Buying A Cheap Bicycle - Rant, Help?

[jyl]

This is both a rant and a request for advice.

I'm looking for a "spare bicycle" because I hate it when guests visit and my wife lets them ride my bicycles. No, they are not megabuck carbon-everything bikes but they are nice vintage Bridgestones, one is a MB-Zip and another is a XO-1, not easily or cheaply replaced. Plus the damn inlaws always feel compelled to change the seat height and muck up my seatpost. Anyway, a beater bike to run errands on would be useful, with all the bike theft here.

So, budget is $200, I simply want a decent quality mountain bike or road bike in sort of a medium-ish size - like appx 19 inch if a mountain frame, appx 53 cm if a road frame. Preferably a quality bike that cost several hundred bucks or $1K over ten years ago, rather than a low-end bike that cost $300 one year ago, if you know what I mean. Also, something sort of interesting would be nice, though optional. (Edit: I mean, not Yet Another Fifty-Dollar Trek MTB).

I figured this would be easy on Craiglist, right? In the last three days I've seen a (mid 90s?) KHS Montana Comp w/ old-style Manitou fork for $75, a ('93?) REI Novara Trianfo w/ Shimano 105 for $150, and similar - all seem like they'd be fine. I've contacted the owners within hours after the ad is posted.

But no-one on Craiglist will respond to me! The ads don't have phone numbers, only emails, and I email them, say I'm interested in the bike and here is my email and phone etc - and zero response.

I hate Craiglist.

OK, rant off. So, request for advice.

(1) What am I doing wrong, as far as responding to the ads?

(2) Any suggestions on the choice of bikes? Is my budget just too low? Are recent Gary Fishers crap - I see plenty of them for $300 or so, I thought they were top-notch bikes once but now I wonder. This being Portland, I see some older European road bikes - Peugeots, Motobecanes, etc - should I steer clear of those, weirdo threads or whatever?

And, obviously, if anyone has a suitable bike . . . but shipping cost might be a budget breaker.

[alf]

Keep trying the list. I picked up a handbuilt Davidson road bike for $500 last year and last week picked up a nice bike for my kid for $100. You could also cruise garage sales. You got an MB-0? I am envious. Email them with your phone number, and I will buy header.

[einreb]

Pics of MB-0 ASAP

WTB ad?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

John, I have a nice Trek 1400, 53. yours free, BUT, it needs a new/used rear derailleur and the mount straightened/tapped.

I ran over a stick, a little stick!, and it jammed in the chain and ripped the 105 out of the frame. Otherwise very nice little bike, new Cinelli black cork tape, good wheels and tires, etc.

I paid $100 for it 2 years ago on CL and used it one season after cleaning it up. it's light as a feather, too small for me anyway, I'll never fix it.

[jyl]

Have had the MB-0 since new. Ditto with wife's MB-5, now an Xtracycle. The XO-1 is more recent. So naturally if I found a $200 RB-1 . . . no, then it wouldn't be a beater.

[dhoward]

I must be missing something here.
What's wrong with a $100 wal-mart bike for a 'loaner'?
Unless it's just a 'status' thing....

[jyl]

Rationally, you're absolutely right - I just don't like having junky stuff around.

Originally Posted by dhoward

I must be missing something here.
What's wrong with a $100 wal-mart bike for a 'loaner'?
Unless it's just a 'status' thing....

[Don Plumley]

REI during one of their sales. Try hunting garage sales. Cash and carry...

[LakeCleElum]

www.propertyroom.com

Some good bikes pass thru there for cheap...

[Hugh R]

If the Walmart bike breaks a derailer, or brake, good luck getting that part. Walmart doesn't carry parts and most bike shops don't for those bikes either.

[jim72911t]

I view most bikes built by major manufacturers to a given price point in the last decade or so as largely the same. There might be some minor differences in component spec from bike to bike, but the new stuff works so well now that I wouldn't worry about it. The main difference will be frame material/fit, but since you aren't going to be riding it yourself, that's a moot point also. I think you should be able to find something decent in the $2-300 range, be it road or mountain.

Jealous of your collection, especially the XO-1. My current stable includes an old fillet brazed single speed Ritchey, a '95 era Mongoose Amp full suspension with a full Paul drivetrain, a Miyata road bike with Shimano Ultegra stuff, and my townie, which is just a freak. (Can you tell I like old bikes?)

I agree on CL as well, but as a seller. I was trying to sell my beater truck for $600 recently, and you wouldn't believe the amount of flakes I got. I figured that the cheaper I priced the thing, the faster it would sell. Not true. Seems that guys looking for $600 trucks actually don't have $600. Should have priced it at $2000 and it would have been gone in a day.

