Earthlark

Any quick advice about this bike? Just wondering if it's worth $150 (if I find it fits after I take a test ride). From the research I did, it seems like Fuji bikes are pretty decent, but most of the commentaries on Absolutes were Absolute 2.0, 3.0, etc. Not sure about this one... guessing it was Fuji's first Absolute from around 2003...

I'm basically looking for a bike to get around when I'm back in my home town, which is fairly frequently this year, so the bike should get decent use. Probably need to throw a rack on it as well. Would this be a decent bike for the job?

Thanks for any advice!

Bike is in good shape it looks like.

Description from posting:
21" Fuji Absolute hybrid road bike
Shimano Deore gear set
Straight bar with mountain bike style shifters
Brand new wheels and tires 700x25
New brake pads in back

practical

Yes. A good deal. Those are great bikes for the type of riding you describe.

Gresp15C

I've shopped for used bikes. And I am, incidentally, shopping for a much more major purchase for a different hobby. Here's what I've learned: How much the price really matters, depends on a lot of things, including:

1. Do you live in a place with a brisk market for used bikes, i.e., if you don't like the price of this one, can you easily find another decent bike at a better price?

2. How much do you value your time, searching to save a few bucks?

My view is that if you can afford this $150, and it's the best thing you're likely to find within a time frame that's reasonable for you, then the price is OK, even if a better negotiator with more time on their hands might think that it's too much. More importantly, is it really ready to ride? If so, great.

If not, then you have to figure the cost of repairs, which could put it up into the territory of cheaper hybrid bikes sold at a bike shop as cycling season draws to a close. Often, the only way to justify buying any bike that has problems, is if you actually enjoy wrenching on bikes.

But within this type of bike -- entry level hybrids -- so many people buy a bike and then give up on cycling, that you should be able to find one in decent shape, almost as a commodity.

Earthlark

[MENTION=379539]practical[/MENTION] Sounds good. Thanks for the input!
[MENTION=386586]Gresp15C[/MENTION] Good advice! I'll probably go for as I have a lot of things to do and the bike is very rideable, very accessible (best in immediate market), and I have a lot of other things to do right now. I'll also keep that advice in mind for future purchases.

Cheers!

rumrunn6

new wheels & tires alone are probably worth that much. check it carefully, if the wheels got beat up, maybe other stuff got beat up too?