After receiving a tip from a friend that Craigslist has a large market for bicycles in Brooklyn, I did my own research and returned with a 1960s brown vintage cruiser. I bought the bike from a young lady about my age in Park Slope. My roommate accompanied me and watched as I took the cruiser for a 30-second test ride to the first corner. It seemed like a perfect fit, so I handed over the cash and my roommate and I loaded the bike in the back of her Element and drove back to our neighborhood in Williamsburg. I became slightly panicked when, after bringing home the bike and eagerly taking it out for a ride, almost immediately there was something wrong with the chain! While crossing a street, I suddenly lost resistance against the pedals and began pedaling like a foolish maniac as my bike sort of just stood there like a stubborn horse in the middle of the road. I managed to drift toward the sidewalk where I checked to see if the chain fell off, but it appeared perfectly intact. Now, I’m not a bicycle expert, but I started feeling that maybe I was ripped off. This discouraged me, as I always like to think that Craigslist is one of the few websites out there that is still fair and has not been overrun by commercial advertisements. I frantically emailed the girl who sold me the bike, explaining the problem while typing with crossed fingers, hoping I didn’t get scammed! I was a bit ashamed of making accusations so quickly when the girl immediately responded to my email, apologizing and saying this never happened before and suggesting I check the chain while requesting that I keep her posted on the issue. I have a friend scoping out the situation today. If all turns out well, and I’m sure it will one way or another, I will still use Craigslist as an expedient for finding cool used stuff. After all, I did find a great apartment in Brooklyn that my roommate and I are very pleased with! You can’t win them all, but, at least when purchasing a bike, make your test ride longer than 30 seconds! -Courtney Centeno, account executive