I'm leaning towards buying a bike tonight from craigslist. I don't know much about bikes and I'd like some opinions as to whether or not this bike appears to be a good deal, or if I would be better off going for something newer.
I'm a tall guy (6'5") and I'm looking for a large bike to commute to work, about 15 miles one way.
I rode the bike last night and I really enjoyed the ride. The bike has a lot of gear that I would use on a regular basis. Also, the seller supposedly replaced the back tire recently with one that costs a lot (supposedly). I don't have any way to verify this information. He admitted that the bike has around 6k miles on it.
Here's a link to the post, any feedback on the quality and price of this bike as a commuter bike would be greatly appreciated!
It looks overpriced to me - bikepedia says it was $549 new. If you'd seen it in a shop the year after it came out, still new but last year's model, you might see it there at a discount close to what he's asking 5 years and 6000 miles later. Otherwise it could work for you, so if you like it you could make an offer.
The shifters and fork are on the low end... 4.0 grip shifters are something I'd swap out in a hurry, but they're no big deal to replace if you have any problems. That many miles on that fork might be an issue..but if it's been taken care of it's probably fine.
looks like a pretty good deal though for what you're getting. You certainly couldn't get it for the same money if you went new. 6k miles is nothing if it's got a new rear tire and new rear cassette and chain.
I say if you like the ride, go for it. It's set up nicely for a commuter.
Edit, I agree with MTBX on the 'make an offer' thing. Did it come new with the bags, fenders, etc? If they are add-ons, it might be worth a bit more. If they came with, try to talk the seller down a bit.
I was able to get him down to $400. He said he'd rather keep it than sell it for less than that. I did my best to get him close to $350, and then $380, no go.
He seems like he's very knowledgeable about bikes and takes good care of them. He's an older gentleman who rode this very bike to work every day and has a lot of love for it.
It does have a new chain, and if by "cassette" you mean "the gears", yes he said that was slipping so he replaced that recently as well.
I rode it around yesterday and the grip shifters worked great. Is there something inherently wrong with grip shifters?
Nothing wrong with grip shifters specifically, but the '4.0' line is pretty low end for Sram stuff...and I don't like grip shifters on top of that, so I'd ditch them. If they work good and you don't have a preference, no big deal. 'cassette' means 'the gears', yes. 6k is a lot of miles on a cassette. If it's new, you're good to go. I say snag it for $400 and ride the heck out of it.
I like your suggestion to buy, I think that's what I'm going to end up doing. Sorry for my ignorance regarding terminology.
Thanks for your help! I love kind anonymous internet users willing to help out ignorant anonymous users like myself.
Thanks again!
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