A cheap starter bike......

[TomE]

Evening Gents,

Whilst watching the F1 and footy today I have been mulling over the idea of buying a bike each for me and the missus to allow us to take full advantage of the nice weather over the summer (and to help get fit!!)

So I'm in the market for a couple of bikes, and to be honest, I'm completely lost and confused, as the last time I had a bike was about 15 years ago and things seemed to have moved on a bit.

I only really want to spend a max of £150 on each bike, I know this is a really rubbish amount, but my reasoning is that if I actually use it and get into it, then I will upgrade at a later date when I know a little more about what I want/need the bike for.

We will mainly use the bike's on an old disused railway nearby and also possibly to commute 5 miles to work and back when the weather is good. I'm happy not to bother with any suspension (as I would imagine it would just hinder rather than help) but other than that I'm not really sure what else I need to be looking for.

I'm steering away from Apollo (hopefully that's the right thing to do?!) and I've come across these links below and wondered if any of you would be able to enlighten me as to whether they were any good or not, or whether anyone could suggest some alternatives?

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B2327.html

http://www.wheels2ride.com/2010-Ventura-Evolve.asp...

Thanks very much!

Tom

[Vespula]

If you really can't go over £150 for each bike then you may as well go for Apollos. They are probably not as bad a serious mountain bikers make out, especially just for jollies up disused railway lines with the Mrs. on sunny days.

Go Outdoors have Raleigh and Diamond Back bikes under £200.

'Proper' mountain bikes start at about £300.

By the way, the bikes in your second link are out of stock.

[Vespula]

These cheapies are £140 delivered.

http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/biz/product.php/...

[TomE]

Vespula said:

By the way, the bikes in your second link are out of stock.

Yeah I did notice that, but I had already put the post up.

As you say, I'm not looking for something to wang down a hill at top speed on at the moment, but just want to make sure that I don't end up with something that falls apart when I sit on it!

This was something else I came across and immediately discounted because of the suspension, but I'm sure Muddy Fox used to be quite good when I was younger?

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-9033.aspx

[Vespula]

The name has probably been hijacked.

Full suspension bikes for £125 should be avoided.

With budget bikes, the less suspension the better, really.

[matty_doh]

Slightly over your budget but worth a look I think, though havn't heard of the seller before;

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Boulder-Mountain-Bik...

However, I think your best option at this price point is ebay.

[Vespula]

OP - you need to state what sizes you and her need.

A lot of discounted bikes have only one size left in stock.

I tend to agree about eBay, they have some new bikes within your budget, second-hand can be a risk though.

[TomE]

Cheers for the responses guys, I'm 6ft6 ish so I would imagine I'm going to need the biggest available (20"?), the missus is 5ft9 so I guess she would be one size smaller?

Edited by TomE on Sunday 27th June 18:39

[TomE]

Are barrosa's any good? I've seen this one on a few websites...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Barrosa-20-Havana-Gents-Moun...

Edited by TomE on Sunday 27th June 18:40

[matty_doh]

TomE said:

Cheers for the responses guys, I'm 6ft6 ish so I would imagine I'm going to need the biggest available (20"?), the missus is 5ft9 so I guess she would be one size smaller?

You'll probably need an XL at that height, your OH would probably need a medium - I'm 5'8 and a medium is about right for me - Though I'm not sure if ladies sizes are different/whether you're getting her a ladies bike.

You would be best off finding somewhere that has the model you want for you to sit on - it's the only decent and accurate way of checking if a bike is the right size.

[Vespula]

All these £150 bikes are similar, not really going to find any head and shoulders above the others.

I think the best you and she can do is get to Halfords, get a couple of Apollos, they will have both your sizes in stock and will set them up for you. Also easy to return if there are any warranty problems.

[blackburn]

I'd suggest a visit to your Local Bike Shop. Most will have a budget range in stock and should be able to put them together ok. You'll also stand a chance of a bit of a trade in should you want to progress to something a little better later on.

[MadDad]

Based on your original posting I would keep an eye on eBay for a hybrid, if you are going to be riding a mix of light trail and road riding (not soft forest trails, lots of loose gravel, mud etc) a hybrid will probably be right for you.

Buying on eBay with a limited budget is a bit like buying a silver mondeo, you will be able to move it on again with little risk of loosing loads of money as all of the depreciation has already happened. Unless you are going to spend £300-ish+ on a new bike there is very little difference between a non-branded Tesco bike and one of the economy brands as they are more or less all made in the same couple of factories.

Another consideration (if you want to buy new), is to visit your local cycle store and ask what 2009 stock they have left, I picked up a bike that was selling for £390 last year for £250 simply because it was last years model.

Here are a few for your consideration, they are not ideal but you get the idea;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Giant-Hybrid-mountain-Bike-2...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KONA-SMOKE-HYBRID-BIKE-BLACK...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/giant-fs-2-5-womens-hybrid-l...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/scott-sub40-hybrid-medium-si...

Whatever you do, good luck and get out there soon before the weather breaks and you don't have the urge to leave the front room!!

[CerbitonFlyer]

TomE said:

Cheers for the responses guys, I'm 6ft6 ish so I would imagine I'm going to need the biggest available (20"?), the missus is 5ft9 so I guess she would be one size smaller?

Edited by TomE on Sunday 27th June 18:39

At 6ft 6 you'll need the biggest they do. I would have thought 20" would be too small. 22" is more likely to be a better fit. Fot the missus if she's 5ft 9 a 17 or 18" should be about right depending on the geometry of the frame.

[TomE]

Thanks very much again to all of you for taking the time to reply, you've given me plenty to think about and consider!

I'm going to try and get down to Halfords ASAP to sit on some bikes and get an idea of sizes, I've also had a quick look at the bike shops near me but their stock appears to start at the £300 mark.

As long as I can be sure a certain bike size will fit me I think I may end up buying from ebay, it seems to be the best way of getting something a little better for my money.

I'll be sure to report back on what I end up with!

Cheers,

Tom

[shalmaneser]

With £150 to spend you're mad if you don't buy second hand.

DO NOT buy a bike with full suspension

DO NOT buy a bike with disc brakes.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-830-Singletrack-Mountai...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Giant-Yukon-6000-Aluxx-XL-mo...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/marin-hawk-hill-mountain-bik...

These are all great deals and better than any £150 bike you'll find in Halfords (i really like the look of that Marin for the price).

Where abouts do you live? The PH massive may be able to help you in your search to get a decent bike second hand bike nearby.

[TomE]

Just thought I'd do a quick update on this thread, I bought a couple of Dawes XC1.0's a few of weeks ago online and since arriving and setting them both up (which was harder than I expected!!) we have been out regularly and are both really enjoying it!

So thanks to everyone who took the time to reply, hopefully in a year or so I'll be back looking for advice on what to upgrade to (as long as we keep it up!)