TLDR: Is $275 for a 2006 Fx 7.2 too much even if I can get the price closer to $200? Is buying a new bike to commute 9miles/day round trip for 6months in fall and spring even worth it compared to using my 20-year-old never maintained (chain and derailleurs seem to be in ok condition) Walmart bike if I will have to sell it next summer before moving away?
I recently started biking to work (4.5miles mostly downhill to work and uphill back on paved trails/roads) to see if I would like it and if I wanted to continue, and so far it has been pretty nice. However, I have been doing it on a 20-year-old Walmart bicycle that has never been maintained besides pumping up the tires, so I am looking for a new bike to use for commuting until next summer.
I tried looking for some decent bikes in my area on FB marketplace and Craigslist, and I found an Fx 7.2 that seems to be the 2006 version from the pictures (https://imgur.com/a/x0cd5su). I haven’t gotten to see the bike in person yet, but even with the seller stating it is in great condition, $275 seems a bit steep, especially when it’s 17 years old. Am I correct in thinking that, or is this actually a decent deal if I can talk them down closer to $200? There was another supposedly rarely used Fx 7.2 (2016) going for the same price of $275, but that would be an hour drive away and it has some shifting problems as it cannot go to the highest gear.
I’m mostly planning on just biking this fall and next spring (live in the midwest, so I’m not biking in the winter), so would it even be worth getting a different bike instead of just continuing on with my current bike and tuning it all up? I will likely not be biking much if at all after moving to wherever the program is that I get into, so I would just be selling whatever bike I have next year. As for the condition of my current bike, the treads in the middle of the tires are worn all the way down, rim brake pads need replacing, the wheels appear slightly wobbly when spinning freely, and when braking, there is a regular “bump”on both tires. The chain wear and derailleurs seem fine though.
by 67328