41mi_a_day

Checking with a local bike store the entry level for "real" (not walmart garbage) bikes seems to be about $400. So I was curious that if you had to get a usable commuter bike for medium to longer range commuters (anywhere from 7-15 miles where you start to feel the difference alot more i'm guessing) what would YOU look for?

Realistically i'm not really expecting anything at $50 reliably but I threw that in there just in case there's some oddball out there like a 'not horrible' department store bike or something from decades ago.


W*lm*rt sells crap for $88-188 locally i've noticed, so the goal is to beat substantially the lifespan and serviceability by choosing carefully used bikes that will at least decently outlast a 'new' walmart bike (which could be as low as 100 miles and a week by some stories i've heard) - has to be serviceable, replaceable parts, preferably standardized nonproprietary parts. It doesn't have to look perfect, be rust or scratch free obviously - price should assume something mechanically sound and not paying extra for pretty or much better than normal condition, if more money is available it should be spent on a better bike.

Bikes should also be reasonably available/common enough that finding one shouldn't take more than watching craigslist lets say for a month or two in a decently sized city. (it need not be absolutely specific, could just be "1986-1993 schwinn 10 speed X model, here's why" taking account for when manufacturing locations switched to china or went downhill under new management or whatever.



Most important is the why of your choice - i'm very interested in learning more about the history of 'good bikes' that I currently don't know. :)

agmetal

Decent-quality vintage bike from CL....as long as you know what you're doing with mechanical stuff and have a decent parts stash, anyway...

chephy

Here is what I got a few years ago under similar circumstances:

$60: a rigid Miyata MBT from the 1990s. Entry-level, but very dependable and fit me well. Put lots and lots of miles on that bike.
$250: a Devinci hybrid/flat bar road bike, Deore-XT level components. That was a steal.

Realistically, I would look for a 1990s rigid MTB. Decent ones tend to go for $100-200. Test-ride, check for: gear shifting problems, gears skipping when pedalling hard (indicate worn chain/cassette... not a deal-breaker, but you'll have to replace them), braking issues, wheels out of true, uneven spoke tension, looseness or rattling anywhere, any unusual noises, any rubbing/griding. Make sure it fits. I always had to replace the saddle too, since stock saddle on these bikes are not kind to my parts, but YMMV.

Oh yeah, as for the why: these bikes are relatively easy to find, they are relatively cheap, they are reliable if made by reputable manufacturers, and they tend to be good for commuting (geometry, clearance for fenders, no suspension etc.) Specialized Hard Rock is in particular stuff of legend, but I wouldn't necessarily look for it specifically. My Miyata has served me really well...

chephy

There is nothing wrong with vintage, but in my experience the word "vintage" on CL usually stands for "old junked out piece of crap that was a piece of crap even when it was new".

D1andonlyDman

I've found that if you can do routine maintenance work on the bike on your own, and know what you're doing, you can get perfectly functional bikes for well under $100. I've gotten two useable decent mountain bikes for $30 and $40. The $40 bike - a Specialized Hardrock Sport - had a couple of flats that needed fixing, but that was all, other than lube and minor adjustments. In full running order, that class of bike probably sells on CL for $100-125. Brand new, it was a $350 bike in 2006. The $30 bike, a Raleigh M20, had a chain that was installed the wrong way around the derailleur, and as a result, the shifting was all messed up. But once the chain was properly reinstalled, all it needed was lube, minor adjustments, and air in the tires.

Dave Cutter

If I needed basic transportation and didn't have a lot of funds.... I'd do what every other person in the same situation seems to do. I'd ask around to friends and family, and at church, for free used bikes and I'd check the yellow pages (and Internet) for bicycle co-ops. I'd look for a name brand old school steel mountain bike without shocks or suspension and with indexed trigger shifters (not twisting handlebar grips).

jaxgtr

^^ what he said. I sold my old commuter, a Trek 7300 for $150 to a kid I know who needed good transportation for school and work. $150 was generously low since this bike was all Shimano XT with Velocity Deep V 36 spoke wheels and XT hubs. I know I could have gotten more on the open market, but he is a pretty good kid. Stays out of trouble and seems to have good future. He knows that I take care of my bikes and this one should get him to and from school and work for a while as long as he takes care of it.

