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Well im new here,
couple nights ago I road a bicycle for the first time in quite a few years
and enjoyed it, but the bike I was riding felt quite small (mountain bike 21spd 40lbs) making it harder to petal then should be.
So couple days later I go looking on craigslist (Austin of course) for a used road bike under $100
This is one of the bikes that interested me
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/3845082695.html
I do realise that im probably asking quite a bit to find a good bike for under $100 but I do expect to be changing some tires/tubes and cables
and possibly rims/spokes etc?
How easy are parts to get, how much is a new tube or new tire?
I think this bike has 27" tires? I went on ebay and seen almost none? (I think $20 is good for a tire?)
How universal are parts for bicycles? (I seen some 700c wheel parts? would that even fit?) one part (say I get this bike) I will eventually replace the crank and rods maybe petals
How much would this stuff be?
Also can I ride on the roads here in NAustin area/ round rock/ pflugerville
tho I do not have a license or permit?
(I'll probably repost some of my questions in the new rider part :)
Thanks,
Awaqa909
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I'm gonna bomb you with a lot of information. Safety first.
But remember that you want to HAVE FUN! But safety first. Well, and adjusting the bike so it does not annoy you.
The bike you're looking at will probably be fine after a fitting and tune-up. But I really doubt that it will be particularly rideable at just $100.
I'd honestly take the bike in for a size fitting. That will cost, but I don't know how much. If the guys at the shop can't make it fit you right, you can resell it without spending too much. After that, the tune-up which could cost from $80 to $200. It will probably involve replacing tires and tubes, maybe the chain and brake pads, maybe some cable housings. The shop should give you a quote. Once you've done that, I'd recommend just some reading, some classes, one or two pieces of gear, and then going out to have a lot of fun.
So, technical stuff now:
One piece of gear: a mirror. I'll suggest three different ones, and you pick one favorite (because even I feel that two would be excessive). This one thing builds your confidence and helps out with your safety simply by letting you know what traffic coming up behind you is doing.
* Something mounted on your handlebars, though this probably won't work with that bike.
* Something mounted on your helmet. I recently fell in love with this one: http://safezonemirror.com/
* Something mounted on your glasses. I used this one for years before finding the safe-zone mirror: http://www.rei.com/product/752285/bike- … ook-mirror
For riding around, I'm not sure the culture in Round Rock and Pflugerville, but North Austin you can legally ride on the roads without a license. *BUT* if you are on the road you are required to follow all of the laws of a motor vehicle with a few deviations. That means stopping at red lights, going with traffic, having proper lights on the bike if you're out at night. I don't recall where they are, but I'm pretty sure they've been posted here in the forums, or that somebody else will. In addition to being legal requirements, this also makes you much more predictable on the road which improves your safety immensely. Also, for safety, reflectors are really insufficient.
Ask about the Road Skills class at Bicycle Sports Shop. It is probably a much easier way of learning than my method of read-trial-error-try-not-to-die.
AND HAVE FUN! Get out for a bunch of daytime rides, starting in your neighborhood and branching out to lightly travelled low-speed streets until you get familiar with the bike and with negotiating traffic. Or some of the morning low-speed social rides!
And then you could just slowly go crazy with the modifications and gear and realize that it turns into an addiction and then very suddenly you're shelling out $3k for an all-carbon-fiber... *ahem*.
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I would say be patient and keep looking.
Put your own ad on Craiglist that says
"Want to buy a good road bike for $100 or less."
The bicycle in the picture there looks to be an obsolete design frame
that was common in the 1930's, worth about 10% of the asking price.
Look at garage sales, the Goodwill, and if you are driving around out in the country
look at resale shops or "antique" stores in small towns.
You can get a much better road bicycle than that for $100,
even a 40 year old one.
Local department and outdoor stores have cheap bikes but many have poor finishes
that will rust and corrode after a few years.
A 40 year old Peugeot will probably still have the original parts and paint.
You could always just ride the mountain bike, I like them around town.
Check the tire pressure and be sure they have enough air in them.
Good Luck
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The bicycle in the picture there looks to be an obsolete design frame
that was common in the 1930's, worth about 10% of the asking price.
While I agree with most of your advice, this part I don't really agree with.
Bike frames haven't changed that much in 100 years. Yes, there's certainly been improvements in many areas, but "obsolete" is not really the right word to use on any bike that's not a penny farthing or older.
That said, it certainly looks like an old bike, and the condition doesn't look great. If the condition was good, I'd say that's a good deal, though 1) if the wheels are 700c or 27" (which seems likely), that bike is *huge* -- for somebody really tall, and 2) somebody not familiar with bikes will probably do better with something that's not old enough to be collectable.
Suspension-less mountain bikes can be made into nice city/commuter bikes by simply replacing the knobby tires with slicks, though if that bike was 40 lbs I suspect it's got suspension.
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I agree with Doug not agreeing to the obsolete adjective. After the end of the 19th century very little of substance has changed in reality on a bike; some materials bringing the weight down and, perhaps, better gear ratios and mechanisms. And that is in part its allure.
Anyway, in YBP (link above) for much less than $100, you can get a bike and a course on bike mechanics. Just go there and ask.
You'll get the fish, the cane and the know how. Not bad, eh?
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+1 on going to yellowbike and learning how to work on bikes, and they have an earn a bike program. Or you can buy one. The prices on their complete ready to ride showroom bikes are priced at bike shop prices. Above used prices on craigslist. You can find a good deal on CL, but you need to know your stuff and be fast to respond.
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