Or seed the area with a few poorly-secured bikes with tracking devices… and a few well-secured ones too in case someone thinks the poorly-secured ones are bait.
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On that note, I wish I could still bike, but with my sensory issues, and the sensory bombardment from safety signals, it’s too dangerous.
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Looks to be eight foot wide/single car lane wide trails through nature-y type scenery. Nothing too rough at all, and aimed at walkers/biking. Picnic areas/side from the trail. So I’d be looking for something more ‘urban’ than ‘mountain’ with a mindset towards 'I want to be able to go bike to the store, get a few things, go home. as there is a local grocery store right at about a mile away from the house.
As for budget? Definitely ‘used’ due to being in the $200 - $300 range. I’m not even sure that’d be enough to get a good used bike (note i am not including cost of helmet, lock, etc, to try getting all that PLUS bike for that price is pure madness, or asking for el sleezeo’s bottom bin.)
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Are you already lurking on Craigslist, if your area has one? I’ve been watching mine since April or so, and I now have a sense of what’s available used and what they’re going for. I basically read every listing as it comes up. (Which I can do because our bike market isn’t that large. It makes me jealous of big state-university towns. Those people have ginormous bike markets with lots of turnover.)
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A classic, drop-bar ten-speed in good condition probably won’t cost more than $150. Just make sure that they have two threaded mounts brazed on the dropouts, as shown below:
Two threaded mounts means you can install rack and fenders. And fenders are essential if you’re commuting.
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I assume fenders mean you don’t get back splattter?
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Back splatter, pants wet up to your knees, road grime on your panniers and all your clothing below your mid-calf…fenders protect you from all of that. Every person I know who has installed fenders on their ride has never taken them off since. Even the fixie riders.
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Full-length ones also protect your drivetrain from most of the crud that gets in the chain and causes early wear.
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@singletona082 you can double-up on a single mount. I’m doing it front and rear for years, and I’m not the only one. I mount the rack innermost and fender outermost, to avoid any slight leverage that might be created with the reverse config. that may not be a thing, but still, it couldn’t hurt.
getting separate mounts is better, but only one is not a deal-breaker if it’s a bike you like otherwise.
fenders not just for back-splatter, they also stop road-spray from shooting forward from your wheel onto your shoes. it’s also a big maintenance issue. they protect your frame and mechanicals from getting gritty, oily road-spray plastered all over them. you still get rain water on you and the bike, but only from above, and it’s clean. It evaporates and that’s it.
If you live in a desert climate, you can skip 'em. If your bike is for fun/racing and you decide when it gets ridden, then you can skip 'em. if you ride the bike to get places that you need to go to on a schedule, irrespective of what the weather may do, then you should get them, IMO. I’ve commuted with and without them, it’s a big difference. but this means full fenders–>180deg rear and >90deg front. the light-duty/low profile ones designed only to keep spray off just your back do nothing else.
once again, I compose a reply without reading the comments below the post I’m replying to 
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WHat really bums me out is before I moved here a few years back I went into a local bike shop to price check. looked at the ones that looked approximately my size/had the grips I wanted. Swung onto the first one and it felt… Right. Absolutely perfect seat placement even (feet only barely able to touch if you put toe down is proper seat height right?) The quick test drive on their back lot felt great. I simply didn’t have the money on hand (it was fairly inexpensive. Only like $400 plus tax.) Forget the brand but it was reasonably light, appeared to be geared for paved roads but wasn’t a racer, and the staff were quite understanding about my questions.
And now that I am going to live somewher i actualy can bike? Nobody locally is selling right now. On the other hand I’m not able to devote full effort into hunting so something’s bound to turn up soon.
The big requirements for me:
Can go on roads/light gravel.
Plan on using it to go to locations, go inside, come back out possibly with stuff I have to carry home.
Relatively easy to do light repairs on without having to get a ton of specialist tools.
I honestly want a honda ruckus (one of those bastardized it’s not a motorcycle but it’s not a scooter type things) but I don’t know the local laws/rules on how those work on the roads here since it’s a 50cc thing, and because I literally cant have a license due to vision, bikes are a better option.
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Honestly? A decent 80’s or 90’s Mountain Bike might be a decent option. Frames of that era tend to not have suspension forks, were (often) steel, and had a bit more “adventure” features built into them that you find these days (rack mounts, etc…). Swap the tires to something a little less aggressively knobby and you’ve got a pretty fun bike…
Like this, maybe:
or this:
Or something.
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Question: Why do they even make twist shifters? I’ve never seen one that’s in any way reliable, doesn’t somehow slip, and overal feels both janky and overcomplicated compared to a simple thumb shifter.
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I’ve ridden some good ones- indeed, my good trail bike currently has a 1x9 drivetrain through a grip shift. It’s a pretty high-end one, and that means it’s pretty positive and crisp.
On cheaper bikes, it was a matter cost- low end grip shift cost less than low end trigger shifters. Economics, is all.
90s StumpJumper and RockHopper frames are fantastic. A blank canvas for someone who needs a solid commuter. Good call.
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Thanks!
They’re relatively common, too- which helps keep the prices down (as compared to similar era Bridgestones and whatnot, which have a bit of a cult following)…
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A mechanic at my LBS has a StumpJumpe commuter: 1x8, drop bars, STIs, Surly rear rack, Ortlieb panniers, Honjo hammered fenders. Oh, and Big Apples. Thing was basically nimble pack mule.
Wait. Pack mules are slow.
Beast. A stocky, nimble beast.
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Love my Worksman LGB. A nimble tank is how I describe it. Front basket gets swapped out with a bench made for the kids (in the photo is the prototype, we now have arms and safety belts). They love to go for a “fly” as they call it.
Bonus for Bubblegum Pink! (excuse the rust, it’s since been scrubbed)
Craigslist people, got this one for $50 after it had been on for months, though I did have to drive 80 miles to get it.
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Mine seems to be an older model. Straight twin top tubes and a solid steel, blade-style fork. Very rigid, but I don’t like not being able to swing my leg through. Got it for $60, I recall. Not sure people realize what a deal these bikes are.
OK, it’s not a Civia Halsted. The tubing is heavier, the BB is designed for one-piece cranks (which are boat anchors themselves), 1" steering tube, and the fork has absolutely no mounts for brakes.
But Jesus, the wheels on this thing. I have tandem wheels that aren’t this strong. Kinda want to have my LBS rebuild them—the rear with a Nexus 8, and the front with a disc hub (open to suggestions on that one). The problem is that the spokes for these rims are thick. I don’t know if modern hubs are drilled for that gauge.
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Twist shifters are hugely simple next to escapement-based thumb shifters… the nicer Shimano and SRAM ones are half-okay, if you like that style of shifting.
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It turns out I’m fairly agnostic about shifter on mountain bikes. I’ve ridden with nearly every system ever produced, and I mostly don’t have a problem with any of them. Good for me, I suppose.
A coupe of exceptions to that- trials bikes I like thumb shifters best. Road bikes I like Campy shifters better.
Otherwise, whatevs!
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