Want a new cheap bike - false economy?
Discussion
NinjaPower said:
Sorry to jump in here... But can these £150-200 bikes with suspension and disc brakes really be 'death traps' and not worth the metal they are made from?
I ask as I'm sort of in the same predicament (needing a cheap bike for £200) and I have also been having a quick look at stuff in Halfords and those 'special offer' Dunlop bikes in chavvy places like Sports World.
My dad is fairly tight when it comes to spending money on recreation such as cycling simply because he isn't a hardcore cyclist, and purchased himself one of those Shockwave full suspension bikes from Halfords about 2 and a half years ago for £180.
He has used it weekly for the full 2.5 years and never had any problems with it. His riding is a mix of bridleway, cyclepath and the odd bit of rough ground.
Now, his cycling style is leisure rather than flat out, but his bike has been well used and quite frankly impressive for the money. Of course it's a little heavy compared to a more expensive bike, but not terribly so.
My friend bought something similar from a sports shop a while ago and likewise, for regular commuting use it's been fine.
So given that most casual cyclists, like the OP, want a bike for a mix of tarmac, urban, cyclepath, gravel road and bridleways, is there honestly an issue with these Chinese specials?
By the way, I'm certainly no expert as I currently ride Carrera Concept with no suspension that's probably about 10-15 years old that someone gave me for free... So the above is just an observation!
The point is he's lugging around X lbs of disc brakes, steel springs and suspension addenda that he doesn't need to have. For the money he could have bought something lighter, faster and more effective for the use he is getting out of it.I ask as I'm sort of in the same predicament (needing a cheap bike for £200) and I have also been having a quick look at stuff in Halfords and those 'special offer' Dunlop bikes in chavvy places like Sports World.
My dad is fairly tight when it comes to spending money on recreation such as cycling simply because he isn't a hardcore cyclist, and purchased himself one of those Shockwave full suspension bikes from Halfords about 2 and a half years ago for £180.
He has used it weekly for the full 2.5 years and never had any problems with it. His riding is a mix of bridleway, cyclepath and the odd bit of rough ground.
Now, his cycling style is leisure rather than flat out, but his bike has been well used and quite frankly impressive for the money. Of course it's a little heavy compared to a more expensive bike, but not terribly so.
My friend bought something similar from a sports shop a while ago and likewise, for regular commuting use it's been fine.
So given that most casual cyclists, like the OP, want a bike for a mix of tarmac, urban, cyclepath, gravel road and bridleways, is there honestly an issue with these Chinese specials?
By the way, I'm certainly no expert as I currently ride Carrera Concept with no suspension that's probably about 10-15 years old that someone gave me for free... So the above is just an observation!
Taken off road those bikes are genuine death traps - shocks with literally no rebound damping, for example. first drop over 6" and you're over the bars, whether you like it or not.
paranoid airbag said:
and there's my point - I'm confused, apparently all the things round here that are used as bikes daily, aren't. 
@Gooby, I'd still suggest a secondhand hybrid, like most others here I suspect - I'm not in any way denying a more expensive bike is better, or even that it isn't worth the extra money - just that calling anything worth less than £200 not usable as a bike, when clearly they are usable, as they're used, is silly. I'd also suggest looking at a suspension seatpost if the OP's arse is uncomfortable due to bumps, as mentioned earlier, the other option being mtfu.
That said, over short journeys, there's a lot to be said for being free from theft worries, and a smaller advantage for a quality bike.
You're starting to wind me up - you clearly don't know very much about cycling but think you're better than many here that do. Maybe this was the plan all along? Are you just trolling?@Gooby, I'd still suggest a secondhand hybrid, like most others here I suspect - I'm not in any way denying a more expensive bike is better, or even that it isn't worth the extra money - just that calling anything worth less than £200 not usable as a bike, when clearly they are usable, as they're used, is silly. I'd also suggest looking at a suspension seatpost if the OP's arse is uncomfortable due to bumps, as mentioned earlier, the other option being mtfu.
That said, over short journeys, there's a lot to be said for being free from theft worries, and a smaller advantage for a quality bike.
Example:
I am a student (who really should be doing his dissertation now, but nevermind...). I also work part time at a bike shop, and have worked at a major component manufacturers in the past, and know a bit about bikes.
Two of my close friends have bought bikes for the commute to university.
The first one bought (I sold her, actually) one of these:
A GT Transeo for £200. It's a great bike, alloy frame, decent wheels, V brakes, Kenda tyres, 21gears. It's lasted her the previous 2 years at uni needing nothing more than some air in it's tyres and the odd drop of lube.
