Specialized for £235 or Claud Butler for £100

[Hydrode]

I'm looking at a used bike on gumtree.

My friend has found a Specialized Langster fixie for £235.

I had found Claud Butler urban 200 for £100.

I will negotiate when I see them in person, but which bike is better for the money?

I have had a geared bike before but they always get problems, I have a Vitesse sprint and nearly everything has gone wrong with it, the shifters were uncorrelated with the gears, I couldn't shift into a low gear, it would only allow gears 5,6,7 and the front derailleur broke.

I have 2 bikes stolen before so if the claud butler did get stolen then at least I wouldn't be losing £235, If I had the specialized then I'd look into buying a tracking device for it.

The Vitesse had shimano parts but they still broke, I thought that if you bought anything from shimano it'd still be good as they check all their parts for quality.

Because the specialized is single speed, will it be able to go faster than the claud butler? The claud butler is a hybrid and has gears. I thought single speed was best for small tracks and you wouldn't reach top speed on it.

I don't want to spend too much money on a bike, I want one that'll last and not lose it's value over time, specialized is quite well known, I doubt that will go down much in price.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/s...ie-bike-bicycle-54cm/1043290985#photo-content
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/claud-butler-urban-200-bike/1041573354

 

[Roadrider48]

The Langster is a cool bike! I was going to buy a new one a few months ago, but changed my mind at the last minute.

 

[Cycleops]

If you go for the Langster make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for! No nice helpful gears for getting up hills and if it doesn't have a freewheel you won't be able to stop pedalling!

Whichever you buy make sure the thing isn't worn out. Check the spokes, wheels for trueness, bb and headset for play and sprockets for wear. Good luck.

 

[L14M]

TBH, if you set up your gears up well and maintain them and keep them clean they will preform flawlessly!

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I'm not buying another goldfish, all the others have died. Should I buy a pet that thrives on not being fed or looked after?

@Hydrode your opening post implies a lack of even basic maintainence knowledge, try on the internet for free, a few quid for a bike manual or £25 or so for a bike shop maintainence course and you'll have whatever bike you want running beautifully for very little effort.

Your choice of bike should be based on terrain and use not historic lack of interest in making them work correctly.

 

[Cyclist33]

i generally concur although to be fair, "experienced rider"s have been known to spend a heck of a lot of money replacing or upgrading drivetrains, or even buying a brand new bike, rather than commit to learning how to keep their existing one running. it might just be that the gears arent that reliable on the vitesse. they would be down the rung from shimano sora which on my bike need adjusting every ride using the shifter barrel. the o.p. wouldnt be the first or showiest rider to abandon all hope and upgrade.

anyway, back to the question. i think its tricky because the two bikes mentioned are totally different types of bike. id take the langster every time but thats because i want a single speed bike.

 

[Hydrode]

Do you think that is a good price for the specialized langster or should I look around more to see if it gets any cheaper?

By the way the specialized can be changed from fixie to freewheel.

 

[vickster]

[QUOTE 2849749, member: 45"]
But seriously, you'll regret not having gears.[/quote]

Maybe he only rides in hipster Shoreditch?

 

[Hydrode]

Apparently the specialized is quite a light bike compared to the claudbutler so going uphill won't be that hard on it. My friend said it was around 19Ibs.

 

[vickster]

It has no gears etc to weigh it down But it has no gears to make turning the pedals easier on hills

You need to ride it and see what you think

 

[Hydrode]

If I buy the specialized, do you think it will keep the price if I did want to sell it on a few years later?

My vitesse sprint has had nearly everything go wrong with it, so I doubt I would even get £50 for it now, If I do buy the specialized and next to nothing goes wrong with it as specialized is a good brand then I would be able to sell it on, more things can go wrong with the claud butler as they are usually built to a lower quality standard and less people would want it second hand. Which bike would keep it's value and what do you think each bike is worth second hand?

 

[vickster]

I would doubt a few years! Expect to lose 10% a year I'd say but who knows. How old is it?

 

[Hydrode]

2009/2010.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Fixed wheel bikes have become fashionable of late. Realistically they're a niche interest and outside the London hipster/messenger scene of very limited application.

Assuming you're just wanting a bike to get around on go for the CB and put a bit of the money you've saved towards a maintenance course or books/vids on the subject. If you're having trouble using gears then search for info here or elsewhere on the web.

 

[biggs682]

easy answer buy both , then you gotta spare for rainy days....... easy