The Best Bang For Your Buck Thread.
04-02-20, 02:02 PM
#26
Full Member
My two "value for dollar" favorites..... one that is probably on everyone's list, and one that I hardly hear anything about:
Super Course MKII circa 1975?
And...
Peugeot PFN10... 1981? Vitus 172 makes a really light bike with a lively ride..... I was really surprised by how nice this bike rides, even with Conti Gatorskins which usually feel like riding on bricks...
Both were between $50 and $100.
Super Course MKII circa 1975?
And...
Peugeot PFN10... 1981? Vitus 172 makes a really light bike with a lively ride..... I was really surprised by how nice this bike rides, even with Conti Gatorskins which usually feel like riding on bricks...
Both were between $50 and $100.
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04-02-20, 02:16 PM
#27
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It's true! Having dabbled in sports cars, cycling is really refreshing. A world-class bike from midcentury (old Herse) costs the same as an entry-level sports car (old Alfa spider). I drive around a SAAB 900 turbo, which is the Trek 400 of the sports car world at $2000 for a workable example and basically gets me laughed out of any serious discussion. And that's not even getting into the cost of parts.
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04-02-20, 05:53 PM
#28
Senior Member
Old Fuji's. They're a dime a dozen. And, if you're good somebody might just give you one for free.
04-02-20, 08:28 PM
#29
señor miembro
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Best bang for yer buck
Gonna say the early '80s mid (or upper-mid) level bikes when they got bottle bosses and spread to 126. Some that come to mind:
Univega Gran Rally
Moto Grand Jubile (vitus 172)
Sekai 4000
Trek 412
Miyata 912
Gonna say the early '80s mid (or upper-mid) level bikes when they got bottle bosses and spread to 126. Some that come to mind:
Univega Gran Rally
Moto Grand Jubile (vitus 172)
Sekai 4000
Trek 412
Miyata 912
04-02-20, 09:04 PM
#30
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My Peter Mooney frame and its second paint job. Peter was just starting out with brand new Belmont Wheelworks. I won't publish what I paid but it was absurdly low. (Being a clubmate might have helped. Being the year after my famous crash perhaps also.)
5 years after I received the bike, Ed Litton of Richond, CA painted it, again for a sum I won't disclose. He was just starting out. I knew about him because the year before I'd walked into Eisentrout's shop off the street with my Mooney's crashed and bent fork. Ed was there. Watched him straighten it and was impressed. Had Peter build me a new one while I rode Ed's work. A year later, I went back to Ed, now just starting out to have him paint the frame and fork. Metal flake Imron. Not easy to work with. Highly toxic. (I knew both from my work as a boatbuilder. Also that it was/is the best bike paint ever if done right. Ed's paint job had one flaw - a tiny pinprick at the tire inside the chainstay. Never found it again after the first ride. Paint is badly abused now, 35 years later, but still perfect where the abuse had missed. Never chipped. Again, I won't say what he charged me. (Hint - hard to get a bike stripped for what he charged for the whole job.)
And now? Painted frames from either of them are in a different ballpark! I scored. The next paint job is going to cost me a very large fraction what I paid for both.
Ben
5 years after I received the bike, Ed Litton of Richond, CA painted it, again for a sum I won't disclose. He was just starting out. I knew about him because the year before I'd walked into Eisentrout's shop off the street with my Mooney's crashed and bent fork. Ed was there. Watched him straighten it and was impressed. Had Peter build me a new one while I rode Ed's work. A year later, I went back to Ed, now just starting out to have him paint the frame and fork. Metal flake Imron. Not easy to work with. Highly toxic. (I knew both from my work as a boatbuilder. Also that it was/is the best bike paint ever if done right. Ed's paint job had one flaw - a tiny pinprick at the tire inside the chainstay. Never found it again after the first ride. Paint is badly abused now, 35 years later, but still perfect where the abuse had missed. Never chipped. Again, I won't say what he charged me. (Hint - hard to get a bike stripped for what he charged for the whole job.)
And now? Painted frames from either of them are in a different ballpark! I scored. The next paint job is going to cost me a very large fraction what I paid for both.
Ben
04-02-20, 09:34 PM
#31
Senior Member
I have owned a few Treks (400, 500, 600 series) and a few Centurion Ironman bikes. I would take the Centurions hands down.
04-02-20, 09:55 PM
#32
Senior Member
A Ross Signature 294S ($160) is one of my favorites. Super comfortable, feels quick and steers well, and easily takes 28mm tires with fenders.
Honorable mention goes to a $100 Panasonic DX-3000.
