Buying A Bicycle

Wester

Which do you think is the best bet when buying a bicycle mountain / road bike to buy a new one or a second hand one and what are the best brands to look out for when buying one

Also when buying a second hand bike what do you check for in the bike to be sure that you are not buying a defective bike that will not last long

boyse7en

I'd look out for a second-hand one. Very often bicycles are bought and then rarely used, so you could get one a year or two old that has seen very few miles under its tyres.

Brands depends on how much you want to spend, and whether it is a road or mountain bike you are after.

Any decent brand will last a reasonable time. Things to check for are worn teeth on the gears (if they look like a shark fin they are really worn), worn wheel and crank bearings and, if there is suspension, that the seals aren't blown. Otherwise, take a test ride, make sure all the gears change properly (up and down) and that both brakes work without 'grabbing'.

Wester

boyse7en wrote: »

I'd look out for a second-hand one. Very often bicycles are bought and then rarely used, so you could get one a year or two old that has seen very few miles under its tyres.

Brands depends on how much you want to spend, and whether it is a road or mountain bike you are after.

Any decent brand will last a reasonable time. Things to check for are worn teeth on the gears (if they look like a shark fin they are really worn), worn wheel and crank bearings and, if there is suspension, that the seals aren't blown. Otherwise, take a test ride, make sure all the gears change properly (up and down) and that both brakes work without 'grabbing'.

A mountain bike is what i am after somebody mention a few decent brand names

bikebarbie

whatever you do dont bike a bike from Argos, Halfrods and alike!
What is the purpose of the bike? When / how are you going to use it?
I would suggest you get one off Ebay. The brands that I would highly reccomed are Specialized, Trek, Giant...:)

Generali

Wester wrote: »

A mountain bike is what i am after somebody mention a few decent brand names

It depends on what you want to spend but for me the Specialised Rockhopper is a great entry level bike. It's tough enough for me to be happy to go over the South Downs on it but not too expensive.

Volcano

If you want the 'security' of buying new, but want it cheaper, then look at last year's models. Bike manufacturers release new models each year (and these are the ones most people want, however the improvements can be mainly cosmetic) leaving 'old' stocks of 2008 models in warehouses that are heavily discounted.

Look around at the websites of a few of the mentioned brands, find the model you like then do a google search for the 2007 or 2008 model.

DKLS

Wester wrote: »

A mountain bike is what i am after somebody mention a few decent brand names

Specialised
Trek
Orange
GT
Kona
Cannondale (Which is what I have, with two sets of wheels, one with knobblies for off road use, and the other set has slicks for road use)

They all manufacture bikes from a few hundred quid to thousands.


what sort of riding are you wanting to do? as that will affect your choice, do you want to go off road?, Is your idea of off road cycling, along the canal tow path, or launching yourself of a welsh mountain at great speed?

BillScarab

You could try local bike shops and see if they have any part ex's to sell. My LBS does this so you get a cheaper bike that has been serviced and in some cases modernised.

impster

Low end bikes are quite cheap at the moment. I bought a Halford (Apollo branded) 21speed mountain bike for £60 (it was on offer) recently.

I use the bike weekly, and to be honest apart from it's weight it feels much the same to ride as my mate's bike costing well over £500.

If I was a serious biker, I'm sure the more expensive of the two would be best, but if you aren't going to 'hammer' it, then you may be very pleasantly surprised by a new 'cheapy'.

2nd hand low end bikes are on sale locally here for £20. All they need is a good clean, some oil, and a bit of TLC and they'd do just fine.

However, serious bikers will no doubt disagree totally!

photome

Have a look on this specialised mountain bike forum, it will answer all your questions and more.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/index.php?c=3

PS

Nothing wrong with buying from halfords so long as you dont buy an apollo and make sure you buy when they have their best prices, ie the Carrera Vulcan disc is rrp at about £379 but normally sells at about £250, I managed to get one for £200 earler this year which is an absolute bargain.

Also some halfords still have the Kona Blast 07 model for around £360 (was £550) which again is a great buy

cyclonebri1

Wester wrote: »

Which do you think is the best bet when buying a bicycle mountain / road bike to buy a new one or a second hand one and what are the best brands to look out for when buying one

Also when buying a second hand bike what do you check for in the bike to be sure that you are not buying a defective bike that will not last long

Or maybe to add, should I actually buy a bike?

Sorry it's the cynic inside.;)