I just moved to a new, bike friendly town and want to start riding places rather than driving. I currently have a 2016 trek x-cal 8 29er which is fine and dandy but I am wearing the tires out riding around town rather than trails; I also would rather have a cheaper bike to lock up places than the x-cal. Went to check out this old fuji 10-speed. 10 speed Bicycle for Sale. Ended up absolutely hating how it rides, how do you manage those handlebars? It shifted surprisingly well for how grimy and slightly rusty the gears were, but the front tire was old and rotten and needed replaced. Offered the guy $35 (that's all I had on me) and he said no so off I went. I got to thinking about how difficult it would be to maybe make it a flat bar convert? Or would it be about the same to just get one of these? Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike
TL;DR: What suggestions do you have for a kid trying to acquire/build a good, reliable, commuter for under $250 and optimally below $150?

New stem, bar, flat bar levers, and cables will probably be cheaper than buying a new bike. If you had to switch out the shifters it would be slightly more expensive, but definitely not enough to add up to $280. With that being said, for $300 you can probably get a much better older hybrid or road bike instead of either of those options.

So look for a complete option in my price range rather than trying to "make things work"?

Road bikes with flat bars slapped on them usually end up having weird geometry. Also I'm almost 100% sure you will not be able to find flat-bar shifters that will work with an old 10-speed bike (double front ring and 5 rear cogs).

That Nashbar bike is not a road bike. It's definitely a hybrid bike, from the frame style to the bars, brakes, drivetrain, everything. Not that that's bad or anything, it's just not a road bike as far as road bikes go.

I'm not really looking for a road bike but more a bike that'll be comfortable to ride 10-20 miles for a commute, to the grocery store and back, or an occasional ride thru the country-side.
On the Fuji, I wouldn't move the shifters since they're on the frame but rather just the brakes.

I'd convert that Fuji in a heartbeat.

I dunno. That Nashbar bike looks too nice to lock up. For the purpose you stated, I'd get something used, a little beat up, and that basically no one cares to steal.

Something like this:


Yeah, it's a MTB, but the point is that I feel comfortable locking it up all day long. You can likely find something suitable in your local used market for less than $100, and with a bit of cleaning and greasing, ride like new.

How tall are you? See: TREK 730 Multitrack 21 speeds - offer $100 for it (I dunno about the price, in the SF Bay Area, $150 would be about right, maybe even less depending on condition).

I wouldn't. The OP dodged a bullet - it's pretty junky. Cottered cranks, ugh. Undoubtedly rides like an anvil.

I respectfully disagree. How the bike looks (and it looks like a cheap hybrid) is pretty unimportant. Thieves will steal just about anything. Lock it up properly and it'll be as safe as anything else.

As for used, that's what I did in college and fixed myself up an old touring bike. Depending on the kind of bike you want, that may be the only real option - hard to get a road or touring bike in this price range. But overall, in spite of my own history, the recommendation to buy used has to come with caveats. You don't always know what you're going to get, and the price can spiral a bit if you try to fix it up, modify or add new parts. So if what you want is a flat bar hybrid and you can get one in your price range, new is pretty foolproof. Though the need to assemble a mail-ordered bike does bring additional complications. I'm not sure I would recommend assembly to the inexperienced, either!

I'm 6 ft, so it would be a tiny bit small but could work. Is it a quality bike? I remember seeing the twist shifters and deciding to steer clear.

I've converted that exact same bike. I replaced the handlebars with moustache-style handlebars, and put an Origin8 saddle on it, as well as 26-inch wheels (had to use extra-long tektro brakes) because the original 27s were beat. Put a fairly wide tire on for a sweet ride.

Should have been great, right? Wrong. The steel on this frame just feels dead. I love my steel, but this bike is as unresponsive as you can get.

I continued to ride it until the forks gave way, then hung it up, but despite the promise, it never became a steed I really enjoyed riding.

While it may be true that thieves will steal just about anything that's not locked down or bolted down, given two bike that are equally easy/difficult to steal side by side on the same rack I (if I were a thief) would go for the one that looks more expensive, has more expensive components, better frame, or for an uninformed thief, even the one that looks cleaner. The point is to have your bike less desirable (or to a lesser extent, less easy to steal) compared to the one parked next to yours. Doesn't guarantee it won't be stolen, but certain decreases the odds considerably.

And I'd rather lose a $50 bike than a $300 one any day.

Well, there's still the shifters/brakes, handlebar, stem, water bottle cage, saddle and seatpost, pedals, even RD and FD, if the thief were determined enough. A set of Allen keys, a wire cutter, and a chain tool is all you need. It'd just look like someone's working on his bike to passers-by.

Mountain bike shifters are cheap to replace, especially on a beater. But that bike would be small for you.

If you want to be under $150 for a good reliable commuter, then craigslist is your place to be.
itll be tough to find a road bike that is in good condition for under $150. Its easy to find one that hasn't been taken care of for under $150, but itll then cost a good bit of time and/or money to update.

Since you cant handle drop bars, perhaps a 90s rigid frame mountain bike would be best? As a bonus, they are typically less money than road bikes of similar quality. Something with chromoly tubes, double butted preferred. slap some slick tires on there(nashbar and elsewhere has 1.25 - 1.5" tires that work fine for under $20 each) and you may still have money left over for a rack and fenders, depending on what you find.

I got a Nashbar Flatbar road bike and it was fine. To me it was very comparable to a Trek fx.2. It worked well and you'll be happy with it. I didn't think it accelerated fast enough. I sold it and got a Giant Escape 1 (for more than $300 more) which I like much better. But if I could only spend up to $400 (including accessories) then the Nashbar would be a very good choice.

Hitting up the KC metro will also expand your options 10x.


https://kansascity.craigslist.org/bik/5247960612.html this isn't anything incredible, but if its in good condition itll be pretty bombproof and has easy connections for a rack. Older road bikes and mtbs are all over the KC craigslist, albeit in varying degrees of quality and condition.