Are Cheap Bikes worth it?

[tom73]

Buying any bike whether new or used at that price is always going to be fraught with problems.
Don't buy from Argos they're not a bike dealer just a goods shifter. At least with Halfords they know about bikes and you have the reassurance that things can get fixed.
I would rather buy second hand and be prepared to spend a bit on sorting it, which inevitably you'll have to do.
A older non suspension mountain bike would be ideal. A quick search of Gumtree reveals loads in Belfast.
This is an Raleigh Massif from the early 90's, just £30 Antrim Rd. That's the sort of thing you should be looking for, steer clear of full suspension, front suspension is okay if the bike is good order but will be a bit heavy.
Make sure the seat post moves and not seized in the frame.

View attachment 707633

I had one of them and loved it , bullet proof.

 

[phil-b]

You get what you pay for, I've had bikes in the £600-£900 category which have been really awful with cheap components so god knows what that bike would be like.
If I were you I'd get a Carrera secondhand off Facebook marketplace.

I dont like the phrase "you get what you pay for" That implies just because it is more expensive it must be better.
You can still fork out a lot of money and get cheap crap in return

 

[phil-b]

Have a look around and see if you have any community bike recycling projects in your area.
They will be able to sort you out with a suitable bike at a reasonable price.
Or can keep an eye out for something that may came in that suit you.

Im sure there must be something like that in Belfast but I dont seem to be able to find one.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I dont like the phrase "you get what you pay for" That implies just because it is more expensive it must be better.
You can still fork out a lot of money and get cheap crap in return

You can, but there is a definite link between price of bikes and their quality. I have lots of people wanting a "good quality and solid bike to get to work" for 100€ or less, and often have to explain to them that I can't provide what they want for what they are willing to pay.

I think you have to look at this in a different way; as others have said, 100 GBP is a couple of times filling the petrol tank or a few weeks of public transport use so unless your commute is less than a couple of miles, a somewhat more expensive bike will pay for itself in a very short time. In my own case I paid 300 GBP in for a commuter to ride about 10-15 miles to work when I got my first job; that was in 1997 and I still commute on the same bike today, so it's cost me very little over the last 26 years, and is still looking pretty smart...

 

[tom73]

here's one http://greenbicycle.co.uk/

 

[Andy in Germany]

here's one http://greenbicycle.co.uk/

Whenever I look at websites like this from the UK is realise I have a long way to go; this sector is about ten to twenty years ahead of Germany, especially our rather ramschackle organisation.

 

[cyberknight]

current commuter is a carrera vanquish disc that go for £450 ish last time i looked , the next one down is a virtuoso that is basically the same but has an alloy fork.

 

[All uphill]

I have cycled thousands of miles on a 1994 Marin bought in 2019 for well under £100. It has needed maintenance in that time, as any bike would. It's still the bike I go to whenever I just want to get somewhere.

In 2020 I assembled a neighbour's £100 new bike and gave it a test ride. It was inferior in every respect. Brakes, paintwork, the lot.

If I wanted a commuter bike quickly I'd find my nearest bicycle recycling project and get something that fits and that has been checked over.

 

[sleuthey]

Buying any bike whether new or used at that price is always going to be fraught with problems.
Don't buy from Argos they're not a bike dealer just a goods shifter. At least with Halfords they know about bikes and you have the reassurance that things can get fixed.
I would rather buy second hand and be prepared to spend a bit on sorting it, which inevitably you'll have to do.
A older non suspension mountain bike would be ideal. A quick search of Gumtree reveals loads in Belfast.
This is an Raleigh Massif from the early 90's, just £30 Antrim Rd. That's the sort of thing you should be looking for, steer clear of full suspension, front suspension is okay if the bike is good order but will be a bit heavy.
Make sure the seat post moves and not seized in the frame.

View attachment 707633

^^ wot ee said.

The Halfords one is not a bike. It's a BSO.

 

[phil-b]

You can, but there is a definite link between price of bikes and their quality. I have lots of people wanting a "good quality and solid bike to get to work" for 100€ or less, and often have to explain to them that I can't provide what they want for what they are willing to pay.

I think you have to look at this in a different way; as others have said, 100 GBP is a couple of times filling the petrol tank or a few weeks of public transport use so unless your commute is less than a couple of miles, a somewhat more expensive bike will pay for itself in a very short time. In my own case I paid 300 GBP in for a commuter to ride about 10-15 miles to work when I got my first job; that was in 1997 and I still commute on the same bike today, so it's cost me very little over the last 26 years, and is still looking pretty smart...

yes. another question i dont like is "What is your budget"

you should be asking. How much do I need to spend to get what I want

 

[phil-b]

here's one http://greenbicycle.co.uk/

I will have to give this place a visit

 

[HLaB]

There's some good cheap bikes out there if you are savvy but there also a lot of heavy junk which will rust, fall apart and put you off cycling for life. When I commuted into central Cambridge and bike parking was open air racks, I commuted on a Decathlon BTwin Triban and that coped with just over 6,000 miles and would still be going if I hadn't swapped it for another bike I had in storage. IMO its one of the few good cheap bikes.

 

[wafter]

Every single part will be shite. Learn a bit and spend that budget on something old / used / preferably steel and you'll be reet

 

[biggs682]

near Belfast

Something like this would be a good starting point

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1228894377804696/

 

[Jameshow]

I dont like the phrase "you get what you pay for" That implies just because it is more expensive it must be better.
You can still fork out a lot of money and get cheap crap in return

Like Shimano chainsets!🤣🤣🤣