- Absolute beginner - What "budget" beginner bike would you recommend?

[LeeB.99]

Okay so. I'm completely new to the whole world of cycling pretty much. Obviously I have ridden bikes and I can still ride them but it's never been a hobby. Anyway trying to keep this short so I'm not a burden to your eyes but I'm doing a terrible job so far.

So I'm looking to work for deliveroo, if you're unaware of what that is, it's a food delivery service with deliveries that can be carried out on pedal bikes, not just motorbikes. I've done a little research but in all honesty I can't wrap my head around some of the advice given because it's always different depending on circumstances so I was hoping to get some advice tailor fit to me. I'll be riding and delivering around London, meaning busy roads, potholes and possible hills - in my area there are quite a lot. I'm pretty much just looking to see if you guys/girls would recommend any particular bikes based on those circumstances. I've looked around and it seems a "hybrid" bike would be best for me but I don't know what I'm looking for at all. I'm not really in a position to be splashing cash so it's most likely I'm going to be buying a used bike as I'm looking to spend a maximum of £200, that's probably where the issue is going to come into play. If there's not a particular bike that you're able to recommend then just advice in general for what I should be looking for would be greatly appreciated. I'm a 20 year old lad and I'm pretty fit physically but I'm aware cycling requires a different type of fitness, I'm most likely going to be riding for around 6 hours a day at least, so comfort is of somewhat importance although I'm not really too fussed, I'm really just looking for something that can get around quick, but doesn't require any complex technique for someone who's only ridden a "standard" bike before.

Appreciate any help given.

 

[DCLane]

Some sort of hybrid would be best - given the beating second-hand is fine - but the fit it most important.

Decathlon or similar?

Mind you, my hybrid's an old Raleigh Pioneer bought for £20 - I've done 500 miles on it including 25 today and it's fine.

 

[User76022]

I would second the decathlon recommendation. Their bikes are very good for their low price. I doubt if anyone could reasonably recommend a specific bike because it really is an individual thing. I'd just recommend bikes I'd ride. Someone else will recommend what they like.

 

[Drago]

If I'm relying on it to earn me money and using it as heavily as 6 hours a day I'd be inclined to spend more than £200 If it had to be new.

 

[stalagmike]

Something like this?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/323555225703

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Mind you, my hybrid's an old Raleigh Pioneer bought for £20 - I've done 500 miles on it including 25 today and it's fine.

One of the best hybrids out there, and mercifully very unfashionable currently - therefore cheap secondhand. I swear by my 1995 Pioneer that now owes me the sum total of £50, most of that being new Schwalbe tyres. Was lucky to be in the right place at the right time with that one, as it is a high spec version with Reynolds 501 frame. In fact I like it so much I won't even leave it anywhere dodgy, so I'm knocking up a second, base spec one for hack use, which looks like a complete shed but will still be mechanically sound. That is the sort of bike I would use for pounding the streets with a box on my back, something sturdy but simply not worth stealing and of minimal value in case it gets damaged in a crash - which is a very real risk if using it for urban deliveries. The single most important feature of any working bike is actually the tyres, since you won't be earning any money all the time you are fixing punctures. So get a cheap secondhand quality hybrid, like an old PIoneer, or possibly a Ridgeback or Trek, and fit it with a pair of Schwalbe Marathons in a sensibly wide size that will give comfort. You will soon get tired of having your teeth rattled and suffering regular punctures if you ride on potholed London roads with skinny high pressure road tyres. Forget about trying to get around quick, concentrate on not having accidents, not getting into rows with other road users that could turn nasty, and not ending up in hospital!

 

[Drago]

Cro Mo framed MTB from the 90s. Tough, comfortable, easy to fix, cheap spares availability, can handle rough roads and kerb hopping. Slap on some 1.5 slick tyres and it'll be reasonably quick too. Should come in well under budget, and leave enough for some insurance.

Then, if you haven't already done so, some rider training.

 

[vickster]

Make sure you get 3rd party indemnity insurance (I’ve seen some shocking riding from delivery riders) and good lights (as despite what some Deliveroo riders may think, they aren’t optional even on lit London streets)

Do a search too on Deliveroo as others have posted experience and info

 

[midlife]

There's a 12 page thread on Deliveroo over on lfgss

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/276964/

 

[froze]

Let me get this straight, you want to deliver stuff on a bike and you'll be riding about 6 hours a day 5 days a week, but you're sort of new to cycling? So how many hours per day do you ride now?

6 hours of riding is a lot if you're not even use to riding 30 minutes a day!

