kiwitree

tyrion

link:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/6811225427.html

kross57

It should fit him, but IMHO you could do better at that price. The bike looks kinda rough.

blardner14

Yes and with a mishmash of parts. The derailleurs are vintage Shimano Deerhead and are worth some money on Ebay, but it definitely is dated.

wrk101

To the right person in a hot market, its a good deal. Its a bit of a mess and will probably need some parts replaced and some maintenance. If you have to pay for that maintenance, you probably would be better off just buying something in better shape.

I see better choices on the SF C/L. Go modern and there is a nice Fuji touring bike. Vintage there is a nice Centurion Pro Tour. Sure, the Fuji is more $$, but once you pay a shop to fix up that Bridgestone, you will be close to that $$.

kross57

I would say it needs new cables and housings, minimum. I would go for new brake hoods, and new bar tape. The chain and freewheel seem to have been de-rusted with solvent and may need replacement too. Tires do not seem recent. Be careful.

CliffordK

If the goal is to actually get out and ride, then I wouldn't worry too much about the mix of components. Nothing looks like it shouldn't work together.

As mentioned above, I'd anticipate the bike needing a fairly complete tune-up, including new cables, housings, chain, freewheel, brake hoods, tires, etc.

On ALL older bikes, I like to strip down, and clean and lube all the bearings (wheels, bottom bracket, headset). Not a big job, but a bit fiddly, and perhaps needing special tools. But, it is also good to know your bike.

And, it is a good idea to do a thorough tune-up before heading out on a tour.

The one thing I noticed are 27" wheels, and while 27 to 700c conversions are common, I'm not sure the brakes on that bike would support it. 27" tires are still available, but less of a selection than 700c.

Anticipate with racks + panniers + tires + misc parts, you'll be spending around $200 more to get onto the road. But, that could be true with many bikes.

Everything could use a good cleaning, but I don't think the prices are too far beyond what I would otherwise expect.

ramzilla

Looks like a well worn bike. If the frame and the wheels are OK then, it's probably worth a couple hundred bucks. Looks like it needs new chain, tires, brake hoods, handlebar tape & maybe cables. Need to re-pack all the bearings too. Then you would have a bike ready to go for another 3000 miles or so.

bluehills3149

The problem is " but we both aren’t super savvy on bikes " which implies you're not the type to do your own repairs (or even to know what needs doing). But if you took this to a bike shop who knows how much it'll need to get it back into shape. I always say if you have to ask whether buying a bike off Craigslist is a good idea then it's not.
If you do a search there are always a few bikes on sale that are left overs from a year or two back or scratch and dent. Sites like bikeisland, jensonusa, bikesdirect, nashbar (who appear to be going out of business so there may be deals) etc. A good start is to find your frame size at sites like pedalforce.com or wrenchscience who use your body measurements to estimate a correct size.

dailycommute

Looks like a project bike so sounds like you should pass, not a bad price for SF though. The frame is one of the nicest Japanese produced touring frames you will find though underrated and not well known. Somebody willing to do a little work will have a great tourer. That is a 23in build I am six feet even and have the same year but gray and customized a bit. I would not hesitate to take it across country. Also not that it matters but that is the 1985 version vs 1986...both years are the true t700 tourer as later years t700 had many tour details dropped as touring craze waned and then the yen/dollar trade collapsed.