Very Important Subjects

[littlebittybobby]

Wow, those are some expensive bikes!

Very observant, RR! I'm glad you were able to discern the prices on those low-usage pre-owned bicycles. The Emigre' from you kidses' Very Favorite Country has also placed up for sale a set of used bike weelz(see photo). He says the reason for selling them was due to an upgrade. Asking price: $2000! I guess he ain't gonna quit biking, even with a baby on the way. Nope. Niow, if I were a raging conservative(though not a neocon warmonger), I'd say that guy needs to return to his homeland, and fight for freedom from Russian invaders. After all, why should the resources(lives & materiel) of actual Americans be regularly squandered to resolve international disputes around the globe? Meanwhile, the Emigre moves here, has a life of affluence and raises a family! But yeah-- it is arguable, but nonetheless a good point.2022-07-17 (3).jpg

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---none o' you kids have disagreed with me, so yeah, that figures. Ha. It's hard to argue with someone who is right, close to 100% of the time, isn't it? But see---that never-ending discussion of Row V Wade---well, you kids love that one, because it's like the old which came first--the chicken or the egg? Ha. Gothcha. But yeah---it's a set-up, designed to be a never-ending quandary. That's why I won't engage in your big, long quasi-intellectual discussion that won't resolve anything. See? Now you know. Thankk Mee.

[Rogar]

I've bought my last few bikes off of Craig's list. People buy a bike with good intentions and after a year of a few rides, it goes into the garage or basement unused. It helps to know your frame size and what your looking for. My favorite bike right now retailed for $2000 new and I paid $225. As a 1998 mountain bike it was outdated, but had been stored unused for 20 or so years and was pristine. I've usually replaced the tires and tubes immediately since I hate flats and they are an unknown. I can get the local bike shop to do a basic brake and shifter adjustment for free, but they usually find an odd or end to give them a little profit. I have a second bike that doesn't get used as much that is more of a road or touring bike. Similar deal, but newer, 2001.

new-bike.jpg

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----last week I was in the dirt-cheap supermart, stocking up on cans o' mixed vegetables labeled under Zurras' cheapest brand. No jolly green libby monte the giant for meeee. Ha. Then, they had tuna fish(I guess that's what it is), for about the same price as catt food. Yup. Sio yeah--I stocked up on that, too. And brown gravy mix and stew seasoning, in those little packets, which okay--theoretically is not economical, but for me it is. And then, over about 4 miles away--there's aldi dry onion soup mix & boullion cubes, too. Can you see a recipe coming on here? I do it all just for the sake of you kids! No more left-over purree of roast duckling w/puree of eggplant, or whatever you kids eat. Ha. Anyway, drain the can o' tuna and vegetables into a saucepan, and mix in the cube & some onion soup & gravy mix, etc. Noooo, not the whole package, you fool! Those packages will last awhile. I put em in an empty wall maul instant coffee jar, to keep them ant-free. Ha. Okay--add some bottled water, just enough to reconstitute the soup, gravy mix, stirring constantly. Then, add the tuna(?) or whatever and the mixed vegetables(carrots, taters, green beans), and stir that up. Just to make it unhealthy(so it tastes good)I add butter. Give some butter to your cat, too. Maybe they will start obeying your commands, from now on. Ha. Just kidding. Anyway, it's a very wonderful dinner; wonderfull because it's relatively inexpensive. I guess I could just open the cans, and eat without heating the contents up. Yup. Hope that helps you some. Thankk mee.

[littlebittybobby]

I've bought my last few bikes off of Craig's list. People buy a bike with good intentions and after a year of a few rides, it goes into the garage or basement unused. It helps to know your frame size and what your looking for. My favorite bike right now retailed for $2000 new and I paid $225. As a 1998 mountain bike it was outdated, but had been stored unused for 20 or so years and was pristine. I've usually replaced the tires and tubes immediately since I hate flats and they are an unknown. I can get the local bike shop to do a basic brake and shifter adjustment for free, but they usually find an odd or end to give them a little profit. I have a second bike that doesn't get used as much that is more of a road or touring bike. Similar deal, but newer, 2001.

Rogar, I second your opinion, But, yeah--frame size is critical, and yes we've seen some beautiful, dirt-cheap attic-finds we passed on, due to it being a 48 or a 62. That said--there is a variance between sizing from different manufacturers. I have several 56'es, an odd 57 or two(Trek went through an inches-to-cm change, apparently)and the Felt I just acquired is a 58. But, the felt is actually down there with my 56's. Very, very close. Even though a lot of people(non-riders) would wonder how I can ride a bike that BIG. S'why I figure the mfrs have lately built their consumer bikes with a down-sloping top tube; to make it more user-friendly. I tip my old road bike sideways at about a 45-degree angle to get on or off, or else stop next to a curb. Because, seated--my feet don't come close to the ground, like in the 1950's when I had a Schwinn. But yeah---used is the way to go. Figure on changing out some parts, to size it better, if you're particular, like meee. Yup.

[Rogar]

Rogar, I second your opinion, But, yeah--frame size is critical, and yes we've seen some beautiful out some parts, to size it better, if you're particular, like meee.

