hmm. any way to find out how new it is / what condition it's in? on the surface, it's a good candidate for a city bike, and schwinn (used to) make good frames, before they were bought out by pacific in 2001.

the shimano part#s on the drivetrain indicate it's a 7-speed shifting system, meaning it's either a) really low-end, or b) really old. 7-speed systems were mostly phased out around the early to mid 90's, with only the most entry level systems retaining it. in plain english this means that the parts are probably somewhat crappy, heavy, and will wear out quickly, and it also makes finding replacement parts a challenge.

if your goal is to buy a good city bike, this might be a decent candidate, IF it's in brand new condition and IF the auction price doesn't go above, say $150.

my personal feeling is that:

a) you can find better deals on craigslist, and the bonus is that the CL community gives you a better opportunity to check the prospect out in person prior to purchase.

b) i wouldn't ride that particular model on a *real* mtb trail if you held a gun to my head, and...

c) for the money, if you're looking for a city bike, you'd do better to homebrew your own singlespeed commuter out of garage sale stuff.

but that's just my take.

I do not know mountain bikes, but I would also agree with lfr and pass on this one.

oh and... it's not clear from the auction description but i see a complete lack of what i consider to be *the* most cruicial factor in bicycle purchase that causes the most discomfort and dissatisfaction with the end product:

-- do you have any clue whether it will fit you? seriously, fit is the first consideration you should make in a bike purchase. trying to save money on a "great deal!" and ending up with a poorly fitting bike "on closeout" from an enterprising bike shop employee who's trying to clean out inventory is a huge beef with me, as it's the single biggest reason people can't get comfortable with the sport.

it ain't a "great deal" if it ends up gathering dust in the garage, or if it falls apart after one summer of use. bikes are not something you want to buy twice.

even if you do bid on this, i'd really encourage you to find a knowledgeable local cyclist or reputable bike shop and educate yourself.

www.roadbikereview.com has a great 'beginner's forum' for the rest of the questions i'd imagine you'll inevitably have.

good luck!

I'd discourage you from buying it. It's not suited for off-road use, period. And if it's destined to be a city bike, a low-end suspension fork like that one will add weight, mechanical complexity and additional upkeep, and return very little on the investment.

Also, if you're going to be riding a budget bike, you really want to buy it from a local shop, if only because, when you need that inevitable repair, the folks at the local shop will treat a loyal customer much better than, y'know, some dude who bought a bike on the internet.

Or, if you're not going to buy it from a shop (I'm just guessing, but I suspect that Providence has plenty of shops that sell used bikes), at least buy it from a local seller. With complete bikes, shipping costs add up quick.

P.S. Are you in Providence? You might try contacting Recycle a Bike.

Ahahaha I made a bet with myself that LFR would be the first person to answer. Thanks for the advice, and the link. I'm checking it out now.

I've got a cheapo bike right now. It's a Spalding.
A Spalding.
I'll let that sink in.
It was definitely a fixerupper (most of my bikes are) but it's serving me decently at the moment (except for a slowleak in the back tire...)

But I'll refrain from putting any money towards this bike since I know LFR knows what she's talking about, and box makes a darn good point for buying locally. I'll keep an eye on craig's list too!

I'm looking for a bike that will do well on roads, dealing with curbs, but isn't gonna wipe out when it comes across steep hills (URI is one big hill that runs the length of the entire campus. Going to class kills my legs but going back to my dorm, I don't even have to pedal), mud, snow, sand, etc. I owned a mountain bike for something like eight or nine years before the frame became irreparably warped at the back fork, so I definitely like mountain bikes. I just don't know what will suit my needs more.

Box: I'm close enough to Prov. I'll keep an eye on that site to see if it can give me any more information. Thanks!

yea box makes a ton of good sense in that post of his.

the *only* qualm i have with folks 'buying locally' is if they have failed to appropriately educate themselves prior to buying. too many people think buying a bike is a simple matter. well it can be, but not if you plan to really use the thing on a daily basis.

and... the biggest issue i have with the bike industry is that you have to be a bit of an 'insider' to know what is, and is not, a reputable bikeshop in town.

i'll make a point: my roommate works for Performance, and my SO works for REI. despite that i know they are both very very knowledgeable about cycling ... i would never, ever recommend a casual cyclist go buy their first bike from such a source UNLESS i knew for certain they'd be helped out personally and through the entire process by one of my dudes.

the reason for this is that it's very rare to find guys like my roommate or my SO at your local downtown REI or Performance outlet. they are big-box, mass-market stores that exist to do one thing: move product to the mass market. they tend to hire folks with a pretty superficial amount of practical knowledge and bike shops on the whole have always had a pretty piss-poor attitude of taking advantage of the clueless and selling a load of snake oil. i know this, because i've worked in several shops myself, and as a coach, dealt repeatedly over the years with the fallout with my students (use injuries and stuff like having to ebay a perfectly good brand-new $2000 road bike at a 50% loss due to fit issues). something like 3/4ths of the riders i know today, INCLUDING myself, got either a badly fit or inappropriate style of bike as their first 'real' serious-usage bike. think used-car salespeople here.

