bmaodfo

I'm a noob, never had a road bike or know much about them.

So I was thinking of stepping it up. I need a bike to and from school. I don't want to spend tuition on it but at the same time dont want a POS.

I was thinking about this bike but don't know about its value and quality.
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/997126735.html

Basically, IS THIS A GOOD FIRST BIKE or should I wait for the next one? Is it a fair price? One last question, would it be worth my time hunting at thrift stores, pawn shops, and/or garage sales?

wrk101

That price would be high around here. The wheels appear to be chrome, if so, I would avoid.

Bike looks slapped together with whatever parts were laying around, quite a mix: SORA RD, gum wall rear tire, black front tire, etc. I would have thought the seller would have taken a little care to put this bike together. And a 49cm frame is way too small for someone 5-9. So the ad is bogus on sizing. This is the size I have sold people in the 5-0 to 5-3 range.

As far as whether hunting is worth your time, it depends on what your time is worth and how much money you have. I would not recommend Donald Trump start shopping thrift stores. Myself, I shop at thrift stores just about every day (I look for more than just bikes..)

99% of the time, I do not find good bikes at thrift stores or garage sales, but 1% of the time I do. And those buys were terrific. I have bought bikes similar or often better than what you show from Craigs List for $5 to $10.

roccobike

IMHO, Wait for the next one. That's somebody's put together. Granted it looks like someone who knows their way around bikes, but I don't like put togethers.
Pics can be misleading, but that bike looks like it has steel rims. That's bad, and very bad on a commuter because brakes + steel rims = poor braking in the rain. Also, I don't like those brake levers that have been installed instead of the original road levers, although the original road levers were not that great either.
IMHO, for $165 I expect to find a better bike. Let's see what others have to say.

cb400bill

https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/996496070.html

Check this Trek 820 out. $135. Many on here buy these and equip them with slick tires, fenders, and a rear rack. They seem to make great commuting bikes.

wrk101

+1 That 820 is 10X the Raleigh on quality, value, etc. Here's my wife's Trek 950 outfitted with slicks (bike has a 16 1/2 inch frame). Note, sizing estimate on that 820 is off as well. If it is a 20 inch frame size, it is for someone 5-10, maybe a little taller. The sizing chart I listed above is for road bikes.

I did a quick search of the Austin Craigs List and bikes are going pretty high. But I still wouldn't buy a mess, nor a bike with steel rims.

roccobike

+2 on the rigid fork MTBs. Not as sexy as an old roadie, but they are not expensive, plentiful and certainly built for abuse. Put the right tires on one along with some fenders and you've got an instant commuter.
I just sold two for a freind that were in excellent condition, ride ready, needed nothing. In the Raleigh area, which is a pretty hot bike market, I couldn't get over $100. Trust me, these two were beautiful.

RobbieTunes

There are many, many 820's out there, and they take abuse well, are well constructed, hard to kill, easy to ride. There are so many the prices are very low.

And I'm being subtle.

cycleheimer

That's a $15 garage sale "Frankenbike". For $165 you should have quite a few options...even a new bike off overstock.com for pete's sake. A Trek 820 in good shape for around $60 to $90 in like new, original condition would be your best bet to start with. They are the Toyota Corolla/Honda Civics of the bike world. Then go to Nashbar.com and pick up some fenders, frame pump, an extra inner tube, a rear rack and a saddle and/or frame bag. Panniers or collapsable rear baskets that mount to the rear rack are also a useful commuter addition. Check their clearance stuff and/or wait for their special discount code deals (10% or 15% off). If you are careful, you probably will still spend less than the $165 that Raleigh would have cost you...not including the repair parts you would have to buy for it.

RobbieTunes

What he said.

bmaodfo

I want a roadie, does anyone have suggestions?

And i talked to the guy who was selling the bike, sounds like he does this often.

wrk101

If he does this often, he doesn't do a very good job of it.

Find a higher caliber bike flipper. You should be able to tell as they will have multiple posts with similar background and use terms like: ready to ride, fully serviced, greased, etc. Anyway, contact a few of them and tell them what you are looking for.

A good flipper will have multiple bikes, some "under construction", and should be able to make you a fair deal. A fair deal = cromoly frame, cotterless crank, alloy rims, new seat (or at least clean), good tires and tubes, good cables for around $150.

Or troll the thrift store/garage sale circuit and eventually you will find a good bike int he $20 +/- range. But it could take a while.

RobbieTunes

He probably does resell bikes often.......

His price is in a market where people don't often research the product. Impuse buying.

But you came here, and we don't want you ripped off, we want you addicted.

Like us.

