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Hi All!

I got pointed here through a variety of recommendations and I'm hoping you lovely people will have a bit of advice for me.

I'm a tool savvy gal of 23, and after moving to a not-so-public-transit-friendly city I am in search of a bike. The last one I owned was a mountain bike my dad got me for my fourteenth birthday after I had officially stopped growing. I sold that one to a neighbor after leaving for college. Please consider me a total novice when it comes to vocabulary and things that should maybe be patently obvious.

I prefer tried and true used items to fancy new flash, which naturally led me to investigating vintage bikes.

Here's what I know: I am 5'8" with a 32 inch inseam. I need a bike for a 3.5 mile commute one way, a weekly 6 mile ride to the Pacific Ocean, and the occasional 15 mile ride to venues at which friends and superstars perform. I have been fitted to a 21-22 inch frame at a local bike shop. I wear a lot of skirts and dresses, and plan to use this bike for pretty much all errand running, so a ladies frame/step through is a necessity as far as I'm concerned. A covered bike chain would also not go amiss for my more flowing clothing articles. I am not interested in offroad biking, or even non-urban trail biking. I'd have to bike at least 30 miles to do that anyway. I have a relatively tight budget, but am unafraid of diy repairs, and also have a very good friend who is knowledgeable about (modern) bikes who has expressed willingness to help on the mechanical end. I also have not ridden a bike as my main form of transport -ever- so nothing overly sensitive or with toe overlap. I anticipate early swerving potential.

But I'm not sure what to look for. I assume a rusted frame would be a nono. But I would be be fine to replace wheels and tires. It never rains in LA, so excellent braking isn't a concern (this is a thing with the older Raleigh's no?). Past that I'm clueless.

If any of you would be willing to provide guidance, resources, suggestions, etc. I would be immensely grateful. Thanks!

Lascauxcaveman 

Start with a search for 'mixte' on LA craigslist, then narrow it down to 5-speed with chain guard, or just convert a 10-speed one to run a chain guard. Be easy enough to add one if you're handy with tools, and you can choose among drop bars or upright townie bars. LA is a good market with lots of choices for you; ride a couple different ones before you buy.

los angeles bicycles classifieds "mixte" - craigslist

Wulf

I'm in OC and my daughters old bike is what you are describing. It is a step thru 10 speed from 1994 or so and hardly ever used. PM me if you can. Or E-mail

Wanderer

Now, that's efficiency...........................

CardiacKid

BTW, we generally refer to ourselves as cyclists, to avoid confusion with the leather jacket crowd.

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Lascauxcaveman: I did as suggested and found two that make sense given my criteria.

Raleigh Sprite Mixte 10 Speed Time capsule
Blue Centurion Mixte Road Bike

I'm just not sure if these will be good for a first time commuter, if that makes sense? I know I don't want a super steep bike and don't feel confident gauging that via photos. Anyone have a better eye for this?

Wulf: That is an incredibly generous offer! OC is a bit of a jog for me, so if you wouldn't mind pm-ing me a snapshot or two that would be great. We can also work out details about possible pick up that way as well if that's okay? I hope you don't mind that I'm still searching around craigslist just in case... Gosh I was not expecting that. o_o

Wanderer: Big fat yes! I'm amazed.

Edit: Cardiac Kid: Lol! My favorite outerwear is a Harley Davidson leather jacket gifted to me from a friend of the family when he gave up on ever being able to fit into a men's small again. I'm afraid I'll be somewhat indistinguishable!

brianinc-ville

+1 to Lascauxcaveman. It sounds like you'd want either a mixte or a step-through road frame. Probably French or Japanese, probably from the 1980s.

Wulf's offer sounds ideal -- I'd snap that up, and then consider switching to upright handlebars (if it's got drop bars), as well as a single front chainring and chainguard. You'll also want to add fenders, if it doesn't have them. Even in arid LA, they'll keep a lot of the dirt off of you. Kevlar tires like these are great for urban riding. A sturdy rear rack and Wald folding baskets make will make it a totally useful urban-transportation vehicle.

