How to choose a used bicycle?

elverson

If you're cycling to and from work, you may as well spend £200 on a decent new hybrid. That's the same as 6 months parking at £35 per month.

Also get a decent D-lock, not a cable lock for it.

elverson

Also get in touch with your local CTC group:

South Bucks - http://www.southbuckscycling.org.uk/

MK - http://www.mkctc.org.uk/curr/

Keep_pedalling

elverson wrote: »

If you're cycling to and from work, you may as well spend £200 on a decent new hybrid. That's the same as 6 months parking at £35 per month.

Also get a decent D-lock, not a cable lock for it.

£200 can get you a much better second hand one.

armyknife

chunkytfg wrote: »

Anything without suspension and well maintained mechanicals will be fine for a sub 3 mile commute. Mountain, road, hybrid etc etc. All be fine.

The less flashy it looks the better as it'll be less likely to be nicked also!

This . . . . . . . . . .

silverwhistle

Aldi have a range of cycle gear available at the moment, I think, including helmets at a tenner and useful clothing and tools. I'd look in local newsagents' windows for bikes as at least you can then go and have a look: in my village there's always a few available.

AndyBSG

As others have said, avoid suspension. Ideally a hybrid is what you're looking for.

As for the well known auction site, i'd avoid that as well and instead look on Gumtree or local newspaper ads so you can go and give it a good look over before handing over any cash.

Make sure the crank turns smoothly, spin both wheels to make sure there's no buckles, check there's no rust on the chain or cogs and make sure handlebars turn smoothly.

That'll pretty much satisfy the main things that could end up being expensive repairs.

Could also consider just picking up a cheap new bike. For instance, this Dawes Discovery is only £220

Mids_Costcutter

Are there any independent bike shops near you that sell second-hand bikes? That way you can be sure that the bike has been checked over by an experienced mechanic and is roadworthy.

parking_question_chap

Yes there a few local indis selling used.

Why do you suggest avoiding suspension? is it something to go wrong on an older bike? or is it disadvantagous on roads?

Keep_pedalling

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Yes there a few local indis selling used.

Why do you suggest avoiding suspension? is it something to go wrong on an older bike? or is it disadvantagous on roads?

It certainly one more thing to go wrong, but it also makes the bike heavier and slower, prevents the fitting of proper mud guards, and serves no practical purpose on roads. Cheap suspension forks are not that useful for the ruff stuff either as they are likely to fail PDQ, their main purpose is as a marketing tool to fool people who know nothing about bikes.

armyknife

AndyBSG wrote: »

As others have said, avoid suspension. Ideally a hybrid is what you're looking for.

As for the well known auction site, i'd avoid that as well and instead look on Gumtree or local newspaper ads so you can go and give it a good look over before handing over any cash.

Make sure the crank turns smoothly, spin both wheels to make sure there's no buckles, check there's no rust on the chain or cogs and make sure handlebars turn smoothly.

That'll pretty much satisfy the main things that could end up being expensive repairs.

Could also consider just picking up a cheap new bike. For instance, this Dawes Discovery is only £220

I have one of those, it's a very serviceable bike. Handles well, surprisingly light compared to other budget offerings and the steel fork has a nice rake and absorbs quite a lot of the road/trail vibration, so it takes the 'edge' off of the aluminium frame.