Used n+1 Wanted - But Where To Look? (Madison, WI)
 

This has been my first attempt to buy a used bike, and I'm not having much luck.

I'll be traveling to Wisconsin on business every week, and want to keep a reasonable quality bike there - for training during the week. (I'm hoping to get an older mid-range bike for $750 to $1,000. New bikes at those prices are horrible - low-end groupsets, boat-anchor weights, etc.)

I tried the LBSs in the area but they don't sell used, and had no suggestions. Craigslist seems to be useless, and I haven't had much luck on Ebay.

I'm not looking for a bike in this thread - I'm asking where you would look to find something like that..?

Is there no public bulletin board at the Yellow Jersey? They and Williamson are the only shops I remember from my days there. I know they didn't sell used bikes, but I thought they had places for people to post ads.

Of course, my time in Madison was waaaay before the interwebs, so who knows how the market works these days?

Weren't there a bunch of Wheel & Sprocket stores in WI during the bike boom ?
I remember visiting my pal up there and bikes were EVERYWHERE.

If you are a member of a club let it be known you are looking for a bike.
Know of a number of bikes that changed hands that way.

What does n+1 mean?

Number of bikes you currently own + the one you just need/want to buy

More $$$ to hide from the wife!

Try the Chicago, or Rockford CL. Given enuf time, you can find anything in Chicago....... travel thru Chicago, to pick it up.

^^^ this

I've recently had several people from Madison wanting to buy my stuff on my local CL. This gives me the impression that in Madison, demand is much stronger than supply.

You might also try Milwaukee.

Watch the C&V sale section here, also. Get all the coverage you can.

Bill

You need to try Budget Bicycle on Regent. They always have a bunch of used. I think a bit more time spent on CL might net results. I realize it can be quite tedious but a little diligence can net results.Heck, just the other day I saw a cool 70's Trek.

+1 to Budget cycle-they have (or had) a store devoted to used bikes.

OP here: thanks for the input.

I understand Budget Bikes does still sell used bikes, but according to their site, they don't have anything suitable right now. However - I think a visit to the store may yield better results.

Heck - I even tried Play It Again Sports ... nothing.

I've widened the net to include Chicagoland and Milwaukee but haven't found much yet. It may just come down to buying sight-unseen on Ebay, paying for shipping, and hoping for the best. OR - I may have to spend more $$ than I'd budgeted. :( (I need to get on the road within the next 2 weeks.)

Good old algebra. I thought there might be some other subtle meaning as well.

There is.

n= The number of bikes you have.

The number of bikes you need (okay ... want) is n+1.

To cyclists, that makes algebraic sense. Funny how my wife never understands my algebra :lol:

I went to Budget Bicycles today. They have a HUGE number of used bikes. Very impressive. But...
- Only about a dozen road bikes in my size.
- 10 were sub-par frames and/or groupsets for the price they were asking
- 2 or 3 were great bikes but way expensive
- IMO, all of their bikes are over priced.

For about $200 more than their used Sora and Tiagra bikes, I could get a new entry-level bike fitted with 105 or Rival.

:(:(

Yeah, that's not a good deal.

Duncan,
Not sure exactly what your budget is for the spare bike, I got a flyer catalog from Nashbar this weekend for their spring clearance sales. Their Nashbar and unbranded bikes with entry level components are pretty low right now. Just a thought for a place to look. I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for something you may like.

Bill

I was lookin at the Nashbar sale catalogs this morning. They have some really good buys, well within your price range, right now. For a part time, second home bike, they have a lot of choices..... 105, Ultegra, etc.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/3714673666.html.

Granted, it should be in the 350 range, or even lower, but not bad

Craigslist works, but you have to give it a lot of time. It took me years to finally get the bikes we wanted -- check every day and be ready to pounce. It's hard to break the habit, and I still look every day even though I want to stay with the bikes we've got.

I actually got mine at a garage sale, but that's rare.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=308258

And, you might have to be creative in fitting the bike. This is my wife's -- don't laugh at the stem, she is very happy with the fit of this bike.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=308259

Prices: $65 and $380.

Many thanks, guys - I haven't checked them out, but will do so now. (I did try Performance Bikes and Bikes Direct, though.) I'll browse Nashbar tonight.

Looks like a great deal, I agree - decent bike at a very low price. But I'd have to wear platform cycling shoes to pedal a 50cm frame :lol:



I'll keep looking, though. And I'm going to try my home area as well, and if I find one, I can fly it up here.

i don't know what the prices are but Ben's bikes, milwaukee bicycle, in milwaukee sells used bikes.
they sell everything priced high to to low, but there market is high line bikes. 6 months ago i was pricing out a new roubaix. while i was waiting for the salesman i looked at there used bikes. there were about 10 used roubaix's and tarmacs in like new condition.

what size bike are you looking for?

i live between milwaukee and madison so i could send info to you.

here is one that has been for sale for a few weeks. part of the reason is the ad isn't accurate, wheel and sprocket doesn't sell specialized bikes.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bik/3702403619.html

You could give Dan a call at Atkins bike shop in verona which is a bedroom community on the outskirts of Madtown. When I need an lbs he's the one I use. He may have something in house of have an idea as to where you may find what you need.

The larger cities in Wisconsin are big bike areas, lots of enthusiasts as you probably know. Milwaukee in particular should be loaded with good used bikes. Check bike clubs, iBob and Craigslist in Milwaukee. Go to the iBob forum and tell them what you need.

+1 on watching the Milwaukee CL site, plus watch Sheboygan and the Appleton/Fond du Lac sites. Also there is a shop near Riverwest area in Milwaukee called Truely Spoken (sp?) that posts some used bikes on CL and usually has some used ones in their shop for debatable prices.

What size are you looking for?

edit: something like this one maybe? http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bik/3720544370.html

Many thanks (again!) for the replies.

Frame size: I'm comfortable on a 54. A 55 or a 53 would be okay, and a 52 might fit.

Thanks for the info about Atkins in Verona, and Ben's in Milwaukee. Verona should be easy to get to. I'm flying home tomorrow, but will be back up here on Monday - so I'll swing by there after work on Monday.

And next week, I'm flying in to Madison via Milwaukee - so I'll make a plan to stop Ben's.

Some great info here - thanks again!

No bike shopping for me this weekend, though. I'm doing a 230 mile ride on Saturday http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...s/surprise.gif and collapsing on the couch and feeling sorry for myself on Sunday...

Ask if any one at/in the ride knows of a good bike that is for sale at a reasonable price, maybe?

Bill