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I need an around-the-campus roadbike, under $250.

H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
Howdy there,

Univiersity starts back in a week and I don't want to drag my mountain bike up to the campus. Because my mountain bike is expensive and would likely be stolen, I need to get my hands on a roadbike that I can keep in my dorm room and be able to travel around campus with.

I don't want to spend more than $250 (including tax and shipping) since I don't intend to race with it. I would get it from REI but all of the bikes there are expensive. I was looking at used bike stores around my area (atlanta-gwinnett, ga) and I did not find anything I liked.

I looked on eBay and found one particular seller that has a new roadbike in my price range. Check it out http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98084&item=7171746488 .

Considering the price, is this a good deal? Is there something I should be aware of ?

Where else could I look ? Should I consider older bikes on eBay?


PS: Please keep in mind that my campus is really hilly so I don't want to get a really heavy bike with like 10 gears or something.
PPS: I'm 5 foot 10 or so so I guess a medium / 56cm frame would work out well.
 
bluebug32

bluebug32

Asshat
Jan 14, 2005
6,141
0
Floating down the Hudson
good luck finding something. I've been looking for awhile (but can spend a little more). All my LBSs have been telling me they've hardly got any used road bikes because of the TDF. Ebay seems like a good way to go, though. As long as it fits. Also, bike shops are starting to have more and more sales b/c they want to get their 06 stuff in. I would check garage sales--might be your best bet, if you just want something for transportation and not speed.
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
bluebug32 said:
good luck finding something. I've been looking for awhile (but can spend a little more). All my LBSs have been telling me they've hardly got any used road bikes because of the TDF. Ebay seems like a good way to go, though. As long as it fits. Also, bike shops are starting to have more and more sales b/c they want to get their 06 stuff in. I would check garage sales--might be your best bet, if you just want something for transportation and not speed.
Click to expand...

TDF ? whats that ?

how would i go about finding garage sales
just go through suberbia on saturdays hoping to find something ?
 
GumbaFish

GumbaFish

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2004
1,747
0
Rochester N.Y.
TDF = tour de france. I second looking at police auctions or garage sales. If you are patient you can find sweet old lugged steel road bikes that people have no clue what they are worth.
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
GumbaFish said:
TDF = tour de france. I second looking at police auctions or garage sales. If you are patient you can find sweet old lugged steel road bikes that people have no clue what they are worth.
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i kinda need the bike in 10 days or so

damn TDF then
i want a low $$ bike !!! :mumble:
 
GumbaFish

GumbaFish

Turbo Monkey
Oct 5, 2004
1,747
0
Rochester N.Y.
o i didn't see that part. I understand the problem though, luckily I still had one of my really old bikes around that I swapped parts onto a new frame and made it a ss for commuting around school. I guess if you need one really quickly ebay might work. Do you know what size you need? I check ebay all the time and I'll throw links to ones in your budget if I see em.
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
GumbaFish said:
o i didn't see that part. I understand the problem though, luckily I still had one of my really old bikes around that I swapped parts onto a new frame and made it a ss for commuting around school. I guess if you need one really quickly ebay might work. Do you know what size you need? I check ebay all the time and I'll throw links to ones in your budget if I see em.
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i guess a meduim or a medium large or small medium
im 5 foot 10 or so and a medium frame in the 56ish range should be good i suppose

please send some links, im not having favorable results (maybe im just searching wrong :think: )
 
Morryjg

Morryjg

Mr. Ho Jangles
May 9, 2003
905
0
Littleton
If you don't get a ride by the time you get to school, go ask the campus cops if they have any old unclaimed bikes around. Maybe they'll have a "back to school" sale or something to unload all the bikes that were left there last year. You may be able to score an old huffy that way. If you pick up something for cheap that looks fairly nice maybe cover it with sticker and a rattle can paint job to keep it from being stolen.....
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
Morryjg said:
If you don't get a ride by the time you get to school, go ask the campus cops if they have any old unclaimed bikes around. Maybe they'll have a "back to school" sale or something to unload all the bikes that were left there last year. You may be able to score an old huffy that way. If you pick up something for cheap that looks fairly nice maybe cover it with sticker and a rattle can paint job to keep it from being stolen.....
Click to expand...
thats not a bad idea
ill look into it
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
Reactor said:
Rei outlet has two possibilities:

