How much to spend on a used bike?
Please don’t buy the Target bike. Even a ten mile commute will be miserable if you do it with any regularity. The main point of a bike you are commuting on is that it should be FUN FUN FUN to ride and make you want to get on it in the morning. The Trek you were looking at is not really the right kind of bike… more for a bike snob really. I second the idea of buying a good quality used bike on eBay or Craigslist. Bikes have, overall, improved massively year on year on year. A $300-$400 two year old bike is going to be very nice. Bikes are simple things and not hard to repair, so don’t be scared of buying a pig in a poke. If the frame is true and not cracked, and the wheels are true, everything else can be fixed. Those other things can be fixed too, but make the deal a bad deal. For a new bike $300 is the point at which you are not buying a complete pile of shit. Target do VERY occasionally have decent bikes in stock. But you have to be an expert to spot them.
It sound like that Trek went from being an old bike to a vintage bike. That said, a hand brazed Trek built from 531 tubes in great shape might be worth what they were asking. Craigslist, etc. In Philly, you could find a reasonable bike for $250 or so. Also, as another poster has noted for not too much more you could be riding a new bike with a warranty and a free 30 day tuneup.
That’s a very reasonable price for a good bike, especially at a LBS (local bike shop), where it’s (a) probably being properly tuned up, and (b) not a case of lowered profits/bike amortized across a high volume of bike turn-over. A complete tune-up from a good mechanic should run $60-$100. You tend to get what you pay for. For reference, a high-end road bike will generally cost $2000+, a mid-range (stock Surly Crosscheck, etc.) will cost about $1000, and a lower-end bike that isn’t crap will run between $400 and $700.
Honestly, for a ten mile commute, go to Target and get a $150 mountain/hybrid bike. It’ll be good and solid, and you won’t have to worry about it too much. They have decent bikes with decent components. This is what I’d do, the owner of a $5000 road bike. But to more directly answer your question, a decent new road bike will run between $600 to $1000. Used, if you’re persistent, you can land a nice used one on eBay for $150 to $400, and a nice carbon Trek 5200 for maybe $800. I can recommend eBay for road bikes. I’ve bought five with no problems. Let me help you justify it. Yes, you will be paying for speed. A road bike will be faster than a hybrid. Depending on your fitness level and skill level, I would an expect 3.5 mph increase in your average speed. With certain Treks and classic bikes, like Pinarellos, Colnagos, and so on, you’re buying a handbuilt product that’s crafted by artisans. There’s a lot of value in that. These bikes will hold their value, and possibly even increase in
Which bike shop? If you didn’t find anything at that one shop, there are plenty more to choose from in Portland. $550 is kind of on the high end, but it really depends on exactly what you’re looking for. If you don’t care so much about having the latest lightest components, and are willing to settle for something a bit older and/or heavier, I imagine you can find something reasonable around the $300 range. The Community Cycling Center’s bikes for sale page says that their range is usually $200-500 for adult bikes. At an average speed of 10 MPH I’d be surprised if you got significantly faster on a road bike — if you’re biking in town there’s enough traffic and stop signs to make it difficult to really crank it up. You might save 5 minutes each way. Your speed is going to depend much more on you and your riding style, not so much the particular bi
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