Adult 18" frame suspension bike £59.99 @ Halfords

Poppy9

Sorry but there is no such thing as a 'Female Friendly Saddle' .

mrsmab59

Poppy9 wrote:

Sorry but there is no such thing as a 'Female Friendly Saddle' .

I've heard you can buy gel saddles that are supposedly comfortable

Jason_from_bath

If you don't know much about bikes but want to get a cheap one here are some top tips from a bicycle fanatic to avoid getting ripped off:

1. Bikes should be mostly made of metal. If it has plastic brake levers or brake arms or plastic bits uner the saddle don't buy it! These parts will break, and when they do you won't be able to get them replaced. The only plastic parts on a bike should be the pedals and mud guards.

2. Make sure it fits! Both men and women should be able to stand flat footed over the cross bar, this way if you need to jump off quickly you won't hurt your self. Don't get a bike thats too small, sat on the saddle with it raised to the correct height you should be on tiptoes. (The saddle post can only be extended so far, there are always markings on it to show the furthest it can be raised). Sat on the saddle with the pedals at 90 degrees, your knee should be directly above the middle of the pedal. If not get the retailer to move the saddle forward or back, else you'll get sore knees and a sore bum!

3. Get a bike pump with a pressure meter. The most common fault on a bike is a flat tyre. Tyres that are too soft get the inner tube pinched up inside the tyre. Soft tyres are more likely to puncture. The pressure that it should be pumped to is written on the side just like on the side of car tyres!

4. Suspension isn't that important to being comfortable. You can get a much better bike for your money if you don't get suspension.

5. The most imporant thing is who you buy from. Warehouses like Halfords are great if you know exactly what you want, otherwise they are a bit useless. People that work in a "proper bike shop" love bikes. They will help you to get the best for your money and don't be shy about telling them your budget straight away. If you can stretch to £150 you can get a bit of a selection.

Hope that helps!

helen21_2

N9eav wrote:

Bought 2 for birthdays this week. Great value although the next bike up at Halfords for £69 was a lot better spec with extra gears, stronger suspension and better seat etc. Forgot what it's called but it's red. If you buy it in the shop it's ready assembled and pre-serviced. Free DVD too (about bikes and maintainance)

Hi

Any idea what model this one is please?

Thanks in advance

helen21

Roger_Rampant

Thanks for those tips Jason

This I do agree with, but look on the other side, wouldn't you rather pay a little more for an aluminium frame at least, then at least its not rusting while you're not riding it!

No, if I'm just trying riding a bike on a whim I want it to be as inexpensive as possible. If I find I enjoy it and start using it a lot, I would consider paying more at that stage

rizla01

Just a few thoughts.


I believe that Stirling House sells bikes under the 'Universal' Badge.

When I used to work on bikes they were made in Poland, Very cheaply constructed and odd sized components. (NOT Universal). Wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, then. Everywhere I looked there were Universal bikes. Then again I do live 3 Miles away from Rayleigh in Essex, where Stirling House first started out.:)

I have just been GIVEN for free a Universal bike (About the correct price) which I will endeavour to put together properly for my partner to learn on but when she is satisfied with being a cyclist then I will buy her a new one.

I will not be buying from a large conglomerate but from the local cycle shop. As stated earlier, last years model will be sufficient for her needs but it'll be a good quality bike.

As for 'What is wrong with a cheapo bike'? Try pedalling uphill, exerting a lot of force onto the pedals, gear chain, front and rear cogs - and watch what happens to your crotch when something breaks - especially when standing up on the pedals. Breaking in an emergency can be fun when the cheapo cable has stretched and the brake lever reaches the handlebar before fully applying the brake or worse still, something snaps. Wheels that buckle when cornering heavily are not uncommon, either.

Cheapo bikes invariably cost a lot of money to maintain. They are certainly not very pleasurable to ride. Worse still - it's your life you are scrimping on!

