Cheap bike?

[Nebulous]

How do you find a really cheap bike?

I'm in need of a bike to put on a turbo trainer and have a self-imposed budget of £220, but my wife is looking over my shoulder, as she thinks I'm pulling a stunt of some sort. I would prefer 9 speed (Sora) to 8.

So far my technique has consisted of identifying road bikes of the right size on Gumtree at around £300 and offering £200 / £220. I've been rejected outright to date.

Some really cheap roadbikes are available new, which might be safer, and I could go to £350 ish. I could wait a few days for sales.

An observation so far is that Carreras hold their value surprisingly well. A bike available at £230 with British cycling discount will be going for £180- 200.

 

[vickster]

@biggs682

 

[Rooster1]

You should be able to get a 2008/9 Giant Defy 9 speed in good nic for £100-£200

Check out these recently completed listings...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-Defy/264091860874?hash=item3d7d19ff8a:g:ss0AAOSwdrpb4CQ7

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-De...843880?hash=item4b57ef3da8:g:L58AAOSwsRVcEpBc

The Defy is far superior to the Carrera and you might even fancy taking it outside.

I see you are in Aberdeen and doing a search for a Defy near you bring up diddly squat. See if you can get one that includes postage or with a reasonable charge.

 

[Rooster1]

This Boardman is 20 miles from Aberdeen and at only £270 its a good deal

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boardman...h=item23ae5d8d5a:g:wnQAAOSwS4Vb4cyD:rk:4:pf:0

 

[biggs682]

Thanks @vickster

@Nebulous i have this 2011 58cm Trek Alpha 1.2 lightly used for sale and can happily pack it and box it up .
I still need to get some pics done so must do them .

I do have a couple of other older retro road bikes as well

 

[DCLane]

What size are you looking for. I was keeping this Olmo Rigel to advertise in the Spring for around £200. Italian hand-built aluminium frame with smooth welds, carbon fork, Campagnolo Mirage 9 speed groupset:

 

[stalagmike]

£220 is more than enough to get a used bike to go on a trainer. If you don't mind a triple then I'd go for a triban 500 if you can find one in your size. Sora gears but 8 speed triple. Something like this?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/183592983736

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

£220 is more than enough to get a used bike to go on a trainer.

You're not kidding! I'd have a nosebleed just at the thought of paying £220 for a bike that isn't even going to travel one yard on the road. I would consider a turbo trainer bike in the same way as I would a pub bike; i.e. anything mechanically functional with wheels and pedals is good enough. Come to think of it the most extravagant used purchase bike I own was £40, and that is a 531 framed Dawes which would have been quite pricey when new 30 years ago. My normal secondhand purchases range from £zero to £20.

 

[Nebulous]

You're not kidding! I'd have a nosebleed just at the thought of paying £220 for a bike that isn't even going to travel one yard on the road. I would consider a turbo trainer bike in the same way as I would a pub bike; i.e. anything mechanically functional with wheels and pedals is good enough. Come to think of it the most extravagant used purchase bike I own was £40, and that is a 531 framed Dawes which would have been quite pricey when new 30 years ago. My normal secondhand purchases range from £zero to £20.

You certainly would if you knew the full story then!

This is a second turbo bike, in a different location. My main turbo has an expensive carbon bike on it.

 

[Nebulous]

Thanks very much folks. I should have said about size. I need a 54 DClane. I'm 177 cm but quite short in the legs.

 

[biggs682]

Thanks very much folks. I should have said about size. I need a 54 DClane. I'm 177 cm but quite short in the legs.

In your opening post you mentioned about making low offers on bike's that are over your budget , i do this from time to time and it's amazing what offers some people will accept and you end up getting a good bargain so keep trying

 

[Nebulous]

In your opening post you mentioned about making low offers on bike's that are over your budget , i do this from time to time and it's amazing what offers some people will accept and you end up getting a good bargain so keep trying

Thanks - I hadn't really thought about postage / courier until I got the replies here. I've been making offers on bikes that I could pick up. I'm travelling more than usual work wise, so if I'm away overnight I check the local Gumtree and make an offer if anything takes my fancy. Medium / 54 is probably one of the commonest sizes, so they don't hang around so much.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

This is a second turbo bike, in a different location. My main turbo has an expensive carbon bike on it.

I definitely need to have a lie down in a darkened room! TWO turbos and a static carbon exercise bike? I'm afraid to ask what you actually ride on the road......

 

[biggs682]

Thanks - I hadn't really thought about postage / courier until I got the replies here. I've been making offers on bikes that I could pick up. I'm travelling more than usual work wise, so if I'm away overnight I check the local Gumtree and make an offer if anything takes my fancy. Medium / 54 is probably one of the commonest sizes, so they don't hang around so much.

That's similar to what i do a few days before i travel anywhere

 

[Nebulous]

I definitely need to have a lie down in a darkened room! TWO turbos and a static carbon exercise bike? I'm afraid to ask what you actually ride on the road......

A bike?

I'm sure I've fewer bikes than many people on here.

I bought a turbo about 18 months ago and never really took to it. I've just bought a new one, a tacx flux, which is a wheel off one and signed up to Zwift. I'm doing some training stuff which is quite demanding about when sessions need to be done to get rest periods and it's difficult to fit them in.

At the same time, for family reasons, we're currently away every weekend. I'm always wanting home early on Sunday, while my wife wants to stay. She suggested couldn't you set up your old turbo here and then we could stay later? I said well I could, but I'd need another bike. So she has approved that. She then said - you wouldn't be able to use zwift though. I said I thought I would. That's where the suspicion came in. She doesn't understand why I needed a new turbo to use zwift at home, but suddenly my old turbo is good enough to do it at weekends.