Need a bike for 300 or less...
 

Hey there guys! new to the forum and need some help looking for a new bike. For around $300. Will be riding Chicago weather rain or shine 25 miles and the roads have some bumps and cracks. Would like some help on what to look for when I'm shopping. Thanks in advance guys!

You're talking Craig's list used, or Amazon. Have fun.

Try eBay. Look for a mid level US made or possibly Italian made 1980s or 1990s cromoly bike.

It won't have high end steel like those in top of the line road bikes but you should be able to find one within your budget. You can at least get a high quality single speed road bike under your budget. I did this with a Bianchi Trofeo.

Good luck.

There's some decent stuff out there. Do you know what size you need?

2010 Jamis Satellite Road Bike
Trek 2300 Carbon
Road bike 57cm Raleigh

I'd scratch that carbon from the list. OTOH, that Raleigh really looks interesting...

However, you've got to really know what you're doing when you buy used. Otherwise, you could end up paying the same amount that you'd pay for a new bicycle!

Chicago is flat! Why not get a new single speed road bike from www.performancebike.com

Test ride before you actually pay for it with Performance! :thumb:

Checkout the Schwinn and SE single speed "road bikes"...

Yeah, I suppose carbon of that era isn't the best route. I just noticed that Shimano 600 group (including early STI's). The OP probably needs more general 'what to look for' advice anyway rather than my list.

Thank you guys for the responses... Im a third shifter sorry if i get back to you guys late... Im 5'9 and also sorry I'm in the Burbs not in chicago... sorry about that... I am browsing craigslist but i have no idea what im looking for... Really sorry guys for the late answers! Its Bartlett to Naperville if you guys know the areas!

I just got my son an Electra Cruiser for $259. It is single speed but Illinois is pretty flat. It is a solid bike and will do well in those conditions.

There are a lot of good chrome-moly steel road or mountain bikes from the 1980s-90s that would fit the bill. Stick with bike store quality bikes like Giant, Specialized, Fuji, Trek, Raleigh, Schwinn (beware there are some low-end Schwinns that weren't as good) etc.

Older mountain bikes or hybrids, which in that era were basically mountain bikes with 700c wheels, make good general purpose bikes and have eyelets for fenders and/or a rack.

Try your local bike shops for a used bike or find a bike co-op. You'll fare better there than on CL or EBay if you "have no idea what I'm looking for". There are lots of seemingly minor things that can be wrong with a bike that are deal breakers so working with a reputable bike seller is better than buying from a random stranger if you don't know what to watch out for.

If you are good with a few wrenches and don't mind finishing up (minor) assembly work, then I would look at the website Bikes Direct .com

From what I've read, people either like them or despise them. They do have a huge line of bikes, but not top name brands (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc...) They have brands line Windsor, Dawes, Gravity, and the better known Motobecane.

Save up to 60% off Road Bikes, Free Ship 48, Schwinn, GT, Kestrel, Fuji, Motobecane and more Road bikes. Authorized dealer for Schwinn, GT, Kestrel, Fuji, Motobecane, Mercier, Gravity, Dawes road bikes. Shimano Carbon Road Bikes, Titanium Road Bikes,

The cheapest, absolute bottom line, bargain basement priced, road bike they have are:
Dawes Lightning Sport = $259 Save Up to 60% Off Shimano Road Bikes - Dawes Lightning Sport AL
Mercier Galaxy SC1 = $259 Save Up to 60% Off New Road Bikes, Roadbikes - Mercier Galaxy AL SC1 Road bikes

I am seriously no expert on road bikes, and like you, I too am looking for a first road bike. I don't want a road bike where I'd have to take out a 2nd mortgage to pay for it, you know what I mean? (no offense people... just sayin') But with that said, and looking long and hard at Bikes Direct, even I am leery of a $259 road bike! I'd go up a few models and get something with way better components that doesn't have "old school" stem shifters. In my opinion (whatever it's worth), I'd focus on spending minimum of $500 for a first road bike, and ride the #%$^ out of it, while saving up for a top name, way better, Shimano 105 component, road bike.