My other friend was bough one of these....
Sorry about the crap pic; best I could find.
It's an Apollo Blossom. I told her it was crap, but her dad was like you and having none of it.
Over the same time period and with the same use as the bike above, it has gone through two tyres, several inner tubes, one front wheel, I've replaced the brake levers and the brake calipers and the rear wheel is constantly slipping in the dropouts and going out of alignment.
Cost? £150. so £50 saved over the decent bike above. Because I'm nice she has paid trade for most of the stuff above and I've done the fitting FOC, but she'd be looking at a bill in the 100's if I hadn't.
A cheaper bike isn't unusable, as demonstrated above, but represents a significant liability over a slightly higher initial purchase price.
This is not a one-off, working in the shop we see this same scenario repeated day in, day out.
A few choice cliches:
You pays your money, you takes your choice.
Buy cheap, buy twice.
paranoid airbag said:
fair enough point about the price rises - yes I understand the economic reasons behind them - although I'd say it affects higher end bikes more than lower end bikes, but that's just an intuition. Poor guy on a bike's model didn't cost £200 though - I've just checked and walmart currently retail it for $148, so I'd expect a similar product available in the UK for £200.
edit: For illustrative purposes, here is the bike in question:
Just looking at some of the reviews;edit: For illustrative purposes, here is the bike in question:
Edited by paranoid airbag on Tuesday 10th May 11:27
Sidewinder owner said:
So, the best option would be a second hand sturdy mountain bike. But the second-hand market for bicycles here is very thin, and I had to replace my dead Schwinn suburban (1970s!) within a short time. Happy with the brand "Schwinn", I was excited to see that Walmart offers Schwinn bikes for incredibly low prices. I did not know then that a Chinese company (or US-Chinese joint-venture) had bought the name "Schwinn" from the bankrupt US company. So, basically, they build very cheap bikes and put the "Schwinn" sticker on it.
So when I received the box with the bike in it (which added about 20$ to the price) I was filled with mixed emotions. Sure, most parts were Shimano, but some parts already filled me with suspicion. The chain looked quite crummy, and so did the pedals (which I didn't even install, I took the pedals from my old "real" Schwinn). I also did not install the stand. The alu-rims and the tires are okay, and so are the brakes and the steering elements.
Assembly was quite easy, but I was a bit disappointed by the weight of the bike. I also noticed that the biggest blade (or cog wheel, or chain ring or whatever they call it) was very small. And indeed, the 21st -highest- gear is very short! This means that the top-speed is quite low, unless you are willing to rev your legs like an Acura Integra. This is especially irritating when you're going downhill. But overall the bike rides quite comfortably. The spring suspension under the saddle is a plus when you need to take a short-cut through rough terrain, and the bike is equiped with a good-working front-suspension. The only minus in comfort is the saddle; for longer rides you need special pants to protect your you-know-what. And you need to get used to the upright, almost backward-leaning position. Shifting is accurate, with the levers integrated in the grip.
But after a while, you'll notice where they saved on materials. After a month, the very rusty chain broke (which I had predicted), and the spring within the rear derailleur was so rusty, that shifting gears became rough. I managed to clean the thing and to put some vaseline on it. Then the frame that holds the bar that holds the saddle was so rusty, that I couldn't change its height anymore! By the way, the screw that releases the saddle tube was so rusty, that I couldn't even release it.
Granted, I've been using this bike for 6 months now, and still haven't had a flat tire. The couple of bad components aside, it has been a decent commuting bike. If you replace some components here and there, it will take you anywehre. But I would not dare using it in rough terrain, as an ATB!
Due to the low price, I'll go ahead and recommend it. But I have a feeling that the brand "Schwinn" will soon "verschwin(n)den"
So when I received the box with the bike in it (which added about 20$ to the price) I was filled with mixed emotions. Sure, most parts were Shimano, but some parts already filled me with suspicion. The chain looked quite crummy, and so did the pedals (which I didn't even install, I took the pedals from my old "real" Schwinn). I also did not install the stand. The alu-rims and the tires are okay, and so are the brakes and the steering elements.
Assembly was quite easy, but I was a bit disappointed by the weight of the bike. I also noticed that the biggest blade (or cog wheel, or chain ring or whatever they call it) was very small. And indeed, the 21st -highest- gear is very short! This means that the top-speed is quite low, unless you are willing to rev your legs like an Acura Integra. This is especially irritating when you're going downhill. But overall the bike rides quite comfortably. The spring suspension under the saddle is a plus when you need to take a short-cut through rough terrain, and the bike is equiped with a good-working front-suspension. The only minus in comfort is the saddle; for longer rides you need special pants to protect your you-know-what. And you need to get used to the upright, almost backward-leaning position. Shifting is accurate, with the levers integrated in the grip.
