To see less ads Register or Login ----- Daily Fantasy Sports games 18+

Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

A forum for general discussion on Health and Fitness issues and topics such as well-being
User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Even I know they aren't stabilisers 8-)

Not a clue what Decals are, or who Shamal is, though :oops:

User avatar
Moist von Lipwig
FISO Knight
Posts: 18227
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 16:08
Location: The Eyrie
FS Record: FPL Spring 16 Winner 2010-11. Murfs F1 Predictions 2012 Winner. Pick Quick 2012-13 Winner. SP4s Predictions League A & Champions League

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

Decals are the stickers

Shamals

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

I thought they were the stickers, but I thought Shamal was a person :oops: :lol:

It looks a bit too god for a first "proper" bike, but then it doesn't seem to need anything doing to it, as he knows his stuff etc.....

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Did you get it?

Nice looking bike.
Nice wheels. 16 spoke? Bit iffy if you're more than 13 stone odd, but nice wheels all the same.

Assume you didn't get it or you'd have said, but keep looking, take your time and the perfect bike for you will come along.

I'd buy a bike off that guy. Clean chain, pics of the bits you want to see (bit of wear on the rings but cassette ok and looks like you'd get plenty of riding out of it before changing the chainset). Obviously likes bikes as well. Buy from someone who likes bikes and you'll be ok. Buy from someone who just knocks em together to flog on eBay and you'll regret it.

Tbh I wouldn't put more than speculative bids in for a week or so. See what they go for, get a feel for who sounds genuine and who doesn't then see what you can get after that

User avatar
Moist von Lipwig
FISO Knight
Posts: 18227
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 16:08
Location: The Eyrie
FS Record: FPL Spring 16 Winner 2010-11. Murfs F1 Predictions 2012 Winner. Pick Quick 2012-13 Winner. SP4s Predictions League A & Champions League

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

might be something on here, only other non local site I can think of

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/list/ ... oad%20bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

unc.si. wrote:Did you get it?

Nice looking bike.
Nice wheels. 16 spoke? Bit iffy if you're more than 13 stone odd, but nice wheels all the same.

Assume you didn't get it or you'd have said, but keep looking, take your time and the perfect bike for you will come along.

I'd buy a bike off that guy. Clean chain, pics of the bits you want to see (bit of wear on the rings but cassette ok and looks like you'd get plenty of riding out of it before changing the chainset). Obviously likes bikes as well. Buy from someone who likes bikes and you'll be ok. Buy from someone who just knocks em together to flog on eBay and you'll regret it.

Tbh I wouldn't put more than speculative bids in for a week or so. See what they go for, get a feel for who sounds genuine and who doesn't then see what you can get after that
No, I didn't mainly because it was probably a bit too good for me, and I would feel a lemon riding a bike with those wheels, lol. Not sure what it went for, but it did get beyond my budget as well.

I am starting to get an sense of who knows what they are talking about etc - even being able to spot older models etc........

User avatar
Moist von Lipwig
FISO Knight
Posts: 18227
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 16:08
Location: The Eyrie
FS Record: FPL Spring 16 Winner 2010-11. Murfs F1 Predictions 2012 Winner. Pick Quick 2012-13 Winner. SP4s Predictions League A & Champions League

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

went for £285.


In the 'other things you might like' on the page theres a Garmin Slipstream Felt ex team bike in someones kitchen, lovely looking thing in the orange and blue argyle. Might struggle to justify the £3.5k starting price to the wife...

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Plus postage :wink:

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »


User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Apart from being too flash for me, does this looks nicked?

The wheels are £160 each, I think, and don't appear to be standard.....

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Mission Accomplished. A Giant 21.5" OCR3 in a pleasing blue for £200. Tiagra on the back, and Sora on the front.

Many thanks for for all the (sensible :wink: ) advice.

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Glad you got one. You been out on it yet. Pretty nice all-rounder bikes AFAIK.

Probably worth getting someone who knows bikes to give it the once over before you get too many miles on it to iron out any niggles.