Gresp15C

I'd probably look for a mountain or hybrid of a reasonable brand, made sometime in the past 10 - 20 years, just guessing based on typical prices. I'd avoid things like suspension because I think that cramming those kinds of features onto lower end bikes probably results in cutting a lot of corners on quality. I'd expect to replace the chain, but hope to be able to get the rest of it working with just lubrication and adjustment rather than replacement. Hopefully the bike will look like it hasn't spent a winter outdoors.

If it has knobby mountain bike tires, I'd add the cost of street tires to your budget. And don't forget to budget for a floor pump with gauge, and the means to service a flat tire while on the road.

When looking at a bike, go from one end to the other, and ask: "What's this thing do, and how do I know that it works?"

megalowmatt

No question about it - I'd look for a early to mid 90's steel framed mountain bike. Put a rack and some slicks on there and you're in business.

Lug

Another vote for "vintage" bike, especially mountain bikes. #3 son just picked up a 1991 Bridgestone MB-4 in excellent condition for $80. 3rd owner of the bike.
Justin

bicyclelove

Like everyone else my vote goes to a good used rigid MTB. My bad boy commuter is early 90s Cannondale M300 I got off CL for $75 it needed tires and brakes. I had stuff laying around but this would have made it about $150 total cost if I had to buy the stuff. BTW with the slick tires it is just as fast as my road bike.

dedhed

2010 GIANT MOUNTAIN BIKE

Raleigh Mojave 2.0

RALEIGH "M20" HYBRID MTN LIGHT WEIGHT 24"

Men's 26" Nishiki 'Blazer' MTB 15 Speed Bicycle

This was not even from the first 2 pages of CL

Buffalo Buff

For my first dedicated commuter bike, I just bought a 40$ mountain bike at a garage sale. It had a rusty chain, derailleur issues so that the lowest gear did not work, grips were coming off and the paint was in bad shape, but it worked. It got me to and from work for a summer.

I sold it when I moved across the country, and bought a 200$ Trek Mountain Bike for my commuter. It was a huge upgrade with its trigger style shifters that actually worked and everything else in solid shape. It was also the first bike I owned as an adult that fit my 6'4 body.

I commuted on that bike for nearly half a year, and just recently dropped about 1,200$ on a brand new road bike + accessories. Absolutely loving my new bike.

If I were going to do it all over again, I'd like for a vintage road bike in the 150-250$ range off of CL. I'd find one that fits my body size well and looks like it was well cared for. I'd lube everything up and clean it if needed. Then I'd buy the following accessories: Headlight, taillight, cycling pants, cycling gloves, safety glasses and a lock.

Just tried out gel padded spandex cycling pants today and its just one of those things I kick myself for not trying earlier. Sure I look like a fruit but damn are they comfortable.

CliffordK

There are lots of MTBs out there for dirt cheap. Just check out your local thrift stores. Perhaps buy 2 and build one. They will all need a bit of tinkering, but can make good bikes. I prefer the aluminum frame MTBs over the steel frame ones. Some are quite nice. Also, suspension (in the cheap bikes) just adds unnecessary weight unless you are pounding the trails.

However, personally I'm more of a road bike person. Sub-$100 would be a tough budget for a good road bike. You could perhaps get a old Schwinn Varsity or Huffy, but they aren't the greatest bikes.

But, keep your eyes open, and there are some good bikes in the $200 range. Keep in mind that things like GOOD tires can add up in cost.

Take a look at the Velo Cheapo Contest. (also look up past years).
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...iscussion.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...stick-pig.html

For Craigslist Deals or Thrift Store deals, don't worry about brand as much as finding something that will work for you (bike type).

If you do it right, start with a sub-$20 thrift store MTB, ride it for a while while you're hunting for the right bike (hybrid? road?), then when you buy your $200 dream bike, dump the thrift store special for twice what you paid for it (after a good tune-up, of course).

Number_6

My GT Terra (the cheapest at the time) which I bought new, got me around everywhere I needed to go in my second college career in the early '90's. I rode it easily 20-30 miles a day. I had the bike shop add fenders and I screwed a cheap rack on it. It was tough and took whatever was thrown at it. Today I understand a lot of hardtail types are junking the components and hopping up the frame- it had Tange tubing on the mainframe. A really nice one should be less than $150- but a lot of them are sitting in garages waiting to be yet cleaned out- so bargains are quite possible.

