LAGear

Hi Everyone - this is my first post. Looking to get a steel frame commuter bike for mountainous Pittsburgh, PA. Found this one listed in Louisville, KY (my hometown). Any advice? It's in complete mint condition, never used, under cover for 25 years. Seller has added a couple of things as well. Asking price is $600 for an (essentially) new steel frame bike, but wanted to get outside opinions, of which I am sure there are many. Here's a picture:

bikemig 

At that price, the OW should have overhauled the bike and probably didn't. Grease, unlike wine, doesn't age well. I'm not crazy on the bike. You can do better I think at that price. Still it looks pretty and if its your size, you may like the fact it has almost no miles. Is 48 cm your size?

jon c. 

Yes, that's a pretty small frame.

Bianchigirll 

That is what I was thinking

LAGear

I'm 5'3", so I'm fairly small. My Raleigh measures at 50cm but there's no room between me and the bar with my feet flat on the ground.

oddjob2

I think this shop normally does overhaul their inventory. If it fits, great. But my concern is the sport racing orientation of the bike, making it a lousy commuter:

- tall gearing for a hilly region
- lack of brazeons and eyelets for racks
- limited or no room for fenders.

LAGear

Thanks for the feedback! This shop does overhaul and the guy Michael is incredibly helpful. There are other bikes there I'm interested in as well, just wasn't sure about the pricing on this one.

jon c. 

It's not a screaming deal, but for a fully overhauled bike from a shop that's not a bad price. And might be a good fit. But as noted there might be drawbacks if commuting is the intended purpose.

wrk101

I've seen that guy's stuff. His prices are really high. Its just a matter of convenience. Look aggressively, and you will find a much better deal.

Its not nearly new. That's great salesmanship by the seller. Everything that is original is > 25 years old. Crap cheap pedals by the way, not original.

$350 bike.

Commuter bike for mountainous terrain? Nope.

thinktubes 

Agree - $300-ish. And I like Treks....


Edit: and it looks like it has 105 stuff.

FastJake

Nice bike, but $600 is way high and I love old Treks.

Also this is a terrible choice for a commuter. Besides being a racing bike why pay a huge premium for a near mint bike then beat the hell out of it commuting? I can't even bring myself to commute on a bike unless it already has some scratches or cosmetic issues, but that's just me.

Bottom line, you can do A LOT BETTER for $600. Heck, you could buy a nice commuter BRAND NEW for that price.

LAGear

I see. Thanks for the feedback. So this brings me to my next question...what should I be looking for in a commuter bike? I want something that is lightweight, fast and easy to shift/ride, etc. I just kinda assumed a road bike was as good as any. Please advise, and thanks!

oddjob2

Get educated by reading through the commuting thread, then get back to us with questions.

bikemig 

Vintage mountain bikes with a rigid fork make great commuters and they can be found in small sizes. There are advantages to a 26 inch wheel in a small frame. Plus you get lots of gearing and stout wheels for commuting. Just switch out the knobbies to slicks and you have a good commuter. Also vintage mtbs tend not to be expensive; certainly you can find a really good one for much less than $600 and have money left over for a lock, lights, bags, helmets, etc.

FastJake

I think the 80s Schwinn Traveler in your "my bikes" list would be perfect. It's a road bike like the Trek but more versatile (depending on the year) because it's not strictly a road racing bike but more of a sport bike. So it probably has more room for wider tires and fenders, and you might even be able to mount a rack on it if you need that.

An old touring bike is your best bet IMO but those are harder to find and more expensive. But for $600 you could get a really nice touring bike too.

Rigid frame MTBs are another great choice. Just make sure you get a higher end one, otherwise you can easily end up with a 30lb pig.

wrk101

I've built two of these up for my 5-3 wife. She loves them, and many of her friends want me to make them one.

Now if I could get her to like drops, I would just do a drop bar conversion.

+1 Aim high! The top of the line vintage mtbs often sell for $25 to $50 more than the bottom of the line ones, and for that $50, you get a bike that originally retailed for $800 to $900, versus $250, and had much bette components, wheels, brakes, everything really.

1992 Schwinn Paramount Series 70, 15 inch frame size. Built up from a frameset, so only the frame and headset are original:








1994 Trek 950, 14 1/2 inch frame size. Ignore seat post height, that was up high for me to do a test ride.


bill

Paul J 

I think that bike was only 531 in the main triangle with on-name 4130 for the fork and rear triangle. When I left Trek in 1986 this was the second to the lowest of the racing bikes the 460 was the lowest. Seems like a very high price for a not so good bike.

LAGear

Those are beautiful! I'll start looking into the mtbs- thanks.

wrk101

FWIW: Not the preferred course, but both of the two mtbs I built for my wife started with ebay framesets. Shipped, the Paramount was $110, the Trek 950 was $50 delivered. The Trek came with more parts: saddle, seat post, brake calipers, bars, stem. I picked up a $5 Kona MTB with a busted frame, it provided wheels, derailleurs, and brake levers. For shifters I used the Tourney $13 kit I always rave about. Add two slick tires and tubes, and I am well under $100 invested in that bike.

The Paramount came out built at under $200. I have the advantage of a lot of parts. I really recommend buyers just get a complete bike instead.

dailycommute

I commute on a next year (1988) 560 with no problems over hills, rough roads, glass, potholes, etc. It has been a rock solid commuter even without eyelets, rack etc. Has the 105/biopace setup--but I also have a dedicated racked/fender commuter for the many days where rain or bad weather is involved as really such a fendered bike is a must if you plan on daily commute.

Climbing steep hills on any old bike will always be a bit harder as 12 speeds is not much options on gearings. No way I would pay 600 though. Guy does not look like the type to come down to realistic pricing of 300 +- (that very small size hurts value IMO).

StLbikerdude

the same guy has a 50cm trek portland listed, specifically for commutes. More than I'd want to pay for it, but probably a better deal for you than the trek 560.

Bid this schwinn to $100 in Elton, Pa https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-80s-...item3cd3424731

Or this 51cm Fuji Cross with a sloping downtube near louisville https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fuji-Cyclocr...item4ac6a109ce