the price of a used bike - NYTIMES

[smilingcat]

:lol: OJ up my nose sure hurts...

So she wanted something cheaper than $250.00 or there abouts? I think this demonstrates the total disconnect between average person on the road who do not ride a bicycle and those who ride. No wonder you can get a brand spanking new bike at a big box store for $350.00 and people think that's really expensive?

[GLC1968]

Someone in the comments made a really good point. If you want to ride a bike in Portland for a few months - buy a used one off craigslist or at a shop and spend more than you want to. Then, when it's time to leave, sell it for almost as much as you paid for it. Seriously. Easily done in a market such as this.

I bought a mixte frame when we moved here. I put new tires, a basket and fenders on it and rode it to work when my commute was 1.5 miles for a few months. When we moved further out, I sold it for $75 more than I paid for it and it *almost* covered the costs of my 'upgrades'. I basically paid about $25 to ride that bike for 3 months.

[Eden]

She missed a few key points... that big box store bike, though new, is likely to be unfixable or rather expensive to fix if broken - many of those bikes have really cheap one piece stamped crank sets and other obstacles to maintenance. They also weigh a ton (Costco's commuter weighs 40! lbs) and come in a very, very limited range of sizes - usually 2. That is why they are cheap.....

And about not being able to afford a $400 bike.....There are those who can't afford a car, but so many people, even poor ones do have one. .... hmmmm if you give up your car.... no gas, no maintenance, no insurance.....