A good bike should last you for 10-20 years so calculate the cost difference over a ten year period and that is the cost of your safety and pleasure!

All of the advice regards cost have been mentioned earlier and is largely correct so take notice.

Re ladies bikes. If you intend to become a serious rider then go, for a 'Mans' bike. The design is much easier to ride. (The frame flexes more). On the other hand if you ride with a long skirt and wish to alight daintily by passing your legs through then a ladies bike it must be!

Anyway. Glad to see so much interest in the best outdoor pursuit that I know. Happy peddaling. (Oh, and learn the meaning of 'Cadence' - it'll make your task much easier.

Regards,

Riz

Trow

I disagree with a woman using a mans bike - the MOST important factor is to get a bike that fits. Women's proportions are in general different to a mans and so (again, in general) a woman is better getting a bike designed for a woman's physique.

Having said that, more and more women's bikes are becoming less and less like the traditional women's model and more and more unisex (to look at) although the proportions are still different.

Roger_Rampant

Don't Tesco do bikes for around the same price as this Halfords one?

Must have a look next time I'm there...

EDIT: had a look when I went to pick up the wife. Bikes for ladies and kids are £59.97, but for men they are £69.97

jimmyjim_uk

Jason_from_bath wrote:

If you don't know much about bikes but want to get a cheap one here are some top tips from a bicycle fanatic to avoid getting ripped off:

1. Bikes should be mostly made of metal. If it has plastic brake levers or brake arms or plastic bits uner the saddle don't buy it! These parts will break, and when they do you won't be able to get them replaced. The only plastic parts on a bike should be the pedals and mud guards.

2. Make sure it fits! Both men and women should be able to stand flat footed over the cross bar, this way if you need to jump off quickly you won't hurt your self. Don't get a bike thats too small, sat on the saddle with it raised to the correct height you should be on tiptoes. (The saddle post can only be extended so far, there are always markings on it to show the furthest it can be raised). Sat on the saddle with the pedals at 90 degrees, your knee should be directly above the middle of the pedal. If not get the retailer to move the saddle forward or back, else you'll get sore knees and a sore bum!

3. Get a bike pump with a pressure meter. The most common fault on a bike is a flat tyre. Tyres that are too soft get the inner tube pinched up inside the tyre. Soft tyres are more likely to puncture. The pressure that it should be pumped to is written on the side just like on the side of car tyres!

4. Suspension isn't that important to being comfortable. You can get a much better bike for your money if you don't get suspension.

5. The most imporant thing is who you buy from. Warehouses like Halfords are great if you know exactly what you want, otherwise they are a bit useless. People that work in a "proper bike shop" love bikes. They will help you to get the best for your money and don't be shy about telling them your budget straight away. If you can stretch to £150 you can get a bit of a selection.

Hope that helps!

Some good info there.

Also make sure you buy the right bike for the job. Otherwise you could be taking a few trips to the bike repair shop. Learnt from experience.

Road: Road bike or racing bike
Road and light off road: cross country or urban moutain bike
Off road: full suspension mountain bike
Tricks, jumps, etc: Trials/street bike

EvilMonkey

Jason_from_bath wrote:

5. The most imporant thing is who you buy from. Warehouses like Halfords are great if you know exactly what you want, otherwise they are a bit useless. People that work in a "proper bike shop" love bikes. They will help you to get the best for your money and don't be shy about telling them your budget straight away. If you can stretch to £150 you can get a bit of a selection.

I especially liked the part about telling them your budget. I was chatting to the guy at my local bike shop the other day and he mentioned that when you can get a bike from £60 - £3000 it's hard to know where to pitch to a new customer (go to high and they'll think your ripping them off, or too low and you could insult them!)

One of the mountain bike magazines did a test ride on the Stirling full suspension bike (round a trail in wales). I don't think it even made it all the way round without something breaking....

But I agree for kids, there's no point in going nuts (I get cast off's for my daughter)

E.M.