New Bike?

JonathanCallan

I'm considering buying myself a bike to get a bit of exercise and also to cut down on the use of the car.
Halford's are selling a 18 speed mountain bike for £87 at the month which to me is extremely good value.
Anybody know of anywhere else doing good deals are what I really need for a starter bike? I'm looking to cycle in country parks or down the town rather than rough terrain. BTW, I live in Downpatrick.

belfastgirl23

I have been told that bike dock is worth a look - planning to take a run there myself soon.

Having made mistakes with my first bike I'd say it's worth doing a test drive to see how it feels. And seeing how heavy it is.

It might also be worth looking at second hand - there's a guy in castlecourt who reconditions bikes. Life Cycles do this as well

Finally it's worth checking at work to see if they are part of this scheme
http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

Might see you on the roads

arch_stanton_3

agree with belfastgirl23 you should always take somebody with you who is knowledgable halfords should let you have a test ride if they dont go to another shop if you dont know anyone who cycles a lot dont be pressurised into buying. i would also write down the spec and contact your local cycling club who will be more than happy to give you advice. ive been cycling for ten years now involving competitions if you need any advice im willing to offer it

craftyfox

no 1 son bought a gents bike from smiths toys last september for around £70 and it seems to be very good, think it was a Jeep but he is still using my old bike which is a 35year old Dawes Kingpin :j

belfastgirl23

arch_stanton wrote: »

agree with belfastgirl23 you should always take somebody with you who is knowledgable halfords should let you have a test ride if they dont go to another shop if you dont know anyone who cycles a lot dont be pressurised into buying. i would also write down the spec and contact your local cycling club who will be more than happy to give you advice. ive been cycling for ten years now involving competitions if you need any advice im willing to offer it

Sorry to hijack the thread but...

I'm considering whether to get a new bike at the mo. I've got an old folding bike from when I lived in a flat and had no space but I could potentially have a better bike now. My main focus is comfort. I'd be cycling mainly in town so lots of potholes, kerbs, speed ramps and rough surfaces. I feel every bump on my current little bike. I can spend up to £500 through the tax free scheme at work which would include accessories etc. I'd prefer not to be too high end though since in central Belfast it's a bit of a target for vandalism or theft. And of course I want a ladies bike I don't know if you have any advice re makes or types which might better fit my spec.

Also any advice on how to keep it secure in your front garden would be very much appreciated. Think pocket hankerchief

thanks in advance for any help

pynetree

Bike Dock is a very good company, I went there to buy my son his first bike and they knew what they were talking about i wanted the smaller size bike and they said to get the bigger one as he will grow out of the smaller one too quickly, they were right he grow so much over the summer the smaller bike would have been a waste of money.

McConvey Cycles on the Ormeau road are also very helpful too.

belfastgirl23

pynetree wrote: »

McConvey Cycles on the Ormeau road are also very helpful too.

I used to rate mcconveys but last time I went there with a bike I had bought there to get it fixed the attitude was that it would be a bit awkward to fix and was nothing at all to do with them. I asked them to see if they could source a part and they didn't bother despite a couple of calls. Clearly only interested in sales by now not in aftersales service. Which is a shame cos it wasn't like that before...

Idiophreak

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but...

I'm considering whether to get a new bike at the mo. I've got an old folding bike from when I lived in a flat and had no space but I could potentially have a better bike now. My main focus is comfort. I'd be cycling mainly in town so lots of potholes, kerbs, speed ramps and rough surfaces. I feel every bump on my current little bike. I can spend up to £500 through the tax free scheme at work which would include accessories etc. I'd prefer not to be too high end though since in central Belfast it's a bit of a target for vandalism or theft. And of course I want a ladies bike I don't know if you have any advice re makes or types which might better fit my spec.

Also any advice on how to keep it secure in your front garden would be very much appreciated. Think pocket hankerchief

thanks in advance for any help

I'd have thought spending £500 would be kinda overkill for your needs...Really, you're going to notice a big improvement in comfort going up to *any* 26" (ie full sized) wheeled bike.

It sounds that for your needs you don't really need a performance road or mountain bike, so you're probably best off spending no more than a couple of hundred on a decent "hybrid" bike - something that will perform well onroad, but be able handle light tracks offroad (forest trails and the like - nothing too muddy or technical)...

Hybrids are also less appealing to kids, so less likely, you'd think, to be nicked. You can then spend more of your budget on really good lights, hi-vis jacket, helmet etc.

scruff9791

check out the links below for a great way to get heavily discounted bikes.....

its a government lead scheme which ...which with a little work from your employers accountant allows employees to get up to 42% off the cost of a new bike and its accessories....

...and you only pay a small amount per month out of your pay packet....so no lump sum needed up front. Ive just presented the info to my company and they are very enthusiastic about it.

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/
http://www.cycleni.com/index.cfm/section/article/page/cyclescheme

http://www.cycle2work.info/ HALFORDS
http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/cycletowork_index.php BIKE DOCK

craftyfox

belfastgirl23 i would hold on to the little folding bike - saw one for sale at a car boot last week, it was in very good condition and the guy was looking £40 for it if you like this bike why don't you change the seat? i went to halfords and bought a comfort seat for my bike for £9.99 but they can go up to £40+ this would keep you on the go in the mean time

belfastgirl23

craftyfox wrote: »

belfastgirl23 i would hold on to the little folding bike - saw one for sale at a car boot last week, it was in very good condition and the guy was looking £40 for it if you like this bike why don't you change the seat? i went to halfords and bought a comfort seat for my bike for £9.99 but they can go up to £40+ this would keep you on the go in the mean time

Been wondering about this myself but the wheels are very thin and small (ie small diameter) - what I really need to do is to try out a new bike and see what the difference in comfort level is...hoping to do this tomorrow...

Chers for the thought though, had been wondering this myself....