Argos bikes on ebay

[rockyraccoon]

+1 lets not get all elitist. Cheap bikes get people back into the saddle and some of them stick with it and end up on forums like this. I know because I was one of those people

+1.
I got a cheap MTB from ebay for less than £30 after 15 years without being on a bike...

There are many more who buy a BSO only to ditch it and cycling as it was such a horrendous experience.

...and because it as such a horrendous experience with that heavy and slow MTB I bought a Specialized road bike..

 

[chillyuk]

I got my virtually as new Apollo MTB for free, plus the use of some of my spares stock from the shed to change the twist grip gear shifters to thumb shift. The cheapo SIS rear changer indexes correctly and it has a friction front changer. I also fitted some decent quality V brakes and junked the pressed steel things it originally had. Now the bike does me. I rarely go more than five miles on it, I use it in preference to my Ridgeback for towing my Mule trailer, and if I leave it in town I would lose no sleep if it got nicked. I have had several BSO's over the years and this Apollo is probably the best of the bunch I have experienced.

As a pop down the shops, load the trailer and cycle home machine the Apollo works for me.

 

[snailracer]

There are many more who buy a BSO only to ditch it and cycling as it was such a horrendous experience.

One of my friends offered to sell me his '09 carbon road bike, for a considerable discount, as he wanted to "upgrade" to the latest and greatest.

Saddle was an @ss hatchet, the riding position made it impossible to look over my shoulder, tyres had no grip and my back/neck/wrists ached after a 20 minute test ride. And the gears were too high for city riding. Looks sexy, but otherwise horrendous, so I declined .

 

[Holdsworth]

...and because it as such a horrendous experience with that heavy and slow MTB I bought a Specialized road bike..

Same here, I have a cheap catalogue special Emelle MTB that I bought about two years ago. It has been nothing but trouble from day 1, the quality of the parts and the frame are dreadful; the gears refuse to change, the pedal crank on the left has fallen off more than once and the thing weighs an absolute ton. I am amazed at myself for doing a 5 mile each way commute on it for a whole month before deciding on buying my road bike, I tried a winter commute a few weeks back and I could barely get it over 10 on the flat and I even had to stop at times as I was knackered pedalling the thing.

 

[e-rider]

One of my friends offered to sell me his '09 carbon road bike, for a considerable discount, as he wanted to "upgrade" to the latest and greatest.

Saddle was an @ss hatchet, the riding position made it impossible to look over my shoulder, tyres had no grip and my back/neck/wrists ached after a 20 minute test ride. And the gears were too high for city riding. Looks sexy, but otherwise horrendous, so I declined .

probably the wrong size then with crappy tyres!

 

[biggs682]

we have an argos clearance warehouse not far away from us and you can go and buy a New boxed bike in there for about £75 and i should think quite a few people go along and try and make a quick buck by selling them on at a profit , we tried it once and made about £30 after fees etc etc