Keep it safe and stay rubber side down :lol:

You got clipless pedals? (SPD's or the like). If not, I'd get some - makes a huge difference to riding. Probably get the MTB SPD's rather than road pedals - generally easier to clip in (as double sided) and you can wear normal (ish) shoes that you can walk in as well. Not too expensive either.

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Normal pedals - cleats seemed to be a whole new issue :oops:

My ignorance knows no bounds, are they universal? Or do the shoes have to be specific to the pedal, via the only type of cleat which fits the pedal, which fits the shoe.....

Assuming I get into it, then it would justify spending 50% of the price of the bike on pedals, cleats and shoes....

First off is a Service, and probably a tool-kit for the more straightforward stiff, straightening untrue wheels would be a tad ambitious, but cleaning\lubing the chain etc seems quite straightforward?

User avatar
Moist von Lipwig
FISO Knight
Posts: 18227
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 16:08
Location: The Eyrie
FS Record: FPL Spring 16 Winner 2010-11. Murfs F1 Predictions 2012 Winner. Pick Quick 2012-13 Winner. SP4s Predictions League A & Champions League

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

shimano spd pedals are the most common, other brands of shoes will say spd compatible and the cleats come with the shoes. Does make a difference.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=637" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

as unc says, something with a cage round it means you can ride in normal shoes with them. can get them about £20ish. I got some of the shimano entry level pedals for £15 in the sale a few years back. Having v large or small feet makes the shoes cheaper as they're always selling them off. otherwise its probably starting at £40/50

Edit - there you go. ignore this, the oracle has spoken :)
Last edited by Moist von Lipwig on 07 Jun 2012, 12:52, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Shoes come in 2 types - road shoes (3 hole cleats) and MTB shoes (2 hole cleats). Road pedals such as Look or SPD-SL's have cleats which fit 3 hole shoes, MTB pedals such as Eggbeaters and SPD's have cleats which fit 2 hole shoes.

Road pedals are bigger but one sided entry,. MTB pedals are 'double entry' (or in the case of eggbaeters 4 sided entry). MTB pedals are IMO best for general use - might as well stick to SPD's as they're the most common. You can get double sided SPD's - ie flat on one side so you can use trainers and clip-in on the other side. They're pretty popular amongst leisure cyclists.

The cleats are specific to the pedal, but will fit any shoe with the right number of holes, ie an SPD cleat will fit any MTB shoe - you can get pretty reasonable ones in Decathlon.

You need to spend a bit of time to get the positioning of the cleat right so your foot sits on the pedal in a natural manner - forcing your feet straight isn't good for hips and knees if your feet naturally splay out a bit. There is a degree of 'float' in most pedals though, ie side to side movement without engaging the 'unclipping motion'.

They're really easy to get used to - I struggle to ride anything with flat pedals tbh. You will do the odd 'slow topple' at first though when you forget to unclip or unclip the right and then lean to the left. Everyone's done it :lol:

Personal choice - maybe leave at first but they really are a revelation when you use them. Makes life much easier.

In terms of tools etc:

Helmet - obv optional but most people use them now. Not cheap for a comfy one though, and if it's uncomfortable you won't wear it so its a waste of money.

Pump (ideally a small 'get me home' one for the road and a track pump for home. CO2 pumps/cartridges are really good, small and pretty inexpensive as well (although you obv have to buy refill cartridges). Keep the tyres pumped up to the recommended pressure - you get far less punctures that way. Really weeny pumps are hard work. Better to get one that's slightly bigger to carry but doesn't need 15 minutes of furious roadside pumping to get you going. The best IMO are the ones that have a flexible tube and a little flip out 'foot'. Small enough to carry but far easier to pump than the micro pumps. The one I've got is a Topeak.

Padded shorts - essential, but don't have to be full on road warrior lycra bib shorts (although bib's are by far the most comfortable)

Multi tool - preferably one that doesn't fall apart (Lezyene, Specialised and Crank Bros are good -cheapo Halfords ones come apart and you need another multi tool to put them back together again :lol: ).

