Craigslist? Bikesdirect? huh.
 

My crappy vintage Shogun just got stolen, and now I need a replacement. I need help deciding whether to replace it with a similar used bike like this http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/710394413.html
or to get something off of bikesdirect, a company that seems to have decent bikes that i know nothing about. Im trying to spend as much under $600 as possible and I'm 5'9".
What do y'all think, should I look at new bikes, used modern bikes, stick with old cheap used bikes that I can upgrade to suit my desires, or what? Specific bike ideas would be greatly appreciated as well as conceptual ideas.
Tanku!

Oh, and I also wouldn't mind building my own bike out of parts if that allowed me to get a nicer bike for cheaper.

I like drop handlebars, and at least 5 gears.

I craigslist alot of different parts and old bikes. That CL one you had looks pretty sweet... I find all the old bikes I buy then sell generally run great and parts dont break or wear out as much. If you are going to be doing more than riding to bars, grocery runs, and occasionally 10 miles to a buddy BBQ, you may want to get something along the lines of BD.

I have my full carbon Ultegra bike for sport rides, but spend more time on my panasonic townie to as my 2nd car.

If you're fine riding vintage, then go that way. Old steel frames are still very reliable.

BikesDirect has good deals on modern bikes, I would go that route if you wanted to buy new and you know your sizing and maintenance.

I went the online bike route because I like brifters way better than downtube shifters.. but that's just me.

I know 3 people who have purchased from Bikes direct and all 3 were very happy. Bikes were packed well and works fine after minor assembly.

i'm going go ahead and disagree with the bikesdirect thing. yes, their prices look attractive, but if you search around your local bike shops, you can probably find a better deal.

i saw a 2008 jamis ventura race (carbon fork, seatstays, full 105 components) for only $750 about a month ago. and i mean, the "race" model isn't the cheapest ventura model either. felt bikes are pretty inexpensive too, and there's the giant OCRs, schwinn fastbacks, Trek 1000s, that are all out there and avaliable from shops.

plus, you get all the perks (usually free maintenance/discounts for a period of time) of shopping at an LBS. and you can try the bike.

of course, craigs is pretty sweet too. just wait a little while; deals show up fairly often there, probably quite a lot of deals in a city as big as boston.

yeah looking around at what people who have bought them have said about bikesdirect i'm a little sketched out about the quality of some of the key components, and also their lack of any sort of customer service.

Be patient with Craigslist...there are some steals now and then.

You can try the LBS thing but if it doesn't work out, buying from BikesDirect or RSCycles are very good options. Sometimes their specials are almost unbelievable values. They do have decent customer support via Email (BD) or phone (RS), but being far away you'll have to do the mechanical work or take it to a shop. I've bought 2 bikes from BikesDirect and 1 from RSCycles. They are very nice and are equipped exactly as spec'd on their web sites - no surprises.

+1, craigslist takes time but you can find some insane deals.

+2. I bought both my Bianchi's on CL for roughly half the MSRP. They were near mint condition with very few miles.

I went to a couple bike shops and havent found anything too attractive. I think I'll just go with http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/714275521.html<--that assuming all works out with the seller. Any comments?

If the bike fits, go for it and save money.