A safe cheap bike

[expectingrain]

Thanks so much to everyone for weighing in - massive help. Will keep an eye on the second-hand options for another few days, but go for the Axle if nothing turns up. Thanks again.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I would go for a second hand Boardman Comp Hybrid for around £120 on eBay - they are very common and can be found relatively local if you are prepared to drive for a bit to pick one up. Chances are you'll find one in very reasonable condition.

In terms of safety it just needs to be able to stop. A quick once over to make sure all bolts are at the correct torque - what else could go wrong?

Regardless of its second hand cost, a couple of gold rated locks are still advisable if you are leaving it unattended. So about £100 on locks, no matter what bike you have.

Don't waste money on expensive locks, unless your bike is a likely thief magnet, or your insurance insist on a particular lock. Even a really expensive lock is only going to take a determined / handy thief a few seconds to get off. If you've got a lock of any description it will deter the opportunistic thieves ( that account for the majority of thefts). If someone particularly wants your bike, even the best locks will only slow a determined thief down a little bit.

 

[greekonabike]

You could always just leave an unattended bag near your bike when you lock it up. I doubt anyone would try to steal it but you might end up with some issues with the police and/or secret service.

GOAB

 

[keithmac]

We had a costomer years ago who had 2 motorcycles stolen, the third one (XV535) was painted pink from new; seat/ tyres the lot!.

Never had a problem after that..

 

[iwantanewbike]

Don't waste money on expensive locks, unless your bike is a likely thief magnet, or your insurance insist on a particular lock. Even a really expensive lock is only going to take a determined / handy thief a few seconds to get off. If you've got a lock of any description it will deter the opportunistic thieves ( that account for the majority of thefts). If someone particularly wants your bike, even the best locks will only slow a determined thief down a little bit.

Unfortunately this isn't true where I live - bikes of even low value are being stolen from public places by cutting the cable lock. Wheels also get lifted if not locked. It might be anecdotal but I've not had a single problem in 5 years using a gold rated d lock through the rear triangle and a bronze rated d lock through the front wheel.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Unfortunately this isn't true where I live - bikes of even low value are being stolen from public places by cutting the cable lock. Wheels also get lifted if not locked. It might be anecdotal but I've not had a single problem in 5 years using a gold rated d lock through the rear triangle and a bronze rated d lock through the front wheel.

Obviously it's very dependent on circumstances, but I locked my bike up on a visit to London, with a 6 quid cheapo Halfords value cable lock, a few weeks back. My bike was next to my riding buddy's expensive Trek, property secured to the rack next to mine with a full on bells and braces pair of locks. When we got back to the rack ( after about an hour ) my bike was fine, his was gone. The locks may have held up just fine, but the loop to which it was attatched didn't.