Chain tool and chain link (eg SRAM powerlink). I'd fit a powerlink anyway to make cleaning easier, and carry a spare in case the chain goes - you still need a chain splitter to get the chain ready for fitting the link though - some multitools have a Chain tool built in.

Tyre levers and puncture repair kit. Emergency only. No fun using a repair kit on the side of the road in a thunderstorm but useful to have if you've used your spare tube (see below). Broad plastic levers are kinder on rims and tyres (ideally don't use levers to put the tyre back on to avoid pinching the tube - there is a knack to getting tyres on with your thumbs but needs a bit of practice and there are still some tyres/ rims where there's no way that tyres going back on without some tyre lever assistance). I also carry a small square of old tube to reinforce the tyre in case of a split in the actual tyre carcass. Got one of my mates back home in Wales the other week when his tyre went and a new tube would have bulged through the split.

Spare tube (of the right type :lol: ). See above. Far better to whip the old tube out and stick a new one in than fiddling about with patches. make sure you find whatever made the hole though, ie don't just stick the new tube in without taking the thorn out of the tyre - sounds obvious but I've seen it done plenty of times.

Degreaser, chain lube and a brush - keep your chain and gears clean as a minimum - grit +old lube/oil = grinding paste for your gears - keep it all clean.

Lots of other things are useful (15mm pedal wrench, chain wear checker and a 10mm combi spanner spring to mind) but possibly not essential at first.

Can't think of anything else off top of my head. Should be enough to keep you going though :lol:

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

Cycling was simpler in the 70's :?

Helmet: Yep, I have a Giro Indicator in blue - hence the bonus of the new bike being blue, rather than red :wink:

Pump: I have a littlish one, with a bit that flips out, and I think I have found out how to change it to Presta - but not so sure how I know if they are the right pressure :?

Tools: I was thinking of this or this not too portable, though :?

Tyre Levers, Puncture Repair Kit etc: Yes, and best bought from LBS to ensure I have the right spare tube etc - obviously I need a puncture before acquiring a few squares :(

Lubricants: Has some sensible advice especially re lubricants and oil?

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Those toolkits have pretty much everything you'd need. I'd probably go for the Ice Toolz one - I've got an Ice Toolz chain whip and it's pretty well made.

You probably won't use half the stuff though and you still wouldn't have a multitool that you can carry with you.

I'd probably just get a decent multitool (eg http://www.wiggle.co.uk/crank-brothers- ... ulti-tool/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) that you can use to get you going again on the road and then just pick up other stuff as and when you need it. If you're getting it serviced, you probably won't need a lot of tools for a while anyway.

Depends how much maintenance you plan to do yourself though (and whether you know anyone else that you can borrow tools off when you need them).

For maintenance jobs, the park tools site and Sheldon Brown are useful resources. In particular, the Park Tools site has pretty good step by step instructions and diagrams. Park Tools are the perros huevos of tools BTW, but a bit on the pricey side, so if they recommend a particular Park Tool, buy an alternative.

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Just got myself one of these to play on :lol:
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
WilBert
Dumbledore
Posts: 7767
Joined: 28 Dec 2009, 21:07
Location: 2nd in SP4's Ashes comp.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by WilBert »

That looks like it needs a proper run out at Coed y Brenin :wink:

User avatar
Moist von Lipwig
FISO Knight
Posts: 18227
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 16:08
Location: The Eyrie
FS Record: FPL Spring 16 Winner 2010-11. Murfs F1 Predictions 2012 Winner. Pick Quick 2012-13 Winner. SP4s Predictions League A & Champions League

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

nice. thats definately a 'bit' more than £150 :D

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Moist von Lipwig wrote:nice. thats definately a 'bit' more than £150 :D
Yes, but I 'saved' £1,000 (t'was in the sale) :lol:

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

WilBert wrote:That looks like it needs a proper run out at Coed y Brenin :wink:
Too far for me :lol:

Local trails and the Dark Peak give me plenty to go at locally :D

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Trails have dried out nicely over the last couple of weeks. Dryer than they were the whole of last summer.