I'm in the process of converting an '84 Motobecane mixte to a three-speed (internally-geared hub) with a Hebie Chainglider, which fully encloses the chain. If you'll be riding in the hillier parts of LA, you'd want an internally-geared hub with a wider range (such as the Shimano Nexus 8). At this point, many bike shops could build you a wheel around one of those. The Chainglider is a bit of a pain to set up, but it'd give your local bike shop an interesting challenge, if they're game. I believe there are only two dealers in North America: Aaron's Bike Repair in Seattle, and Urbane Cyclist in Toronto.

brianinc-ville

The Raleigh and the Centurion both look good for your purposes; the Centurion might be a slightly better-built frame, but the Raleigh already has upright bars and fenders, which are a plus. If you go check it out, you'll want to figure out if the wheel rims are steel (not so good) or aluminum (much better, both for weight and for braking safety).

But the most important thing is fit -- you should be able to extend your knee comfortably on the downstroke, without sticking the seat post out to a dangerous length. If it feels good when you try it, it probably is good for you.

Ex Pres 

Between the two, buy the one that fits best.

On first blush, I'd say the Centurion is maybe the better deal, but - the Raleigh may be in better shape overall. Always hard to say with limited pics. Question - do you think the fender and rack will be a bonus for cleanliness & portage? If so, then lean towards the Raleigh. If not, why pay up for them (and haul around the extra weight).

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Brianincville: I bow down to the superior knowledge base of this forum. mixte or step through road frame it is. Gosh it's nice knowing the words I need.

And yes, Wulf's offer sounds fabulous. Even in the case I need to replace the wheels, chain and handlebar it's probably a way better deal than anything else I can find. Also, the chainglider looks extremely cool and useful. I really don't want to deal with my clothes getting caught in a rotating chain. I will not be spending much time around meaningful hills. I have some good friends two steep (but short!) hills away, but I'd probably walk the bike up them gears or no gears. Challenge for a bike shop, eh? Well my local shop has stellar reviews all over the place both on their affordability and know-how, so it might be interesting to watch them work if it's beyond me.

Thanks for the bit about finding a fit too! I really have very little idea of how best to pick that sort of thing out. I will write all of this down on a cheat sheet whenever I go shopping.

Ex Pres: As for the rack and fenders, the rack is a must for me. I'll be doing everything that requires transport under 20 miles on this bike (hopefully). I do work in a business casual environment, so staying clean is helpful. I hadn't thought about the dust/dirt blowback brianincville mentioned. I'd certainly buy a rack if nothing else for the centurion. But yes, in the end fit above all. If it's not comfortable to ride 7 miles each day, I won't use it for a commute and that is the biggest thing for me right now.

Velognome 

simpler solution is to buy one of each and not worry 'bout such things

Back on point............

I like the Raleigh cuz it's got fenders and a rack and I'm partial to British bikes...err... bicycles but the Centurion is a better bike for the money. Go for the Centurion and save your pennies for fenders and such things.

Lascauxcaveman 

I like the Centurion better, too. Probably a little lighter and with better components. But unless you're in a huge hurry, try to ride at least a couple different ones before you buy. The Centurion first, to see if you can make use of a drop-bar bike, then the Raleigh, to see if the upright bars are the thing for you (I can't stand them). The test ride a...

You live in a big market and shop around a bit.

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Velognome: Lol, I wish. Motorcycles are for the far distant future when I am both rich as Croesus and okay with the idea of skid injuries. Eww. I admit there's a bit of a sentimentalist in me that does like the idea of riding a bike from when the Beatles were big, but I also have more practical reasons like preferring the handlebars, and the presence of fenders and a rack. Hmmm. Better bones (with function a possible add-on) or better function with lesser bones? Is there a huge difference between these two bikes? Hmmm.

