELLENT ÉTAT : VÉLO FIORI ROMA | de route | Ville de Québec | Kijiji). There's also a specialized that the seller says it's been restored lately (velo de route | de route | Ville de Québec | Kijiji). The frame looks sort of good but the fork doesn't seem to be original and the mechanics look cheap as hell. What do you guys think?

Also, I have a very good friend of mine who works in a bicycle shop and he offered to build a high-grade fixie for me for about 300$, but that would have to wait until November. My first thought was that there are too many hills in my city so riding a fixie, even on free-wheel, would be a little inconvenient. But of course, I would have a very very good bike and an extremely light-weight one. I may very well buy another one by the moment and if I ever change my mind, I can always resell it and go for the fixie. What's your opinion on this?

Thanks in advance and any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

TL;DR: Fiori Roma (EXCELLENT ÉTAT : VÉLO FIORI ROMA | de route | Ville de Québec | Kijiji), unknown Specialized (velo de route | de route | Ville de Québec | Kijiji) or custom built fixie? Budget: 300$.

Mushrooom

Alright. Thanks, man! I'm gonna meet the seller tomorrow afternoon. What I liked about getting a fixie was that it would be extremely light weight and very comfortable. But I guess having speeds can do that too.

Mushrooom

Sorry for bumping, but does the price seem reasonable to you? I'm about to pay 275$ for it in a couple of hours...

Maver71

275 is probably reasonable if everythings looks good and is clean. Make sure it fits you. Good luck

Mushrooom

Oh man! I came back home with the bike today and I must say IT'S AMAZING! It is in absolutely perfect shape and even the speeds work flawlessly. It looks like everything was adjusted just before selling. I was also happily surprised with the mechanics that came with it and all. Will provide photos as soon as I get my camera back from a friend.

Cheers!