complete beginner help

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mikeyLondon

New Member
hi there

complete beginner to cycling and wish to purchase a bike for commuting to work and to just generally start a new hobby...

However I haven't a clue about bikes so would love some advise... I wish to purchase a nice light road bike, second hand with a budget of around £175 to £200

can anyone give me a name for the type of bike im looking for???

thanks in advance
 

Alan Whicker

Senior Member
Have you tried your local freecycle? You might be lucky and get a bike for nothing.

If you stick to the major brands like Trek, Giant, Specialized etc you won't go too far wrong - although buying second hand is a minefield (loads of advice on here - perhaps do a search, this is a common question). Ebay is the obvious place to start, but you could also ask around at work/college. You'd be amazed what people have in the back of their sheds or under the stairs.

How far is your commute? I ride 10-12 miles a day on a delightful Trek 7.3FX, but I managed for ages on an old Specialized Hardrock with slick tyres. It went like stink, and was very comfy and light. It's now retired to Devon for visits to the in-laws. Mountain bikes are out of 'fashion' in London it seems, so there's loads of quality rides to be had for peanuts, if you don't necessarily want drop handlebars
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mightyquin

Active Member
I've just been through this. Not a newcomer to cycling but been without a useable bike for a couple of years, and the last one was a budget level Raleigh mountain bike.

I started off thinking I'd just buy another cheap mountain bike in the sales. Then I started reading the forums.......then I found out about Single Speed/Fixies and now I've got a Kona Paddywagon and love it. I bought off ebay, regretted it as I realised I didn't know what I'd bought, but was lucky to have picked up a bargain as it turns out!

Along the way someone also gave me a mountain bike they had in their garage - it needs fixing up though, so I'll use that when I need gears.

Bikes are no different from anything else in that you get what you pay for. Buying s/h gets you more for your money but you probably need to budget for a service, or at least expect to have to do a few things to the bike even if it's just buying the stuff to clean/lube it etc.

For about £200, if you really want a geared commuter bike, look up the Kona Smoke http://www.evanscycl...1820?query=kona - several people suggested this to me and Kona, as I've learnt, make nice bikes.

I also know someone on another forum selling a nice s/h Giant commuter bike for about £200 (half price), PM me if you're interested.

Don't forget you'll need lights, locks, some basic spares etc too!

Part of the fun is looking at all the options and learning along the way, enjoy it!
 

maggie_0

New Member
I started doing the same about 2 years ago, and bought a hybrid bike. So the tyres aren't too thick or thin, and there is no drop handle bars which I know I would have found hard to work with.
Got myself a Giant City bike through a bike to work scheme, and although it had to be repaired after an accident, I have never had any trouble with it. I cycle thought Cambridge where there is a lot of glass and other bits on the roads, and I didn't get a puncture till after 2 years of using hte bike - so those puncture resistant tyres really work on there too!
 

Klaus

Senior Member
Location
High Wycombe
Have you tried your local freecycle? You might be lucky and get a bike for nothing.

My current "citybike" was obtained through FREEGLE Freecycle. I just sent a wanted email and had three responses straightaway. The one I took up had actually two bikes to give away but I didn't want to be too greedy .... Put on mud guards, rack, and a few other things.

EDIT: I actually use FREEGLE http://www.ilovefreegle.org/ which split off from Freecycle. Give it a try.

FREECYCLE http://www.freecycle.org/
 
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