Bought a bike for $30 and it needs work-can you recommend parts

[jyyanks]

I bought a bike for $30 from craigslist. I currently have a folding bike and eventually want to upgrade to a road/hybrid in the Spring (haven't decided yet)

In the meantime, I found this used Specialized bike on craigslist for $30. It's an older model and needs new wheels, tubes, new brakes, and grips. I do not want to invest a ton of money as I'm eventually buying a brand new bike. But for now, can anyone recommend some inexpensive parts that I can use to fix this bike up? Does anyone even know what model this is?

This is the picture from the actual craigslist ad (that is definitely NOT my basement). I didn't have time to take pictures of it myself.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Velocivixen]

Do you have a trusted local bike shop you could take it to and have them recommend things? Will you do the work yourself? We have a few bike shops around that sell quality used parts. Not sure if there's anything like that near you, but it might be worth investigating. Sorry, I can't give you any specific part info.

[jyyanks]

Thanks for the response.

My Father In Law was going to attempt to put in the wheels/brakes. He is handy though definitely not a "pro". After he fixed it up, I was going to take it to my local bike shop to look over. I was just going to buy the stuff online but maybe that's not a great idea.

[tulip]

I suggest bringing it to the shop and asking them if they can make is safe and rideable. If the tires are cracked from dry rot, you'll need new tubes and tires. The rest might only need to be lubed and adjusted, unless there is alot of rust, in which case you might need a chain and new cables. Most people who have old bikes in their basements did not ride the bike much, and therefore the parts probably won't be worn out. Most people stash bikes in the basement because they don't ride them.

Are you the person who wanted to build a relationship with your bike shop? It's definitely bad form to order parts online and then expect the shop to do the work. They'll likely comply, but it's not a particularly good way to build that relationship.

Plus, that's a nice little bike. Get it ride-ready at the shop soon so that you can enjoy riding in this fabulous fall weather.

[shootingstar]

Most definitely the wheels and chain need to be looked for replacement or fix.

Hopefully this won't cost you way over $50.00 unless someone has lightly used bike wheels to give to you.

[tulip]

It probably won't need wheels, just tubes and tires. The bike shop can check the trueness of the wheels and make adjustments. While you (or your FIL) could conceivably true the wheels, the bike shop has the right tools and know how. Please post some more pictures, it's a pretty bike.