Best place to get a cheap bike?

Jonny_Debt

Hi all.

I am looking to get a bike so I can start cycling to work to save money. I am keen to get a Hybrid bike and just wanted to know the best place to get hold of one. I am happy with either new or second hand. I will be using it most days so don't want something that will fall apart after a few months.

Any ideas on the best place to look for a bike? Also - any makes / models to avoid?

Thanks in advance for any help / recommendations.

Hudson1984

I would use gumtree, it's usually a good place to start.

It also depends what you consider cheap, to a bike nut £600 is an entry level bike whereas to a normal person £600 on a bike is an insane amount of money

Also what is the terrain like where you live? If it's pretty flat i'd opt for a single speed bike, you can pick them up for around £150 brand new and I loved mine - always made excuses to go down the shops more just to jump on it, such a simple machine. But if you're in lake district or scotland then yeah some extra gears would be nice lol

I bought a trek 7.1FX hybrid @ £350 brand new, can certainly recommend them as being a good bike, even at bottom of the trek price range you're still getting a good machine.

but if you're looking second hand and hybrid try to stick to the good names; Trek, Specialized, Scott etc all will give you a good machine. Unless you're in a really rugged area i'd avoid paying more to get front shocks it makes the ride too bouncy and you'll lose much of your energy bouncing around instead of going forward - also disc breaks aren't really a massive requirement.

A budget would help give better advise

Jonny_Debt

Hi. Thanks so much for the really helpful reply.

Well - as for price, I was hoping to get something for £150 or less. I live in Brighton, East Sussex and the ride to work would be flat, all along the seafront so maybe a single speed bike would work? I have never heard of them before. Are there any models you would recommend?

I would also like to use the bike for weekend riding - along some cycle paths (so slightly off road - but on a track).

Thanks again for your help!

Hudson1984

have a look at hackney bikes - they will build you a brand new single speed for £200 in a couple of hours to the colours you want (a single speed is usually pretty colourful)

in terms of recomending one no afraid I can't as the single speeds that come from trek/specialized etc are much more expensive (specialized langster or globe roll for example)

but ebay Single speed or Fixie (although when reading the description make sure you have a flip flop rear hub or twin hub or words to that effect as riding a fixie is a whole new ball game - no freewheel so when you stop pedelling the bike stops and if you're rolling you need to pedal at the speed the chains going or take your feet off completely lol)

but yea sounds like a single speed would be ideal for you and they are pretty bombproof as there's nothing really to go wrong - no gears to ruin, usually a steel frame, wheels are 700c so you'll get decent speed out of it.

go to a bike shop and take one out for a ride I promise you'll be hooked.

dealmeout

Have you check charity shops (like the Heart Foundation or Cancer Research)? Sometimes they have bicycles at a great price...

Marco_Panettone

I wouldn't recommend single-speed in Brighton for a new cyclist. It will limit you to the seafront or undercliff walk. If you want to go anywhere more uphill (like the town centre!) then a couple of gears might be nicer on the legs. Try freecycle for a hybrid, or a mountain bike if you fancy heading into the countryside.

If you were aiming a bit higher then a cyclocross bike would be a great 'jack of all trades', but I doubt the 2nd hand market is that good/cheap.

malcumms7898

There are some reduced bikes at Halfords at the moment, quite a few of them for less than £150 - the cheapest being £74.99. I have not ridden a bike for many years so I don't know if these are good bikes or not.

citykid5

would highly recommend one of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carrera-Subway-8-Hybrid-bike-bicycle-/151046883194?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item232b18877a
a little over budget but free delivery and really good bikes

Jonny_Debt

Thanks for all the help. I had a quick look on Halfords and found this bike.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_927675_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

Is this any good? It would be £209 with the discount.

Thanks

Hudson1984

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/trek-7-3-fx-/321128339290?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4ac4bd975a#ht_338wt_959

i'd rather buy second hand and get something like this.

But!!! bare in mind I like bikes lol and like the good brands - there's nothing actually wrong with the £75 bike as suggested above it just depends on you looking after it and it will last the test of time.

to me a hybrid should have 700c tyres, mainly because i'd rather have a road biassed bike than an offroad which would be smaller wheels and more rugged tread - both of which make on road riding a little bit less efficient.

for general riding whatever you get will be fine as long as you look after it but yeah I'd rather look at the Trek FX range second hand

Searches i'd use:

Trek FX
Specialized Tricross (if you're lucky to find one cheap)
Specialized Sirrus
Scott sportster

something along those lines second hand should see you get a decent hybrid.

benjus

Jonny_Debt wrote: »

Thanks for all the help. I had a quick look on Halfords and found this bike.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_927675_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

Is this any good? It would be £209 with the discount.

Thanks

The Carrera range is generally regarded as being OK - unlike some of the other brands sold at Halfords (e.g. Apollo).

Having said that, I'd generally agree that buying second hand would probably be better with your budget.

From experience I'd say that if you're on a low budget, avoid anything that looks "fancy" (suspension, disc brakes, that sort of thing) and just go for a solidly-built basic bike. The "fancy" things will be made to a very low budget and hence a very poor standard, and will probably fall apart very quickly.