DRealist

I am in contact with a few sellers of bikes. One is a Trek 1000, the second is a Panasonic DX 1000 and the last is a Schwinn Le Tour. The Trek is listed at $200 and is really close to me. I am not sure exactly what year it is, but I think it is late 80's or early 90's. The Panasonic is listed at $100 and I am not sure it will fit me and am also not sure what year it is, but I am guessing it is from the late 80's. The Schwinn is listed at $100 as well and is a 1988. I got some info on this forum about the Schwinn and it seems that people feel it is a good bike. I don't know much about the Panasonic or the Trek. Are any of these good deals? Which bike is the best? Here are the links:

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/bik/3828509450.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/bik/3849625360.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/bik/3836982150.html

IthaDan 

Well, for starters, You're either going to fit the trek and the schwinn or the Panasonic, not all three- the sizes are pretty different between those groups.

Is that enough to make the decision for you?

They're all solid options.

DRealist

So, the Trek and the Schwinn are the same size right? I thought the Panasonic was smaller, but I was thinking maybe I could make it work. Were they all on the same level?

DRealist

Actually I didn't think about it until just now, but are the Panasonic and the Schwinn the same bike? I remember reading somewhere that Panasonic use to build bikes for Schwinn and it is interesting how they both have colors fading from white to dark (green for the panasonic and blue for the schwinn).

dtrain

How many $100 bikes do you plan on asking advice about?

DRealist

Just the Panasonic and the Schwinn. The Trek is $200. Sorry about asking a lot of questions, but a google search doesn't really answer anything. If I google a newer cheap bike tons of info pops up, but an older bike nothing really comes up. I guess it makes sense because some of these bikes out date the search engines. I just want to avoid the "you paid that much for that?!?!?!?!"response that you tend to get when you buy something that you have no knowledge about its value.

DVC45

C&V is the place to be.

BruceHankins

The trek is probably the best value. The 1000s were a fairly good model with decent components. The Panasonic is a decent bike for $100 and so is the Schwinn. I'd take the Panasonic and negotiate down as a second option, the schwinn will hold higher value because of the name.

https://goo.gl/Wo1Rl some info on a 1990 trek 1000. I believe it's a 89-90 model based on the paint and decals.

jsharr

bikepedia has info on lots of old bikes, as does vintagetrek.com, vintagecannondale, etc.

Of those bikes,the Trek 1000 is the only one I have ridden. Thermally bonded aluminum. Very nice ride. I had a 1988 Trek 1000 up until 2005. Be aware that old bikes sometimes need lots of work and you have the chance of buying something with worn out components. Just replacing the chain, freewheel / cassette, cables and tires could double or triple the cost of the bikes.

DRealist

Thanks for your help. I am thinking of offering $150 for the Trek and $70 or $80 for the Panasonic. If they both accept, in your opinion would the Trek's be worth $70 to $80 more than the Panasonic?

DRealist

Thanks for the heads up, that is what I keep hearing. That is why I was thinking about buying a cheap new bike at first. I have no clue what I should be looking for and I am afraid I will get a bike that needs a lot of work.

dtrain

Sorry to bust your balls too hard there...but it seems like you've asked about 15 or more $100-$200 bikes over the past month.

1) They are all very similar and most would work. 2) C&V would provide more info. 3) The biggest factor in their value will be the condition, which is very hard for folks here to tell. 4) Fit is huge as well.

I do wish you the best and hope you find something soon that gets you out riding. Do you have a bike co-op in your area? Those can be a nice compromise between buying new and buying used on C-List. My first bike was a Trek 1000. It was about 3 years old at the time (~10 years ago) and I paid $275. I actually made a few bucks when I sold it a few years and a couple thousand miles later.

BruceHankins

Go for the trek if its in good shape

LesterOfPuppets

the Pana's my fave outta the bunch. Trek's a little harsh, but I've only ridden those with 20s and 23s, and lost a few fillings. Maybe not so bad if you can cram some 25s in there.

But that Panasonic is not just small, it's TINY. Must be a 48 or so.

DRealist

Yeah your right, I forgot I started a thread on here with that list of bikes. I thought that may have been another forum I was on. Sorry for bombarding the forum with questions.

I searched the web for co-op's in my area and it appears that there aren't any in North Jersey where I live, but I am sure there are some in NYC and I read that there may be one in Central Jersey.

DRealist

Wow I was way off, I thought it would be just a little small, not that small.