Why not just find a used scooter or a battery electric bicycle? Then you won't be so wasted at the end of the day.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the job, if so please correct me.

If a bicycle is the only way you will do this then I wouldn't buy some cheap new bike for 200, because a low end bike won't last more than maybe a month at riding 6 hours a day for 5 days a week. I get it you can't afford a more expensive new bike, so buy a nice condition lightly used mid level bike, you should be able to find those for around 200. Even with a decent mid level bike, new or used, there is going to be on the road repairs that you need to know how to do, fixing flats on the road will obviously be the main thing, but other mechanical issues can pop up to and you got to be able to repair them so you can deliver the goods in a timely fashion. While used bikes from the 90's are good so are used bikes from the 80's which are actually easier to fix on the road than the 90's stuff and newer plus you might find 80's stuff cheaper; and parts are available so no need to worry about that.

There are all kinds of things to consider in this job you want, you should carry a patch kit and be proficient at doing that, you should carry a spare tube and a spare folding tire in case you destroy a tire and or tube. You obviously need air so get a decent pump like the Lezyne Road Drive (they make three sizes, get the largest size) if you get a bike with Presta valves. You should get a mini tool so you can fix most things that would likely go wrong while riding. You need to get bright front and rear lights which thankfully in today's world of LED lights that can be done cheaply, but the tail light needs to be at least 150 lumens so it can be seen in the day (you can get Niterider with 300 lumens for less than 40!); and the headlight at least 450 lumens on the middle setting (not the high setting because less lumen output lights have smaller batteries and getting a light with 450 lumens max won't typically run as long as a light with 450 lumens for it's middle setting, plus that gives you a reserve higher output light in case you need it for some reason (Niterider Lumina Micro 850 is a decent light for the price of just 65); and a helmet of course.

Even buying a used bike you need to have money set aside for unexpected repairs or replacement stuff, sometimes tires could be cracked if the bike was stored a long time. You don't want to go cheap with tires either because they will flat more often and wear out a lot faster, but spending around 25 to 35 for a tire that's marked down from 40 to 60 is always good.

I'm sorry if what I said about trying to use a new 200 costing bike for courier service is not enough money being spent, but I hope you understand what I'm saying about the reliability issue. Not sure about your boss but if you break down a lot and are always late with deliveries he's going to be screaming at you to buy a better bike than eventually you could be fired. If this is job you really must do then get a decent used bike with mid level components. And don't forget, if you see a used bike for say 250 that looks really nice, don't say it looks really nice, instead offer a lower price of around 175 and see if they bite, if not they'll come up to another price that may be acceptable, they may say no but I can take 225, you can counter with $200 and tell them that's as high as you can go; but if you get excited over the bike in the presence of the owner they won't budge off that price.

 

[LeeB.99]

Let me get this straight, you want to deliver stuff on a bike and you'll be riding about 6 hours a day 5 days a week, but you're sort of new to cycling? So how many hours per day do you ride now?

6 hours of riding is a lot if you're not even use to riding 30 minutes a day!

Why not just find a used scooter or a battery electric bicycle? Then you won't be so wasted at the end of the day.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the job, if so please correct me.

If a bicycle is the only way you will do this then I wouldn't buy some cheap new bike for 200, because a low end bike won't last more than maybe a month at riding 6 hours a day for 5 days a week. I get it you can't afford a more expensive new bike, so buy a nice condition lightly used mid level bike, you should be able to find those for around 200. Even with a decent mid level bike, new or used, there is going to be on the road repairs that you need to know how to do, fixing flats on the road will obviously be the main thing, but other mechanical issues can pop up to and you got to be able to repair them so you can deliver the goods in a timely fashion. While used bikes from the 90's are good so are used bikes from the 80's which are actually easier to fix on the road than the 90's stuff and newer plus you might find 80's stuff cheaper; and parts are available so no need to worry about that.

There are all kinds of things to consider in this job you want, you should carry a patch kit and be proficient at doing that, you should carry a spare tube and a spare folding tire in case you destroy a tire and or tube. You obviously need air so get a decent pump like the Lezyne Road Drive (they make three sizes, get the largest size) if you get a bike with Presta valves. You should get a mini tool so you can fix most things that would likely go wrong while riding. You need to get bright front and rear lights which thankfully in today's world of LED lights that can be done cheaply, but the tail light needs to be at least 150 lumens so it can be seen in the day (you can get Niterider with 300 lumens for less than 40!); and the headlight at least 450 lumens on the middle setting (not the high setting because less lumen output lights have smaller batteries and getting a light with 450 lumens max won't typically run as long as a light with 450 lumens for it's middle setting, plus that gives you a reserve higher output light in case you need it for some reason (Niterider Lumina Micro 850 is a decent light for the price of just 65); and a helmet of course.

