Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello all, I am thinking about getting into road cycling and I have been doing research online for about a month. I am not working with a lot of money nor am I 100% sure I am going to like it. I believe I will like it, but I don't want to drop serious cash on a bike then have it collecting dust. I have been back and forth about whether I should buy a cheap new bike or an older cheap bike. I am looking to stay below $150 (preferably less than $100). I keep reading negative comments about cheaper new bikes on bike forums, but the people who have actually bought the bikes seem to leave positive reviews. I have also seen some decent looking older bikes on CL. Some I have seen are: (and I don't know if these are good or not) a Centurion Ironman, Panasonic Sport, Araya Rex?, Giant Kronos, Fuji Sport, a few old Schwinns, and some others. Are any of those old ones any good? Also is it better to start with one of those or newer cheap bikes like the GMC Denali or a Genesis gs 700 bikes for example?
Many of the 80s Japanese road bikes will be at least decent and can often be found for a reasonable price, but you still need to know what to look for. Keep an eye out for Centurions, Fujis, Univegas, Nishikis, Panasonics, Miyatas, etc. There were also companies from other countries (Schwinn and Bianchi come to mind) that had some of their entry level road bikes built by Japanese companies. They can be good finds as well without having to spend a lot. Since you're just starting out, I don't think you need to learn everything before you can snag a decent road bike, but there are some things you should look out for. I'd recommend avoiding anything with thin, stamped rear dropouts and/or one piece cranks. Also, instead of shifters mounted on the downtube a lot of cheap 80s bikes had them mounted on the stem. However, that doesn't mean that a bike with stem mounted shifters will be junk, just that it's more likely to than a bike with downtube shifters. I'd also keep an eye out for a full chromoly frame. Some had only chromoly main triangles, while the rear tubes may be the cheaper high tensile steel. And the cheapest frames were made fully of high tensile steel.
The Centurion Ironman will almost certainly be a decent bike. The Panasonic might be okay, but I'm pretty sure it was very much an entry level bike. Not sure about the Araya. The Giant is probably decent, but I'm guessing the Fuji is similar to the Panasonic. A lot of 80s Japanese road bikes with the model name "Sport" were mediocre entry level road bikes. They're not terrible by any means, but they're also not exactly great. One exception I know of is the late 80s Bianchi Sport SX. It's still somewhat of an entry level road bike, but it had a decent frame and pretty good components. I only know this because I owned one myself.
Personally I'd much rather buy an old high quality bike instead of new cheap one.
Many of the 80s Japanese road bikes will be at least decent and can often be found for a reasonable price, but you still need to know what to look for. Keep an eye out for Centurions, Fujis, Univegas, Nishikis, Panasonics, Miyatas, etc. There were also companies from other countries (Schwinn and Bianchi come to mind) that had some of their entry level road bikes built by Japanese companies. They can be good finds as well without having to spend a lot. Since you're just starting out, I don't think you need to learn everything before you can snag a decent road bike, but there are some things you should look out for. I'd recommend avoiding anything with thin, stamped rear dropouts and/or one piece cranks. Also, instead of shifters mounted on the downtube a lot of cheap 80s bikes had them mounted on the stem. However, that doesn't mean that a bike with stem mounted shifters will be junk, just that it's more likely to than a bike with downtube shifters. I'd also keep an eye out for a full chromoly frame. Some had only chromoly main triangles, while the rear tubes may be the cheaper high tensile steel. And the cheapest frames were made fully of high tensile steel.
The Centurion Ironman will almost certainly be a decent bike. The Panasonic might be okay, but I'm pretty sure it was very much an entry level bike. Not sure about the Araya. The Giant is probably decent, but I'm guessing the Fuji is similar to the Panasonic. A lot of 80s Japanese road bikes with the model name "Sport" were mediocre entry level road bikes. They're not terrible by any means, but they're also not exactly great. One exception I know of is the late 80s Bianchi Sport SX. It's still somewhat of an entry level road bike, but it had a decent frame and pretty good components. I only know this because I owned one myself.
Personally I'd much rather buy an old high quality bike instead of new cheap one.
I wish I could post the pictures of them. The Centurion was the one that grabbed my attention the most. It looks like it needs cleaned up, but it looks like it works. I was very interested in the Panasonic and the Araya as well. The Panasonic looks as good as new, it is very clean. As for the Araya, very little is coming up about it in internet searches. The Centurion and the Araya are listed at $100 and the Panasonic is listed for $80. I figure I can negotiate some off of those prices.
Unless it has some sort of major problem, $100 is probably a steal for the Centurion. It depends on your area, but where I live I often see average, good but run-of-the-mill 80s road bikes going for $250-$350, which in my opinion is ridiculous.
Edit: Can you just give us links to the Craigslist ads? That would be very helpful.
Used to race bikes and work in a bike shop in the late 80's and early 90's. The other thing to look for to tell the quality of an old bike is what group of components is on the bike. So if it is Shimano 105 or Shimano 600 you can't go wrong.
As an aside, last year I sold my old road bike on CraigsList so I did not have to move it cross country. It was a 1994 Trek carbon fiber bike, never raced and other than dust it was in good shape. Sold it for $400 to a kid who wanted to move up from his department store bike.
If you live near a college campus, it's a good time of year to check CraigsList and the college newspaper. People dumping bikes so they don't have to move them.
Used is competely fine. Especially for someone in your situtation (just wanting to get their feet wet). $100 is pretty darn low of a budget though but if you can find somethign than great.
I have a 1985 steel Fuji with downtube shifters and all that jazz. It was my first road bike, I got it used from a shop. Used it for commuting, solo rides, and group rides for a couple years before splurging on a new bike. Spent many 50+ mile rides on it, it held up well and I still have it.
Most important thing for a newb will be sizing and fitting the bike. If it doesn't fit you won't derive the pleasure from the sport that is to be had. A very crappy bike that fits is worlds better than a $10k bike that doesn't. THat's why I went to a shop and paid more than what I would have for the same bike if it were on CL or someplace.
Best of luck
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
