# New Bike Recommendation



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

This is my first post in here, looking to get fit and buy a bike, looking for something cheap less than £100. for rding on road and light of road such as canal tow paths.

Any recommendations buys, the cheaper the better


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

mattsbmw said:


> This is my first post in here, looking to get fit and buy a bike, looking for something cheap less than £100. for rding on road and light of road such as canal tow paths.
> 
> Any recommendations buys, the cheaper the *badder*


corrected for accuracy...

Quite honestly, rarely has the old saying about "buy cheap, buy twice" been more appropriate than with bikes. You might be lucky an snag a bit of a bargain in a big discount sale etc but I'd really suggest you try and get some more cash together and buy something you'll be able to ride more than a few times before it falls apart. A decent tyre can easily be £30, so you can imagine what a £100 bike might be built like.

Not trying to be a downer, but more realistic really...


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## chrisibiza (Aug 6, 2008)

I think you need to add another 0 on to the end of that figure to get something half decent, even spend £500.

A bike at £100 will fall apart as soon as you look at it unless you can find something 2nd hand possibly.


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## Teabag (Dec 17, 2008)

Bigpikle said:


> corrected for accuracy...
> 
> Quite honestly, rarely has the old saying about "buy cheap, buy twice" been more appropriate than with bikes. You might be lucky an snag a bit of a bargain in a big discount sale etc but I'd really suggest you try and get some more cash together and buy something you'll be able to ride more than a few times before it falls apart. A decent tyre can easily be £30, so you can imagine what a £100 bike might be built like.
> 
> Not trying to be a downer, but more realistic really...


+1.. try to spend as much as poss...:thumb:

The bearings, running gear and pivots will be [email protected] much quicker the cheaper the bike


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

chrisibiza said:


> I think you need to add another 0 on to the end of that figure to get something half decent, even spend £500.
> 
> A bike at £100 will fall apart as soon as you look at it unless you can find something *2nd hand possibly*.


Agreed. That is the ONLY way you will find a decent ish bike for £100 and even then you run the risk of ending up with something in need of bits such as chain, tyres, cables etc which will then make it a £200 bike!

This seems to be quite a nice bike for the money? NOt really That into MTB's so dont know the chainsets etc so anyone care to comment?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Focus-Highlan...UK_Bikes_GL?hash=item27ae9ab2d3#ht_500wt_1182


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

To be honest the replies arent that helpful, suggesting i need to spend 500 - 1000 on bike that will be ridden a few miles a week seems ridiculous to me and completley unaffordable.

I take on board the comments about better parts but surley the bikes that are sold in sports reatilers cant be that bad for the occasional use it will get.

I think i will go back to my plan of just buying what i can afford, hoped i might get some sensible advice.


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

I reckon you should be good with £300 go to Evans bike shop and have a chat with them, you will obviously be getting poor parts and a bike that weighs a lot but it will be ok for simple comuting to work.


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## Deanoecosse (Mar 15, 2007)

for that sort of budget, 2nd hand would be the only way to go. I wasn't able to get a bike for my 9 year old son at xmas for less than £100 so you'll not find any new adult bikes. Yeah yeah £100 aint gonna buy a high spec bike, but as you've already said you only need a cheapo.
I'd have a look in your local free ad papers/gumtree etc and you'll find a lot of bikes in there which should be around the £100 mark.Go and have a look at a few and check them out


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

What exactly are you looking to use it for ?

TBH, some people would tell you that anything below £200 isnt worth buying, but its all about what your going to use it for.

£100 bike for using to pootle around to the shops is fine, if you buy it from a proper bike shop, you'll get it set up correctly.

If your looking to use it for a work commute then I'd say not, you would need to spend a little more upwards & I'd suggest a Hybrid/Urban bike for that type of use.

I have a cheap bike I use for pottering to the shops on, its 15 speed & even has cantilever brakes. I can lock it up & its still there when I return untouched. 

I also have a similar one over in Lanzarote at the inlaws, except it lives 500 yards from the sea, thats my transport when we go over, yea the sea air has oxidised some parts, but it would have done that if I had a Scandium framed bike equiped with XTR.


2p





For all you bikers, I'm off to see what Shimano have to offer for 2011 next week


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## andycole (Jun 8, 2006)

mattsbmw said:


> To be honest the replies arent that helpful, suggesting i need to spend 500 - 1000 on bike that will be ridden a few miles a week seems ridiculous to me and completley unaffordable.
> 
> I take on board the comments about better parts but surley the bikes that are sold in sports reatilers cant be that bad for the occasional use it will get.
> 
> I think i will go back to my plan of just buying what i can afford, hoped i might get some sensible advice.