Even buying a used bike you need to have money set aside for unexpected repairs or replacement stuff, sometimes tires could be cracked if the bike was stored a long time. You don't want to go cheap with tires either because they will flat more often and wear out a lot faster, but spending around 25 to 35 for a tire that's marked down from 40 to 60 is always good.

I'm sorry if what I said about trying to use a new 200 costing bike for courier service is not enough money being spent, but I hope you understand what I'm saying about the reliability issue. Not sure about your boss but if you break down a lot and are always late with deliveries he's going to be screaming at you to buy a better bike than eventually you could be fired. If this is job you really must do then get a decent used bike with mid level components. And don't forget, if you see a used bike for say 250 that looks really nice, don't say it looks really nice, instead offer a lower price of around 175 and see if they bite, if not they'll come up to another price that may be acceptable, they may say no but I can take 225, you can counter with $200 and tell them that's as high as you can go; but if you get excited over the bike in the presence of the owner they won't budge off that price.

Appreciate the responses from everyone thus far.

When working for deliveroo you're "self employed" everything runs off a phone app you choose whether or not you take the deliveries -majority of the time - I'm aware of other expenses, maintenance and everything else that will be required but that's something I plan to look at further down the line, as I'm able to choose my hours it would be something that I kind of ease my way into so I won't be smashing out 6 hours 5 days a week on busy roads, I understand I would struggle to jump straight into that. So hopefully I wouldnt run into any major problems too quickly but I suppose I'll just learn as I go along. I appreciate the concern for the reliability of the bike, I mean it may even be a case of me getting a better bike after 2/3 months which seems appropriate given the responses about reliability. My main problem is when I'm looking for used bikes to buy i don't know really what to look out for that separates a "good" bike from "bad" bike or is it one of the cases that literally depends on the manafacturer of the bike?

 

[vickster]

There’s also a fair amount of sitting around if Deliveroo riders I see is anything to go by. Won’t be riding 6 hours in a shift I doubt. London has lots of junctions and stop start too

 

[Pale Rider]

There’s also a fair amount of sitting around if Deliveroo riders I see is anything to go by. Won’t be riding 6 hours in a shift I doubt. London has lots of junctions and stop start too

As the riders in @midlife's link report, a Deliveroo shift might only be around 15 or 20km.

Still tiring, on and off the bike, finding the restaurant and the delivery addresses, dealing with the various people involved (not least Deliveoo themselves). waiting around at either end, but distance cycling it is not.

 

[LeeB.99]

There’s also a fair amount of sitting around if Deliveroo riders I see is anything to go by. Won’t be riding 6 hours in a shift I doubt. London has lots of junctions and stop start too

Very true. I probably shouldve made that clearer in my original post, my shifts are what will be 6 hours, 3 hours around lunch, 3 hours around dinner - so yeah definitely not 6 hours of riding, probably not even half that ina a full day's work.

 

[stalagmike]

Appreciate the responses from everyone thus far.

When working for deliveroo you're "self employed" everything runs off a phone app you choose whether or not you take the deliveries -majority of the time - I'm aware of other expenses, maintenance and everything else that will be required but that's something I plan to look at further down the line, as I'm able to choose my hours it would be something that I kind of ease my way into so I won't be smashing out 6 hours 5 days a week on busy roads, I understand I would struggle to jump straight into that. So hopefully I wouldnt run into any major problems too quickly but I suppose I'll just learn as I go along. I appreciate the concern for the reliability of the bike, I mean it may even be a case of me getting a better bike after 2/3 months which seems appropriate given the responses about reliability. My main problem is when I'm looking for used bikes to buy i don't know really what to look out for that separates a "good" bike from "bad" bike or is it one of the cases that literally depends on the manafacturer of the bike?

I'd say it does depend on the manufacturer of the bike. I think the general consensus here is to avoid buying a new bike for 200 because you're likely to be getting a BSO rather than something that will be reliable for you. If I were in your position I'd be looking for bikes that would have been 300-500 when new but are now for sale at 150ish (then you can spend the remainder of your budget on spare tubes/tires). I'm sure others on here could come up with more makes/models but I'd be looking for raleigh pioneers, Carrera subway 2, Ridgeback speed. Avoid suspension of any kind.