User avatar
Giggs11
Grumpy Old Man
Posts: 3340
Joined: 04 Aug 2008, 22:01
Location: But Gerrard effed it up,again!! Gerrard effed it up, again!!!

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Giggs11 »

I've got a new one too after my old Scott MC 20 got nicked ... Image

Image

Only weighs 10Kg

effin flies down, fair do's ... 8-)

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

Nice bike.

I reckon I'd be scared of crashing all the time if I had a carbon MTB though. Too many big rocks in the Dark Peak. Would fly round some of the trails near where I live though at that weight and with Rocket Ron's on.

User avatar
Giggs11
Grumpy Old Man
Posts: 3340
Joined: 04 Aug 2008, 22:01
Location: But Gerrard effed it up,again!! Gerrard effed it up, again!!!

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Giggs11 »

True, I've yet to come off it to really test its strength.

My old carbon frame suffered some decent off's though and survived, better than my pins did for sure .... :lol:

User avatar
Knulpuk
Dumbledore
Posts: 8986
Joined: 05 Dec 2005, 13:22
Location: MTA (Mid Table Anonymity)
FS Record: Ultra ultra consistent (see above)

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Knulpuk »

I was thinking of getting a bike as I have moved out the sticks and it's been a while since I made a capital purchase. It's all a bit of a minefield - second hand looks to be where the value is but I saw a bike on the Halfords site which had such a big discount as to make it almost irresistable :lol:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... guy_165710" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

any advice from anyone (ie unc.si) welcome.

User avatar
blahblah
FISO Viscount
Posts: 108503
Joined: 13 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: .. he thinks that he knows something which he doesn't, whereas I am quite concious of my ignorance.

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by blahblah »

I think I covered all the 'idiot questions' above and received polite, sensible and useful answers 8-) :lol:

I think that the conventional wisdom is to not buy a bike from a car repair shop.

User avatar
unc.si.
FISO Knight
Posts: 11777
Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 14:08
Location: Off to buy Loctite
FS Record: 'Loser' by Beck

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by unc.si. »

I'm willing to bet that no-one has ever bought one of those for £600, unless they're particularly stupid. You can get a proper bike for that sort of cash :D

It's a £250 to £300 bike. A step up from Tesco or the really rubbish Halfords BSO's (Bike Shaped Objects), but a bit lacking if you plan to do many miles. Not light, but not a tank either. 7 speed is pretty pants, but I guess you'd upgrade the bike rather than the wheels anyway (don't plan on upgrading anything on it - not worth it). At least it does have branded components, even if they're lower end ones. Might be better with a Decathlon Triban 3, if only because they've been around a while and known as reasonable value cheap bikes. A Decathlon bike will probably be put together by someone who knows a bit more about bikes as well (Halfords bike builds are a bit dodgy, although they do generally have someone in the shop who knows what they're doing it's pot luck whether you get him or one of the idiots).

It'll be OK though I guess if you want a cheap bike. Should be able to get 10% off that (most works schemes, or AA membership I think have 10% vouchers).

You would be better off with a genuine £600 bike, with a decent frame and Sora gears, but if you only want to spend £300 you can do a lot worse (E-Bay will obv. be better value, but caveat emptor).

User avatar
Knulpuk
Dumbledore
Posts: 8986
Joined: 05 Dec 2005, 13:22
Location: MTA (Mid Table Anonymity)
FS Record: Ultra ultra consistent (see above)

Re: Looking for a Good Bike for a bit more than £150

Post by Knulpuk »

So if I wanted a £600 bike with Sora gears what would be a good starting point.

I could "DMOR" but this is someone who kicked off his search in Halfords :cry:

View Latest: 1 Day View Your posts
Post Reply

Return to “Health & fitness incl. well-being”