Be patient. It's winter almost everywhere.
Give us your city, and you'd be surprised what you can find, with a little help.
We, my friend, are help.

cycleheimer

Be patient and keep looking. Best to find a bike in unmolested, original condition with good tires and cables. Everything should be well adjusted, or you will need to do it yourself or pay somebody to do it for you. For the type of money you are looking to spend you should be able to get a really nice used road bike. An older Trek, Fuji, Panasonic, Univega, or Nishiki (a sampling of nice brands) with a double butted ChroMoly frame, alloy quick release wheels, micro adjust seat post, leather saddles can be nice if not dried out (Brooks, Belt, Wright for example), alloy bars and stem, and places to attach a rear rack and fenders, etc. Like Raleighs? How about a mid-1980s Marathon as one option (if available). Generally speaking, watch out for bikes with "suicide" brake levers, stem shifters (generally speaking here), Hi Tensile steel frames, steel handlebars and necks, one piece cranks (unless a Chicago Schwinn and you don't mind the weight issue), bolt on versus quick release hubs, and cheap looking components (if it looks real junky and cheap, it probably is). As for guys who resell bikes, better to buy a bike that was purchased and not used than one that was abused and "restored" no matter who you buy it from.

cycleheimer

Just thought of something. This bike would be perfect for another "what's wrong with this bike" thread...kind of a brain teaser like "where's Waldo". Mismatched tires to start with (as already noted by Thrifty Bill), KHS logo seat, front side-pull and rear center-pull brakes, cheap mountain bike bars and stem (includes drop bars, but they need to be retaped and plugged), fork doesn't look right (at least to me), and lots of paint scratches for $165.

fiataccompli

Agreed, you could probably take two thrift store bikes (a near virgin dept. store mountain bike) and an old road bike with crusty components & put them together to build the same thing...for a quarter the cost or so....that said, as transportation - especially for someone who does not do their own work - it should be worth a good bit more. Depends where you are (in every sense of the word).

wrk101

I agree with 90% of this.

The only part where I disagree is the abused and restored comment. Most of the bikes I "restore" are not abused, they are neglected.

The world of garage sale/thrift store/church sale bikes is full of bikes people bought with great intentions, but rarely/never rode them. Then the bike sat neglected in a basement, garage, or whatever. Who does routine maintenance on a bike they never ride? The bike either ends up at a thrift store or a garage sale with flat and rotted tires, frozen cables, and layers of dirt. Along comes someone who cleans it up, puts on new tires and cables, and returns the bike to good riding condition.

It is rare to find a bike that has been worn out, I haven't found one yet, but there probably are some out there.

vincev

Keep looking.Part of the fun is finding that hidden treasure in someones home or garage then posting it here to show us what we missed. Seriously,lot of good advice was just thrown your way.i would rather see you keep looking if your in no hurry and score a real deal.

kbpfister

I've found the absolute sure fire way to find an amazing deal on a great bike is to pay a little too much for an OK bike and then you will immediately find exactly what you were looking for for even less. Works every time for me.

Don't obsess about your first bike it probably won't fit you anyway, obsess about each one after that

cycleheimer

We're card-carrying members of the same club on that. Neglected isn't such a bad thing. It usually translates into a bike that is nearly free, and a pleasant Sunday afternoon fix-it project. "Abused" is what I saw when I worked as a bike mechanic in a great shop that tried to fix anything and everything to please it's customers. Bent forks, "pretzeled" rims, twisted derailleurs, stripped bolts....bikes pulled from the torture chambers of the cycling world. Best when avoided.

treebound 

A couple of assumptions about the OP based solely upon the link provided:
1. The OP is 5'2"-5'9" based upon the link's text and assuming that is what made them think about that bike.
2. The OP wants a road style bike based upon post #10 or so.
3. The OP is in the Austin area because that is where the link is from.
4. The OP wants a school commuter bike based upon their comments.
5. The OP has up to $165 to spend on a bike for now.
6. The OP just wants to buy and ride and doesn't want to get into converting a flatbar bike into a dropbar bike, just an assumption.
7. Subtract out $50 for a fairly decent u-lock and chain since this will be a school commuter bike which puts the shopping value down to $115 if it has decent tires and he/she can ride it home from the seller.

An unknown possibility, but it is already on a campus, price and size and legality are potential factors:
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/998617902.html
Price a bit high on this one, otherwise a good possibility:
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/998433108.html
If this group gets together then they might be a good contact to make as they probably have a few extra bikes in their sheds available to pass on to someone who also has a vintage interest:
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/997936157.html
If someone says they have the best bikes in town then sometimes they don't, YMMV:
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/997858271.html
Got no idea about this one, but I'd contact them if I was the OP and get more info:
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/996557578.html
Need more info before looking anymore. And I ignored the flatbar bikes and MTB's and upright riding format 3-speed type bikes even though there are a couple of nices one listed in Austin. And it looks like in the Austin market the entry fee is around $200, up here around Milwaukee it's closer to $100. If you factor in the riding season length it's probably about equal, ride 12 months for $200 or ride 6 months for $100. Cue up the Jeopardy theme music....

bmaodfo

I think I might have found something... tell me what you think.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/bik/997046248.html

He is willing to sell for $165.

bibliobob

Stem shifters and turkey wing brake levers.

You can do better. I know that it's tough when you're excited, but be patient. It will pay off.

bmaodfo

are turkey wing brakes the suicide brakes?

and yes, ill try to be patient. its just that i havent seen any good deals.

bibliobob

Yup, turkey wings=suicide brake levers.

It couldn't hurt to put a post in the WTB section. Just make sure that you include your location, size, approximate budget, and more info. regarding what you're looking for. There may be some BF members in your area that could help you out.

You could also do a geographic search on the 'bay. Saving shipping charges by buying local can make all the difference between a bargain and a bad deal, particularly on lower end bikes.

Good luck