I just bought a Raleigh hybrid on Craigslist for $50 and it’s now my main rider. It dates from 1999 but it was virtually unridden in all that time and required very little tuneup. As long as you don’t feel the need to consume all the modern bicycle total bullshit (e.g. electronic shifters, disc brakes etc.) bikes cost about as much as a nice dinner out.
To be fair, both electronic shifting and disc brakes are substantially better than their old-school counter parts. It’s just that both are also wildly expensive and very difficult to do maintenance on (in my experience, at least). They’re also hugely over-kill for city bikes. So I guess I mostly agree with you
I just bought a Raleigh hybrid on Craigslist for $50 and it’s now my main rider. It dates from 1999 but it was virtually unridden in all that time and required very little tuneup. As long as you don’t feel the need to consume all the modern bicycle total bullshit (e.g. electronic shifters, disc brakes etc.) bikes cost about as much as a nice dinner out.
To be fair, both electronic shifting and disc brakes are substantially better than their old-school counter parts. It’s just that both are also wildly expensive and very difficult to do maintenance on (in my experience, at least). They’re also hugely over-kill for city bikes. So I guess I mostly agree with you