minaa

Hello, I'm talking with a seller on Craigslist about this bike. I don't know much about it, but it they're selling it for $150 (and maybe a little less). I don't know what year(s) it is, either. I do believe it has a chromoly frame.

About me: I'm a student, looking for a reliable commuter bike for a decent price. My commuting miles each day are ~3mi or less, but that doesn't mean I want those 3 miles to suck. :] I need something decently comfortable, light (25 lbs or less), and for a 5'5'' girl with short legs. The seller says it should fit me fine, as it was apparently a little too small for riders around 5'7''.

I know it has a little bit of rust, dust, and was just cleaned up by the owner for the photo given. I'm supposed to take a real look at the bike tomorrow, but I wanted to get the forum opinion first.

Chombi

Looks to be a decent enough bike. a bit sportier than a one with upright bars or a folder bike but more of a townie bike than a sport bike with the stem mounted shifters and the rack which might make a lot of sense as a daily commuter. "4130" unusally denotes the bike's tubing as Chrome Molybdenum, which is lighter and stronger than plain carbon steel tubing. I suspect it's just the main tubes on this bike (3 tubes at the center triangle) that is CrMo, but that still helps to keep the weight down a little bit. Being a well known Japanese "brand Name" bike helps a bit too, as you will be more confiedent that the frame was built cleanly and well and will be reliable, just as one would consider a Toyota would be.
Now is it worth $150??....From what I see, despite the pluses I described,, it's certainly not so new anymore and may require a bit of servicing (cleaning, re-lubing and adjustment) and replacement of "persihables" like tires, inner tubes, bearings, cables and chain immediately or very soon to keep it safe. You can use those as negotiating points to lessen the price if they are obviously problems on the bike (good to bring a bike savvy person with you to look at it if you happen to be not mechanically inclined) he has not replaced them for new ones yet. I would say that you might offer him less for it. Start with something like $95 and meet somewhere in between that and his asking price, hopefully much closer to the $95 figure, through negotiations....$150 is just a bit too high a price for that bike.
JMOs

Chombi

minaa

Hey Chombi,

S/he's willing to sell it to me for $100. I'm hoping it doesn't need too much servicing. I'd like to bring a bike savvy person with me tomorrow, but the one I do know probably works. I think $100 is a decent price, barring any awfulness.

wrk101

1. Assume it needs a thorough service.

2. Will weigh more than 25 pounds.

At the $100, this is about right.

Chombi

Size-wise it also looks OK for your height, but only way to make 100% sure is to test ride it when you get there and the owner needs to be prepared to adjust the saddle and handlebar height for you.
BTW, if this is your first commuter bike, make sure you get a good, heavy duty lock for it (and always use it) and/or find secure parking places for it as EVERYTHING gets stolen out there these days. My co-worker had a similar type bike stolen from our office building just a few days ago, from a supposedly very secure bike rack inside our office building. She said that she was surprised it got stolen as it was not a "racing" bike. A few years ago that may have applied, but there are just too many desperate people out there today that will not think twice about stealing any bike for any kind of cash.

Chombi

minaa

I have a decent heavy duty lock already. :]

I purchased the bike today and dropped it off with a reputable local bike mechanic. To get the bike into ride-able, safe shape, it was another $110, which I think is reasonable? My family and I are planning on repainting it, using instructions online (and we have access to a booth and proper painting tools/safety gear).

ksisler

Apologies in advance for being a bit critical; but if you repaint it your $200 investment will now be future sellable for about $30-$60 so ($100 if you have replacement decals and do a really pro job on it). Secondly; basically suspect that the bike was a bit far gone for your wants/needs/standards which led to the need for all the repairs and repainting. Third; $100 + $110 + disassembly labor + paint effort + reassembly labor = you are likely racing down a rabbit hole from a cost standpoint. It is a common mistake. Plenty of really good new bikes availalble for less total money. www.bikesdirect.com has many examples especially some of the hybrid/commuter model.

Doohickie

Why are you criticizing her for a purchase she made almost two weeks ago, and she hasn't posted since then?



Why?

minaa

Hey there.

So, I just received the subscription on this thread today via e-mail (five days late, yay).

In response to ksisler, retail value isn't the point for me. It's a good frame, an older bicycle that isn't a beast to lift, and it's a road bike with a step through frame (which is a nice bonus for me). It meets my needs, it's a bicycle that I want for myself. Resell value isn't going to mean much to me when I've only spent $150 on it (my family and I have been working on it on our own, and we painted it ourselves). I would rather put money into an older bicycle that isn't worth too much to the average viewer, but is definitely worth something to me because of it's decent frame, handlebars, and vintage appeal. It means so much to me that my parents and my family has been working on it with me, so the bicycle has emotional appeal to me that way.

No offense, but I've done enough research on bicyclesdirect to know that while my resell value regarding this bicycle is hit or miss, what I'm ending up with in this restoration process is a much better bike than what I could find on that website.

Decals aren't worth it. No need, as I don't know if/when I'll sell this bike. When I do, perhaps I'll get some printed then.

And Doohickie, I'm around, I just have a very busy schedule, so I'm doing more forum reading than forum posting. Not that you were criticizing me for that, I just wanted to clarify. :]

I would love to post before/after photos of the bicycle in the vintage bicycles forum when I get a chance. I should have been taking more photos, but as I've said, I've been busy!