Irenicus

Hey guys, firstly I apologize if this is the wrong forum for this post. I am looking at more experienced opinions on a few bikes I am looking to purchase. I know very little about bikes and am in the process of educating myself. I'm looking for a commuter road bike for my short (6km) ride to work and home and a bit of city biking.

I am looking at 3 bikes but am not able to post the links to the ads here.

Again I apologize if these price check/inquiring post is in the wrong location. This is my first post here - I guess I am not allowed to post links anyway. If someone wants to help me via PM that would be awesome.

Thanks again guys hope all is well

alcjphil

Perhaps you could furnish the make and model of the bikes you are looking at. So far all we know is that you plan on riding 6 km to work.

Irenicus

I'm looking at a Cannondale R600 and an old Kuwahara road bike. The guy with the Kuwahara wants to sell it to me tonight but it's hard without posting the links.

Would you be able to look at the 2 if I send you links?

Sorry if I'm pressy just stressing over the decisions - I have no idea if a bike is worth the money at all.

Phil_gretz

How tall are you and how big are the bikes? What city are you in?

The Cannondale is likely to be a good choice. Does it fit you? Can you test ride it? Are the brakes and derailleurs in working condition? Do the wheels spin true? Are there obvious signs of damage or abuse? Are there any parts that will need immediate replacing, like the tires? Factor this into your price. Is it less than $150?

Lemond1985

For such such a short commute, anything will work. But if you're spending money, it might as well fit. If you give your height and the size of the frames, we can give you a ballpark estimate of whether or not it will fit reasonably.

For bikes, fit should be your #1 concern, it's absolutely critical, and a major reason many why people quit the sport.

Wilfred Laurier

As above, the size of the bike and of your body are the primary details needing to be sorted.

Just crap-post a few more times and you can post links and pics.

VegasTriker

You can look up the specifications for the Cannondale R600 bikes dating from 1993 to 2004 here: https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/Sear...72&model=40917 It wasn't a cheap bike and the Shimano 105 components work well and last a long time. An easy way to approximate the date of manufacture is to look for date codes stamped in parts like the rear of the brakes and the insides of the crank arms. You might have to go online to decode dates like the date code on Shimano cranks. It's "RC" on the Shimano cranks for my 1993 Trek Single Track 930 bike. That allowed me to date the bike to within a year.

The Kuwahara road bike could be a lot older. One pictured in this thread shows a date code stamped into the bottom bracket of March 1985. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ad-bike-2.html See post #26 for the picture of the bottom bracket with date stamped in it. There is a section on Bike Forums for vintage appraisals where you can get information about the value of the bike.

BookFinder 

+1 on the matter of fit.

If it fits the "feel" will be effortless and you'll enjoy it. If the fit is wrong and it puts you in a stressful riding posture you'll eventually (if not sooner) begin to hate it getting on it. I would go so far as to say a cheap bike that fits is preferable to a high-line bike that is uncomfortable.

So post your inseam and height and we can point you to a ballpark frame size.

For example, I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam. I ride a 50 cm (19.68") road frame and a 16" (40.64 cm) hybrid frame.

My Cannondale PD (basically a flat-bar road bike bike with mtb tires) and my Schwinn MTB (more hybrid than mountain) are my best fits and favorite bikes.

Irenicus

Okay well I ran out of data and made a decisive decision. I bought the Cannondale for $340 cash - it is SLICK and I am super happy. I have it in for a tune up and new handle wraps today and am getting it tomorrow. Thing rides really nice. I'm curious what year the bike actually is though. I don't know anything about bikes or fit but it's a large frame and I am 5'11, 180lbs so I would loosely assume it should be fine. Hopefully I did well... I'll upload some pictures tomorrow!

VegasTriker

The easiest way is to look at the back of the crank. Cannondale used Shimano cranks and if you look at the part of the crank facing the frame you will see the Shimano name and other information on the size of the crank. You can look up the date code from the Shimano table here: Date of Manufacture of Bicycle Components can be used to date a bike: component dating. The crank pictured below is from my Cannondale SM800 MTB. It is upside down in the picture but you can read it as "PA" where P is 1991 and A is January. That's a pretty good clue that the bike was manufactured sometime in 1991.

Lemond1985

You will love your Cannondale. First time I did a test ride on one in 1986 at Pleasant Hill Cyclery was a revelation, I had never ridden anything that fast, it was one of the Criterium models. Blew even expensive Italian frames of the day that I was looking at completely out of the water. With those, they felt pretty fast, but most of the details that justified the expense of a $1000 frame had to be pointed out to me by salespeople, then I understood why they were "better" than cheaper framesets.

But with the Cannondale, there was no explanation needed at all, I totally "got it" and felt all the advantages the frame had to offer for myself instantly, on the very first test ride.

Hondo Gravel

Try out this before you buy anything

Irenicus

Just picked it up and rode it home. It's sliiiiick

I still have no idea how to shift gears properly on a road bike. And I'm pretty sure I need to get the seat and handlebars adjusted. I just didn't feel like spending $150 and 2 hours for a pro fitting. Going to research some videos tonight and try and get further educated.