Lascauxcaveman: I'm in a hurry insofar as I hate driving in LA, and I hate paying for gas, and I hate pretty much all car related expenses financial and otherwise under the sun. Good thing is, I've tried a bunch of bikes in used and new shops around town in the past couple of weeks. New were too expensive and with questionable reviews. Used didn't have step through frames. Even though I don't know the technical aspects of fit, I think I know where my comfort level in terms of weight and handling is once I'm on a bike. It's just evaluating whether it's worth the drive to go check a thing out that I'm stuck on. Oh, and I would probably switch to upright bars, I've been hugely uncomfortable with drop bars when I've tried them. Funny how tastes range so wide.

I think I'll ask both listers if I can come take a ride and a look.

RobbieTunes

Forget the bike, marry me.

I'm quite biased towards Centurions, so I'd go with that one, just on principle.
The chainguard is a great idea. Climbing the hills, eventually, will be a great idea, as well.
If you have to have a rack, you can start with one of those seatpost racks that don't require a lot of work to install.
(I hate them, but I understand them).

No. 1 is fit. Otherwise, you suffer.
We don't want anyone suffering, except very healthy young men on very expensive carbon bikes.
That's their job.

oddjob2

I find the Sprite frames a bit too flexible. The bar end shifters on the Centurion are a big plus, worth 1/2 thoe value of the bike as parts. Plus easy to work on, cotter less cranks.

Any light rust on the paint can be cleaned with a non abrasive sponge and Barkeepers Friend Cleanser, $3 a can, at most supermarkets and hardware stores.

I'd probably splurge on a new set of cables and have your friend loan you their tools.
Bell Sports 7015913 Bicycle Fix Cable Set, about $8 and widely available at discounter and hardware stores.

Northroads touring handlebar, Diacompe brake levers, and rubber grips would set you back $40. You can fund that by reselling the bar end shifters and use a set of Falcon thumbies. velo-orange.com

Watch out for that guy one post up!

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RobbieTunes: Alas, I have already picked my companion for the foreseeable future. XD He's also looking for a bike. I'll take your advice and steer him away from carbon frames.

As for racks, I really don't mind muddling my way through videos and tutorials figuring out how to do a bike rack. Besides, I'm halfway convinced I'll be taking it all apart and putting it back together in the presence of aforementioned friend just so I know what I'm doing with whatever bike I end up with.

Oddjob2: Iiiiii, didn't even know bike frames could be flexible. lol. Yeah, I'm not worried about cosmetics, just stuff that goes more than a few millimeters deep near joints and such. Barkeeper's Friend is an old friend. I probably will replace the brake cables if nothing else, unless the owner indicates that they've been recently replaced. Will probably still run it by the local shop though, just in case. I don't exactly know what you mean by the rest, but I imagine it has something to do with the parts being nice and how if the Centurion bike turns out to be terrible for me in some regard, I can at least make back some of the money just through those.

The watch is out! XD

Generally: I'm going to go look at the Sprite this evening. Haven't heard back from the Centurion.

squirtdad

my 2virtual 2 cents.

Centurion over Raleigh, don't work about the drop bars...you can always use the tops

Seriously check out Wulf's great offer. Karma make the world better. Worth renting a car to get to OC would be my guess

Don't worry too much about outgrowing the bike.... the magic rule is N+1 where N is the number of bikes you currently own

for wrenching a good knowledge start is Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog

crank_addict

........flowing clothing articles

Whatever bike you decide on, there's probably a nice looking set of fenders to match. You want something super light, but more important is adding a bike fender skirt (time for a google image search). Many clever and unique styles but one could easily make their own. Get that handy drill out and go at it.

kunsunoke 

We would be remiss if we were to forget one of the most important parts of a cyclist's interface with the velocipede - the saddle.

BROOKS ENGLAND LTD. | CATALOGUE AND SHOP | SADDLES

They do cost money. It's money well-spent. The B-17s will work well for long-distance road cycling or milder around-town commuting. For strictly upright riding, though, a springer type (ex. B-67s) is best.

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Squirtdad: Looking forward to seeing Wulf's bike, but users under 50 posts can't pm so I'll just have to wait and see. Crossing my fingers. I have also bookmarked that repair website you mentioned. Holy cow does that thing look comprehensive!

