Newbie cycling wannabe bike buying advice please

krisppp

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all well. I'm in a bit of a quandary as I've decided would like to do a little bit of cycling to and from work to help stay fit and save a few pennies...

Only trouble is I honed up the local bike shop and asked what I should look to spend for a half decent bike to ride to work and they said...... £400!!!!!

I have to admit... This seems rather high.... And whilst I'm a great believer in ' buy cheap, buy twice' I'm not too sure I want to spend so much in one.

It's made worse by the fact that I know so little about them and so don't really know what to look for second hand - which is why I'm here really I'm wondering if there's any advice from other money savers out there?

Thanks in advance.

C

Yorkie1

I bought a robust Trek commuter bike a couple of years ago and paid £300. I didn't want a second hand bike; I think £200 was about the minimum for a new bike.

Don't forget to budget for the safety gear like helmet, lights, lock, hi-vis top, and waterproofs!

pendulum

Bicycle prices are ridiculous aren't they? You're better off adding £100 more and spending £500 on a 125cc motorbike. Tax is £16 a year and insurance is peanuts if you're a few years past the teenage years.

rev_henry

Yes that's about right for a half decent new bike. Though Decathlon do good new bikes for sub £200.

Much better getting something secondhand - under £100 easily. My bike cost me £70 off ebay, 2 years old, was best part of £400 new.
Oh and don't go to Halfords, avoid Apollo and Zoom like the plague, though the Halfords Carrera models are ok.

Strider590

Buy a cheap/heavy bike and you'll give up on the whole riding idea VERY quickly.

worbikeman

If you live anywhere near a household auction room they nearly always have bikes in their sales. My last one was a real good un £35 plus commission practically brand new. You get to look at it but not test ride but if it needs adjustments (most likely) a bike shop will service it for you.

Mankysteve

£400 is about right for a brand new commuter.

A lots of place do 0% interest packages now a days.(possibly putting prices up a bit more)

Just try as many bikes you can, you can tell the difference. There plenty of decent second hand bikes out there though.

verybigchris

The Rockrider 5.0 from Decathlon is an absolute steal at £99.99



The Carrera Subway has some good reviews too, but I wouldn't trust the Halfords spanner monkeys to put it together.

geo555

Speak to your employer about a "ride to work" scheme. It should save you around 30% of the cost of the bike.

savageHK

I'd recommend trying a cycling specific forum for detailed bike queries. Yes, a decent bike will cost a bit more than the supermarket specials, but there are sometimes good value options - IIRC Decathlon is one that is mentioned. Have a look on the Beginners and What Bike sections on CycleChat.net to see if it helps you out.

Hanky_Panky

A good friend of mine picked up an immaculate Giant on ebay for under £80 recently - not sure of the model but I was stunned at the good condition it was in. You can also pick up Giant Rapid 4's for around £250 that look in pretty good nick too.

Going to a more bike focussed forum is a good idea - talk to people in the know - my B-in-law was a mine of really good advice - anyone you know that can do the same ? Local bike shops etc.