Never know what you might find…first page, tall bike:
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/bik/d/mens-bicycle-trek-400-series/6631283604.html
Yup, what I was talking about earlier in the thread - there are usually many very tall older steel road bikes on the market for cheap.
I almost wish that’s what I was looking for bc it’s cool.
That’s called a BSO in biking parlance, Mahaloth. A bike-shaped object.
You can get plenty of nice riding bikes for not too much money these days. There are limits, though.
That bike wouldn’t fare too well on gravel. Some of the other tall bikes I saw listed would probably work OK though - the schwinn Traveler might be acceptable but wouldn’t perform as well as a new bike,
I joined the local FB bike swap page. Posted an honest ad that I needed an enormous bike. Overnight I got offered an old XXL Specialized Rockhopper and a 63 cm Nishiki Olympic 12-speed road bike.
Considering going used and dirt cheap, despite the dependability of new. I like learning about things by working on them anyway.
If your bike shop is clean, neat, and has space to walk around, you need to go elsewhere. Find the shop where you can barely get in the door, has bikes hanging from the ceiling, and a teeny, tiny workspace in the back. Those guys really know their business, and will put you on the right bike.
At your current state of knowledge of bikes and your stated intended use I really really think it is a very good idea for you to buy an inexpensive used bike, even if it’s not quite what you have in mind; get some actual riding experience to learn what you actually need and/or want. With a used bike you can always get back at least most of what you paid for it when you do decide to splurge for your dream bike (Rivendell Clem Smith Jr.)
Without even trying hard I can think of at least five people I know who have farily expensive bikes sitting in their garage that have been ridden only once or twice. A few years ago I bought an $800 Dahon folding bike through craigslist for $400 that had been ridden so little the tires still had the little nipples sticking out of them.
And when you go to look at bikes, ride them, even if they’re too small or you’re not interested at first glance – use it as a learning experience.
That CL Trek is likely to be a better quality bike than the Nishiki Olympic. Either of those would be a fun platform to try things on the cheap. My last bike was an 80s Japanese road bike (probably similar to the Nishiki) which I modernized in my own quirky way.
150 for the bike and another 100 or so for the top level tune up at a good shop would be a cheap way to get your foot in the door, try out this riding thing, and save up over the winter for something nicer.
And then we can chant, “one of us . . . one of us . . .” when you report on your brand spanking new whatever it is you decide on.
Thinking about the Trek hard. Also going to look at the Rockhopper Saturday. Two ends of the spectrum there; maybe I’ll just get them both and start a stable.
Sounds like you’re already developing a case of BAD (Bicycle Acquisition Disease).
The moment the idea crossed my mind I thought this might become a problem. Maybe I’ll get lucky, hate riding, and save a bunch of money!!
N+1 my friend. N+1
Maybe it depends on where you are from - definitely not in my area. The barely get in the door shops usually work on older beat up bikes for a cheap price. They tend to cater to people who aren’t too picky. Oftentimes they have difficultly with anything modern like disc brakes.
My advice to the OP would be to get recommendations from local cyclists; I’ve always found that as a group they know would know the best direction to point him in.
I wouldn’t recommend getting your bike repaired at a chain store like Performance or Dick’s either.
Yelp reviews of bike shops can be kind of misleading - people often want a different kind of service than a particular shop offers not realizing that there even are different subspecialties out there. Kind of like if you assume every restaurant should serve Italian cuisine and then bitching about how awful the Chinese place you went to was.
My wife is the best. I told her this morning that I was looking at a couple bikes this weekend; a road bike and a mountain bike. She asked what they wanted for them, and when I told her she said “Annnd you’re getting both, right?!?” As in, get them both if you want them, dummy.
So now I guess the race is on to find S-1.
I got the Trek above today, looked like it was in good shape to me. Ran it over to the local non-franchise bike shop to see if they’d give it a quick once over. He noted that the back wheel is just a tad out of true and there’s some play in the bottom bracket. Otherwise he thought it is a solid if obviously older bike. Taking it in to get the wheel trued and the bottom bracket looked at later this week.
I’m going to go ride it now.
ETA: Should have quoted everybody who said “GET A USED BIKE” too…ok, ok, you’re right. 
I’ll see what I like and be spendy in the spring.
Nothing to add except to note that when you get back into biking it will take a bit for your ass to get used to it.
I got back into biking a couple years ago and that first week my ass was really sore from riding. After that all the body parts became accustomed to it and all was well and I was having a blast (I am fortunate having an excellent place to ride).
It is possible to buy very cushy seats but I expect you will still feel it when you first start again regardless of the seat. Just hang in there and all will sort itself out.
Bit of a hijack but there’s lots of knowledgeable people here.
I’m getting back into cycling after several years absence. I came across something about the NuVinci continuous variable transmission. Sounds like a great idea. Has anyone got any experience of this?
I don’t like it at all. It’s heavy and doesn’t provide great range. It’s sort of a gadgety item that doesn’t really have any practical overall benefit for most people. If you’re dying for internal, I’d go with a Shimano Alfine hub, it gives Rohloff an run for its money.
Overall, as far as new drivetrain developments go, the narrow wide one by stuff with the clutch rear derailleur seems really impressive to me - solves many of the problems caused by more complicated drivetrains and has only minor drawbacks - and all at a fairly reasonable price.
Let us know how the riding goes and what changes you make or are thinking of. There’s a few knowledgeable folk here and a lot of opinions.
For me the most exciting equipment changes are in tires and tire width. A tire change can transform a bike.
Happy riding!
Thought I’d update you guys on my most recent acquisition.
Yes. I said it.
So I have done a few rides apiece with my road bike and my semi-hybridized mountain bike. Decided so far that I definitely like the feel of riding the road bike better.
Well back when this all started, I stopped by a place called Revolve KC. They are bike charity, who knew there was such a thing, and they have a bike shop where they fix up and sell donated bikes as well.
They didn’t have anything for me at the time, but said they’d take my name and contact information and keep an eye out for something. Well, over the weekend, they called. They just got in an old Fuji Royale road bike…with a 68mm frame. Am I interested?
No typo…68mm.
The made sure it was solid, and put 700c wheels and 28mm tires on it with a little bit of tread, since I had told them I would be on gravel a lot.
Went to take a look and rode it around the block today. Loved it. Threw it on the rack and drove it home.
I stood it up next to the 25.5" Trek, which I thought was a good fit and it TOWERS over it. Can’t wait to finish work today to get it out for a few miles.
It has some chipped paint, the chrome parts are dull and have rust spots…don’t care. 