Honorable mention goes to a $100 Panasonic DX-3000.
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04-02-20, 09:56 PM
#33
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I would tell someone to look for a mid to late 80s Japanese road bike with Shimano 105 or 600. A little patience and one will show up on your CL soon for less than $200.
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04-02-20, 10:47 PM
#34
Me duelen las nalgas
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All my bikes are great values, since I don't spend more than $200-$250 for any bike. My early 1990s Univega Via Carisma has been my most versatile bike, especially after switching to swept bars. But my favorites are the 1989 Ironman and 1993 Trek 5900.
And I still miss my 1976 Motobecane Mirage, bought in 1976 as a commuter and ridden tens of thousands of miles. Wish I'd kept it. Just a hi-ten frame and basic components, but over the years I replaced some critical components with better stuff. It was always pleasant to ride, especially on longer rides.
And I still miss my 1976 Motobecane Mirage, bought in 1976 as a commuter and ridden tens of thousands of miles. Wish I'd kept it. Just a hi-ten frame and basic components, but over the years I replaced some critical components with better stuff. It was always pleasant to ride, especially on longer rides.
04-03-20, 05:50 AM
#35
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04-03-20, 06:29 AM
#36
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I totally agree and see examples on CL on a regular basis. On the iBob list those are known as UJBs: ubiquitous Japanese bicycles. Classic sport touring geometry and solid components.
04-03-20, 06:50 AM
#37
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Jeff
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I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
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04-03-20, 07:55 AM
#39
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04-03-20, 08:22 AM
#40
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Bang like beauty can be in the eye of the beholder, I realize that the buck part implies good deal, low price, cost etc.
I have gotten plenty of smokin deals but some of the best bang are the spendy ones I probably paid too much for but am all in with for the bang they provide.
Sometimes the bang justifies the bucks.
I have gotten plenty of smokin deals but some of the best bang are the spendy ones I probably paid too much for but am all in with for the bang they provide.
Sometimes the bang justifies the bucks.
04-03-20, 08:23 AM
#41
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I would have to say my Zunow, paid $90 for the rusty thing with a stuck seat post. Now it is sweet.
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04-06-20, 12:42 PM
#43
Newbie
I have (am the original owner) a 1984 Trek 850 mountain bike, which I always thought was better suited to conversion to a heavy duty touring (or grocery shopping) bike. 15 spd Shimano with a very low low, long chainstays (for my big feet and rear bag clearance), relatively short top tube and low bottom bracket, fairly upright head angle, still has the Bullmoose bars, which I had put extension bar on, which I should change out for a more upright riding position,(maybe close to an English Bobby style?) with longer stem. I am no expert, and not super knowledgeable, and am about to turn 80, so this is an around the village type bike. Do my thoughts above make sense? I would keep all original parts, even the bear claw pedals, for the next owner.
04-06-20, 02:33 PM
#44
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Great concept and great examples. Maybe we should limit it to market value rather than purchase price, but that's tough, so we might as well continue this way. I got two English 3-speeds for $30 and kept one, my Rudge. And I picked my Super Course out of the trash and have rebuilt it many times.
@sloar, this is the drivetrain you took off a Jamis and sold to me.
Rudge:
Super Course:
@sloar, this is the drivetrain you took off a Jamis and sold to me.
Rudge:
Super Course:
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
04-06-20, 02:37 PM
#45
Newbie
I’ve got an old Trek 420 as well. After switching out a few things, it’s a great around-town bike.
04-06-20, 02:58 PM
#46
Newbie
I dusted off this Trek 420, removed everything related to shifting (kept the middle 42 ring), put on a rear wheel with a flip-flop hub (free on both sides (16 & 18), not free-fixed), added some old Blumel fenders & lights & upsized to 28 Gatorskins for durability. Its been my around-town city bike for 10 years now. I never lock it up when I’m in a store or coffee shop.
Last edited by CaliTexan; 04-06-20 at 03:14 PM.
04-06-20, 07:11 PM
#47
Senior Member
I would have to agree that many Fuji models were and are good values. I would add to that most vintage touring bikes and late 80s MTBs
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Be where your feet are.......Lisa Bluder
Be where your feet are.......Lisa Bluder
04-06-20, 08:43 PM
#48
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I’ve got a early 90s Trek 730 multitrack. Bought it from a pawn shop for a winter beater but I now ride the crap out of it. Full Acera group, tru-temper OX frame, converted to drop bars and bar end shifters. It’s done everything from centuries to single track. Truly lives up to its Multitrack name.