Regarding Craigslist and eBay... My advice - be careful with that avenue. I checked out Craigslist in my area a while back and saw a guy trying to sell an old 1982 Raleigh Grand Prix 27" 10 speed road bike, and the dude was asking $250 bucks! I replied to it and he got mad at me and pulled the ad. If I remember, all I asked him was something like, "Seriously? $250 for an '82 Raleigh? Wow... Is anything gold plated on it or perhaps, all the members of the Rolling Stones autographed it with a sharpie?" :lol:

My brother bought this bike from Bikes Direct:
Save up to 60% off Shimano equipped Road Bikes - Windsor Fens Shimano Equipped Bicycles Save up to 60% off List price

Cheaper than what I paid for my Fuji and better in every respect.
The difference, of course, is that he had to do a little bit of wrenching to get it going (i think he had to put the handlebars or the front fork on and the wheels). It didn't take too long, he rode it around for a month or so to stretch the cables and brought it into a local bike shop for a $100 full tuneup (he probably only needed the $50 tuneup, if that) and still came out ahead.

He has ridden several centuries with me and he has not voiced any complaints to me yet.

You want to look for a cromoly frame.... the seller should list the steel - 4130, Reynolds 520 or Dedacciai Zero/Tre are high quality steel tubing used in road bikes. Reasonably lightweight, stiff and compliant.

If you want high end steel, Reynolds 531, 631, 753 and 853 are all good choices. There are also other steels made by Columbus, Dedacciai, True Temper and Tange that are of similar quality. They offer a great lightness to strength ratio making for a superb riding bicycle.

Good luck.

I agree with the sentiments regarding taking out a second mortgage to buy a bike but living where I do I have also come to accept that spending $10k on a nice road bike for some people is not the same as me spending $10k on a road bike. The guys I see on $10k bikes are carrying them in their Range Rover and probably have another $100k car in the garage for their multi million dollar home. More power to them.

As for Craigslist. Markets vary wildly. I believe where the OP is from in Chicago is a hotter bike market then your local CL. I know that in where I live in LA there are several vintage Raleighs on CL right now with asking prices of $250-350. I just recently paid $290 for 1989 Centurion Iron Man and I'm pretty happy with it and it was a good value compared to other 80s vintage road bikes I've seen. I could have spent $150-250 for something that needed a lot of work. I could have spent $600-1000 for an immaculate original or restored bike. But I went in the middle and got something in very good shape with top of the line components from the era that only needed basic tuning up.

Need a bike for 300 or less...
 

I would order a Mercier Nano from BikesDirect. $299 delivered to your door. Versatile, funky, small wheeled bike that is a blast to ride.

I wouldn't want a bike with 20" wheels if I had to ride 25 miles a day

A bike with small wheels accelerates faster than a bike with big wheels. Less drag and wind resistance to put up with. This makes a mini velo superbly suited to long day rides.

Bro: you get what you pay for. Spend the money and get a collector's item masterpiece, and enjoy the hell out of it.
You're welcome.

Bro: @apstms12 has patiently waited for this response, I’m sure. Maybe he will follow up with his decision in 2029. :50:

I am far from a Bikes Direct Basher. I own two BD bikes, as well as a few more spendy bikes. However at 300 bucks, I think you’re going to be really challenged to find a decent road bike. If that’s a hard budget, I’d definitely look used

Bro: Strong advice. Way to set the OP straight. Hopefully he has been saving his money for the last 7 years and can afford to pay for a collector's item masterpiece like you suggest.

you must be missing out on one of the biggest threads on this site: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...t-ii-2432.html
once a 22 or 23" bike in your area pops up get it

As the Original Poster started this thread in 2014 and has never returned, we are going to put this Zombie Thread back to sleep.