Want a new cheap bike - false economy?

[anonymous-user]

Hi all.

I have put on quite a lot of weight in the last couple of years, and decided I need to get fit. I've never been much good at running, so I borrowed a bike (an old-ish one with no suspension, normal brakes etc) a couple of weeks ago and started riding to work. Its only about 1.25 miles each way, but I take a more scenic route along a canal which makes it around 2.7 miles each way.
Anyway, I've been finding that I quite enjoy it (well, at least while we've got nice weather!) and have been out a couple of time at the weekend or after work for 4-5 mile rides. My problem is that I now need to give the borrowed bike back, and buy one of my own.

So, my thoughts - The tow path I go along is quite bumpy, and I'm getting a bit hacked off with my arse taking all the punishment (ooer etc). Also, I live quite near some byways and bridelpaths which I think I would quite enjoy riding once I got a bit fitter. For this reason, I've been looking at bikes with full suspension. I've found you can get bikes with front/rear suspension, and disk brakes, for less than £100. However, I'm not QUITE as foolish as I may appear, and I realise that these are likely to break within 2 minutes of me riding them.

I suppose more than anything, I am looking for some advice on what sort of bikes I should be looking at. I realise £150 is a tiny sum for a bike in comparison to what many of you are riding - but that is around what I would like to spend. I could probably stretch to around £200 if need be, but I don't want a big flash bike that is likely to get nicked, or that I will be constantly worrying about.

After this big long ramble, that doesn't really go anywhere.... does anyone have any advice? Thanks

[castex]

My advice would be to buy something second-hand.

[magpie215]

castex said:

My advice would be to buy something second-hand.

+1 I would buy the best secondhand NONE suspension MTB/hybrid within your budget.

Anything with suspension in that price range will be dire

[BliarOut]

And a decent saddle when the budget allows. SDG Belair comes highly recommend.

[jayfish]

Halfords have currently got a load of Carerra bikes at around the £200-250 mark, reasonably specced for the money mostly hardtails so your arse may still not like it without a seat change )

[shalmaneser]

jayfish said:

Halfords have currently got a load of Carerra bikes at around the £200-250 mark, reasonably specced for the money mostly hardtails so your arse may still not like it without a seat change )

Excellent advice. Spending much less than this means you won't have a bike, you'll have an accident waiting to happen.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I had suspected 2nd hand might be my best bet.
Are there any decent websites to take a look at, or am I best to keep an eye on e-bay for anything local?

Regarding Halfords - I can see some decent looking (to my untrained eye) Apollo bikes in the 200ish range, but nothing Carera until around £280 - or are the bikes mentioned in the 200-250 range in store only?

Thanks

[castex]

Try the 'nearest first' search in the bikes section of ebay. Don't narrow it down as often the gems are vaguely- or mis-described / categorised. The trick is in going to have a look and a test-ride before committing your cash. Make sure it ain't nicked! Good luck.

[WeirdNeville]

It is a bit of a minefield looking at bikes when you don't know what you're looking at, and easy to get suckered in. £200 is a fair wedge. I would be tempted to go to your local bike shop, tell them your budget and see if they have anything new or second hand that suits you. With their help it should fit you and be fit for purpose ,and you get aftersales support locally too.
You should get a perfectly serviceable bike for that which will handle towwpats, trails and bridleways in comfort and safety. Just don't go chucking it directly down hillsides!

I think ebay/gumtree/small ads is a bit of a risk. It's fine if you live and breathe bikes and can tell a gem from a nail. Many can't, so I'd go for the local bike shop. Most of those still in business are there for a reason. They're honest and trustworthy.

[richardxjr]

You asked a question about Halfords bikes. From my direct experience, Apollo = st, Carrera's are alright. I use a Subway Ltd (ali hybrid) for a 6mile daily commute, and track/bridleway runs of 10m or so and find it absolutely fine. Light but strong. Saddle's narrow, but you will tone up

£300 new so must be sub £200 a year or so old

[Gooby]

£200 to £300 on a full sus bike is just plain foolish. You will be scraping barrels quite badly. Even second hand you are looking at the "tired" end of the market and it will probably cost you as much again in spares. Anything in this price bracket will weigh a ton and give a bouncy ride with plenty of pedal bob. Not fun and not efficient. I know someone will come up with an e-bay ad for some model from '95 at a decent price but if you have not ridden it then dont bother. I am quite content to say a full sus for less that £1k will probably do you no favours.