TransitBiker

Unless it was a nice older bike or NOS no way.

- Andy

Papa Tom

I still use my 1996 GT Outpost steel, hard-tail MTB for commuting (and everything else). Over the past couple pf years, I've found two of these - in perfectly good condition - in the garbage. I've also found comparable and "better" bikes the same way.

As someone else said, if you can do some of your own maintenance/repair work, you're in good shape. Check garage sales and Craig's list for used 1990's steel MTB's, or better yet, watch the garbage around your neighborhood.

Motolegs

Got a chuckle out of this.. I wear those pants too and recently a passing driver in a pickup truck told me quite loudly what I looked like! It was a worse word than fruit though..

OP flea markets are a good place to look for used.

oddjob2

In order to score a good deal on craigslist, you have to be able to act quickly in most cases to strike before the other opportunists do. That means being able to meet the seller ASAP after the ad appears. That means know your ideal size frame first and foremost. It differs for a road, hybrid, and MTB. Second either learn via youtube, mytenspeed.com, your local bike coop, or this forum, how to do basic maintenance.

The best values on used bikes are typically MTB or Hybrids. Try too avoid suspension forks as well. As mentioned above, a MTB with a new set of road tires 1.5-1.75 wide is hard to beat as a commuter.

Good for up to 5'9" - TREK 7.2FX $125
TREK 7.2 FX

Specialized Hardrock $60 - Up to 5'8"
Specialized Hard rock "16 rigid frame, 21 spd

Motobecane Mixte - $100
Vintage mixte road bike

oddjob2

Here are a couple of nice finds, I got for $50 or less in the last year:

Under $50

This actually was from a 3 day old ad








Under $30




Shown improved, came with stuck seat post

acidfast7

Realistically, fixing up a used CL bike is roughly a $100 preposition. Cables, brake pads, adjustments, grease, etc...

Also, you're paying for someone to assemble the WalMart bike, so you should include the cost of someone repairing the CL bike.

fietsbob

My Build off a Old MTB started with an old Frame with a Broken Dropout , because It was Free .. & I Knew How to replace the dropout.

Bought parts 1 at a time used some from My Misc. parts Bins , changed them over time .. ..

this was all pre Internet and craig's list .. Helps to know Bike Mechanics as a Background..

so sort Prize from Poo..

The Sales of Brand names, with a reputation from the Past, and sticking them on something made cheaper ,

by the buyer of that brand name, does make touting a Brand name alone, Problematic.

Corben

mtn bikes galore on CL at decent prices in my area. Lots of road bikes but for some reason most are over priced. The ones I tried to snag that were priced fair I couldn't connect with the sellers. But like I said mtn bikes are a good deal. Just look for one without suspension, including front suspension. Clean her up and replace tires with smoothies and you have a nice littler commuter. Don't forget about hybrids either.

mstateglfr 

Lucky guy! I sold my Outpost a few months ago since it was slightly too small for me and didn’t shift perfectly. I cleaned it up and got the shifting fixed, but since it was still a bit too small, I sold it to a HS kid. Went low on the price to just move it along and completely regret it now! I realized I really need a bike like that, even if it was a bit small for things like pulling a converted burley that is a grocery trailer now.
I am tall and didn’t realize how limited larger rigid MTBs are in my region(s).



Rigid MTBs are all over the place for $150 or less, assuming the size works. They are perfect for commuting if some slicks are tossed on.
As for road bikes, $150 and less will get a good working bike, but it seems around me they are usually lower end components.

Darth Lefty 

The answer depends a lot on whether you know what you're doing, or if you trust someone else to know what you're doing.

Craigslist could be good or bad. If you know what you are looking for, it's your oyster. But just surfing your local Craigslist without any nerdy completist knowledge of bike repair or brands, you might be in trouble. If you bought a bike from someone like @oddjob2 you could do well for the budget. Look for someone in your area who has a lot of listings, they are probably flipping bikes. Pick one of these who is actually checking out the bikes and fixing them a little if needed.

Rigid MTB's from the late 80's-mid-90's are nice for a solid commuter, but so are the late 70's-mid-80's 10-speeds whose market share they ate. It happens I think well of suspension forks and aluminum frames and trigger shifters for cheap commuters, and I think you could do well up into the mid-2000's before you hit a price wall.