Nice cruisers, one even is 700c based it would be a great bike. No shippin gcharge when you have it delivered to a local REI(if you have one)

cycle one


cycle two
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they arent racing bikes and therefore im not considering them and thir high price
 
indieboy

indieboy

Want fries with that?
Jan 4, 2002
1,806
1
atlanta
to be really honest with you no one stocks bikes under 350. why you ask? b/c they are pos's that no one wants to sell for the fact that bikes under that range break down very easily. used bikes come in from time to time as trade in's but even that is a risk that most shops do not take. it's very hard to unload a used bike that comes in as a trade in. the other option is buying them off bums, and well that's illegal and not going to happen.
to be extremely honest with you. who cares what type of bike it is if you're just going to be using it for communiting to and from classes? you're probably not going to find a road bike in that price range new or used. and if you do it's gonna need some TLC. best bet is looking at a used mtn bike. the weight differences aren't that huge in the long run for what you're going to be doing. and if it is, you'll have enough gearing to boost you up those hills in athens........
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
indieboy said:
to be really honest with you no one stocks bikes under 350. why you ask? b/c they are pos's that no one wants to sell for the fact that bikes under that range break down very easily. used bikes come in from time to time as trade in's but even that is a risk that most shops do not take. it's very hard to unload a used bike that comes in as a trade in. the other option is buying them off bums, and well that's illegal and not going to happen.
to be extremely honest with you. who cares what type of bike it is if you're just going to be using it for communiting to and from classes? you're probably not going to find a road bike in that price range new or used. and if you do it's gonna need some TLC. best bet is looking at a used mtn bike. the weight differences aren't that huge in the long run for what you're going to be doing. and if it is, you'll have enough gearing to boost you up those hills in athens........
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im really reconsidering the whole used bike thing
i might even get another mountain bike
the thing that troubles me is that i wont be able to make it up the huge hills in athens

the reason i want a road bike is so i can just ride it on the weekends for fun and actually get 20 miles out of it as opposed to a mountain bike which is not so easy to ride for a long time on the street ... atleast its hard for me
 
sanjuro

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
When I first read your message, I was laughing to myself. I had taken a 5 year break from riding and racing (and I mean I didn't sit on a bike for that time), and when I started riding again, I hammered to work and back on my top-end road bike. I come into work sweaty and tired, but I felt like I was back on the bike again.

In about two years I bike toured from Seattle to SF, about 1100 miles. When I came back, I rode the one and half mile commute on a girl's cruiser, usually in a suit. After riding through 3 states, my ride to work did not seem that impressive anymore

If you wanted a bike to ride to school, use anything. If you wanted a road bike to ride road, then you better look for something serious...
 
H

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
I don't know whether I should take you seriously or not. You say you don't intend to race, but you don't want anything but a "race" bike.

I'm in the camp with the folks that said get a used bike in good operating condition, and it will serve you well around town. Put some slicks and a rack on an older, no suspension mountain bike, and you've got a great commuter bike, sort of like having a pickup. This same bike will be plenty adequate for 20 mile cruises.

Of your last 3 links, the Schwinn looks nice, is the oldest, probably from the mid 80's, and might be interesting to a bike buff, but is likely to be heavier and have non standard parts that will be hard to fix or replace.

Forget the Dawes. Something's not right about that.

The Specialized has way better components, and is probaly more bike than you need, but you'll have fun with it.
 
H

Hyper

Chimp
Jul 31, 2005
35
0
Atlanta, GA
HarryCallahan said:
I don't know whether I should take you seriously or not. You say you don't intend to race, but you don't want anything but a "race" bike.

I'm in the camp with the folks that said get a used bike in good operating condition, and it will serve you well around town. Put some slicks and a rack on an older, no suspension mountain bike, and you've got a great commuter bike, sort of like having a pickup. This same bike will be plenty adequate for 20 mile cruises.

Of your last 3 links, the Schwinn looks nice, is the oldest, probably from the mid 80's, and might be interesting to a bike buff, but is likely to be heavier and have non standard parts that will be hard to fix or replace.

Forget the Dawes. Something's not right about that.

The Specialized has way better components, and is probaly more bike than you need, but you'll have fun with it.
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sorry dude, racing component road bikes just looks more attractive
hehe

im not gonna go for the dawes bike its too expensive

the specialized is looking mighty fine
im going to be looking at it tomorrow morning
hopefully it will be in amazing condition

as for the schwinn ... why would it have non standard parts ... just because of its age ?
 
the BIG cheese

the BIG cheese

The STUFF
Feb 26, 2002
228
0
stick red
Hyper said:
as for the schwinn ... why would it have non standard parts ... just because of its age ?
Click to expand...
Yes. It will just be more difficult to repair/find a new part if something should fail. I don't know the specifics of the frame (hub spacing, BBsize...although it's probly square taper, so you should be ok in that aspect, ect.) but chances are that tracking down parts for a 15 year old standard will have it's twists and turns....

My vote is.....get a simple, bombproof cruiser and add your own panache to it. Paint it, sticker it up, tassels, fenderss....whatever. The most important part of a bike like that is to have fun!
 
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