Back in the saddle?

Apr 24, 2008 10:06

I haven't ridden a bike at all in years. I haven't ridden regularly since Japan. But I do want to get back to it, or at least try to get back to it. Healthy, has potential to cut down on car trips, etc. But since it's been so long, I don't know how it's going to work out. So I'm waiting for the MSU bike sale. When the abandoned bikes around ( Read more... )

life, bike, weather

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Comments 13

tawneypup April 24 2008, 14:34:38 UTC
Why not check out the MSU Bike Store - they might have something reasonably priced for you. It's in the back of Bessey Hall (you can't get to it from inside the building, you have to walk around outside)

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 14:41:55 UTC
According to their website, they don't have much right now. Though I don't know when that was updated.

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not_amy April 24 2008, 14:49:39 UTC
Meijers, evil-mart, and kmart all have reasonably priced bikes, you can catch them on sale as well. And if you decide you aren't using it, you can easily sell it on campus for about what you paid for it.

Also, if you get one, let me know! I can't do long rides, as I've just started to ride my bike after a long time, but I would love to have someone to ride with.

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 14:55:24 UTC
I'm either going to go with Craigslist or the sale from MSU surplus after finals week - I'm looking to spend thirty bucks or less! I don't think any of the stores carry them that cheap.

And I will let you know when I've got one!

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not_amy April 24 2008, 15:01:12 UTC
Have you checked out all msu?

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 15:10:24 UTC
I forgot about them. I'll keep an eye out there, like Craigslist.

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jadesfire55 April 24 2008, 15:07:25 UTC
Which reminds me, I need to take my bike to Velocipede Peddler and get it tuned up. At the very least it needs new tires. And I should wash it - it's filthy!

Definitly plan to bike around campus once most of the hordes are gone.

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 15:36:05 UTC
I just love the Velocipede Peddler for the name!

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cliftongk1 April 24 2008, 15:15:34 UTC
http://lansing.craigslist.org/bik/648610424.html

I know you don't want drop bars, but for $45 you get this bike and throw a set of these porteur bars or these moustache bars on it and you've got yourself a very nice setup ( ... )

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 15:35:33 UTC
I grew up with a very simple one-speed bike. I could fix anything on it, and probably still can. That looks like a good bike. The thing with the surplus sale is that there are a bunch of bikes abandoned on campus and then sold very cheaply. I know people who have gotten pretty amazing deals that way. I'm hoping to score something that way!

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cliftongk1 April 24 2008, 15:45:39 UTC
Then definitely go that route, if there's good deals to be had.

Just remember not to let something as minor as the handlebars influence your desicion too much. Those are always replaceable, and a fairly inexpensive part for porteur/moustache bars.

As for single-speed bikes, you can always convert a geared bike to a single-speed. For older bikes that have a threaded freewheel and semi-horizontal dropouts (70s era 10-speeds and earlier) you can just take off the freewheel cluster, put on a 1-speed freewheel (about $15 at any shop that sells BMX parts) and have your local bike shop re-dish the wheel for you and shorten the chain.

I recently converted an early 90s road bike which had 14 speeds into a 1-speed fixed-gear for training at our local velodrome. Even with rebuilding the back wheel on a new fixed-gear hub, all the conversion work only took me 6 hours.

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cjtremlett April 24 2008, 16:43:08 UTC
I'm not too fussy about the speeds - though the simpler it is, the more I can fix myself, which is a plus. A lot depends on what they've got, which could be anything. Are there particular frames I should look for, being short but heavy?

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