on 2014-09-17 11:21 Darren Addy wrote
My son-in-law
has a late 80s (I think) vintage 15 speed Schwinn Mirada that he will
sell me for the price he (just) spent to have it serviced at a local
bike shop ($100).
it's more of a "town bike" than a mountain bike; in the late 80s those were
taking a lot of cues from mountain bikes
here are some old catalogs covering that range:
<http://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/MODELS/Mirada.html>
in 85 they said the frame was CroMoly but later on it wasn't; CroMoly might
indicate a lighter, more comfortable or generally higher-spec bike, but in
itself it won't matter much to you; the 85 version (non-unicrown fork and
riser bars) is much more classy looking, IMO
the frame geometry looks a lot like the 85 Rockhopper i am semi-restoring,
which is remarkably similar to the current Surly Long-Haul Trucker, a very
desirable touring frame (though usually fitted with drop bars)
the Mirada seems intended for a more upright riding position, which means
you put more of your weight on the seat, and for me that means i want
low-pressure balloon tires and/or a sprung saddle to cushion the ride; a
good butted CroMoly frame can absorb a bit of shock too, but i wouldn't
expect that from this model
it should be pretty comfortable for someone the right size; fatter tires are
more comfortable
I'm a bike newbie really. However, it looks like this
thing has a really durable frame (saw one that the owner said had
taken him thousands of miles: 4th photo on this page -
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?page_id=174667 ). I like that
it has center pull brakes and has just come out of the shop.
thousand of miles aren't at all remarkable for a bike; tens of thousands are
common, hundreds of thousands are remarkable; if the frame is intact (look
carefully for cracks at any of the joints, particularly the bottom bracket
area), then you have the most to worry about the components, especially on a
budget bike of that age; hopefully the tune-up was done by someone who would
have pointed out any worries
So, basically, I guess I'm asking if this is a dumb way to spend $100
on a bike or not. What say you?
it's an okay price; with some effort, $100 can get you somewhat better on
Denver Craigslist, and i've thrifted _much_ better for $50; it sounds like
this will save you the time that would mean, though; do your best to make
sure it can be made to fit well
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