kingkolotoure

Hi there,

Student/ Film Lover/ Soccer Fan here in ATX. I stumbled upon the forum while trying to do some research on what will be my first road bike (or any bicycle for that matter) purchase. I'm a novice who's only riding experience in the past few years has been with friends' mountain bikes that have been left in my yard for extended periods of time. I've been keeping my eye on craigslist here- and have budgeted $200 to spend on the purchase.

Tonight I traveled up to the northern edge of the city to look at a TREK 400, described as follows:
"Trek 400 Road Bike with Shimano components. Brand New Seat, New bike chain and New cables plus housing installed. Good tires and both wheels equiped with quick released."
It was dark by the time I got there, so I couldn't examine the bike as closely as I'd have liked- but it seemed in excellent condition (no rusting, dents, fissures, etc.) I couldn't get a real in depth feel for the ride, as I only had a parking lot at my disposal, but it seemed to move pretty well. The only things I noticed were the back brake being less responsive than the front (this may be normal for all I know) and the location of the shifters being totally foreign to me. The actual gear shifting I did, although very limited, seemed to go smoothly.

Being indecisive by nature, making purchases is not something that comes easily for me.
I told the seller that I'd think about it overnight and get back to him. The information that I've found on the Trek 400 seems to indicate that the price point for the bike ranges pretty drastically depending on the condition. However, I realize that's a pretty blanket statement that could apply to any bike. So I guess my question is... assuming good condition and the market here in Austin, is $200 a reasonable price for this bike?

Full listing with picture here
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1313793799.html

I also just came across two other listings:
1.Bianchi road bike for $200
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1314888221.html
2. Motobecane Nomade Sprint Road Bike for $140 (a bit of rust?)
https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1314196585.html
Having no idea about the quality and value of brands and models, is someone able to point me in the right direction here?

I'd really appreciate any input/advice from this fine community!

Thanks-
kingkolotoure

*P.S. I have a feeling this may be more appropriate under a different topic heading. Road Cycling? Classic & Vintage?

CbadRider

Welcome to Bike Forums. You might try posting your question in the Road Cycling forum, more people will see your post in there.

RonH

I see the bikes are different sizes. Which one is your size? If it doesn't fit you're wasting your money.

Platy

Yeah, only you can tell if it's a good fit. What I do is to test ride a bike until some part of my anatomy starts to hurt. That tells me what I need to know about the fit. I've learned to tell the bike salesmen that I want to take a longer than usual test ride. Otherwise, after about fifteen minutes they start thinking you've stolen their bike.

kingkolotoure

@RonH: I'm 5'9, so my understanding was that I could fit on anything between a 55cm and a 58cm. Is that accurate?

@CbadRider: Thanks for the welcome. Will try over there.

kingkolotoure

Ha! Yeah, I guess I'm not really positive what a good fit feels like- as this is my first go round. I assume, like you say, that if it's a bad fit it will hurt. I'll make sure not to give the impression that I'm stealing their bike!

AndrewP

I think the Bianchi would be about your size and it has current components. However if the artistic lugs on the frame of the Motobecane please you might be able to fit it at a stretch.

kingkolotoure

Thanks Andrew- I think I'm going to choose the Bianchi, but only if the seller returns my email :/

kingkolotoure

The bianchi seller finally got back to me, but in bizarre circumstances in which he claimed to have called and left a message (didn't). He then said he couldn't show it til Wednesday, but just wrote a few minutes ago to say that he sold the bike. I think he got a few more bites than expected and sold for a higher price.

In the meantime, the Trek 400 sold as well. Damn!