But after a while, you'll notice where they saved on materials. After a month, the very rusty chain broke (which I had predicted), and the spring within the rear derailleur was so rusty, that shifting gears became rough. I managed to clean the thing and to put some vaseline on it. Then the frame that holds the bar that holds the saddle was so rusty, that I couldn't change its height anymore! By the way, the screw that releases the saddle tube was so rusty, that I couldn't even release it.
Granted, I've been using this bike for 6 months now, and still haven't had a flat tire. The couple of bad components aside, it has been a decent commuting bike. If you replace some components here and there, it will take you anywehre. But I would not dare using it in rough terrain, as an ATB!
Due to the low price, I'll go ahead and recommend it. But I have a feeling that the brand "Schwinn" will soon "verschwin(n)den"
sidewinder owner 2 said:
I grew up believing in the Schwinn quality, and thought it would be a good bike. Don't believe it. You get what you pay for. I hardly rode the bike the first year, and in season, maybe took it out for a handful of 10 mile rides. I'm a novice biker, and this year I started increasing my distance. I started out on a 20 mile ride, and got as far as 18 and heard a thunk on my rear wheel. Pulled over and saw a broken spoke, then right in front of my eyes, four more spokes just popped and broke. The wheel started warping immediately, and I could not ride it anymore. My wife's bike had a similar issue a few months ago on both wheels with spokes breaking. I had to have both wheels replaced on my bike so far, due to extreme and sudden bending after the spokes broke - all after minimal use. I'm not sure what I'll do with my wife's wheels at this time, and right now the bike is not rideable. We kept the bikes garaged and covered when not in use. I've never heard of spokes breaking with such little use. If you do buy one, you'll need to replace the parts relatively quickly. It's not really a Schwinn bike - it's cheap junk with the Schwinn name.
Do you really want to recomend that someone shoud waste thier money on this? Here my friend buy this cheap bike then replace all the components, very cheap, no problem - some crazy bloke crossed states on one of these - easy!Sorry for winding you up - also a little confused as I agreed with everything you just said? I was merely making the point that a cheaper bike is not unusable, which you agreed with - and at some point £200 - your 'good' example - was defined earlier as still BSO territory. I own a relatively nice, albeit old, bike as well, but haven't owned it long enough to judge its durability (secondhand if anyone's confused, hence my enthusiasm for secondhand bikes), so don't intend to dispute that you're right on that part. Unless the expensive one brakes six months down the line, then I will 
Mr Will said:
I'm guessing from your username that you understand (motor)bikes, so the best way I can think of illustrating it is this.
If I was in the market for a 125 to commute too and from work on, which of the following would you recommend and why:
A) Brand new Honda CG125 for ~£2k
B) Brand new Sanya SY125 for ~£1k
C) Second hand Honda CG125 for ~£1k
Oh, I would recommend the used Honda all day long, because even in it's used state it would last longer than the new £1k Chinese bike.If I was in the market for a 125 to commute too and from work on, which of the following would you recommend and why:
A) Brand new Honda CG125 for ~£2k
B) Brand new Sanya SY125 for ~£1k
C) Second hand Honda CG125 for ~£1k
Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of reply - I've been away with work with no internet access.
Thanks for all the advice/suggestions so far. I'll bear it in mind while searching for a new bike. Its all getting a bit heated here, so I think I'll duck out for the time being.
I will be sure to update the thread when I eventually buy a bike (or BSO
) 
Sorry for the lack of reply - I've been away with work with no internet access.
Thanks for all the advice/suggestions so far. I'll bear it in mind while searching for a new bike. Its all getting a bit heated here, so I think I'll duck out for the time being.
I will be sure to update the thread when I eventually buy a bike (or BSO
) richardxjr said:
In case you're interested Halfords are doing 20% off Carrera until the 16th.
Subway Ltd (what I use for exact same requirements as the OP and am very pleased with) £280, which is what I paid just over 2 years ago iirc
Or a Vengence Ltd with hydraulic discs and Rockshox Dart forks for £264 - whichever, a new Carrera is a 'no-brainer' for those prices. Subway Ltd (what I use for exact same requirements as the OP and am very pleased with) £280, which is what I paid just over 2 years ago iirc
I am amazed at how much you seem to be able to get for no money now. A colleague bought a £120 bike from a well known bike / car accessories shop. It has alloy rims, "suspension" forks, v brakes, plenty of gears etc.
