sevenfourate
Devotee of OCD
- Location
- Lowestoft, Suffolk
And I’ve got one in the fleet. And had two.
So speak from real World use and experience…..
£300 set budget for a new bike - suggestions?
- Thread starter infinityleague
- Start date
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And I’ve got one in the fleet. And had two.
So speak from real World use and experience…..
AndyRM
XOXO
- Location
- North Shields
If other options don't come through I'd third this option. Great bikes.
One thing to note though is that not all Halfords bike mechanics are created equal if you're asking them to set the bike up. At one with a Bike Hut you're usually in safe hands, but otherwise they generally don't have a clue
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
If you are (understandably) wary of buying a faulty/stolen bike or otherwise being ripped off on the second hand market, then the brand that has a good reputation on here for value for money is Decathlon. I've not owned a bike from them myself but know people who have.
But having taken a peek at their website I think you'd struggle to get anything that isn't genuinely "cheap and nasty" for £300 or less.
Up the budget to £500, and you might be in business. Or else wait for an offer/sale like @sevenfourate suggested above.
But having taken a peek at their website I think you'd struggle to get anything that isn't genuinely "cheap and nasty" for £300 or less.
Up the budget to £500, and you might be in business. Or else wait for an offer/sale like @sevenfourate suggested above.
infinityleague
New Member
- Location
- London
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
On the subject of gearing, do check what the lowest gear is. Lots of people come on here saying "I have bought X bike and would like to get a lower bottom gear for the hills, what do I do?"
So (at the risk of teaching grandmother to suck eggs) here's my quick guide to bottom gears.
Check the bike spec and find the size of the chainrings. On a typical road bike this will be 50/34. On the hybrid @sevenfourate has linked it's 46/30. Take the smaller/smallest of these numbers. Lower numbers give a lower gear.
Now find the spec of the cassette and find the biggest number (sprocket size). Typically you will find 32, or 34. But you do get bigger and smaller. Bigger numbers lower gears.
The combination of these two numbers will give you your lowest gear. All things being equal (ie same sized wheels) you can divide front by back to give you a number that you can compare between bikes. Smaller number - lower gear.
My entirely subjective take (many will disagree) is:
Any chainring > 34. That's a bit high for me.
34 chainring 28 sprocket. Still too sporty
34 / 32. This is quite common. It's getting there.
34 / 34. This is 1:1. One turn of the pedals = one rotation of the wheel. Nice.
30 / 34 (as on the linked Carrera). Wooo, this should get you up anything on road short of the steepest ramps.
So (at the risk of teaching grandmother to suck eggs) here's my quick guide to bottom gears.
Check the bike spec and find the size of the chainrings. On a typical road bike this will be 50/34. On the hybrid @sevenfourate has linked it's 46/30. Take the smaller/smallest of these numbers. Lower numbers give a lower gear.
Now find the spec of the cassette and find the biggest number (sprocket size). Typically you will find 32, or 34. But you do get bigger and smaller. Bigger numbers lower gears.
The combination of these two numbers will give you your lowest gear. All things being equal (ie same sized wheels) you can divide front by back to give you a number that you can compare between bikes. Smaller number - lower gear.
My entirely subjective take (many will disagree) is:
Any chainring > 34. That's a bit high for me.
34 chainring 28 sprocket. Still too sporty
34 / 32. This is quite common. It's getting there.
34 / 34. This is 1:1. One turn of the pedals = one rotation of the wheel. Nice.
30 / 34 (as on the linked Carrera). Wooo, this should get you up anything on road short of the steepest ramps.
Personally I would avoid evans, as they are now part of the fraser group, same company that owns sports direct - customer service, and the way they treat staff are pretty sh1te by all accounts, but up to you of course - though not sure how many people realise that about evans, and also sadly wiggle and crc
Those two were a HUGE loss to me. Though equally of benefit to my wallet 🤷♂️
Anything new for £300 will likely be a turd.
Not familar with the welsh event you mention, but London to Brighton is a fair few miles so you'll want something pretty road oriented (unless lack of flexibility or other proclivities dictate something more upright / straight bars etc).
I suspect entry-level road bikes were one of the largest growth areas during covid, consequently the used market is awash with them. Something like a Giant Defy would be a solid if unremarkable choice.
If you lack the flexibility of a racing snake you'll be wanting to look at bikes with "endurance" geometry.
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