BIKESTRUT
edith head
5,106 Posts
i am going to look at a vintage raleigh 3-speed bike after work today for $50. 
but my problem is that i know almost nothing about what makes a good bike. do you guys have an opinion on 3-speed bikes? i want something pratical, light and skinny that i can carry up stairs, not a mountain bike or anything rugged. i am going to use it on city streets. do you guys have any recommendations if this bike is a piece of crap?the thing is, i don't want a bike that is too nice cause then someone is going to steal it. especially in my neighborhood.the other bike i have is a fixed-speed vintage folding bike which is really impractical 
but my problem is that i know almost nothing about what makes a good bike. do you guys have an opinion on 3-speed bikes? i want something pratical, light and skinny that i can carry up stairs, not a mountain bike or anything rugged. i am going to use it on city streets. do you guys have any recommendations if this bike is a piece of crap?the thing is, i don't want a bike that is too nice cause then someone is going to steal it. especially in my neighborhood.the other bike i have is a fixed-speed vintage folding bike which is really impractical
Comments
That's right...FILA, batches! Thanks to tripledouble who hooked me up a few months back, I now have a bike to take around the city. (I still owe you BIG, hommie!) I can't believe I went this long without one here, but am greatly appreciative of it now. May be doing a couple little upgrades in the coming weeks...
are they hard to maintain and/or repair?
i didn't know fila made bikes
ive never had to repair it, or had any problems, and given the fact that theres less gears, im guessing it would be easier to maintain than a 9-18 speed?
i just bought a 20" gt mach one bmx bike. needs some repairs and the chrome needs to be cleaned and polished, but im all happy i got a bike now WEEEEEEEEEE!
as far as 3 speed mamachari's go, i mean, with the vintage bikes its really about a look. practical? sure, itll get you from your house to another part of the city and the 3 speed should be fine for the hills. my only concern with the old bikes are the brakes. get them checked plaese. these old bikes usually run caliper brakes and those are kinda shitty brakes especially when riding steep hills. so check them thoroughly. straight off id replace the brake pads. check your rear hub and make sure the hubs are clean and in decent shape. look for bent gear hubs and cranks as this will fuck up your gears when you shift. oh, shift all your gears, your paying for 3 of them so they might as well work. if something dont seem right that's a rear hub, chain, and crankset you may need to replace.
hi shig! thanks for the great advice. so a 3-speed is manageable for the inclines in sf? the reason why i would consider this bike in the first place is that it's only $50, but the old look and fenders don't hurt either.
i thought that the more gears you have the heavier the bike? thanks for suggesting an alternative. i don't want to try to lug a heavy bike up my stairs. my arms is like putty
nah, the weight of the actual gears themselves is nothing, like a few ounces... it's that, for the most part, 3 speed bikes are from the 70's or older (or are beach cruisers or something, which aren't light), and thus made with heavier frames... if you cop a cheap used bike from the 90's, your arms will thank you when you carry it (as will your legs on hills...)
did you read the thraed asshat? i said it was because it was cheap.
the fuck is your problem?
speaking of a "gigantic L" and
see this is why you are a douche
200K a week, K in Canada.
ok thank you. i did not know that. i will start perusing later used bikes on craigslist.
i'd go with a peugeot, which are affordable and readily available. one particular model (the U-08 i think?) sold very well in the 70s and as a result they are everywhere.
just keep your craigslist eyes peeled
If it's comfortable and rides well, pick it up. It's not like the steal of the century or anything, but will probably serve you well.
Show the dude $40 and be like 'Oh, that's all I have with me, will this be ok?' and he'll probably jump at it.
I do about 100 miles/week in the summer...Less if I'm running one/two days a week. Finally brokedown and got an indoor trainer this winter. Made the transition to spring soooooo much better.
Next spring, look for it: new bike find.
I would say go for that vintage bike. It looks less tacky than a 80's/early 90's mountain bike but less attractive to a thief. The weight is a factor and those 3 gears don't give you much range for climbing in SF but there ain't no shame in pushing it up a hill
I rode a 24-inch BMX bike around SF for about 3 years; it was my only means of transporation, in fact. It only had one gear and I went all over the place. For most of where you'll be riding (read: not Pacific Heights), you can avoid hills. The hills in the Western Addition are really easy to avoid--just take the route known as THE WIGGLE, easily remembered by the following corny story:
There were two friends named Page and Scott. Page wanted to get a nose ring (no, his last name was not Rillz) and he wanted Scott to go with him, but Scott was deathly afraid of needles. But, out of friendship, they went to Waller's Piercing Salon and Page got his nose ring. When Scott saw the procedure, he fainted. So remember:
Waller pierced Page and Scott fell. [Waller to Pierce to Page to Scott to Fell--no hills.]
A groaner, to be sure, but I never forgot it. I rode my one-gear bike on that route several hundred times with no trouble.
Good luck!
- R
AY YO!
Please to read the messege I sent you via Myspace. DO NOT buy a Peugeot, no matter how cheap. Contact me w/ questions. Fitty for the hoopdee in the pic is a fine deal.
lil' Nicky Lazer
LOL!
B/W
I see you in the fixed gear lane.
There you go A*****, go fixed like Ross and P.Ro.
No unnesesscary parts.
ive picked up a really nice peaugeot and a super nice miyata one hundred for under $40! DEALS!! they my babies.
why you guys always have to turn this into a RACE thing. get it? race? fixed gears? ok. i go download pro's mix now.
Once you go Italian, you never go back
Personally, I hate multiple gears - probably a result of
all my years on BMX, but I can only ride road bikes with
fixed gears or freewheels, single speed.
I realize this may not be ideal for you in SF, Au***y -
but the stripped-down lightweight aspect of a single gear
road/track bike compensates somewhat for the inability to
go into lower gears on hills - I used to live on a huge hill
and had to ride up it every night...at first it was impossible,
but after a few weeks it became second nature. My bike weighs
about as much as a skateboard, and you really appreciate that
aspect while riding, believe me.
I love not having to deal with deraileurs and gear shifters
and all that junk. Just 2 wheels, a chain, pedals and a crank.
I believe God wanted it this way