Crankaddict: What can I say, skirts are the easiest thing on the planet to sew. Again, Holy Cow. Some of those skirt fenders are insane. It looks like there are some easy DIY options though. I will DEFINITELY be doing this before biking with a skirt. Thanks!

Kunsonoke: O: They look like English riding boots only better. We'll see how I do with a jerky old foam (or whatever) saddle before I get one of those puppies, but I mus concede their beauty.

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Welp. The Raleigh fit really well. Full extension, front half of the balls of my feet and no more on the ground when stopped with no lean necessary, the gears changed smoothly, handled going up and downhill very well, no rust anywhere except a very superficial amount on the stem of the handlebars (vocabulary??), the wheels were in great shape (old, but not worn, possibly will need replacing shortly but I'm at peace with that), the nuts and bolts weren't stripped or corroded, and just generally it felt great. Brakes were squeaky, but that's no big thing. They didn't look worn at all. I felt what you guys said about the flexible frame, but I strangely found myself liking it in about 30 seconds even though it was a bit surprising to begin with. Something about the feedback was really satisfying. Hopefully it stays that way. The guy selling had fourteen other bikes in his garage- okay, okay, one was a motorcycle, one was a trike, another was a scooter, I'm counting two bike trailers separately, and about 6 were for his kids in various states of growth, but still. He knew what he was about, clearly.

After a five minute ride (it felt so gooood) and a short inspection I offered 120 and we met in the middle at 140.

I went for it for two reasons. First, I did some math and figured between purchasing the rack (10-25), a new set of handlebars and all those entail (20-30), and fenders (15-??), the Raleigh and the Centurion would come out to the same cost. Second, the Centurion has a 24" frame, apparently, which I know is too big for me. In the shops 21" felt comfy but slightly inefficient (not sure how to describe this), 21.5 was perfect, 22" felt okay, 22.5" felt like a stretch, and I will extrapolate to say that an extra 1.5 inches would have been terrible. Did I mention that the Raleigh felt really good? I just went to go check the frame out of curiosity. 21.5"... Well would you look at that.

The plan is to research/study the parts tomorrow, then bring it in to the bike shop Friday afternoon when I have a touch of breathing room to have a professional go over it, see if they have any clever thoughts about a skirt fender, and toy with the chainglider witchcraft. If they feel changes are necessary, purchase the parts and try to do it myself, time limit two weekends. The goal: get commuting by bike in 14 days.

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's help and guidance. Wulf, I really appreciate your offer, but I just really loved the way the Raleigh felt right off the bat. I went in with a high bar set for what would allow me to purchase it that night, and it was met. Thanks again, so much for your generosity! If anyone local expresses envy towards my vintage bike I'll be sure to send them along to these forums and tell them to find you.

oddjob2

Thanks for the report, enjoy and be extra careful! So much traffic in LA.

michael k

Chainglider witchcraft...Thats awsome! I'm going to start using that.

Here is an Idea for some DIY craft store trickery.

Clyde1820

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Check out the models from Breezer. They've got several models, these days, that are step-thru (mixte) or low-step frame designs. Several have internal gear hubs (no derailleurs), and most have chain guards.

You can generally find a handful of these bikes on CraigsList. Comparatively light, for fully decked-out commuter bikes, though they'll certainly be on the heavier side as compared to any of the contemporary lightweight aluminum offerings. I've seen "top" model Uptown 8 low-step bikes available for $400 or so, including one at $300 that needed tom TLC/wrenching.

The Jamis Commuter series is also similar. As is the Felt Cafe 24.


Here are some ads from Craigslist:
SF valley: Breezer Freedom low-step 3spd.
Brea: Felt Cafe 8 Deluxe.
SG valley: Nishiki 52cm road bike, step-thru/mixte. Probably a bit small.
South Bay: Gitane Gran Sport townie 60cm, step-thru/mixte.

oddjob2

@Clyde1820, the OP already bought the Raleigh.