If you can stretch your budget I'd recommend looking here:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s0p0

All sorts of styles at reasonably prices, I bought a Yukon FX3 last year and saved £200 with them!!
Cheers
AC


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

I understand the decision you've made on the cheaper the better. I was in the same boat a couple of years ago fo commuting to work in the summer months @ 25mile round trip which I had been completeing on my full suspension MTB :wall: - all that effort and not a lot of forward motion :lol:.

I soon realised that I needed more of a road bike, not one like Bigpikle has but more of a hybrid. I have a local shop which is Giant dealer and managed to strike a good deal on something half decent (well in my eyes for price/spec/use and I'm no bike person). Mine's been superceded since so this is the newer model

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/model/crs.4/4863/39002/

Not mega money, nothings fallen off/broken in that time and it came with a comfy seat .


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

My first mountain bike was a Scott, £250, in c.1997 and it served me well for riding on bridle paths and roads. I enjoyed it enough to try something a bit more upmarket and got a Marin Mount Vision, but as a means to get around, get some exercise and get out with my mates, it did the job - a bit over your budget but it shows cheaper bikes can be OK.

Scott always appeared to offer a better spec for the money, though since I haven't looked for a while, I don't know if it's still the case. Halfords' own brand, Carrera, had a similarly good reputation, they had to try harder to "overcome" the name.

The important thing is to get a bike that fits you, any decent cycle shop will advise. I'd suggest trying to find something from a brand who also makes dearer bikes if possible, but as long as you accept it's limitations, and look after it, there's no reason why you shouldn't be happy. Though I wouldn't look at any full suspension bikes for that price!

If you can get your employer to sign up for the Bike To Work scheme, you can save 33% of the cost and spread the payments over 12 months, so it may extend your range a bit. Hope this helps.


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## dubnut71 (Jul 25, 2006)

I get your point Matt but there is a name for the bikes the supermarkets and sports retailers knock out, they are BSO's (Bike Shaped Objects)! they might look like a bike but functionally there is where the similarity ends.
Take the bike on the right of the picture below, its a trek Hybrid, great for fitness and I am selling for £100 second hand in the near future. It goes to prove the point that second hand is the way to go but be careful and check for any damage to the frame (cracking etc) or anything that doesn't ride "right".

Good luck in your search, its possible to get a good one!


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Make him an offer, Matt - he may make a mistake and give you the wrong one!


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## RenesisEvo (Nov 25, 2006)

robj20 said:


> I reckon you should be good with £300 go to Evans bike shop and have a chat with them, you will obviously be getting poor parts and a bike that weighs a lot but it will be ok for simple comuting to work.


I disagree - just picked up a Dawes XC from them, ~£200 and it may only be a hard-tail and V-brakes, but miles better than my knackered Rayleigh, and significantly better quality than anything Halfords stocked, even past the same price bracket. Only thing was the first bike they sent was damaged, a replacement was sent with little fuss however, so good service.

I do agree that £100 is a bit low if you want something that will last more than a few months, from past experience!


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## pogo6636 (Jan 18, 2009)

2nd hand baby.........
I got a rockhopper for 40 quid and use it as my comuter..
Better bike than the £800 bruiser2 toy that sits in the shed in this weather.


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

i bought This and have to say for the money its been great. hydraulic disc breaks that are as good as expensive one i had before. if your on a budget go second hand. there are loads of really good second hand bikes on Ebay.


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## lanciamug (May 18, 2008)

As the replies above show, you can get a half decent bike at around £250 or much less 2nd hand. New though, only scrap metal is on sale at £100. Read carefully, you have had some useful replies, you just don't know it yet!:thumb:


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## FrazzleTC (Jul 4, 2009)

I bought an Apollo Slammer about 3 years ago for £79.99 in Halfords, and although it weighs a tonne and is rather coarse, it has done 2600 miles with me and hasn't been too much trouble with the routine maintenance it receives. I had a nasty accident on it when someone opened a car door in front of me a couple of years ago, but it didn't do the bike any harm really. I have upgraded it a bit, but only when the original parts got damaged, it now has 21 speed shimano triggers and a few other wee bits but nothing ridiculous, and I can rest assured that nobody would want to steal it.
I realise that it is nowhere near as good as most bikes, but it has been through a lot and survived and has provided me with transport. If you're not doing a lot of cycling, I really can't see the point on spending a lot of money on a bike. Looking at second hand bikes is a good idea though.


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Well i went to halfords last night a bought a trax bike shimano gears and Disc brakes. was reduced form 179.99 to 99.99

Off to try it out later 

Frazzle you have confirmed what i thought, with regular maintenance it should be fine.

So with that in mind what are the recommended maintenance items and schedule?


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

the basics :thumb:

http://www.totalbike.com/web/service/monthly.html


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