Can you get a good road bike for £100?

[MrMonster]

Being a student and only on a part time job with my local football club, budget is a real issue for me. I currently own an Apollo XC26SE MTB, but that's it. I have a friend who has a road bike and he seems to put in much less effort to do the same distance and pace as myself, so I thought I might buy one, even if I don't use it often, it's there..

So my question is, what can I get for £100?

I know I can't get a new one, i've looked almost everywhere and cheapest I found was £250 in Argos. So second hand would be my only option I guess.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

new? absolutely not.

s/h will get something fairly ridable, try a local bike shop, or ebay…

 

[MrMonster]

Is it worth me saving up and buying a good one, or just buying an average one for the money I have now?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Go secondhand. Anything - and I mean anything - will be better than <shudder> a new £100 bike. In the immortal words of Mike Burrows "you don't get a bike for £100. You get a heap of shoot for £100". Honestly, you'd be better off setting fire to five £20 notes. At least that would keep you warm for five minutes.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

actually the argos bike looks ok, as long as someone that knows what they're doing can set it up for you.

sometimes halfords have their carrera range at that pricepoint in the sale. the same caveat applies…

 

[Rhythm Thief]

There's a world of difference between a £250 bike (Argos) and a £100 bike though. £250 is about the minimum to get anything remotely rideable new. And bear in mind, I'm by no means a bike snob.

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I nearly fell into the trap trying to get a road bike for £100-£200. I was lucky, someone at my club sold me a decent road bike for £350. I now shudder at the thought of what I could have ended up with.. :S

You will honestly be much better off saving up £300-400 and going second hand. There is really nothing decent brand new until you get to around £600.

However, you will find once you have the bike, that there are better bikes, then once you get a better bike, there's a shinier one, then once you have a good shiny bike, there is an EVEN BETTER one for just a bit more money, then once you have that, some company invents a 15 speed which you just HAVE TO HAVE.

It's the n+1 rule
n is the number of bikes you have, n+1 is the number of bikes you need!

 

[MrMonster]

I do understand what your all saying, the only reason I mentioned the £250 Argos bike was because it was the cheapest NEW bike I could find, so I know I can't buy one new. It wasn't to compare anything.

Just looking for bikes that would be reasonable and fairly reliable for the little money I have available to start my cycling.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i've just realised that i've two bikes that cost £250. mind you, one of those has cost me about another £500 in upgrades…

 

[MrMonster]

I nearly fell into the trap trying to get a road bike for £100-£200. I was lucky, someone at my club sold me a decent road bike for £350. I now shudder at the thought of what I could have ended up with.. :S

You will honestly be much better off saving up £300-400 and going second hand. There is really nothing decent brand new until you get to around £600.

However, you will find once you have the bike, that there are better bikes, then once you get a better bike, there's a shinier one, then once you have a good shiny bike, there is an EVEN BETTER one for just a bit more money, then once you have that, some company invents a 15 speed which you just HAVE TO HAVE.

It's the n+1 rule
n is the number of bikes you have, n+1 is the number of bikes you need!

I agree entirely! Same with almost everything.
Just why are they so expensive?! Not very welcoming for a new cyclist, looking at the prices!

 

[MrMonster]

i've just realised that i've two bikes that cost £250. mind you, one of those has cost me about another £500 in upgrades…

So even £250 bikes are not worth buying?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

While I stand by what I said above, if you haven't got a bike and all you've got is a hundred quid, any bike is better than none and you'll do more cycling with a £100 bike than you will with no bike at all. But it will be a pile of shite, and you'll be better off with a secondhand bike. Have a look on ebay for steel framed road bikes near you and post a link to the listing on here. We can help you get a good bike.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

So even £250 bikes are not worth buying?

They can be. But it's like anything else: if you're an enthusiast you can always find some way to spend your money. I've got a Citroen 2CV on the drive. It's got a perfectly good engine, but that hasn't stopped me buying all the bits I need to build a tuned engine to try and make it go a bit faster. I'd guess alec has done the bike equivalent with his £250 bike.

 

[MrMonster]

I do have a bike at the moment, but it's a MTB with 3" tyres, so it's not the easiest thing to ride in comparison to my friend on a Bianchi Road Bike.. He just sails off with minimum effort, and with the distances I am looking to cover, perhaps it would be wise of me to invest in one, however money is my issue.

Should I stick with my MTB until I can afford a decent bike?

I'll look on eBay like you said, and post the links to see if they are worthwhile buying.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

one of these is what i started out with, and it was good enough for club riding (change the saddle mind).

i ended up spending loads on it as the frame was sound but a change in gearing requirements found me upgrading the groupset, then i put a carbon fork on, then new wheels…

if you can spare £200, the bike in the link is a good start which, like me, you can upgrade if you feel the need, or just enjoy it as it is.

edit: choose this one over newer virtuosos (usually blue) as the frame is merida-built 6061-t6 aluminium, the newer ones are generic 7005. i won't bore you with specifics, but 6061 is less of a harsh ride and tends to be lighter.