We went round an Mbr killer loop last week and the bike did well (the rider is also a fit chap but very inexperienced). He was slower and less comfortable than me but my bike was many, many times the price of his. I cannot comment on how many loops it will last but if mine lasts ten years of abuse without parts failure (very unlikely) the cheaper one only has to last a few months to be better value (very likely). So on face value the cheaper bike wins.
More demanding terrain would change that and I suspect that mine would eat up a trail that would destroy the cheap bike outright. There is also the issue of control gained or lost through fork damping, wheel stiffness etc.
My final point is one of quality control. The finish on my bike and all of its sub components is simply faultless. The cheap bike on theother hand require physical adjustment to build / set up. The seat tube was not round etc. The reason for my omission of any brand / shop names follows: I used to work there (during my a levels, circa 13 years ago). Someone else built a £100 bike and I happened to give it to the customer. I always tested the front and back brakes as I wheeled bikes through the shop (lack of trust in some colleague's build standards) and on this occasion one of the rear brakes bosses came off. The weld just failed. I went red and told the customer who asked me to simply "put it back on". He was thrilled when I built him a new bike!
So my opinion is that cheaper bikes are stonking value for money. Expensive bikes are not but someone else did point out that top line kit is exactly what racers use. I would avoid the cheapest bikes for reasons of uncertain quality but for beginners / light / intermediate use I would certainly recommend a £2-300 bike with reasonable expectations of life etc.
Would I buy one? Honestly, no but I ride a lot, demand a lot from my bike and can afford a top line one (sorry if that makes me sound like an arse).
We went round an Mbr killer loop last week and the bike did well (the rider is also a fit chap but very inexperienced). He was slower and less comfortable than me but my bike was many, many times the price of his. I cannot comment on how many loops it will last but if mine lasts ten years of abuse without parts failure (very unlikely) the cheaper one only has to last a few months to be better value (very likely). So on face value the cheaper bike wins.
More demanding terrain would change that and I suspect that mine would eat up a trail that would destroy the cheap bike outright. There is also the issue of control gained or lost through fork damping, wheel stiffness etc.
My final point is one of quality control. The finish on my bike and all of its sub components is simply faultless. The cheap bike on theother hand require physical adjustment to build / set up. The seat tube was not round etc. The reason for my omission of any brand / shop names follows: I used to work there (during my a levels, circa 13 years ago). Someone else built a £100 bike and I happened to give it to the customer. I always tested the front and back brakes as I wheeled bikes through the shop (lack of trust in some colleague's build standards) and on this occasion one of the rear brakes bosses came off. The weld just failed. I went red and told the customer who asked me to simply "put it back on". He was thrilled when I built him a new bike!
So my opinion is that cheaper bikes are stonking value for money. Expensive bikes are not but someone else did point out that top line kit is exactly what racers use. I would avoid the cheapest bikes for reasons of uncertain quality but for beginners / light / intermediate use I would certainly recommend a £2-300 bike with reasonable expectations of life etc.
Would I buy one? Honestly, no but I ride a lot, demand a lot from my bike and can afford a top line one (sorry if that makes me sound like an arse).
Edited by AVeryNaughtyBoy on Wednesday 11th May 15:02
I spent £203 on a Carrera Subway Ltd Ed about 2 weeks ago. You can get an extra 10% off at Halfords if you sign up to their email service or something. The bike was at £225 when I bought it.
I've ridden it on similar terrain to the OP and did 20 miles the other day and it's great in my opinion, light and very easy to ride. Thin saddle though!
I've ridden it on similar terrain to the OP and did 20 miles the other day and it's great in my opinion, light and very easy to ride. Thin saddle though!
as said earlier, i had a carrera kraken a while back. it did brilliantly and didn't put a foot wrong until i actually went mountain biking on it. only then did it start to f
k up. unless you're doing proper mountain biking then, judging by my one, it will be fine.
you get what you pay for, but it'll be more than adequate for the odd muddy/off road bits, just don't take it down the really rocky stuff!
k up. unless you're doing proper mountain biking then, judging by my one, it will be fine.you get what you pay for, but it'll be more than adequate for the odd muddy/off road bits, just don't take it down the really rocky stuff!
Yeah, we don't want to be doing any serious rock crawling just yet. Deffo go down and check them out this weekend...then buy through quidco and rob some young oik of his commission.
I think I might go for this - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Girlfriend will probably go for this - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
I think I might go for this - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Girlfriend will probably go for this - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
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