Spin the wheels and make sure they are reasonably true. Serious wobble side to side will mean the brakes will have to be spread wide and won't work well. Some play is inevitable on a used bike, however. While spinning the wheels feel/listen for the smoothness of the wheel bearings. Pull on the brake levers. They should move smoothly grab the rim well, and have some snap to them. That's not a deal breaker, though. Brake cables are cheap and easily replaced. I've not seen many used bikes that didn't need new brake cables. Check the tires for wear and cracked sidewalls. As with cables, tires are often shot on a used bike and aren't a deal breaker. I think I have some used 700C tires in serviceable shape if you need some.

Hold up the rear wheel, spin the pedals and shift the gears. It should shift easily without having to wrestle the lever. If it's stiff, that is still fixable. Look at the rear derailleur from the back, the cage and chain should be in line with the rear cogs, if it is bent, then you will have shifting problems, but you will be able to tell that from the racket it makes as you spin the drivetrain.
This is straight:


If it needs some work to get it roadworthy, I can help you with it on a weekend or evening sometime.

I wasn't suggesting that, just that it is an expensive hobby. $100 doesn't go very far. That rust-bucket is a mess and not worth the effort.

Looks like a good offering; make sure the frame and fork are not bent (some of those angles look off, but it could be just the camera angle). If there is any paint missing on the top tube or down tube just behind the head tube, it can indicate a bent frame.

Meh. For $100 I got a 1994 hybrid in 2008 that still had the store price tags on it (originally a $400 bike). Remember, this is Texas and not Cali; prices vary quite a bit here from ridiculous to the level where you feel compelled to offer more than the ask.

Miles can do it. If he has problems, he can bring the bike to me or Yo Spiff and we'll help him out. We never got tune ups when I was a kid; if something wasn't working right, we fixed it ourselves.

From another thread:

We are in full agreement there.

I would say pass on this. Even if it were free, it might be no bargain, as even as a DIY project you could find yourself putting $100 or more worth of work into it, plus your time. After all, you aren't talking about bombing around the neighborhood with your 5 year old. You are talking about doing some decently serious riding. You wouldn't play American football in a leather helmet, so why are you contemplating club rides on a bike that is really more of a bike shaped toy?

Cycling doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive, but it isn't dirt cheap, either. I just bought myself a new pair of cycling shorts, on sale, and 4 new water bottles. It cost me $68. Did I absolutely need the new shorts? Probably not, but on longer rides, comfortable bike shorts make the ride more enjoyable. A set of clipless pedals will run you at least $40, as will a set of tires and tubes. Decent shoes will cost more than $40.

And if shorts, shoes, and pedals make riding more enjoyable, a better bike will reap large benefits. You don't need the latest carbon fiber racing bike, but you shouldn't settle for a cheap Huffy, either. If it were me or my wife, son or nephew, I would say to hold out for something slightly better. Maybe an old Peugeot, Raleigh, Miyata, Schwinn Super Le Tour, Trek, or Giant. Alternately, look for a better quality 90s or early 2000s era hybrid. Not ideal road bikes, but much better than that Huffy.

Cycling really doesn't have to be expensive, if you aren't out to impress people by how cool you look. You need a bike, and you ride it.

I mean, sure, this bike needs a new chain, maybe brake pads, for the wheel to be trued, etc. Might cost $50, bringing the grand total to $90. That's not a bad price. It isn't the world's best bike, but for that kind of money no one is expecting it to be. It's just a bike for someone to get into road riding on.

I agree. Cycling is what you make it.

Don't forget tires.

Both of these are leaps and bounds better than the huffy in the OP. I'd jump on either. (OR BOTH, and flip one for some extra cash). This is exactly the "Dingy fuji" I was talking about in my first post of the thread.


Just to capitalize on a teachable moment here for the used bike buying newbies out there, take a look at the fork. It's bent. This is something you can use to your advantage when haggling price.

Also, while this frame is lugged and not electroforged like a varsity, it does still have one piece cranks. These use a BB shell about the size of a soda can. This is a great clue as to the quality of vintage bike you're buying. Try to avoid one piece "american" cranks and bottom brackets. Not only do they use different pedal threading, they also use weird, ancient bearings, are easy to bend and weight a ton. There are shims to space them down to an english thread, but IME, old american frames are so lazily finished in the BB shell, with tubes protruding in and plates tacked on for ballast, that you'd have to just about ream the shell out to get the shim/adapter to work.

May or may not be bent. You really have to see it in person. I've been accused on having bent forks on some of my bikes that I've posted pictures of on BF, but in real life they are fine; it's just a trick of the camera angle, especially when, like this bike, the front wheel is turned. I wasn't really recommending that bike anyway; just trying to illustrate how to tell frame size by looking at the top tube. This last bike was something that is currently on the local CL and I wasn't recommending a buy.

Actually, I spoke to my SO and she thinks that I need to get to where I can ride more than 2 miles a day before I start even looking at a rodie. As far as extras go, shoes and pedals aren't going to be an issue for a bit:



I need to ride more befor I invest a bunch of money. My roadmaster was a birthday present that my SO and BIL suprised me with, I am happy that they even put any thought into it even though it is a X-mart bike.

Looks not too different from my leg about a year ago. Well, you'll eventually get to a point where she will see the benefit. There will be other deals like that when you are ready.

My wife has no problem with my buying bike toys these days. It keeps me healthy and happy, and sometimes involves her:

Port Bolivar Lighthouse by Yo Spiff, on Flickr

I have already lost 10 pounds riding, I had lost 20 previously by diet and walking, obviously walking is now out of the picture for a while. Because the surgery was in the front ball area of my foot I am allowed to ride. I would love to get my wife to come along, she is not very active; she also has scoliosis and is only 4'4". I've been in a car waiting on the ferry right about where you are standing.

It's a great place to ride and the most traffic is the cars passing through leaving the ferry. I prefer it to the very touristy Galveston side of the bay. I'd like to hike all the way out to the end of the jetty sometime.

In that case, start saving, take your time, learn about bikes, then you can make a better decision when you're ready, and you'll have a bit more money to get a nicer bike.

How is it since Ike?

That's the plan now, I still want to do Goatneck next year, that is my one year goal.

This one might be worth it.



It is far too small for you, but I have a World Sport frame that would probably fit you pretty well.



I scavenged parts for another project, but the frame is fine. (No, the fork isn't bent; it's a bad camera angle.) I've already gotten more than the $10 out of this bike that I paid for it, so you could have the frame if you want it.

Don't know if it would fit me, but it might be worth the BBQ to see if it would fit my wife.

It doesn't need to fit you. Just take all the parts off and put it on the blue frame I have (which I think will fit you).

Plus the barbecue.

This is turning into one of those home improvement shows where they completely renovate a house for "$1000"...but that price only includes the cost of things like wood, drapes, end tables and shrubbery and does not include the countless hours of labor by professional landscapers, interior decorators, and construction crews that would EASILY send the total cost of the project in the tens-of-thousands of dollars.

The OP might end up with a really nice bike thanks to the help of the good people here. Otherwise that $100 bike might end up costing a fortune to fix up.

I am taking the earlier advice; I'm gong to make due with my mtn bike while I build my endurance. I will worry about a roadie later

I would charge $100 to haul it due to the possibility of back injury. Warmed my heart last time I was looking through the LBS's recycle pile, and right on top they had a mint '70s AMF or Huffy. Hated working on those things.

Good thinking.

Good idea. Get some road tires for it and some clipless pedals and shoes. If you are going to start logging some serious miles, might as well get used to road pedals and shoes....plus they are easier on the feet than platform pedals and tennis shoes.