Would this bike be worth it?

Question

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/727088018.html

i want to find a nice bike to build into a single speed. i have a single speed wheelset already. my question is - is this bike worth that price? if not how much do you think would be reasonable? also would i have to buy en entire new crank if i want to make this a single speed or could i use the one it has and just rebolt on the smaller chainring?

Answer 1

No way is it worth $250....!!!

As far as old vintage steel bikes go, the Pugeots are decent, but they're still just cheaper very old bikes.  I have a friend who has that exact bike with a few updated parts on it...decent ride for a commuter or around town beater bike.  I think this guy is just hoping to cash in on some uninformed cyclist that wants to hop on the urban/vintage/single/fixie train that's so popular right now.   Honestly, $100 is too much for that bike, even in good shape.  

You can probably convert the crank on the bike to singlespeed, but you'll have to play with the chainline a bit, either by using chainring bolt spacers, hub/dish adjustment, or a different bottom bracket spindle.  You'll almost certainly need to pick up some shorter single-stack chainring bolts if you're going to run a single ring (you can pick them up at a bmx shop for cheap....about half of what most bike shops charge for them in a "roadie" version.....same thing).  

Good luck with negotiating or finding a different bike...have fun with the conversion, too....it's fun!   :o)

Answer 2

Nope. Not worth it. This is a $50-$100 bike. It would be a good bike for a singlespeed at that price, though an older, horizontal drop English or Italian bike would likely be better (french hubs are nearly impossible to rebuild these days).

And you don't have to buy a new crank, just new spacer bolts to handle the narrower, single crank (about $4).

Answer 3

No I don't think it's worth $250. Bikes like that go for $50-$100 usually, even less at garage sales.