Can I get a good bike for under £150? :)

Reala

Hey guys,

Looking for a bike under £150.00 online or off the highstreet... Nothing special just a suspension (front or full) to get me to and from work. I've seen a few between 100-150 that seem ok but wondering if anyone was purchased one in this price bracket and been happy with it

Kind regards.

goldspanners

have you thought about buying a good second hand one at a cheap price rather than a new cheaply made one?

i bought a scott with front suspension 10 years ago,it took lots of abuse and clocked up thousands of miles, i then started driving and forgot about the bike,recently i got it back out again, i replaced the brake pads and cables just incase they were ready to snap,it lay in the shed for the best part of 6 years, i now use it every morning before i head off for work to try and get a bit fitter it works as good as new and has never had anything other than wear and tear items replaced.
before this i had various cheap bikes and they constantly needed work doing,usually bottom brackets or rear mechanisms, one actually wore out the teeth on the rear cogs.

Xmucane

I think you would do well with a second hand bike. I bought an old Specialized mountain bike for £30 after my racing bike was stolen and it lasted me 3 years and I did 5,000 miles in that time. I am not really fan of suspension bikes, suspect it of just being a gimmick.

tankuk

Go to amazon and have a look at:

Reebok Core 21-speed Alloy Cycle (20/26")

I have had the bike for 6mouths now and its fantastic.

I would post the direct link but MSE wont let me.

davetrousers

Good bike with suspension for £150 isn't going to happen! You'd be better off without it at that price range, a bike with suspension will be very heavy. ANd you'll be wasting energy bouncing up and down!

Could you consider the Cycle to work scheme?

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

You won't get a good bike for less than £150, suspension or not. Full stop.

Volcano

One tactic is to look at the latest 2008/2009 models going for around £200-£240. Then do a search on the web and find the discounted 2007/2008 models that dealers want to shift as they're old stock. Normally they'll have up to 25% off which will bring it down to your price range, meaning you're effectively getting a £200+ bike for £150. I bought a 'last year's model' for £146, rather than the latest "can-you-tell-the-difference-apart-from-the-paintwork" model for £205.

Edit: Just as an example, this ladies bike 2009 model, for £241 http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/claud-butler-urban-item121798.html
or the 2007 model for £179.96 http://www.bikeoutlet.co.uk/products/Claud_Butler_Urban_Comfort_Ladies_2007-61-0.html

a saving of over £60.

flea72

what surface are you planning on riding on, how many miles will you be doing, where will you store the bike, and what sex are you, as this will all have a bearing on which bikes people could suggest.

however, anyone whos into biking, wouldnt be able to recommend a bike under £150, as the components are usually carp, and would only last a season of light riding, and if anything like my OH, then the 'upgrades' usually end up doubling the price (who spends £1k on a bike, and then has to change the pedals?!)

Flea

BillScarab

flea72 wrote: »

what surface are you planning on riding on, how many miles will you be doing, where will you store the bike, and what sex are you, as this will all have a bearing on which bikes people could suggest.

however, anyone whos into biking, wouldnt be able to recommend a bike under £150, as the components are usually carp, and would only last a season of light riding, and if anything like my OH, then the 'upgrades' usually end up doubling the price (who spends £1k on a bike, and then has to change the pedals?!)

Flea

Everybody does! Everyone changes the pedals on as serious bike as it's personal preference what sort you want and whtehr you want clipless or not etc. A lot of top end bikes come without pedals for that reason.

To the OP you may be able to get a reasonable bike without suspension for £150. If you're planning on riding on the road don't bother with suspension anyway. Front suspension can be OK but full suspension is for specialised uses and unless you spend a lot is worse than useless.

Try speaking to local bike shops and see if they sell second hand bikes. Most bike shops take part exs so have a supply of good second hand bikes. I got a nice Carbon Fibre road bike that way, refurbished and fully serviced for a lot less than the price of a new one.

benjus

I'd agree with most of the above...

A few years ago when I first took up cycle commuting and didn't really know what I was doing I went to Halfords (wince) and was sold a front suspension bike for about £150.

It was an absolutely awful bike... the suspension just made it harder to climb hills, parts literally kept falling off, one time the front wheel buckled beyond repair just because I had to stop suddenly while carrying a heavy backpack. Over the year or so that I owned it, it spent many weeks being repaired by Halfords (who usually tried - unsuccessfully - to claim that it wasn't covered by the warranty).

After I'd owned it for almost a year the rear mech came off (again) and I just decided I'd had enough... so I took it to the nearest branch of Halfords and demanded they take it back for a full refund. I then spent the refunded money (plus about £200 more) on a decent bike which I'm still using now.

andy8442

Get yourself on ebay, lots of good bikes on there. Don't bother with suspension unless you are going to do some real off-roading.