Need a new old bike

[Riley Casey]

I’ve needed a beater bike for some time now. There are just too many times that I need to park my bike for long hours downtown and as I rely on it for transportation it would be good if it were not as attractive to bike thieves as my nice Jamis Coda might be. I realize the Jamis isn’t a top dollar bike but I’ve had two Canondales stolen over the years and I like the Coda. My 11 year old grandson has also become a big fan of off road cycling and I really enjoyed riding with him on an extremely nice off road bike kindly lent to my by hozn from the forum. It occurs to me that I might combine these two wants by perusing Craigslist for a cast off mountain bike. The $100-200 range would keep it fairly close to beater / expendable status and I could tear my grandson away from the video games for a few hours from time to time. After a few days of perusal it becomes clear that there is a LOT of crap out there. Add to that the filter of needing a bike that is at least close to fitting my 6’3″ frame and the process becomes an adventure of sorts. Can anyone suggest a way to sort the wheat from the chaff on this search?

I realize that asking for pointers on buying a $100 bike is a stretch so thanks for any suggestions

Topic

[consularrider]

I think a stop by Phoenix Bikes is in order.

[Colin B]

Yep, or the Mt Rainier Bike Coop.

[americancyclo]

If the two above don’t work out, I picked up a cannondale bad boy from the guy in merrifield for $115 and spent about $100 in parts rehabbing it. rides great now and is my metro bike, occasional full commuter, rain bike, and could potentially handle some single track as well.

he occasionally has bikes that fit tall folks (6’3″ like me)

[Author]

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