gumbyscousin

Wow, I think it's so cool anyone's actually interested in my bike. I kept worrying that I got a bum deal but you guys made me feel heaps better -- THANKS!

===QUESTIONS ABOUT A TUNE-UP

* Should I just take it to an LBS and have them re-work the thing, chain and brake pads included?
* Should I do the brakes and *try* to change the chain myself (if the rust condition seems to still merit it after I do the lube) and then just take it for a general tune-up?
* Or should I just go off of bike forum advice I can find about how to tune it all up myself with a little elbow grease and my pet monkey?

Thanks one mo' time. and i'll see if i can get my hands on a digi pic.

PS: Just had my first day of work at a deli called "The Rainbow Cafe" and I'm mad tired. But they have cookies the size of small planets. You guys ever in CT come down and I'll bake ya some fresh

jeff williams

If the chain is toast, get it changed @ a LBS.

Brakes well.....you should @ some point be able to do them yourself, needs hex allen keys. It's kinda finicky work the first few times, depends on aptitude and how cheap you are.

Maybe get the new pads mounted.

A general tune is usually when your shift\brake is not operating well, don't fix what ain't broken.

Maybe pick up a multi-tool, when something starts buggering up -do a search on B-Forums for posts involving that kind of fix -and have a go at it yourself.

If you can't, then take it to the LBS. Some stuff you have to learn, like fixing a flat.
To take your bike to the store to get a tube patched is pathetic.

Unless you only got one arm....but then you probably don't ride a bike..ummm.

But simple brake and derailler are something to eventually learn, it's empowering to be able to fix, maintain bikes.
Also useful if you break down somewhere, to know how to fix and have a few tools.

Stacy

Since it's a Specialized one of the first things you should get is an EMT multi-tool since almost everything is Hex Allen. That should run $10 to $18 at a LBS.

Every time I buy something at the LBS they've been more than happy to install it for free so who actually does the brake rubbers could become a non-issue. Still it never hurts to have some tools in case you want to adjust the seat or need to make some emergency repairs.

Stacy

Cyclepath

There are good manuals on how to fix & maintain bikes. Parts & labor add up at the LBS so i do everything i can myself.

Our local shop in E. CT would not patch tubes, not worth it to them.

I keep my tires (road bikes) filled to slightly over max rated pressure & virtually never have flats. By the time i do get a flat (years later) the tube is old, so i just replace it.

I use Sachs chains, no chain tool needed, easy on/off. The nickle-plated model runs quiet & resists rust well.

mswantak

That guy is a first-class tool. He apparently thinks he can convince us he's doing us a huge favor by allowing us to bid on his stuff. If he's 'forced to relist' something, somehow that's our fault, so he raises the price. Hey -- I'm no salesman, but if a product doesn't sell, don't you usually mark it down? Maybe he thinks he's establishing an air of exclusivity or something.

So far -- at least for me -- eBay has been a great place to pick up parts and accessories, but the cost of shipping a whole bike usually takes the ones I'm looking at out of the bargain category. It's also a good place to get a general sense of a given bike's value.

Craigslist's bike section out here in San Francisco seems a little different than the ones described here. In my opinion at least, everybody thinks their sale items are made of gold; asking prices seem pretty high, and I don't see a lot of bargains.

hubs

Craigslist here in Chicago isn't full of bargains at all. Alot of used mt bikes for $150-250 the same quality you could pick up new for under $400. Vintage, exhausted looking, bikes for well over $100 and a bunch of really nice things. Today there's a campag Waterford for $1100.

But I'm not sure what these would really go for -- if you contact the seller, go over and take a look with cash in hand, maybe you could come home with the bike for alot less. Maybe that's where the Craigslist bargains are.

Cyclepath

Bargains are more likely found in newspaper classifieds, flea markets, & tag sales. Those who advertise on bike lists will have more of a sense (or too optimistic a sense) of their bike's market value.

Decent older road bikes can also sometimes be found cheap at the LBS, since the trend tide is still against them right now. "My" store in Conn. had a basement full. I bought my old Puch there.

I could not see buying a bike off an online auction, unless the sellers feedback is 100%. No way to know what you really have until you get it. Frame could be cracked or bent, etc.

mswantak

My neighborhood thrift store has been my best source, mainly because nobody who works there rides, so they don't have a corner of a clue what anything's worth. To them, a newer 'mart' bike is worth more than an old Super Course.

Stacy

I've been following the New York City Craigslist, looking for accessories, and it seems to vary each day. Some of these "used bargains" cost more than I paid for my new bike. Some are people who just want the bike out of their tiny New York City apartments and are too lazy to carry it down the stairs. You really need to have a good sense of what you want and how much it's worth.

On the other hand, I can't believe the number of people still trying to sell Kryptonite locks on Craigslist. It's a real buyer-beware situation.

Stacy

mswantak

Seems like over the past few months, the SF craigslist bike section has attracted a bunch of sellers who have the idea it's a good place to find a sucker.