CF, box is right about buying locally, however i really sincerely recommend that you spend a little time on both roadbikereview.com and mtbr.com (the mountain bike branch of RBR) and find a local 'mentor', like someone on your local collegiate cycling team or a friend who's an experienced mountain biker to steer you on the right path. it's not just the fit issue - there's a huge and ever-changing jungle of componentry, terminology, frame types, bike 'subculture' groups and knowledge to wade through.

a bike you're gonna use for anything more than a few summer rides down the bikepath represents a pretty serious outlay in cash, and one that (like a car) devalues by a factor of half the minute you sling a leg over it. doesn't matter whether you're spending $200 or $5000, it's too much money to spend making a poor choice.

email's in my profile and i'll be happy to provide more insight.

I don't think I emphasized it enough, so I'll say it again: contact the folks at your local bike cooperative. While I don't know anything about Recycle-a-Bike (except that website design doesn't seem to be their strong suit, and somebody-or-other described them as an 'anarchist bicyclist collective,' or something like that), co-ops are great places to learn about fixing your own bike, meet bike-riding cutie girls, pick up Critical Mass flyers, etc. (lfr makes a good point about 'subculture groups,' and I think that both of us are betraying where some of our own subcultural sympathies lie.)

Curbs and hills and whatnot are more about technique and fitness than they are about the bike--read a book about technique/skills (I recommend William Neely's mtb books, even if you never ride off-road), or watch skilled riders. Ooh, and if you're concerned about hills, don't let anybody talk you into a singlespeed.

um, critical mass....?

okay i won't get started. just... not a real good idea.

oh and i second William Nealy's books, i have them.

I totally get what you mean about some places only wanting to sell you a bike regardless of whether it's right for you or not. I've got a neighbor who's big into bicycles and knows a lot about them. Next time I'm up at home I'll give him a ring, see if he can recommend a good location and fill me in on a little of the necessary information. Like me, he enjoys fixing up older bicycles and rescuing bikes that are being thrown out. He knows a lot more about how to fix them than I do (he's involved with a charity that takes them and ships them to developing nations overseas), but I enjoy doing what I can to repair them and cleaning them up to look nice again. Maybe it's my ADD, something to do with hyperfocus or whatever. Fiddling with bikes is just... I don't know. Zen like? Sounds weird, but it's a relaxing hobby.

My budget is pretty tight; I only work on breaks from school. I can't envision myself paying very much for a bicycle. But I think I've got the incentive now to at least look into getting a bike and to go and get myself fitted for a bike. I hope to buy used, or if I'm lucky my neighbor might have a bike (he's always got at least seven) that would be a good fit to sell me.

As far as the whole 'subculture' thing goes, I can't see myself participating in critical mass. Ever. Haha. Like I said, it's something I enjoy, but I've never gotten too active in any sort of cycling group. The last time I biked with a group of people was when I was getting my bicycling merit badge in the scouts, many, many years ago, and even then I preferred to ride alone with my thoughts. I guess I'm just more of a solo rider.

Box: As for the curb thing, I mentioned that because of the way my first bicycle went out, the warped frame. I know enough to get the front tire off the ground and over the curb, but it was the rear fork that eventually warped. And the hill thing was because I honestly don't know how a road bike or mountain bike would differ in terms of dealing with hills.

Thanks again, guys. I really appreciate all the help :)

The curb thing: After you get the front wheel over the curb, quickly lift your butt off the seat, shift your weight forward, twist the handlebars forward and, if you've got toe clips or clipless pedals or whatnot, lift your feet up.

I'm not necessarily a good explainer, but if you practice it on the bike, or watch bmx, freestyle and mtb trials riders, it'll become clearer.

The goal is to lift your back wheel off the ground and over the obstruction--or, failing that, to make sure that the back wheel hits the obstacle softly enough to avoid damaging it, and with enough momentum to carry it over.