Beginner - Questions

[Amnesia180]

Hi All,

I’ve been advised to come along to this forum as it is primarily UK based and there seems to be a wealth of information here!

I currently have a Claude Butler Mountain Bike.... approximately 10 years old. It is in pretty good condition, and does the job for my short commute to work. However, I would like to upgrade my bike... I’ve contacted my local independent bike shop and they’re going to do a service, adjust gears/brakes, fit some tires suitable for a hybrid bike and put some handle bar ends on to give myself a more comfortable ride.

I’m here to look for some guidance, in what to look for and anything else I could do to upgrade my bike? I don’t have the cash to get a new bike, plus I’m not going to be doing hundreds of miles a week on it. I would just like something better than I already have as I would like to start doing evening and weekend bike rides, which at the moment my mountain bike isn’t capable of doing (or more like, I’m not capable of doing on a MTB).

My other question is; my wife is looking for a bike. Just to do short 1 hour bike rides with me around the local village and so she can also cycle up the road to work or the shops etc. We have been offered a Dunlop bike (I think it was originally from Sports Direct) for £50… it is by no means a high quality bike, but has anyone had any experience with these bikes? And for short bike rides etc would it do the job?

Thanks all!

 

[BrumJim]

Second question first.

The Dunlop bike will possibly be a pile of useless poo. The wheels will probably not be round (warped, or with a run-out depending on your industry, or slightly resembling a pringle crisp.), the gears will be out of adjustment, i.e. whilst they click up and down on the gear change, this will not match the cogs, and the chain will be constantly trying to get onto another gear. The brakes will be out of adjustment and the levers made from plastic, making emergency stops a bit of a hit and miss affair. Its not worth £50.

 

[biggs682]

+1 re Dunlop bike comments from BrumJim talk to your lbs who are doing the work on the claud and see what they have you never kbow what they might have lurking about .

 

[jackhandy]

I picked up a Carrera Kraken, an older model, on ebay for less than 70.00.

Its in very good order and hasnt needed any work at all, so there are good buys to be had.

Gumtree is also good . Just make sure you check out any bike before parting with cash.

 

[sidevalve]

Like most things you get what you pay for. If you have to use the LBS for doing the work then I would steer clear of "bargains" on cheaper bikes as the final result once you include spares, labour and purchase price will be much more than the bike's worth. If you fancy a bit of a project then by all means pick up a medium level bike for a few quid and do a budget rebuild, you can learn a lot and have a great deal of fun and satisfaction at the end [and if you're carefull you may even be able to get your money back when you sell if you're very carefull on the costs].

 

[defy-one]

Easiest thing you could do is put some slick road tyres on your bike and add some bar ends to give your hands an alternative position on longer rides. No need to pay lbs charges for 2 easy upgrades. If you live in South Bucks,i'll come do it for you

 

[xpc316e]

Don't even get anywhere near the Dunlop bike. I did some cyclist training at a special school which had bought a few Dunlop bikes; they were the worst bikes I have ever come across. Not worth 50p, let alone £50.