Looking for bike for 3 month in London

[KaJu87]

Hey,

I will stay in London until the end of August. After that I will return to Germany so I will have to sell the bike again. Therefore I am looking for a decent and cheap bike. I dont need anything fancy it just has to be safe. Of course a used bike seems like the obvious choice here. But my experiences with the used bikes market are really bad. Most of the time you get overcharged a lot or you have to spend a lot of time searching, which I dont have. Is there any trusthworthy 2nd hand bike shop in London? There is one in my neighbourhood but it is as usual a rip-off.
Right now it seems to me that a bike from tesco or some other really cheap new bike is the best option. In particular http://www.tesco.com/direct/vertigo...unisex/211-7006.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=211-7006 seems suitable. Any opinions on that one? I know that in comparison to more expensive bikes this will be a piece of shoot and that real bikes start at 400. I would never buy such a cheap bike if would stay longer. But for 3 month it just seems excessive to pay more than 150. My main question would be: Is this bike safe? I know that it will be heavy and slow but thats ok for 3 month.
Any other suggestion how to get a decent bike for 3 month below 150 pounds?

 

[vickster]

Decathlon. Absolute bargain here http://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-1-men-trekking-bike-black-id_8202744.html

Or a single speed folder, you could then take it home with you http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bcoool-white-id_8182782.html

Or try Recycling? http://www.re-cycling.co.uk/

You'll also need a very good lock (£60-100 for something like an Abus Granit X plus a chain or another D lock for the other wheel, you can always sell on at the end), bike theft is rife in London.

Otherwise, you could just use the Boris bikes

 

[KaJu87]

Hey,

the decathlon bike seems perfect, thanks.

A £66 lock seems excessive for such a cheap bike. Do you really think there is such a high chance that the bike will get stolen with a cheaper lock?

 

[KaJu87]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kryptonite-...TF8&qid=1370455523&sr=8-1&keywords=lock+cycle

What about that lock? I saw a lot of bikes with Kryptonite keeper here which is apparently less safe. Although I have to admit that the granit was by far the most frequent one. But than again for far more expensive bikes.

 

[vickster]

Hey,

the decathlon bike seems perfect, thanks.

A £66 lock seems excessive for such a cheap bike. Do you really think there is such a high chance that the bike will get stolen with a cheaper lock?

Yep, pretty high. I locked a bike in Central London on a busy street in the middle of the afternoon with a £20 cable lock (stupid I know) - it was gone within 15 minutes

Two D locks will be a deterrant but a determined thief can get through anything - depends if you can afford to lose the bike ultimately

Hunt around, you may find the abus granit cheaper on line