peli_kan

Hey guys,

This is my first post here, and I aim to take it slow. Please be kind to this nooblet, if you shout too loudly I'll drop dead.

I've done alot of reading, scanning ebay/craigslist/forums to try to acquaint myself with the road biking landscape, but I still need your collective wisdom for me to choose.

I'm a student on financial aid, doing whatever I can to stretch the money I earn. I don't have a budget to work with, so instead I'll be investing time and creativity into this project. Hopefully, I'll learn alot too.

-vintage Schwinn or comparable, craigslist $50-100
-used bike with Sora or better, ebay.com $200 and up
-Bikes Direct, hopefully Sora or better, $400 and up

Please tell me if I'm "doing it wrong," and don't hesitate other ways to get a good learner bike. If there are any brands or specific models that I should keep an eye out for, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for your kind advice.

mazdaspeed

I was in your position not long ago, and what I did was buy vintage racing bikes from craigslist. The key is to find one that's your size, and to use your college educated brain to learn how to maintain and repair them. At the end of the day you can end up with a REALLY nice older bike for $150-300. You need to know what you're looking for (as in, what bikes are good) so I would 1.) find your size then 2.) find some vintage bikes on your local craigslist and post them in the classic and vintage section so they can be scrutinized and you can get advice.

You COULD buy a new bike, but ones for $400 aren't really worth buying.

Here is the bike I rode in college. Paid about $100 then put another $100-ish into it. It weighed about 23lbs, the same as or less than a new, far more expensive entry level road bike.





Just my 2 cents having been there and done that. A lot of people aren't fans of vintage bikes, downtube shifters, etc... but I think they're a great value because the high end ones are light, reliable, easy to work on, and infinitely upgradable. The level of quality you can get for $300 in a vintage bike is insane compared to a new $500-800 bike.

Vesper

Hi and welcome! Having been in your same position a few weeks ago I know how you feel. I bought a vintage Raleigh Super Grand Prix a few weeks before I put the money down and bought an '08 Specialized Allez Elite for a good deal on Craigslist

For starters, it depends on what you want to do with your bike. If you are using it mostly for school / commuting, I would recommend you don't spend a lot of money (probably in your first 2 categories). For example, I am bringing my Raleigh back to school with me. It is a smooth ride on good roads but obviously outdated for training purposes.

My Specialized that I picked up the other day (Aluminum frame, carbon fork) 105 Rear derailleurs and Tiagra front didn't require me to invest a ton of money into (800 bucks including clipless shoes and pedals and CatEye Computer and Helmet) and it rides a million times better than the Raleigh. After riding my new bike, I would really hesitate to put the old 80's bike through some longer and more taxing rides (just personal preference). If you plan on doing longer rides for fitness or plan on racing, I would recommend that you try to save a bit and get something better. From what I hear Bikes Direct has some good bikes with good components that aren't name brand, but should do the job. You will have to spend money to get it put together at a bike store though.

Finally, be patient and keep scanning those craiglist ads! I think that is the best way to come up with something good and at a bargain. For me, the Raleigh was the "test bike" that I played around for a few weeks so I could figure out road biking a bit (also I was impatient and wanted to buy a road bike cheap!). You're going to want to be able to afford to make mistakes before you go all out on something expensive and then break it.

BikingGrad80

It depends if you can do your own fitting or wrenching. If you can then you can't beat bikesdirect or craigslist. You should be able to get a used Tiagra level aluminum bike for arround $400. A bike like that should be dependable, ride worthy, and you really shouldn't need to upgrade unless you get into racing. I hate the thumb shifters and poor quality on Sora it is well worth it to spring for Tiagra.

Have someone help measure you and do the wrench science fit calculator so you know about what size to get.

Vesper

Btw that looks really nice! I was thinking of upgrading my vintage bike as well in a while and I didn't really know where or how to start. I also don't want to spend a ton of money for something that I'm bringing to school but I want to add some stuff to increase it's "rideability" and modernize it a bit. I was thinking of first getting some nicer brake levers and some foam handlebar tape and then take it from there. I'll probably leave the bar-end shifters though. Suggestions?

mazdaspeed

Here are some ideas. Does it have 27" wheels? If yes, get 700c wheels. You can get inexpensive used 7-speed wheelsets here and there that will save lots of weight. Which brings me to tires, buy quality tires, it will make a difference. Next, brakes. Vintage brakes are crap. Buy tektro r200 brake levers, and tektro dual pivot brake calipers (long reach if your bike had 27" wheels). Next, do the derailleurs suck? You can get something like shimano 600 derailleurs, front and rear, for around $40-50. Something very important, ditch the old chain. It will shift SO MUCH better with a new sram pc-870. It also has a quick disconnect link. New cables, housings, grease everywhere, and it will ride 100% better.

peli_kan

I found a cheap Cannondale on craigslist, here are pictures:




It's missing pedals, but at $75 it looks very good. At that price, I'd have money left over for a thorough tune-up.

Also found a $150 Giant Perigee from the 1980s, well cared for and tuned:


In any case, I'm in no rush. I'm satisfied to trawl eBay and craigslist as I read up more on makes and models. The problem is that even though I know that there are old gems out there with, say, Reynolds 531 frames and forks, I can't properly identify them.

eippo1

I'd go after that Cannondale for that price. It's a bit stiff but was an excellent bike for a starter bike. The Giant that you linked was my first race bike that I got when I was 14. Too bad that my dad convinced me that I'd keep growing and got a 60 cm bike - I ride a 56!

mazdaspeed

The cannondale looks promising if it's your size, although I personally would rather have a steel bike for the more comfortable ride, based on things I've heard about old aluminum cannondales. Dunno anything about vintage giants but you might want to look into what the frame is made out of in case it's good.

But more importantly, will either of them fit you?

ptle

I recommend a cheap bike of Craigslist. I bought my 89 Bianchi Brava with DT shifters, and couldn't be happier. I've probably put almost 1500 miles on it from commuting and road rides. The total amount I spent on it was less than $200.

peli_kan

The giant is likely lugged aluminum, heavier than the post '95 models.

But yeah, I know my measurements along with how to fit a bike.

Is it cheaper to assemble a bike from parts, or to buy a full set? I've built computers, strung racquets, and made knives from blanks, so I know the quality components and low cost that DIY usually promises. Does the same apply to cycling?

mazdaspeed

It is almost always cheaper to buy a complete bike, especially if it has quality components and a good frame. For example there is a trek 760 on Craigslist here for $300, the frame on ebay would get at least 200, suntour suberbe group also a lot, wheels a solid $100, not to mention wear items a bike needs like cables, tires, bar tape, etc...


Same is pretty much true for new bikes.

peli_kan

The $75 Cannondale off craigslist is no longer for sale, so I've exhausted my local sources.

In the meantime, which old Schwinns are worth looking into? They happen to be plentiful and seem to be good starting points for non-racing. The Varsity is super heavy but well built, while the Le Tour and World Sport are a bit lighter. What modern bikes are these comparable to?

I'm currently studying up on old bikes from Raleigh and Specialized. Some of these can be had on the cheap, with good parts too.