Wanted: 2 Bikes, Mens and Womens

[alex.wilsonii]

My wife and I recently moved to a new area of the country, straight out of college. Being that we both went to small campus'd colleges, we neither one really had a heavy use for a bike before. While we both "have bikes" back home (I put that in quotes because I'm actually pretty sure my personal bike has been claimed by siblings/family members back home and getting it would be quite difficult), we won't be able to make the long trip home anytime soon to see about getting them.

That being said, I was hoping there'd be the chance of someone in the general Minneapolis/St. Paul area who would have either a mens or womens (or both would be amazing!) bike that they don't really use anymore and would like to sell cheap or give away. I don't mind if the bike is in need of some minor repairs or TLC - I'm more than happy to do the work on it, though I'm hoping to get a ride-able bike for short trips to the grocery store, library, etc for each of us for around $25-30 each.  It also doesn't have to be in the Twin Cities area, but obviously that'd be best as I'm unsure otherwise how the bike would get to me.

If you can help me out or have some advice for obtaining such a prize, please don't hesitate to let me know!  Just a note, I've already been scouring Craigslist in my local area (and continue to do so), but haven't found anything yet that I felt was worth pulling the trigger on.

[zoltani]

You have to be really patient with craigslist for bikes, and do not hesitate if you see something you want to take a look at. I know that Minneapolis has a good used bike market.  The amount of bikes showing up on craigslist will start to skyrocket once spring really hits, but then so will the prices. 

[zoltani]

Looks decent if you are tall
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/bik/2902441164.html

Ladies bike if you don't mind a 3-speed
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/bik/2902237334.html

Hybrid
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/bik/2901976688.html

All those are over $30, and just from looking at the first page of bikes $100 and under i will say that you may have a hard time finding one for $30 in Minneapolis' bike market.

Another suggestion is to check out your local bike co-op. 

Could also check out the local dumps to see what you can pick out of there. 

[Parizade]

The TCBC (Twin Cities Bike Club) bike swapmeet is coming up:

http://www.biketcbc.org/swapmeet/

maybe I'll see you there :-)

[sol]

Most major metropolitan centers have a bike co-op now.  Basically it's a bunch of people who salvage bikes otherwise destined for the landfill, repair them by combining the working parts, and sell the result at dirty low prices as a way of encouraging more bicycle use in their community.  Many also offer free use of their workspace and tools, and it can be a good way to learn about how to maintain your own ride.

They come in varying levels of professionalism, capability, and helpfulness, ranging all the way from some guy who volunteers his garage to full-fledged bike shops that have adopted the philosophy as a marketing gimmick.

[Parizade]

Most major metropolitan centers have a bike co-op now.  Basically it's a bunch of people who salvage bikes otherwise destined for the landfill, repair them by combining the working parts, and sell the result at dirty low prices as a way of encouraging more bicycle use in their community.  Many also offer free use of their workspace and tools, and it can be a good way to learn about how to maintain your own ride.

They come in varying levels of professionalism, capability, and helpfulness, ranging all the way from some guy who volunteers his garage to full-fledged bike shops that have adopted the philosophy as a marketing gimmick.

In Minneapolis, that would be http://thehubbikecoop.org/, and they will likely be at the swapmeet

[alex.wilsonii]

Wow, the swapmeet looks like it'd be interesting to attend, even if I do end up finding a bike before then! Thanks, Parizade!

Also, I briefly browsed that bike co-op's page, The Hub. It seems like a very intriguing idea -- to salvage old bikes, repair them, and then sell them much cheaper -- but at a glance from their site, it seems like all their bikes are well over a few hundred dollars. Even of their 'closeout' bikes, the cheapest was $110. While I'm sure they're very nice bikes, I'm not really one who considers himself a hardcore biker. I just need something ride-able from my apartment to the library and back again. Maybe down a state park trail once or twice a year. That sort of thing. That being that case, I'm thinking the >$100 bikes are well out of my expected price range. Though, perhaps their site is not reflective of the bikes sold at "dirty low prices."

Thanks again for the tips guys! For now, I'm keeping a very close eye on Craigslist and actually found a couple last night I'm hoping to arrange a closer inspection of tonight.

[Sri C.]

Wow, the swapmeet looks like it'd be interesting to attend, even if I do end up finding a bike before then! Thanks, Parizade!

Thanks again for the tips guys! For now, I'm keeping a very close eye on Craigslist and actually found a couple last night I'm hoping to arrange a closer inspection of tonight.

alex.wilsonii, I would be interested in knowing how this ended up for you :-)

[matchewed]

Sri given the age of this post and the number of posts alex has posted you may have better luck with a private message to him. Or take the advice in the thread and seek out a bike co-op in your area, stop by and say hi to them. :)

[ralay]

I know this post is old, I just wanted to mention that for casual riding, most women probably wouldn't notice a difference between a "men's" and "women's" bike.   I've owned a lot of men's bikes, including the bike I took on a 3 month tour.  As long as your not too ladylike to swing your leg over the saddle instead of stepping over the top tube, just use an online calculator to get an idea of what size bike you probably need (a measure of the length of the seat tube in inches or cm) and go test ride all the used bikes in that size range.  If you're going to ride in dress, keeping it out of the drivetrain/backwheel or and from blowing over your face in the wind is a lot bigger battle than avoiding panty flashing everyone as you get on anyways.  I'm sure this won't be very useful advice for very short women or for folks who are racing or otherwise want to pay a premium for a perfect fit.  I'm just trying to expand the pool of used bikes for average-sized women like me who ride for fun and transportation and for whom a men's bike will do the job just as well.