Today I bought a bike. I went to Craigslist, which is a buy-and-sell website with everything from electronics to apartment leases (somewhat like the Danish Den Blå Avis). As it is a collection of thousands of sellers, you have to be careful not to be a victim of a scam. But with some common sense you can make a good deal.

I found a good bike from a seller close to me – to avoid being scammed I’m always meeting people in person and seeing/trying the product being paying for anything. The posting had pictures and a description of more than a few words, so it seemed okay. I wrote the owner, and he replied pretty quick, and we agreed to meet at a parking lot nearby (always meet in a public place). I tried the bike round the parking lot to test gears and brakes, and paid him cash.

The bike seems pretty old, but it is in good shape. For $140 it seems like a good deal.

After driving it in the wet weather, I have found out that the brakes don’t work that well when they’re wet. It can probably be fixed if I tighten them a bit.