[K. Roman]

I found this one for $420. It was brand new. Retail is 600-700$

[tcar]

craigslist.

Bet you'll find 5-6 of them. Local.

[jyl]

Was asked for pics

MB-0
- Is being used as a commuter. At work I lock it in underground structure, in close view of lot attendants, never been a bike theft there.
- Non-original parts: saddle, bar (now a Ritchey WCS), fork (now a Rockshox Mag21), headset (the Ritchey wore out). The original MB-0 fork is in the garage. Also rack, fenders, dual Nightsun, etc.
- I remember this was a bunch of money back when. The shop said they'd skip the tax if I paid cash, so I paid with a fistful of $50s. Bike has spent most of its life on the street with slicks. In its trail days, mostly got ridden to obscure trout streams with a flyrod tube strapped to the top tube. So the frame was never broken.




XO-1
- Bought a couple years ago
- Entirely stock I think, but I don't know the XO's well



MB-5 Xtracycle
- No vintage interest, but thought someone might want to see what an Xtracycle looks like. These are getting more popular up here. Carries a lot of groceries!


MB-0

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by jyl

(2) Any suggestions on the choice of bikes? Is my budget just too low? Are recent Gary Fishers crap - I see plenty of them for $300 or so....

I purchased one a couple of years ago (a bit over $500 new), so that sounds about right. They're probably entry level to many, but to me it's a nice bike...Made in USA, beautiful welds, Shimano components (only thing I know about Shimano is they make damn fine fishing reels ), and I've been very happy.

[scottmandue]

Keep trying craigslist... the flakes seem to come in waves but if you persist someone should email you back.

I had five or six people email me back when I was looking for a bike in your price range.

Heck I am waiting on a call back from someone selling a dumbbell/bench set I saw on CL right now.

BTW I can see why you don't want people borrowing your bike, nice Bridgestones! My friends were house sitting for me when her car broke down and they borrowed my bike with out even asking me!
I finally got it back from her with the comment "well, it is not very comfortable, and the seat is too hard, and I don't need all those gears, I only use it about once a week." The bike is WAY too big for her and has shimano clip on pedals.

[CORNICE6]

From CL. $175 Voodoo Hoodoo. 18" MTB. Located in Santa Cruz, CA.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/736006664.html

Or try http://www.bikesdirect.com/

[alf]

Originally Posted by jyl

Was asked for pics

MB-0
- Is being used as a commuter. At work I lock it in underground structure, in close view of lot attendants, never been a bike theft there.
- Non-original parts: saddle, bar (now a Ritchey WCS), fork (now a Rockshox Mag21), headset (the Ritchey wore out). The original MB-0 fork is in the garage. Also rack, fenders, dual Nightsun, etc.
- I remember this was a bunch of money back when. The shop said they'd skip the tax if I paid cash, so I paid with a fistful of $50s. Bike has spent most of its life on the street with slicks. In its trail days, mostly got ridden to obscure trout streams with a flyrod tube strapped to the top tube. So the frame was never broken.




XO-1
- Bought a couple years ago
- Entirely stock I think, but I don't know the XO's well



MB-5 Xtracycle
- No vintage interest, but thought someone might want to see what an Xtracycle looks like. These are getting more popular up here. Carries a lot of groceries!


MB-0

I like your bikes!

[alf]

This one just popped up on CL

http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/bik/736169125.html MB6 for $40.

[jyl]

I just went and looked at a Dahon Boardwalk folding bike. Looks like this, with a rear rack. 7 speed rear derailleur w/ gripshift, reasonably light (26 lbs?), front and rear handbrakes. The current equivalent is the Boardwalk "D7", about $450 street price.

http://www.dahon.com/intl/boardwalkd7.htm

This one is virtually new - whiskers still on the tires, etc - and $250 w/ 30 warranty and an included service from the local bike co-op.

Above budget and not a bike I'd personally choose to ride. Rides fine, but kind of squirrely feeling with the small tires and steep fork angle.

But I'm still thinking about it, here's the logic.
- It folds up, so won't take up more floor space in my (miniscule) garage.
- The seat tube is 10" and the seat post is about a mile long, so will adjust to "fit" anyone who visits us. From <5' to well over 6'.
- Seven-speed, indexed twist shift seems idiot-proof.
- Can fit in a trunk or luggage, although I can't see any reason why I'd want to.
- Won't need any tinkering at all.
- And anyway, I'll never ride it.