Secondhand bikes in London

[CopperBrompton]

A friend wants to dip a toe in the cycling world. Budget of £200 max. I've suggested that secondhand would be a much better bet for that budget, but it would be good to buy from a cycle shop to know it's been checked over properly. Any suggested places in London?

 

[chemswot]

I bought my Giant Boulder reconditioned from Lunar Cycles for £75 last autumn. Brought my bike back for some tweaking after a couple weeks (brakes, gears), due to new cables, and they were very helpful. Still is rolling nicely. Their website now says £100-£200, so don't know if they've put prices up or something. Did have to wait a bit for a man's bike (need to ring and ask if they have any going). If your friend had anything specific in mind, then s/he might need to wait longer depending on luck...

Haven't been anywhere else, but this blog mentions a couple shops.
There are a couple London shops towards the bottom of here, which sell...

I've stumbled upon http://www.stationbicycles.co.uk/ recently...

I hope I don't hijack the thread with this question - is the blog accurate, i.e. certain shops being pushy nowadays, etc.? I might be interested in a bike for the gf (and perhaps a nicer bike for myself!)...

 

[CopperBrompton]

Thanks for those. She seems to be leaning towards Dutch bikes at the moment. It's likely it'll be viciously neglected, so something simple, bombproof and with the all-important wicker basket. :-)

 

[Origamist]

Recycling sometimes have 2nd hand Dutch style bikes and I've seen wicker behind the windows:

http://www.re-cycling.co.uk/

I'm popping in tomorrow so I'll see if there are any bargains, I'll let you know.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Thanks - that looks like a great place! Three weeks to decide whether you like it, and swap as many times as you like in that time. Also quite convenient for her, so she's going to pay them a visit.