The £100 bike

[PBancroft]

Lately I've been rather struck by the idea of a "People's Bike" as a kind of antithesis to the cheapo cheese bikes that some supermarkets and catalogues sell. I'm fairly sure that it must be possible to build a no-frills but sturdy, safe comfortable bike for the price many of these sell for, and still make a profit.

I'm sure many of the BSOs on the market are attractive to consumers who don't know what they're looking for.
So... assuming that you were able to purchase parts at trade prices, and your own time doesn't cost anything, could you build a robust ridable bike for around £100? That price isn't set in stone, but just a mental guideline... What would you cut out, and what would you lower in spec? This is entirely hypothetical, of course.

I think the one must-have I'd include on a budget bike is a set of lights (hub dynamo?) - perhaps controversially, I guess considering they rarely feature on a standard basic setup. I have a theory that this would help identify the bike as a method of transport for more than the occasional pootle in summer, and might prevent accidents where inexperienced riders go out without them. Am well aware that this would probably racket the price up though.

What would I leave out? Suspension certainly. I'd be tempted to go the fixed gear route, simply because it would be a little bit more maintenance free for the end user, though I don't know if it would actually be cheaper in the short run. I'd look for a bike most people would be able to use both on and off road, so not slim tyres, but not knobblies either. Hybrid would be the way I'd go.

With a people's bike, I'd want to keep costs down by sticking to a standard frame - I really don't think I woman's frame means that much anymore, but it might do to a new, unsure consumer. That said, I would still lump for the diamond frame.

Any other suggestions... where have I gone wrong?

 

[biggs682]

no suspension and min amount of gears , and keep it simple no fancy or trick parts , but would need to be light and easy to ride , cant see a reason why it couldnt be done

 

[TVC]

Given that most BSOs you see around have at least one broken brake, can anyone give a reason why you need more than rear wheel braking.

Single speed should be good for a town bike.

 

[Night Train]

Should be possible but it depends on how and where you source your parts.
If you were to buy in frames made in someother part of the world using cheap labour or robots then there is no reason why the big bit shouldn't be good and affordable. Then money can be spent on a few good quality parts and proper assembly.
If you were to include frame construction in the UK then I think it would be difficult.

I reckon if money was spent on brakes, wheels and the power transmission system then a good single speed with a reasonable saddle and pedals would be possible on all manner of frames. It should then come down to proper assembly.

 

[fossyant]

Think Decathlon have done it with the Vitamin..............

 

[palinurus]

Three or four speed hub, mudguards, lights built in. Probably impossible to bring it in at £100 though. It would need a low gear so I'd probably not want it to be a singlespeed, although for me that'd work fine. Maybe 26" wheels and some non-knobbly tyres with a bit of tread on them suitable for poor surface paths etc. Some sort of load carrying capacity would be nice, but this might have to be an optional extra. Not sure about the frame, thinking standard diamond but it'd need to be one size fits all.

Would they sell though? how would something like that be best marketed?

 

[Night Train]

I think a range of standard frames would be a must. A standard DF would be easy, why reinvent?

Would they sell though? how would something like that be best marketed?

'Built by cyclists, for cyclists'

Or paraphrase Land Rover
'The best 2 by 1 bar none'

 

[palinurus]

I can see cyclists buying them, perhaps often as an additional bike (round town use, handy winter commute hack). I might have one myself.

It's selling them to people who don't currently cycle.

 

[palinurus]

Think Decathlon have done it with the Vitamin..............

Similar sort of thing. If I had room to store it I'd get one of those and make it my snow bike.

 

[Canardly]

Recent article states China has been exporting deflation until recently and from now on will export inflation. In other words the business case for making locally just became a lot stronger.

 

[Kestevan]

Think Fossy pretty much nailed it.

The Vitamin is so tempting as a "just nipping to the shop" bike. I really wish I had more room in the shed.

But I'm saving the space for a nice carbon summer jobbie..... just need the missus to stop watching the bank account

 

[PBancroft]

I can see cyclists buying them, perhaps often as an additional bike (round town use, handy winter commute hack). I might have one myself.

It's selling them to people who don't currently cycle.

I reckon there's a market for "non-cyclists" and selling the bikes as a lifestyle option should be achievable. What you would ideally want is a non-exclusive distribution deal with someone like Halfords or ASDA. Of course, you'd need to make sure they were correctly assembled. Get them on board to shift the numbers, but sell the lifestyle alongside, a bit like how Innocent started out.


I hadn't seen the Decathlon Vitamin before, and I like it - except maybe the colour. Looks like they've nailed the idea of the thread and I was a bit late to the party.

 

[dellzeqq]

another vote for the Vitamin!

 

[Globalti]

Here's the Vitamin: http://www.decathlon...in_8124240.html

It says : "Designed to simplify those little daily trips to the town or the country." Then: "The 26x1.75 tyres are the best compromise between town and country."

There's a five year warranty on the hi-tensile steel frame.

Edit: I have just allowed Google to translate the page for me and am amused to see that the comment at the top, "On n’a pas fait plus simple pour se déplacer!" which means "We couldn't have made it easier for you to get around!" gets translated as "It was not easy to move"!

 

[tyred]

I definitely think it would need a few gears. I have many single speed bikes but that is my choice. The more reluctant cyclist would not be keen on one gear unless they lived somewhere evry flat. The logical option is the SA 3 speed hub, with coaster/drum brake for maintenance free cycling but that retails at over £100 (I think). Also, it would need to be geared correctly as just about every three speed bike ever made left the factory with crazy high gearing (less chain, smaller sprocket = less manufacturing costs).