newb5000

Hello everyone!

Complete newb here, hence the name and looking to get into biking with a very low budget. I am here for more information to educate myself and make a more confident decision. Looking for a simple bike to ride the streets. Does it make sense to get an old bike like a Marin from '93 (23 years now, wow!) these days and have it cleaned up by a pro or a newer bike from bikesdirect. Price range $250-$300.


Thank you.

RFEngineer

I would go with Bikes Direct. As a newb, you will still want to budget for a bike shop to setup/adjust it. Index shifting is a huge step up from friction, IMO.
Alan

MRT2

Pretty sure they had indexed shifting in '93.

CliffordK

Is the old bike FREE?

Bike shop time can be expensive. I'd encourage you to try to learn as much as you can about your bike.

I'm not too impressed with the bottom dollar new bikes available. But, perhaps it wouldn't be too much different from your 20 year old MTB or Hybrid.

newb5000

Attached. I'd be charged $275 for this.

Maelochs

No way by lookingat that pic anyone can tell if the bike is a winner or a loser.

Personally I'd save up $500 and get the best new bike I could for that money. Buying used, you need to budget for possible parts failure, tires, tubes, and cables at the very least, and yo have to either know how to change all that and adjust it all, or have the cash to pay the pros.

Personally, I could go either way because I know how to do very basic maintenance, but I also know those "bargain" old bikes can sometimes be like an old car with an intermittent electrical problem---when you finally get everything in perfect shape, you realize you spent almost as much as the purchase price and many hours of parts searching, testing and fixing and changing ... so if that doesn't sound like fun to you ....

Most new bikes will work properly immediately, and if they don't ... return them.

Retro Grouch 

Check those brakes. Make sure that when you release the brake levers, the arms release on both sides reliably. My bet is they won't.

CliffordK

So, the $275 including tuning. Maybe a little high, but it appears to be in good shape, and the recent tuneup is worth a bit.

Keep in mind there are different types of bikes, and different types of riders. I suppose different needs too.

The MTBs are really designed for trails, but were adopted as rugged go-anywhere town bikes in the 80s. However, there are other choices available from "commuter" bikes to "road" bikes.

Fenders, Fenderless, fat tires, skinny tires, slick tires, high gears, low gears, single speed, etc.

The longer distances people tend to ride, the more specialized of road bikes they choose.

Also, if you were to buy the Marin at full price, ask for a set of Schwalbe Marathons, or other durable street tires to be thrown in.

RFEngineer

I'd pay $100 for that bike. Looks like a piece of junk to me. Figure new tires, cables, maybe brakes. Not worth it to me. BD all the way.

wschruba

Check the imprinted information on the back of that crank, too. If it says 'ct-90', you're looking at Shimano providing you/[more likely] a shop with a Crank, bottom bracket, front derailleur, and chain free of charge. If that was the case, the bike suddenly looks much more attractive, provided the brakes are functional, as the above poster noted.

Still, $275 is a bit steep for such an old, low(er) end bicycle. I would consider that price *after* being run through a shop to replace worn parts/clean/adjust everything.

D1andonlyDman

Well, that's a very open-ended question. It totally depends upon the specific pre-owned bike. I saw a couple of really FINE Marin pre-owned road bikes on CL here in Southern California. Both of them had frames made of Columbus Brain tubing, and Campy Veloce 9-speed index gearing. They were more than $300 though - more like $400-450, but they were for sure, better road bikes than anything that could be bought new for $450.

They were also MUCH better than the Marin bike the OP linked. They were each around $2000 bikes when new, and they were in good shape.

Mobile 155

A BD bike will cost you about the same and you will more than likely need to have it put together at least partly by a LBS anyway. They will do it and you will have a new bike. I suggest this at the bottom end. Save Up to 60% Off Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Front Suspension

Or this if you are going to use it on the street as well as some dirt.

They will not be of any better quality than the one you posted but the parts will be new. However if the bike you posted has been gone over by someone who knows what they are doing it is a toss up. Except with the BD bike you can order one in your size, check the sizing chart.

As far as older bikes go I bought a used 1989 Klein Quantum shortly after getting a new 2010 Jamis Ventura sport. I paid $250 for the Klein. It had Dura Ace 7400 shifters and an 8 gear cassette. The Jamis had Sora and 8 speeds as well. I ended up selling the Jamis for a bit more than I paid for the Klein and plan on keeping the Klein for as long as I can ride.



I have changed the Klein a bit however after about two years.



and here was the Jamis.

SkyDog75

It depends on the particular bike in question.

I dig that Marin, but $275 seems awfully steep. Rigid (no suspension) mountain bikes make great 'round-town riders, but they generally don't command that high a price. In most markets, you can find some awfully nice ones below $200. If I'm reading the model name right and this bike is a Muir Woods, it wasn't very high in Marin's product line. It was equipped with 7-speed Shimano Altus gear -- dependable for the most part*, but you shouldn't pay a premium price for it.

* Like Retro Grouch hinted at, some of Shimano's cantilever brakes of the period were prone to breakage. There was a plastic ring around the return spring. When that plastic ring eventually and inevitably breaks, the brakes won't release correctly.

Price aside, when considering a bike, you also want to make sure it's the right size for you (super important!), that it's in good shape, and that it's the right kind of bike for the riding you'll be doing. The wrong bike, no matter how nice the price, isn't a bargain.

