Cheap Bike in Minneapolis?
June 27, 2011 3:36 PM   Subscribe

Cheap, serviceable used bike in Minneapolis?

My son is looking for a decent used bike in Minneapolis. I doubt he'll ever be a hard core rider, but one never knows.

Any suggestions for a bike shop he could visit where he could be correctly fitted to a relatively inexpensive used bicycle?
posted by imjustsaying to Travel & Transportation around Minneapolis, MN (8 answers total)
 
Co-ops are usually a great first bet. This is the first one Google turned up.
posted by supercres at 3:41 PM on June 27, 2011


The Hub (mentioned above), FreeWheel, and Sibley Bike Depot would be the three places I'd check first.
posted by DaveP at 4:04 PM on June 27, 2011


I was in Minneapolis this weekend and saw a shop that sold nothing but used bicycles. It wasn't a co-op. But I can't remember where it was, I'd like to say uptown. I tried googling it to no avail. There is one out there.... somewhere.
posted by Xurando at 5:16 PM on June 27, 2011


Sunrise Cyclery in Lynlake (probably what Xurando is thinking of) and Recovery in NE Minneapolis.

Hub is also good, though their used bikes can be kind of spendy.
posted by substars at 5:22 PM on June 27, 2011


If you're willing to go to St Paul, Express Bikes is another option.
posted by advicepig at 6:13 PM on June 27, 2011


In the PiPress: "Recovery Bike Shop will host [a] bike swap from 1 to 5 pm June 30...at the Re-Cycle Bike Warehouse, 2718 University Ave SE, Minneapolis.... Admission is free. Selling a bike in the bike corral costs $5."
posted by lakeroon at 6:49 PM on June 27, 2011


I've fallen in love with several bikes at Express Bikes in St Paul (bikes rebuilt/serviced by teens! awesome!), and my husband got a nice used bike at the Hub co-op off Minnehaha/Lake (note: there are a couple locations of the Hub, but the Minnehaha location is the only one with used bikes).

Please avoid ReCycle - I know people who have purchased cheap but absolutely broken/unsafe bicycles from them (see Yelp for other examples). I'd also check out the reviews on the MPLS bike love forums - there might be a winning shop elsewhere in the MSP closer to home for you.
posted by Maarika at 7:02 PM on June 27, 2011


I bought my bike from an individual at a used bike fair like the one above.

You should be aware that used bikes in good condition are often shockingly expensive. Mine was $200, but prices in the $400 or $500 range aren't uncommon. Fixing up and restoring an old beaten up bike takes a lot of work, and there are lots of people who prefer old bikes to new bikes, so the prices stay high. You can always get an old beaten up bike and fix it up yourself, or you might be able to get a new hybrid/casual bike at a bike shop for less than a used bike.
posted by miyabo at 8:11 PM on June 27, 2011


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