I am a novice rider. I recently had my mountain bike stolen and a friend let me borrow a road bike and I fell in love with how fast I could go, distance, how light the bike is. Now I am looking for a used road bike and they can be pretty pricey. I found new cruiser bikes within my price range and I guess my question is - is there much difference between a cruiser and road bike?

Thanks
Rey

Cruiser?

Not sure the definition of a cruiser. Link ??
Test ride both styles and see which you like better.

huge difference in the two. my first road bike was used and you can make out well in the used market. if you don't mind me asking, what is your budget? people here can help you find a buy if you provide info like your price range and location. Craigslist and eBay have a lot of used bikes, you have to shop smart.

I would like to stay under 200$
I looked on Craigslist and came up with a few and not sure if they are overpriced or not. This is very similar to the road bike I am borrowing now.
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3886720171.html

I am in the Cleveland Ohio area.

That is an old 1980s clunker worth about $30. Fine as a "grocery getter"

Sellers on Craigslist seem to think their old clunkers are valuable just because they are old. 99% of them are wrong.

How tall are you ?

Not many road bikes in your area. If you end up with a mtn bike, you can put on narrower slick tires and put 80+ psi in them and it will roll pretty well.

This is nice if you are 6 feet tall
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3889927001.html

Put skinny slicks on this .... priced right
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3889897091.html

offer $65
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3889791852.html

offer $75 ... decent old bike
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3885461125.html

You could probably score a used Fixie bike for under $200.00. In fact, here's one for $70.00.

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/gms/3883255875.html

I am a female 5 feet tall.

That's all I am finding are the old ones they want alot of $ for.

Never mind. Too large. How's about this? https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/3847320802.html

Not super fast, probably good for tooling around vs. a heavier beach cruiser. And price point isn't bad.

Cruiser vs road bike? Umm, chicken vs Lamborghini.

Essex - emailing about that bike.

Homebrew - The 2nd bike seems more my size and price isnt bad. So I would just swap the tires out to skinny ones?

Thanks guys you are awesome!!!

Hey I did warn you I was a novice rider =)

Yes, it has knobbies (designed for dirt) which are slower and have a bit of "rumble" when ridden on the road. You can ride it as is anyway, or buy road tires. $25 is very fair for that, so act fast.

Hey guys =)

Most of the bikes you linked my way were already sold. I had one other road bike I was interested in at this reseller shop was a vintage Murray - they were asking 110$ for it - looked great except when i took it for a ride the left pedal was wobbly. i decided against it and went back to Craigslist and found the bike I did purchase. I went with a hybrid bike. Rides very nicely and very comfortable. Although I never heard of the brand name Motiv Newport ~ Full suspension ~ Performance Series Hybrid.

Nice one, looks new.

It does look new Has a few minor scratches and a little rust on handlebars. For $90 I couldn't pass that up!!!
Question could I swap the tires on this for road tires?? It has 26x1.95 currently.

I did that . Put some slick narrow tires on it . makes for a smooth fast ride.