Beater-bikes
 

I was just wondering what other people think makes a good beater bike? Brands? i talked to a friend that said Toys R Us had something called a pacific that had Shimano on it that cost less than $100USD. What recomendations do people have? Do you have a cheap beater that you can recomend because it served you well? I'm just looking for a winter/errand bike that is reliable yet expendable. Something that won't bother me too much if it rusts or gets stolen. Because the good one has maybe a month left before it gets parked for the winter.:crash:

Proper "Beaters" are not crappy toy store bikes, but reasonably good quality older ones. Look for an old (10 speed ) sport or touring bike or ridgid MTB.
Garage sales, charity shops are good places to start looking.

There are some obscelete standards best avoided, 27" wheels, French treading for the bottom bracket. Budget for any spares and repairs (tyres/inners/brake blocks/cables/chain/freewheel as needed)

I had my local beater bike shop put together a very nice one for £100. 5 years later, Im still riding it every day.
I bought my gf a new £100 bike for a 4 month stay, and the head-tube was not vertcal, the steering was unbalanced, and the whole bike not capable of lasting a winter.
You need to go above $200 to get a rideable new bike.

At garage sales and thrift stores you can often find nice old 10 speeds for $15-25. In a large city like yours you can probably find some good deals in the classifieds. Here there are practically new Schwinn or other decent 10-speeds in the classified ads every weekend for $50-60. Sunday always has the most ads, but check Fri and Sat also. I got an absolutely gorgeous 15 year-old, but almost unused Bianch for $95 and an older, well-used but not abused Bottecchia for $50. Just start looking and you will be amazed.

MichaelW, in the USA, 27" wheels are not a problem. They are plentiful from the millions of bikes produced in the 1970's and 1980's. 27" tires are readily available in local hardware stores and are not expensive ($7.00 at K-Mart).

So, at least in the USA, 27" wheels are acceptable for a beater - cheap, easy to get, and easy to maintain.

A buddy of mine was cleaning out his garage a while back and gave me an old "Columbia" 10 speed. This thing was a total mess!. It must be 20 years old! I put a set of cheap tires, one cable, a new chain, and some new handlebar tape on it. I also adjusted the deraileurs, replaced a couple of spokes, and oiled it up real good. I guess I had about $50 invested in it by the time I was done. I started riding this old thing around and got hooked!! Now I have a brand new bike and I LOVE IT!! So you see, I guess my point is that an old cheap bike can be made ridable again if given a little TLC. I'm gonna hang onto this one for my "beater". :D

Check around at some local yard sales you might be surprised at what you can find. I bought this early 80's Liotto custom made in Italy for $65. It has Campy Gran Sport componets and rides excellent.

My beater's my first mountain bike, coming up on 10 years old now. I've parted other bikes out and rummaged around, and it's almost not a beater anymore. I keep finding cool stuff to put on it. But, it has character and it's the beginning of my cycling story, so I'll ride it as a townie until it falls completely apart.