Your can usually ride Craig's list bikes ro see if hey will be the right size, but yes, it's not perfect. There are adjustments and replacements for things like stem length and height, seats adjustments, etc. that can fudge the bike into a smaller or bigger size. I had a mountain bike a while back that was cheap, but never felt right. Fortunately it had already had the bulk of it's depreciation and I sold it at a small loss. Personal opinion, for a person's first bike I'd go to a bike shop, pay retail, and have it fitted by the experts, but I wouldn't spend a lot of money.

It's sort of like shoes. They may fit in the store, but you never know until you've worn them a while.

[littlebittybobby]

But, yeah---I wonder what the markup is on new bikes? Dealers have their expenses & all, so I don't fault them. They may save some consumers $$ by their guidance. I have looked up the suggested retail on my old bikes when they were new(and unmodified), and then plugged the list prices into an inflation calculator, just for fun. But, yeah--none of my old bike boutique bikes are factory spec'ed, so it's apples-to-oranges. I take great care about my deportment when entering the local bike shops, because they are well-known people, but at the same time I spend a VERY(xxx4) small part of my parts $$ there. EBay and other net venues are my sources. Plus, haven't bought a nice, new bike for over 35 years, either. So yeah--I'm not one of their preferred customers. There's this one spendy gal who rides literally 1000's of junk miles annually, about 35-40 years old, who purchased a customized high-end bike a year or two ago, and yeah---they put people like her on a pedestal. That's fine; I try to be low-profile. But, unfortunately for some reaso9n, I'm not. Ha. Thankk mee. Hope thatt helps you some.

[littlebittybobby]

Your can usually ride Craig's list bikes ro see if hey will be the right size, but yes, it's not perfect. There are adjustments and replacements for things like stem length and height, seats adjustments, etc. that can fudge the bike into a smaller or bigger size. I had a mountain bike a while back that was cheap, but never felt right. Fortunately it had already had the bulk of it's depreciation and I sold it at a small loss. Personal opinion, for a person's first bike I'd go to a bike shop, pay retail, and have it fitted by the experts, but I wouldn't spend a lot of money.


It's sort of like shoes. They may fit in the store, but you never know until you've worn them a while.

Yup. I mean--nope. But yeah--the local bike shops carry entry-level models in brands such as Giant and Kona. That is a good place for the novice rider to start, too. As for mee--I learn by my mistakes, because I'm a" tinkerer"(as they say). Funny you mention shoes---I'm not clothes horse, but shoes are the one thing that always takes me a lengthy process in getting them right. A matter of trial & error, and more trial & error. Yup. There's a well-known sporting goods place here that is a huuuge tourist draw, and they have a shoe store, as well. I got a gift certificate redeemable there, okay? Well, you have to pick out a model that is displayed in a glass case, and wait in line to tell the attendant what size/model you want, and sit-n-wait, while they go in the back room to bring out your size. Well, that process is super-inefficient, but I spose it's to curtail shoplifting. After a couple of try-ons, I asked if I could just redeem my gift card for cash(which they did), and went elsewhere to my usual store, Academy. The first store made the news yesterday, because they were the defendant in a lawsuit by a customer over "Lifetime guarantee socks". He had been exchanging worn-out socks for a number of times, but the company nipped that policy in the bud(like ol' Barn)---and got sued. Wow. They shoulda just stopped the policy, but quietly honored it in his case. How many pairs o' socks can you buy with what $$$ an hour of a good attorneys' time costs? See? In case you weren't aware--just 98% of Attorneys give the rest of them a bad name. Ha. Looks as tho vettanarians have caught on to that, too.

[Rogar]

Yup. I mean--nope. But yeah--the local bike shops carry entry-level models in brands such as Giant and Kona.

The bike store near my house is a Specialized dealer, which is the brand I've mostly owned. Rough estimate would be that a quality entry level Specialized would run 7 or 8 hundred, although there's probably cheaper. These days that doesn't seem too out of line.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---sounds real good. My bikes are what I prefer to call: "Exit Level". They were about to be dumpstered, but then some enterprising person thought they would give Eeeebay or Crapslist a try, to see if some fool like littlebittymee would buy it to COMPLETELY refurbish, in order to save $$$ compared to a nice, clean, shiny, safe, NEW bike that will keep a step ahead o' the jonses. Ha. I recall back in '13 or '14, riding my pieced-together 1987-model road bike(that the EBay seller described with: "lots of wear and tear on the paint" on the 1-day "Tour De Loco", and keeping ahead of another rider prolly 1/2 my age for at least 5 miles. But, he crept up on me slowly, and casually says: Is that bike your commuter?" and commented on the old, obsolete SunTour bar end shifters. Then, he rode on. But yeah, SunTour is like Studebaker-Packard or Hudson & Nash, see? I just did some renewing on that bike, last fall--nice used SR mountain-bike crankset w/Oval Tech chainrings from my source in Colorado(who saves that stuff from the dumpster); some Shimano pedals, and nice niew padded bar wreap and some cool Techtro brake levers($25).Plus, a shimano mountain bike derailleur, so it goes up to 9, with a wide-range cassette. See? Old MB drive train on an old Road Bike. It enables me on those rolling backroads they have here. But yeah--it meets my needs, just fine.
I put a set of 700-28 Continental tires on it, that I had lying around, and some nice, used weelz made by a companty owned by Campagnolo, from a bike shop employee. That's the one that gave me the flat tire due to a faulty rim strip, but that has been fixed by mee and the tube patched, by mee. See, the nearest bike shop is aways away, so yeah--I fix stuff at home.