Put your money into a hardtail. Less risk buying second hand, less risk in owning and a better bike for the money. Your arse will harden up and you will be a better rider for it!

[deadtom]

as others have said, 250 is very much the bottom end of the new hardtail category, fairly low in the second hand hardtails, and much much less than will get you a worthwhile full sus.
that being said, its nice to see someone approaching the matter with some common sense even if no prior knowledge

apollo bikes = avoid. absolutely toss, all of them.

carrera = good for the money, if looked after will handle everything you have described.

the only problem with carrera bikes is that they come from Halfrauds, which is a very much hit and miss affair. some halfords stores will have good knowledgable staff, others will be totally useless, verging on dangerous expecting them to set up a bike for you.

[Sarkmeister]

As mentioned above, the Carrera Subway sounds perfect for you. Its not got any suspension to weight it down, but has fairly big tyres which should help with some of the bumps. The Ltd Edition one was reduced to £225 last time I looked (though that was the womens version).

[deadtom]

though i am a fan of the subway, i wouldnt have said its the best choice for going off road, it really is a road machine, albeit looking kinda like a mountain bike.

i would say look for a second hand carrera fury if you can, or if your budget will stretch to nearer 300 then go to your friendly local halfords and see what the latest offering from carrera is for the money.

[Engineer1]

I'd say try your local bike shop first, ask around mates as well someone may have their old raleigh bike etc that has been laid up for years, a service and tart up with new parts as required may well get you a bullet proof bike cheap, activators weigh a lot but are a solid bike because of this.

[deadtom]

very true, though unless OP is handy with spanners and knows his way around a bike that could be a lot of grief.

there are some bargains to be had second hand though, you just have to know what to look for. this is where your friendly local shop comes in though, its always good to be friends with a good bike shop.

[magpie215]

Engineer1 said:

activators weigh a lot but are a solid bike because of this.

You can say that again heavy is not the word front sus is shyte too and did we mention heavy?

[jayfish]

Nyphur said:

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I had suspected 2nd hand might be my best bet.
Are there any decent websites to take a look at, or am I best to keep an eye on e-bay for anything local?

Regarding Halfords - I can see some decent looking (to my untrained eye) Apollo bikes in the 200ish range, but nothing Carera until around £280 - or are the bikes mentioned in the 200-250 range in store only?

Thanks

Hmm I saw a banner add whilst browsing somewhere but the bike i saw doesn't appear to be on their site, may have been an out-dated add.

I picked up today a 2nd hand 2011 Claud Butler Trailridge alu framed 20" hardtail, V-brakes, 24 gears with quick shifters, very comfy saddle (bliss after my last bike), suntour adjustable forks with the original recipt for £120 on gumtree.

I knew I wanted to avoid things like disc brakes in this end of the market and that suntour forks aren't brilliant but again it's no pro bike. I intend to replace bits as I go, pedals, fork etc.

This one worth 280-320 quid, happy

[anonymous-user]

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I spent a bit of time looking around the ebay adds within 20 miles to me, and there are some seemingly very nice bikes for the money I am looking for. However, as WeirdNeville has pointed out, I haven't really got a clue what I'm looking at.

Everyone's replies have suggested to avoid full suspension in my meagre budget, so I will do that - thanks.
With regards to Apollo, I will also avoid these - I was speaking to a friend today who backed up what most have said about them, with a horror story.

I've been looking at some hard-tails on Gumtree and the like, and like the look of a few - a couple of Carrera's too, as recommended by a few people.

Especially like the look of this, but its out of my budget:
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/2010-carrera-kra...

I'm going to keep an eye out for the next few days, and also pop into a couple of well respected bike shops in town at the weekend and see what they have to say (it didn't strike me until someone mentioned it above, but I don't even know what size frame I need!).

Thanks for all the advice, I will keep you updated on what I (eventually) get. If anyone has any more advice, I'm all ears

[Engineer1]

Decathlon do have a reputation for being better quality cheap bikes, they used to do a £70 bike that was well respected by reviewers. Their basic bike is £100 and their front suspension bike is £140.
A cheap special will be just that it will fall apart in weeks as it isn't really designed to be ridden, think how many bikes end up in sheds or garages after a month of new bike excitement.