Nice find! I wouldn't suggest newb5000 hold out for a deal like that. He could be waiting a looooooong time.

rekmeyata

Way over priced! Even if it's in like new condition I wouldn't pay more than $175, I would make the seller that offer and see what they do, if he say he won't take less than $250 give him your phone number and tell him if he changes his mind to call you then walk away, but tell him not to wait too long to call because if you find a better deal soon you won't be buying his bike. But I also wouldn't buy a brand new bike for $200 to $300 from anywhere including BD. So I would look around some more in the used area of the world for something more in line to a fair price.

Of course if the bike is just average condition I would offer even less, like around $130 to $150 range.

newb5000

As mentioned, the $275 would include the bike looked over and tuned by a professional.

Mobile 155

No I wasn't suggesting that. I was just pointing out that sometimes the older stuff is worth looking into. And of course they bike has to fit or it is nothing more than a display.

For instance, I wanted a SS/FG to go with my inventory and I was considering a Pure Fix at about 500 bucks. The Pure Fix has pretty good components but is Hi tinsel steel. I ended up with a 74 or 76 Peugeot PR-10. Better wheels, better cranks, better bars less money.

Maelochs

Two things:

First, a bike has to fit. Most important is physical fit---it it is not the right size you won't ride it.

Second it has to fit your needs. Don't buy the first bike that you see ... think about what you need. For mostly street riding an old rigid MTB can be good, particularly for commuting with a load. However, a dedicated road bike will do the same job better as a rule. Figure out what you plan to do with the bike---commute, ride for recreation, go on quick group rides, spend all Saturday trying to see how far you can ride, run errands, cut down on the number of trips in the car---and then wait for the right bike to come along (assuming yo want to buy used.)

Cheddarpecker

I can't help but feel the bike wasn't much more than that when new.

Also, I mitigated my brake issues with tie wire, wrapped with tape, then secured with shrink tubing. I did it the first time I saw one come apart, and sure enough, the rest of them were cracked. Takes a good look to notice the repairs and they work.

Look at the little plastic collars where the brake pads pivot on the frame, they're supposed to be smooth and solid all the way around. If there's a crack, it's liable to lose pieces on the road. Once the plastic is gone, the brakes can't be centered properly.

Is there really nothing on Craigslist for your area? I could have had a straight 950 Trek for $40 but I waited, and some idiot reposted it with a gasoline engine kit for $375.

jefnvk

If you post a general area (or your local CL area) and a general size, people generally are more than happy to point you to things to check out on Craigslist.

For me personally? I went old bike, haven't regretted it. Everything I regularly ride is older than me, or I've owned new since a teen. One of these days I'll likely buy something new just to see what I'm missing out on, but until then there is nothing on old bikes that keeps me from riding them. I actually prefer the friction shifting, though, once you get used to it it is fine. Downtubes suck in traffic, though, just a consideration if you are planning on a city commuter.

The key with old bikes, though, is to learn to do your own work. You'll quickly be in the hole on the value if you take an old bike into a shop for a full tune up and consumable replacement. Even doing the work myself, I'm averaging $60-80 on every bike I've rehabbed, depending on the tires/tape/such that goes on.

One last thing: what kind of streets are you riding in? While an old MTB with commuter/street tires can make a nice street bike (and what I did for a while, because it was what I already had), it wouldn't be my first choice if I had to buy something anyways.

corrado33

That bike is WAY overpriced. Even for as nice as it is, I wouldn't pay a dime more than $150 for it, and that's assuming nothing needs fixed/replaced on it. The average cost for a bike like that would probably be ~120-130 around here, again, assuming everything works. The "tune up" will probably involve a shop going over it for all of 20 minutes and making sure the gears and shifters work. It won't involve repacking the hubs or BB.

It doesn't matter how nice the bike was back in the day, unless it was something really special (Fat Chance), it's not going to be worth squat today.

Think about it this way. I just recently sold my partial 105 equipped 2012 road bike for only $125 more than that bike, and while I probably could have gotten another $50 out of it, it wasn't worth it to me.

Again, that bike is far overpriced. Walk away.

(Oh, and this coming from someone who rides a 90s steel road bike and a 90s steel mountain bike (as my backup.)) Old bikes are great, when you can get them for a good price.

fietsbob

Bike Shop time is cheap , when you compare it to getting the car back from dealer services .

C&V is considered Old tech , and using paper map & compass .

but the stuff still works..

remember when they hand counted ballots ?

MRT2

Agree on both counts. The only way I would pay that much for a really old used bike is if it comes with some kind of warranty, and proof that a lot of consumables have been recently replaced. Otherwise, I would offer closer to $100 on the assumption that I will be paying to replace a bunch of stuff immediately or very soon.

By the same token, I would budget more than $300 for a new bike. Given how much I have spent over the years on bike stuff (at least a couple of hundred every year), a couple of hundred more up front is money well spent.

jefnvk

Around me, both run fairly close laborwise, generally $65-90/hr.

kermie

What do you plan on using the bike for? If your only going to ride on the streets, you don't really need off road tires. So that will add up in your budget. Of course you can run knobbies, but you are using more of your energy to spin them. Older bikes are good bang for the buck. I have a 1993 Trek 930 I bought new with Altus A10 kit. That stuff has been very reliable. But I agree that 275 seems high for a lower level bike. I say keep looking.

rekmeyata

Problem is that bike is low end Marin and a professional tune job is about $35, a tune is not an overhaul. So the bike is way over priced even with the tune, if the bike was a mid level Marin than maybe, note I said maybe, might be worth the $275. But that bike is low end and it isn't in mint condition.