Long story short, I no longer have a vehicle for the short foreseeable future and too broke for the time being to invest in a new bike so my mobility options outside of walking are limited to either of these bikes. Both have not seen any real use in the past 8-10 years but are in good shape for the most part beyond needing adjustments to the shifters and brakes on both as well as other basic safety attachments (lights, etc). So my question is… Obviously neither are ideal, but which one would serve me better off investing my time into being my main commuter bike for the short term until I can afford anything better?
by BlueberryNeither21
5 Comments
The adult bike would be better and less maintenance, not to mention easily repairable.
They both suck, but the Raleigh probably sucks a little less.
The other bike has cheap suspension parts that have a very good chance of not working correctly or breaking easily, at which point the bike is junk. The Raleigh is steel and will always ride decently. It isn’t anything special and is probably heavy, but should be really hard to kill.
Raleigh 100%, other bike is a kid’s toy.
Why are you posting a child’s toy? It should be obvious even to a novice you can’t use the blue bike.
That Raleigh is very old but it has everything a commuting bike should have. It will work well enough once you get new tires, inner tubes, brake pads, chain, and a new seat.
Wildly different types and sizes of bikes. Bike fit is more important that type of bike, so if one of them fits you better it will be the better bike for you. That said, I wouldn’t even seriously look at the blue bike (even if it wasn’t already obviously too small for me – it is a cheap full suspension bike that would likely be rife with problems long term).
I would be interested in the Raleigh if I were hunting for a budget commuter bike. Things I like about it:
* looks like a large frame (I’m over 6′ tall) – current seat height looks like it may be too tall for the last rider though
* full rear fender (I’d prefer front fender too)
* rear rack
* rear kickstand (best location for kickstand when loading cargo on rear rack)
Things I don’t like about the Raleigh
* caliper rim brakes (frame isn’t compatible with other brake types)
* overall cheap components (but should be maintainable and could upgrade over time)
* I’d probably want to swap out the seat right away