My fiance and I really want to get into a healthier hobby and feel like biking might be the way. I have a schwein that is just plain uncomfortable for multiple reasons so I'm looking for a upgrade. I found this on my local(ish) market place that's about a hour away. I'm willing to make the drive if it's a good deal. I just know nothing about bikes so I would love a few opinions on it.
by Dragon22721
7 Comments
I wouldn’t go for any old trek models you can get pretty much newer models for the same
Price
Old bike, honestly $100 for any thing close to rideable seems pretty unrealistic, if you’re keen to get into riding expecting to spend a bit more, fb marketplace is good, keep posting here when think you’ve found!
Well… its $100 (assuming we are talking about USD)… with today’s price of everything especially in cycling goods, not 100% sure what are some of the upgrades you were hoping for, especially knowing your current bike is making you uncomfortable.
This seems to be a solid bike, the previous owner didn’t seems to ride it a lot based on the tire and paint condition. If 2 hr back and forth driving is not to much for you, go for it, and make sure the pain points of your current bike do not show up on this one before actually paying for it. Overall, no harm, and at least this can get you started.
I will say, maybe you can list out some of the reasons your current bike is making you feel bad? or let us know what kind of ride you expected to do? (i.e. casually riding on road/bike path OR gravel riding on country trail), the chat might be able to share more advice?
personally, if you were hoping for some comfort/enjoyment ridings, I might increase the budget to at least 200-300 which opens up a lot more options… even the brand new ones like other comments said.
GL HF and Enjoy your ride.
More information for everyone so I can hopefully get a better answer.
So my seat for starters is very uncomfortable. I plan on, more than likely replacing that on any bike i get. I’m about 6’2 and leaning into it is definitely not something comfortable for me. It’s the reason I sold my motorcycle really. On my current bike, I’m not sure if it’s a me issue or not. It feels like i constantly have to peddle. Even with the group i was with yesterday. It seemed like they are able to coast for longer periods where with mine. If I stop peddling I feel an immediate and almost drastic speed reduction. So it’s harder for me to keep up. The trails around our area is not very flat nor are a few paved. So that’s why I’m leaning more towards a mountain bike.
I’m willing to spend up to 300 (obviously lower the better.) if I had some direction. There’s so just many options and it’s almost overwhelming at this point. I don’t know what I’m looking at.
Highly dependant on how well it’s been maintained/how much it’s been used. 100 is a decent price for any well functioning bike, and I don’t think spending more would offer you a different experience in the end. But OTOH a bike someone offers for 100 bucks might also be run into the ground – doesn’t look like it from the pictures, but you’ll have to check it out yourself.
Regarding your saddle issues: It’s probably a position thing honestly. The saddle itself doesn’t make as big of a difference as people think, the way you’re sitting on it does. Look up some tutorials on getting a good position, the magic word is ‘bike fit’.
And your current bike being slow is very likely a maintenance issue. Maybe your brakes are dragging, maybe there’s too little air in the tires, stuff like that.
What type of riding do you want to do? If you just want to cruise around the neighborhood, bike paths and light gravel you could make this work. The draw backs would be rim brakes vs disc and the old suspension fork. Even if it’s been lightly ridden the seals probably need to be replaced and may not be available, plus older suspension forks will bob and rob you of power for virtually no benefit. You can get suspension corrected rigid forks but your looking at added expense. That being said $100 is hard to beat. As far as seat comfort, some cheap padded bike shorts from Amazon will go a long way to improving ride quality.
Can you post a picture of the Schwinn? Some maintenance and mods might go a long way in making it faster and more comfortable