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What is the best sub-$200 banana seat bicycle?

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cbustapeck

Wore out three sets of tires already!
There are plenty of great mid-priced and expensive banana seat bicycles, be they Stingrays, Eliminators, Raleigh Choppers, etc., and those all have their place. There are also plenty of reasons to avoid modern-production bicycles, but I don't want to talk about that today, either. What I'm curious about is what you think is the best banana seat bicycle that can be had for $200 and why.

Basic criteria:
  • It has to have a banana seat.
  • It has to have at least one 20" wheel (no tiny 16" wheel bikes)
  • It has to be something that one might reasonably find on a semi-ongoing basis, not some once in a blue moon Craigslist steal.
Here's my choice, the bicycle that happens to belong to my daughter: An early 2000s Bratz bicycle. It's metallic purple, with a velour seat and a springer fork. It has chrome fenders, too. The stickers can come off, should one so desire. I purchased this one for $80. Another one was on Craigslist here recently for $100. Here's one on eBay right now with a buy-it-now of $200.
AB72BE3B-DB38-494F-8FE5-B40C3BC7CCE0.jpeg


What do you think the best sub-$200 banana seat bicycle is?
 
There are plenty of great mid-priced and expensive banana seat bicycles, be they Stingrays, Eliminators, Raleigh Choppers, etc., and those all have their place. There are also plenty of reasons to avoid modern-production bicycles, but I don't want to talk about that today, either. What I'm curious about is what you think is the best banana seat bicycle that can be had for $200 and why.

Basic criteria:
  • It has to have a banana seat.
  • It has to have at least one 20" wheel (no tiny 16" wheel bikes)
  • It has to be something that one might reasonably find on a semi-ongoing basis, not some once in a blue moon Craigslist steal.
Here's my choice, the bicycle that happens to belong to my daughter: An early 2000s Bratz bicycle. It's metallic purple, with a velour seat and a springer fork. It has chrome fenders, too. The stickers can come off, should one so desire. I purchased this one for $80. Another one was on Craigslist here recently for $100. Here's one on eBay right now with a buy-it-now of $200.
View attachment 1271624

What do you think the best sub-$200 banana seat bicycle is?
I bought a Wards Hawthorne 3 speed banana bike that's in rough shape for 10 bucks, so the cheap ones are still out their...
 
Lots of tough proven true vintage department store bikes available for under 200 on FB marketplace, Craig’s and EBay.
Here is a forum member offering a very good example for under 100. Perhaps bike flights could bring it in at your budget.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1960’s-ross-polo-bike-reduced-90.220824/#post-1523238
 
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1960’s-ross-polo-bike-reduced-90.220824/

unsure why you can’t click on the above link?
 
Lots of tough proven true vintage department store bikes available for under 200 on FB marketplace, Craig’s and EBay.
Here is a forum member offering a very good example for under 100. Perhaps bike flights could bring it in at your budget.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1960’s-ross-polo-bike-reduced-90.220824/#post-1523238
It's not working for me either. Not showing up in blue for some reason.
 
There are plenty of great mid-priced and expensive banana seat bicycles, be they Stingrays, Eliminators, Raleigh Choppers, etc., and those all have their place. There are also plenty of reasons to avoid modern-production bicycles, but I don't want to talk about that today, either. What I'm curious about is what you think is the best banana seat bicycle that can be had for $200 and why.

Basic criteria:
  • It has to have a banana seat.
  • It has to have at least one 20" wheel (no tiny 16" wheel bikes)
  • It has to be something that one might reasonably find on a semi-ongoing basis, not some once in a blue moon Craigslist steal.
Here's my choice, the bicycle that happens to belong to my daughter: An early 2000s Bratz bicycle. It's metallic purple, with a velour seat and a springer fork. It has chrome fenders, too. The stickers can come off, should one so desire. I purchased this one for $80. Another one was on Craigslist here recently for $100. Here's one on eBay right now with a buy-it-now of $200.
View attachment 1271624

What do you think the best sub-$200 banana seat bicycle is?
Not that one, that's for sure
 
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