[toyotaj]

My wife and I are casual mt bike riders. She has expressed intrest in trying out rd biking. A woman here at work is trying to sell an older steel (team?) fugi rd bike for 100$. I figured that if she enjoyed it she could then just upgrade to something nicer.
I know little about mt bikes and nothing about rd bikes.
Is this a waste of money?

thanks

 

[NastySid]

it's not a issue if it's a waste or money or not.. The issue is will the bike fit your wife..

A different philosophy and measuring compared to MTB..

Measure your wife and measure the bike.. then testride..

 

[jacksonpt]

Yes... fit/feel/comfort is veerrrrry important when it comes to a road bike. Is this going to be a surprise purchase for the wife? If not, find a way to let her at least sit on it before you buy it. If the bike doesn't fit her and/or she's not comfy on it, then it's a waste of money reguardless of how good the bike is.

What types of bikes to you currently ride (mountain)? I recently put road tires on my hardtail for some road riding. I don't have the money for a road bike at the moment, so this was my only real option. Spent about $35 on tires and was suprised how nice a ride I got on my HT.

 

[Darkreaper]

I use a HT as a road bike and love it, partly 'cos I can't afford two bikes but also because the front makes kerbs a lot easier. As I'm mainly riding in the city, this is very useful.

Yes, I know bikes should stay on the road - but I figure that if I have to exposed to the elements and work while car drivers sit in snug environment-controlled boxes, I will take every advantage and perk I can

 

[Pau11y]

Toyotaj, goto this site and do some homework first. It'll be worth your time.
http://www.airborne.net/eready/janette/store/sizing.asp
The, w/ the information you get, specifically (effective) top tube length, compare it w/ the bike your girl's friend is trying to sell her.
A better approach might be to put her on a decent newer demo bike over the weekend. Use your mtn clipless and shoes and have the shop size her up properly to a med or lower end roadie. The technology between a top of the line older (say 10 years old) bike vs. middle of the road new bike will fall in favor of the newer bike.

 

[sanjuro]

My wife and I are casual mt bike riders. She has expressed intrest in trying out rd biking. A woman here at work is trying to sell an older steel (team?) fugi rd bike for 100$. I figured that if she enjoyed it she could then just upgrade to something nicer.
I know little about mt bikes and nothing about rd bikes.
Is this a waste of money?

thanks

As long as it fits reasonably and runs decently. For a first bike, the reality is that it can be off a size and with just a stem change it will work. Luckily the fact you are buying from another woman probably means she has already made that change to accomodate herself.

$100 is the beater bike realm, so I hope it is running decently. This is where STI shifters are a negative. Those things are finicky, especially after a crash or two. Downtube shifters work great over time, even if the indexing starts to go. Yes, it is less safe than STI shifting, but keep in mind STI has only been around for about 15 years. People did not crash just because they took one hand off the bar.

But friends are much more willing to sell stuff below cost, if nothing at all just to get rid of it. Good luck with the bike.