Gravity Aided

Not too much value put on many old MTBs. You can find them in garage sales, church sales, sometimes even pawnshops, usually really reasonable in price.

oddjob2

IMHO, get one with a rigid front fork. With the big tires, they ride smooth enough. Look for good component groups like Deore or STX.

cyclotoine

Yup a lot are. There are some higher end ones out there that are pretty hard to get a hold of though and exist in far small numbers. I am on a quest for an early 1990s Rocky Mountain... blizzard, altitude, even equipes are a little harder to find. Or a thunderbolt (no chance). Yeti's, fat chances and kleins all command pretty good coin.

Gravity Aided

This is true, many of the more erudite and high end frames out there are still very valuable due to prestige and scarcity. But when I speak of many old MTBs, it would be in reference to something one would find in the aforementioned places: Giants, Treks, Schwinns,Specializeds, and other things the op is likely to run across. Yet a bike like that, while an everyday sort of bicycle, was often light and well made and equipped. So for now, with a lot of the old rigid MTBs, you get a lot for your money.

wintermute

Not sure - the stickers are very faded. From left to right (or back to front), first sticker is mostly white (faded) and reads 26 x 1.50 on the bottom, the second is also almost completely faded but reads "Heat Treated; Japan" on the bottom. The third sticker is a Wheelsmith spoke sticker. The only thing I can read on the (silver) hub is "Suntour". The front wheel is an Alex XRims SZ rim laced to a JoyTech hub = junk, but it rolls.

neo_pop_71

Hey Squeeze,

You have a variety of nice bikes in your backyard, check 'em out:
https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/3989409769.html
Depending on how tall you are, the Cannondale or the Miyata are both great bikes (IMO) for the asking price.


There is a really nice rigid bike in Denver that my buddy just passed on (it was a little too big for him), the Columbus Thron frame is great plus it has a nice mix of parts for the price. Here is the link to the Craigslist ad: https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/3913970845.html (BTW, I have no affiliation or connection to the seller, I'm just trying to be helpful)
You can afford to be picky, you have so many nice bikes in your area...

Klein Quantum road frame and fork for $150 (https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/bik/3989268903.html)
Bontrager Privateer complete for $150 (https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/3923231512.html)
Sampson titanium road frame with carbon fork and parts for $150 (https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/3981706102.html)

These are a few that my friend emailed me this week, he snags plenty of great bikes or frames, and never pays more than $150. He has bought a few and shipped them out to me, for whatever reason people seem more reasonable with their pricing compared to my local market.

Keep asking questions, these guys know their stuff... if you find something, ask the forum what they think before you purchase, you'll get honest and informed opinions.

Good luck!

-D-

Squeeze

neo_pop_71, thank you for the very helpful post. I have seen ads from the guy in Highlands Ranch on craigslist before and I will pounce when he has something I like. That 22" Cannondale looks about right for me, I think. I'm 6'2". I had a 23" rigid MTB in the late '80s and remember thinking it was too big for off-road riding but good on the road for me, so think I'm in the 22" - 23" frame range. Silly me, but I don't like that specific Cannondale because it's black. I'd like something a little more visible when I'm near traffic.

I'm also looking for something I can install racks and fenders on and has mounts for two bottles...if you'd like to pass that along to your friend. If he flips bikes but cleans and tunes them before selling, I'm a serious potential customer for him. I'm currently commuting with a backpack on a full-suspension Mongoose with fat knobby tires and it's a heavy, slow ride. I'm looking for light and quick for commuting on hard paths, some dirt/gravel paths, and neighborhood streets.

I will. Thanks again.

Squeeze

If I'm not pushing my luck here, can anyone recommend a good book for bicycle maintenance and repair? I'm sure there are many. I'd like "the best", of course.

I realize there are videos on YouTube but I'm a book kind of guy and just happen to have a $25 gift certificate to Amazon right now, too. I'd like to know how to do everything from adjusting brakes to being able to assemble a bike from parts as a lot of you guys obviously do.

Thanks.

curbtender

Zinn sells a few books.

Squeeze

Are DiamondBack bikes decent or are they more of a department store brand to be avoided? I have a feeling I should be holding out for Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, etc. Thoughts?

