>>1229845Sure, i'll give you my long winded 2 cents, am sure others will chip in too.
Avoid bikes with steel rims, "safety" brake levers, and stem mounted shifters - none of these things are too too awful but they're often found on lower end bikes with low quality frame tubing and sub par components otherwise - you can do better.
Personally, I tend to avoid anything pre 79 or so, stay away from French stuff as it can be a pain to work on, and favor mid 80's Japanese built and/or branded bikes for their superb quality, value, and the ease that they can be worked on/upgraded.
Original and complete is good, upgraded properly is also good. You'll likely have to put in a bit of maintenance, maybe replace tires and cables, but you don't want to have to replace your wheels or crank because they're trashed beyond saving. Look for signs of abuse or wear and test ride if possible.
You wanna go fast or something comfy for distance and commuting ? Will you be fitting racks and fenders ? knowing what kind of riding you're going to be doing will help narrow down choices considerably.
Fit is important; find out what size frame fits you and try not to be seduced by pretty bikes that won't.
Google is useful for brands, models, and spec; see something you think might be good on CL and look for it online - you'll find something positive or otherwise somewhere, probably on
bikeforums.net. If you don't, it's likely lower end and not worth your while.
And be wary; there's a LOT of shit out there this time of year, lot of people trying to cash in - Here's a little beauty that popped up in my market this morning:
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-road-bike/city-of-toronto/vintage-brentwood-japanese-road-bike/1377995053shitty department store 10 speed circa 1978 or so, missing it's entire back brake, and with massive accident damage to the front end - this thing is useless, dangerous, and quite literally worthless but he's asking 800 bucks since it's "rare" and he paid 1600 last year lol...
