volkronica

Hey guys,

I'm a college student looking for casual commuting, and I found this bike online. The seller agreed to sell it for $150. I'm really new to this whole bike business, and judging from the pictures, I can't really determine if it's in good condition. From what I have researched so far, my guess is that the price goes overboard, but is it extremely overboard?

Would appreciate opinions, thanks!

D1andonlyDman

The price is not unreasonable if the bike is in fully working order and doesn't need new rubber, and if the bike is your size. But that can't be determined from the pictures.

Most bikes that look like that tend to need $50-100 worth of work and replacement consumables to put them up to daily rider condition - and if that one does as well, then it's too high. If it doesn't need the work because it's already properly maintained, then the price is fair.

cb400bill

How tall are you?

That is a small bike for someone who is around 5'4" tall.

volkronica

I'm actually 5'7 and the seller actually posted that it would be perfect for anyone near 5'7

oddjob2

+1 or shorter.

80% of sellers are clueless to bike sizing. You need about a 21" or 54cm frame. The robin's egg blue Schwinn is about 19", you will be uncomfortable.

RoadGuy

OP,

Don't let the Seller tell you what size bike you need. When you do that, the bike the Seller has, magically always is the size you need (before you pay for it or see it). Go there and try riding it to see if the bike frame size is in the ballpark and can be customized to fit you perfectly or not.

Basic fit goes like this...

Can you straddle the top tube with at least one inch of clearance?

Can you set the seat height so your leg is just short of full extended (slight bend at knee) with at the bottom of it's stroke, without pulling/extending the seatpost too far and exposing the maximum height mark on the seatpost?

With the pedals at 3 and 9 o'clock, sitting on the seat after setting the seat height, is the front of your kneecap positioned over the pedal axle?

With the seat height and fore and aft position set, sit on the bike, grab the handlebars. With your arms slightly bent and not fully straightened with elbows locked, look at the front wheel axle. Does the top bar of the handlebars line up with the front wheel axle and block your view of the axle? This gives you an idea of whether the frame's top tube is the right size for you. If you can see the front wheel axle, the handlebar stem may be changed to adjust the "reach" for you.

At 5'7" you are on the border between riding a 52cm or a 54cm (about 21") bike frame, depending on what your inseam and your torso length are.

Sellers often list the wrong size for that of the bike frame on both Craigslist and on eBay. Because fit is a consideration, and bike manufacturers all build their bike slightly differently, you will not fit the same size frame on every brand of bike. So it pays to test ride and make sure that the bike fits you before buying. When searching ads, don't dismiss a bike or buy a bike only on the Seller's word of what size it is, or who should fit on it.

CuttersRidge

That's a keeper even if I knew some of it. Well said!

Standover height gets me sometimes but I won't go into that too much here. I'm 5'11"; but it seems 31" or even 30.5" is an adequate standover for me. Takes some research but that then, ends up with a shorter top tube.

There are a number of factors to consider; I once put on a new handlebar stem that seemed to give me that vision where the handlebars blocked the axle as discussed above.