I ask because this beauty is tempting me at the moment. The price seems a tad high but the bike looks like it's in good shape...or am I being fooled by cleanliness? I have a low budget (around $200, to include rack and fenders) but want to buy a quality bike that will last, and I'm happy to buy from a "flipper" who bought cheap and is selling high but who took the time to tune the bike properly.

I'm 6'2" and looking for a 22" or maybe 23" frame rigid MTB to use as a commuter but those seem relatively rare on the Denver craigslist compared to the smaller sizes.

XL large Diamondback hybrid bike - $145




More pics in the ad. Here's the text:

"Diamondback 21 speed Hybird bike
23 inch frame for the taller rider
Nice light butted steel frame. .
26 inch tires, are like new..
quick releases,
New seat

Beautiful, & completely cleaned & tuned up, adjusted - NO issues !"

LesterOfPuppets

That's a tad high for a Sorrento, to be sure. It could be worth it if you want to start riding immediately


DB makes a range from slightly better than Walmart (think sporting goods stores) to fairly high end.

carlosmqa

Portuguese Confersil Mountain Bike (1992)

Squeeze

Thanks. I figured the price was a little high. Funny how when I had first started looking bikes my size seemed to be all over craigslist for $100 and now that I have cash in hand and am ready to go buy one, suddenly the supply has dried up.

Oh well, it's craigslist. The perfect bike could be posted in five minutes.

Thanks again.

nikku 

We're also on the back end of peak season. Wait until October when school has started and the weather cooled.

Anyway, my wife's beater is a '98 DB Sorrento SE that was her younger brother's. I've swapped out the wheelset for a significantly nicer, lighter one with 28mm street tires, and am about to swap out the bars for some swept back bars. The bike itself isn't too bad, it's a sturdy double butted TIG welded chromoly frame. Was a mid-range sporting goods store bike from the late 90's with decent frame and fork and lower end components, and is perfect for a neighborhood cruiser.

CACycling

DBs started heading downhill in the mid 90s. I've got 4 '92 DBs (2 Ascent EXs, a Sorrento and a Topanga) and they are all nice riding bikes. The '92 Sorrento is really sweet. I had a couple of Sorrentos from the mid 90s and they were nowhere near as nice. Here is the '92 Sorrento (20" frame) set up for my 6' 1" son:

oddjob2

MOS cro-moly frameset, Shimano 300 Exage. Needs new 7 speed shifter. Washed prior to photo as I was washing my Z3 anyway. Was it a wisely spent $35 and 25 mile drive? Seems pretty heavy relative to my drop bar Melon Green Miyata Terra Runner.

Squeeze

I hadn't thought of that, other than, "I'd better get something decent soon because pretty soon it will be too cold to ride." I figure I've got another good month at least of bike commuting almost every day, and I'm less than overjoyed riding a full-suspension Mongoose currently as a commuter.

Thanks again for the advice. I'm learning a ton just lurking and reading as much as I can.

Bikedued

Funny thing is down here, winter is the best time to mountain bike. You can wear heavier clothing that will help protect you in a crash, and you don't get dehydrated that easily either. Of course the ground also stays pretty soft unless there's a super hard freeze, so traction isn't really an issue either. All around it's just better IMHO. At the bike shop in Lake Charles we sold the majority of our mountain bikes in October through December. They sold well year around since it was largely rural, but the big buck machines sold as Winter was just beginning.,,,,BD

Gravity Aided

Oddjob2, I always thought the Impact was worth a good deal more, maybe $40.00 and 50 mile drive at least. I've seen a few around here, and have owned 2. That's the first one I've seen with a straight bar. Trekking bars seem to be all the rage on the Impacts I see around here. Cool color as well. Might make a nice heavy tourer with some trekking bars.

Bikedued

I had a black chrome Impact for a short time. 88 model I think, judging by the geometric shape graphics Schwinn was into that year. Sold it to a friend of mine who was about 6'3".,,,BD

frantik

sweet... and is that chainring a sugino "biopace" knockoff?

Aemmer

curbtender

wintermute

I thought it looked like a Shinto Torii, but well done!

Gravity Aided

Schwinn Passage (not Mountain Bike) with Shinto Tori