piznal

Hello,

I am in the market to purchase a roadbike that will take me from my home to my campus. Being a student I do not have a lot of money to spend on a nice roadbike. I was doing some research and fell upon this bike from ebay.

https://cgi.ebay.com/58cm-Track-Fixed...QQcmdZViewItem

I would like to know if this bike is an okay buy at around $300.00. I currently attend UC Santa Barbara and there are nice bike paths for the student. I will probably be averaging around 10 miles a day. I just want an affordable road bike that will give me some experience before I go out a purchase a nicer frame. Thaks for your time.

uke

I'd save a bit more and get this one. I ride it almost every day, and it's pretty sweet.

kergin

That bike is a piece of dirt. Opinion: look for a 1980's or newer sport touring road bike, as those are light enough to be enjoyable to ride and have practical points, like fender and rack eyelets and clearance for larger tires.

I should add - your intended use sounds more like commuting, in which case, I suggest you post in the commuting sub-forum. You aren't looking for a road-racing bike, which is, for better or worse, what most people in this sub-forum espouse.

kcirick

Bite the bullet and get a nice bike. You will be glad you did it.

I did. I'm broke but never regretted my decision

BarracksSi

Firstly, does it fit? A badly-fitting bike sucks no matter how good of a deal it is.

That bike in the eBay link would be fun, but dang, at $300, that's a lot of money for what you'd get. I've seen nicer bikes pass through Craigslist for the same amount of money.

I could argue myself into either going cheap or investing in something nice, being totally convincing either way.

I'm also seriously considering some kind of singlespeed for just riding to work in any weather -- there aren't any hills to speak of on my route, and having fewer parts to clean and adjust would be nice. I could find some kind of track-style bike or get a SS cyclocross bike, which would have fenders and room for knobbies or studded tires.

If I had to lock up on a rack outside once at work, I wouldn't be taking my CAAD8 nearly so often. I'd use something cheaper with a frame that I'm not worried about banging up, probably even wrapping it in tape or something.

Thinking about these things, in my case, a basic singlespeed like that blue one on eBay might be exactly what I'd get. That thing is even in my size.

liamo43

Id agree with UKE, That Forge with Sora looks excellent value for a newbie on a budget . Liamo.

cooker

piznal, a fixed gear bike is a very specific bike favoured by bike couriers and urban hipsters. You can't coast - the pedals are always moving just like on tricycle. If already you knew that, fine, but if not, don't buy that unless you are looking for a very different kind of experience.

You should measure your inseam and from that you can get an approximate idea of the size of bike you need. That one is a 58 cm which probably fits someone around 5'11" to 6'2" but that is just a guess. A misfitting bike is a waste of money.

You may want to get a bike that accomodates fenders and a rack if you plan to lug books and use it year round. If you buy a used bike, be prepared to spend at least $100 extra on tune up, repairs and accessories, but you'll still usually spend much less than on a comparable new bike.

Here's an earlier post on measuring your inseam. https://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...8&postcount=14

Some sellers also advertise standover height (ie. can you stand straddling the bike in front of the seat without crushing your genitals). The standover height of the bike should be about 1"-2" less than your inseam measured wearing the shoes you will ride in. That also gives a crude idea on whether a starter bike will fit. However when you are buying the next bike after this one, you can go into more detail and precision on fitting.

BarracksSi

That bike is listed with a flip-flop fixed/freewheel hub, though, so he could ride it as a coaster.

Still, in the back of my mind, I feel like it's being considered only because it's trendy...

MrCrassic 

It's not the best first bike to get.

The Chromoly fork will give you a lot of discomfort while riding, and the wheels are pretty bad (I had them). The aluminum material is the same as that used on really cheap bikes (read: Wal-Mart). I would go with the Forge bike uke suggested. It has gotten a lot of positive reviews here and elsewhere.

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The Carpenter

22 pounds for a alu frame fixie. That's about 8 pounds too heavy. You could get a nice used road bike that's the same or slightly lighter for the same amount of money.

kcirick

Sorry, I did not read the OP very carefully...

I would not feel comfortable locking up any bikes of value on campus. I would get a decent old road frame, and convert it to single-gear bike. If you don't know how to, you can refer to Sheldon Brown's webpage, or take it to LBS, they will do it for you. It shouldn't cost you a lot because there aren't many components to worry about. Single speed is all you need for commuting.

The Carpenter

That depends on where you live.

urbanknight

^ Correct, and there are some pretty decent grades in the Santa Barbara area.

I commute by bike, and part of that includes a 4 mile long 5-6% grade followed by a good 10 miles at about 1-2% descent. I can't think of a gear ratio that would work for both parts.