yendor28

As you may recall from my thread, I was hit by a bus and my bike was destroyed. Going crazy and want to ride again even just a little.

Have to get a new bike. Insurance may or may not pay. SHOULD but decision takes at least 3 months. Thus I will pay and hope for reimbursement. Thus want to keep costs reasonable. Want value for money and bike that will last me and keep me riding (i.e enjoyable)

Main purpose

Commuting to work (25 minute ride each way. Small inclines with one large hill. Bike path 90% and street the other part.

Had a mountain bike which was unnecessary. I liked it for security and in case I went off road to avoid a stick or if I ran over a stick. Thinking racing bike or hybrid (with thicker tires) now.


Options

Specialized Sirrus Sport ($1000) or Comp ($1500) 2007

Cecil Walker 1990 (handmade Australian bike, steel frame). Used but in new condition apparently. (my racing bike friend told me about it and I will look. He has competed in cycling for 50 years so knows his stuff and he LOVES it. Cannot believe how good the condition is)
$950


What do you recommend and why please?

Other suggestions also welcome

Many thanks

USAZorro

You can find a nice, used, road-ready bike for $250.00 or less. You could get something in that price range for now, and hopefully get something nicer when you get compensated for your loss in the accident.

cadillacmike68

Or you could drive to work

clipped

I would buy the Cecil Walker. You would have the only one.....it would ride great and you'd be riding it just to be riding it and not just for commutes before long. Not easily replacable if stolen, but one of those bikes that would reward you in other ways and make you always happy you ever got the chance to ride it at all.

wahoonc

For basic commuting I would get a $50-$200 decent quality used bike then when your ship..ahh insurance comes in buy the really nice one. The Cecil sounds great but I would be worried about it disappearing and being irreplaceable. Also is it a bike you want to put thru the ringer of commuting every day? Or something you want to enjoy on long week end rides? YMMV

Aaron

C_LOGAN

A 1990 Cecil Walker for $950?? It must be a very nice example to fetch that sort of price.... I passed up a Cecil for $80.00 because I did not want to spend too much... I did buy a Paconi for $15.00 and fixed it up a little (two bikes most likely made by the same person?)

What sort of components does it have?? Ask your friend why it is so expensive - I am no expert but they price sounds a bit high. Maybe it is a good buy for $900...? but it will have to be something quite special.

I would reccommend an older steel bike because - personal preference really, but they definately are most of the time more durable, easier to repair and a good solid ride.

For commuting I have an old Suntourer bike I bought for $25.00. It is made from 4130 Chromoly and it nice and strong. It has Araya 27 inch 1 1/4 tyres - because when I commute I like to go up and down gutters, on dirt and other places a normal road bike would not work very well. You have to consider that the thin road wheels do not last long when subjected to such treatment - so consider your route carefully.

yendor28

Thanks to everyone's great replies!!!


Brilliant! Nice to get a price comparison. Apparently all original gear. 'camponi' I believe or something that sounds like that. My friend thought it would be $1200 and thinks I am getting a good deal.

I rode it and another bike last night.

My thoughts:

Cecil $1050 (with clip in pedals and lights)
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Nice ride. Very light. Did not feel very secure/comfortable. Mainly because I am not yet used to a racing bike. *first time that I had rode a racing bike

Gearset is continuous (not click in). No problem for me.

Gears are on bike frame not handlebar. Concern is that this may distract me from my ride and mean that I am more of a fixed gear rider. I guess it will just be an adjustment

Azzuri Uno: $1330 (with clip in pedals and lights)
-------------------------------------------

Really nice ride too. A little heavier than the Cecil. Feels like it is maybe not as good a bike as the cecil but is tuned better and has better creature comforts. Eg. gears on handlebars. Click in gears. New paintjob etc.



OVERALL
--------
I am thinking about it today. Am leaning towards the Cecil heavily. Nice design. Only issues.

1) Will it last? It looks to have a max of 1000 km of use. Will it deteriorate quickly now being used 5 times a week?

2) are the gears on the stem a problem? Think just an adjustment for me.

3) What is a fair price? $1000 seems a LOT for a 15 year old used bike.


Many thanks!!!



*** Suggestions for a cheap bike to commute. Do not have much/any storage where I live. Probably just easy to have one bike. Replacability of cecil: would just get another bike. Whatever keeps me on the road!!!


Your thoughts and comments greatly appreciated!

C_LOGAN

The Cecil Walker was made to go fast.. It may not be very comfortable until you get used to riding it, and those gear levers can be a pain - especially if you are trying to change gears in traffic. Both of my bikes have them - I don't use the gears as much as I used to - I have found a ratio that is comfortable.

What sort of wheels/tyres does the CW have? And are they suitable for your particular use? I commuted on 700c 23 for a while - kept on needing to adjust the rims.. Then again I weigh 130kg so you may not have that problem so much.

It should last for a very long time depending on how and where you ride it - and how you keep it. As I said, I am no expert, but I have rarely seen a bike that is that old go for more than $400 on eBay. Sometimes I suppose you pay for quality and the fact that it has not had much use, but I would try to talk the person down to a better price. But then again, if your friend knows about bikes, and has seen it and says it is worth more - then what can we say? It may well be worth more than $1000.. I went one day to a place called bicycle recycle in Moorabbin, Victoria - they deal with a lot of second hand road bikes - possibly a few CW bikes.. Maybe give them a call and ask them how much would a bike like this generally sell for second hand - note the condition and components. Other than that, have a look on eBay. There are good deals this time of year in Aust. being winter - no one wants to ride because of the weather - leave it to Spring and you will be paying top $.

yendor28

thanks everyone, ended up buying a scott s30 racing bike for $450 from the newspaper.

6 months old. Good condition. shall be fun!!!

thanks again

alicestrong

That sounds like a nice practical bike at a fair price...

Have fun!

Lamplight

You take that back!





If you get a used road bike, I'd make sure it had plenty of clearance for larger tires and fenders.

mastershake916

Exactly, you can get a really nice used bike for $75.

John E

I strongly favor older road bikes because they are cheap, rugged, and able to accommodate 28mm or even wider tires.