The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Praxis on June 13, 2012, 05:13:13 PM
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Okay, so the fantastic bike I've had for twelve years- since I bought it when I lived in the Netherlands- was stolen when burglars broke in to my garage while I was back visiting Europe again.
I got the jerks on camera and found where they live and my family photos in their trash, and turned it all over to the police last night, but I don't have much confidence in them to do anything. My bike's probably already been sold or parted anyway; the robbery was a week ago, I only just got back and found it.
I loved my bike but I have never taken any- and I mean any- time to educate myself further about bikes. I have no idea how to judge a bike or what I should be looking for beyond a city bike.
What's the best place to look for bikes frugally? Craigslist? What should I judge the bike on?
Thanks much?
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How did you find out where they lived based only on video? That's awesome!
I got my bike on craiglist just by seeing what was available near me, and then researching all of them to see if they were a good deal, if they'd break down, etc...
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My neighbor's camera pointed down the alley. I actually checked the overflowing garbages of some of the houses on my block and found my stuff before getting the footage from my neighbor; and the footage from his camera confirmed them taking my stuff in to their house.
Unfortunately, it's a triplex with a ton of bums living in it so I'm hoping the police don't have their hands tied by not being able to prove exactly which one of them it is. The video shows their builds but not faces.
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It really depends what you're doing with your bike. Reading between the lines, it was probably an upright transportation bike (aka "Dutch" bicycle). Maybe with fenders and a rack? It's sort of hard to find those in the US, but they are becoming more popular in the cities, especially cities with rail trails.
You're more likely to find a similar feeling bike like a hybrid in the US, typically these don't have fenders or a rack.
The most important function of your bike will be the fit. Find a way to get that right, at a bike shop or from a friend. Then you can check Craigslist. You'll probably want to google for things to watch out for buying used. For a bike with lots of miles, it's common to find that it will need a new chain and cassette. But just about anything else can go wrong. :-)
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I wrote this for Mustacians with no bike experience or knowledge who are looking to buy a solid used commuter bike:
http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/2012/01/buying-bikes-from-craigslist.html
Sorry to hear about the robbery. Same thing happened to me in February. I was on the East Coast for US Coast Guard training, and my neighbor tipped off his friends that I was out of town.
They got into the shed, got all my tools, and since my bikes were locked to each other inside the shed as a double protection, they cut my touring bike (that I had since 9th grade - rode to Mexico, used as a bike messenger in SF and NYC) in half so they could get to my carbon fiber road bike. They also took my mnt bikes wheels (but left the frame at the neighbors place, along with my unicycle), and my folding bike (which I got back from another neighbor who recognized it being sold soon after)