buying a vacation bike in florida

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Patrick

Patrick

Overthinking Everything Always
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hey all, i'm in clearwater, florida for the next couple weeks. i need to ride, cause if i run every day i'll lose my sh*t.

probably budget a couple hundred - so i'm thinking SS of fixie, flat handle not important, but preferred.

found this on craig's list - https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/bik/5943434745.html

comments - anyone good at picking out stuff like this? @extremedave ? or finding bike exchange type places - then i can just donate it back when i'm done.
 
Are there any real bike shops around there that rent bikes? You can probably get a decent aluminum frame bike for $100/week. If it's gonna be more than 2-3 weeks, you can try to work out a longer term deal with them.
 
When you are done with with it can you leave it at my mom's in Boca? I'm tired if bike hunting every time I visit her too. All they have there are chained up Huffy bikes with flats.
 
Pat in Fl
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As JimN said, check long term rentals-you'll probably get a little nicer more modern overall bike.

Otherwise yeah, I'm a fan of used on CL. You've been doing this long enough to know what you're looking at. Something like that fixie (minus the fixie, make sure it has a freewheel side you can swap) would be an easy resell (or just leave it outside Walmart) and not much to go wrong.
 
as a roadie SS person i approve of that bike, but you'll want drop bars and a front brake. and not fixed - free is betterer. fixed is fun but only for so long.
 
clarkenstein said:
as a roadie SS person i approve of that bike, but you'll want drop bars and a front brake. and not fixed - free is betterer. fixed is fun but only for so long.
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i think that bike has a front brake - was surprised it had a rear - looks like it may have been switched, or front lever removed.

seems that is a $325 bike new.

no hills here, except the highway overpass.
 
fidodie said:
i think that bike has a front brake - was surprised it had a rear - looks like it may have been switched, or front lever removed.

seems that is a $325 bike new.

no hills here, except the highway overpass.
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since there are no hills new may be better... only thought is if you can pick one up and have a shop swap out bars for drop bars (you don't need hoods, i get away without them climbing the sourlands), make sure you have both brakes, and maybe up the gearing. that looks like a 42. i think a 46x16 or even a 48x16 would be good for down there. i'm on the 46 up front and can push for 20 mph on flats without feeling like i'm a hamster in a wheel.
 
Trek bikes in ft lauderdale rents bikes by the week, I would assume if they have a location near Clearwater they would do the same.

If you are staying somewhere that you return to every year, buy a cheap Single speed mountain bike, and stow it away until next time. Some of trails I've seen look like a blast.
 
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