My current bike is a 1988 Nishiki Rally 12-speed racer. I’m looking to upgrade to a road bike, which I haven’t ridden since 2024. My aim is to get back to city cycling for fitness, not interested in off-road. I know of the common and popular manufacturers like Giant and Trek, and will start the long process of researching what would suit me the best, but wanted to stop here along the way for any recommendations/ suggestions. Background about me: 63, 180 lbs, 5’11, male, regularly does strength training. Not looking to pay over $1000 or so. Hope my question isn’t too broad. Thanks in advance
by MrFresh2017
1 Comment
The typical first advice is to check if there are any co ops in your area. Ones that allow access to tools can make it possible to build your own bike and repair it yourself. There might be some that offer cheaper tuned bikes. The second advice is to check the local bike shops and see what they might have used.
I think if you do the research you can build a bike from the frame up via Chinese parts/online but I’m not sure if you can do under 1k this route if you don’t have tools already. Other than that don’t rush into it too fast, check out marketplace often. Craigslist. You’ll learn pretty quick who is worth continuing to talk to and maybe visit. The one caveat with this is that you can find people who are selling bikes that know nothing about the bike because it wasn’t theirs. These can be a solid investment but they might be short on responses and unwilling to take more photos don’t just immediately chalk that behavior up to a bad deal.