DavidFloresII

Howdy! I saw this Schwinn Suburban 3speed for $85. I don't think it's a 3 speed but a 5 speed from what I have read from other posts. I was wondering if ya'll could tell me if this is a good deal or should I try to haggle a bit with the price?

https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/bik/2640613030.html

Any advice you can give would great. Thx

oldroads

That is a 3-speed, and also a very good price.
Here in Boston it would be posted at more than twice that price.

wrk101

"bike needs some work" = unknown value. Who is going to do this work, and how much does it need? Not nearly enough information on that ad to make an informed decision.

Certainly, in general, a 3 speed Suburban is worth that price. But work can add up, particularly if you do not do it all yourself.

zukahn1

If the bike is in general good condition complete and rides OK this is a fair price. I often see this model Schwinn sell for a $150 in good condition

DavidW56

On the other hand, in the metro Detroit area, Suburbans in ready-to-ride condition can languish on CL at $65. So you must research your own market a bit more to determine whether it's a good price there. And as stated above, the amount of work and parts required to return it to ready-to-ride condition must be added to your purchase price before you can determine whether the overall cost is a good price.

P.S. Always bargain.

bikemanbob

David is right. It depends greatly on your market. In the Detroit area, Suburbans can be hard sells.

spats

Depending on how much you really like that bike, I would look around some more. Price to me seems a bit high. If I were to put it on CL I would put it on for $60.00 and hope some MSU Student would like to buy it. I have never seen them sell to good on CL. Just did a quick search of eBay and does not look like they are doing so hot on there either. Lot of BIN's which means nothing, but the auction ones don't have any bids at all. I would keep on searching or offer them $40.00 when you see it posted again a week later.

DavidFloresII

Hey ya'll thanks for your help again. I was able to get the bike at $60. But I just bought the tires and tubes... $42 was that to much for 27 in??? Also I will post up some closer pics of the bike sometime today or tomorrow. Once again, any advice on potential areas of concern on the bike, will be much appreciated.

I am really excited to start working on this bike!

oldroads

New commuter tires and tubes for that cycle would be $26 in my shop. $10 for a tire and $3 for a tube.
Strange that the bike would sell so low, and the tires and tubes so high.

Standard Issue

I had a Suburban that I sold for $175 but it was in near mint condition to the point where I'd have believed it was a reproduction if not for the S.A.E. bolts. It was also on the larger side, 58cm +

vintagebicycle

I sold a lightly used one for $150 but it took a year on CL for it to sell. Lately nothing is selling very fast, price don't seem to matter much. What I find is that most would rather put it on their credit card and pay $10 per month for it rather than put out maybe $100 -$200 for a used bike. They just don't have the cash to spend. I had a guy the other day trying to barter for a used front wheel he needed for his bike, he just didn't have any cash.

Tires and tubes here are actually hard to find, there are no local bike shops and unless you want department store quality you have to mail order or drive 30 miles. The last set of 27" x 1/4" gumwalls I bought were $16 each and $5 each for the tubes. Walmart sometimes has those cheap Bell folding tires for $19.99 each, but they rarely have a matched pair of anything on the shelf and they often don't look right on an older bike.