Best Budget Bike?

[Paulq]

Am after a basic bike that I can use on weekends for rides out with the kids and/or missus. Have looked at the Carrera Subway but even that feels expensive for what I want. Are there any other bikes out there is a similar mould that don't cost the earth?

I have looked at the Reebok bikes on Halfords site but don't know anything about them at all.

Cheers.

 

[MontyVeda]

"best budget bike?"

A stolen one surely

 

[crumpetman]

If a Subway feels expensive then you should look at getting something second hand. Either ebay or classified ads in the local paper etc.

 

[aleksei]

Hey there...

I own a Carrera Subway One.. believe me, that's the bike you want. Great value for money, made of aluminium which makes it light, SRAM shifters that at least I feel more practical and precise than the twisting type; lovely smooth ride, very versatile; commuting, canal paths, handles everything very well.

Don't ever, in the name of all good things, go for an apollo or anything with a similar price... well re-reading your question, if you are sure you are only going to use it on weekends, an apollo or anything below 150 might do. But be aware, you are buying a disposable piece of c***p. I owned one, that introduced me to proper cycling, until, thanks heaven, some chav stole it. After just 5 months of 8 miles 5 days a week, it was giving me all sorts of troubles, broken teeth, creaking noises from the pedals...

Ahh and don't trust halfords with the fitting.. they usually leave some bolt untightened.. ride carefully out of the store.

Cheers

 

[Alembicbassman]

If you have a Decathlon store nearby try their bikes

The Fitness 1 is £250 the Fitness 2 is £350 and are flat bar road bikes

The best deal is the Btwin Sport 1 £270

This now has the new Shimano 2300 rear derailleur and dual function brake gear levers. It's light and shoulkd be pretty quick.

 

[kewb]

how budget ?

look at some claude butlers they arent expensive and vg bikes ,

http://www.thecycleshop.uk.com/claud_butler/gents_mtb_cycles.html

that mercury looks like maybe it would suit ?

 

[Paulq]

Thanks for that. Will take a look at those but the Subway actually feels like a good optional be it a little expensive for a 3rd bike. I hadn't actually considered the Claud Butler bikes - are they reasonable?

The others I looked at were the Edinburgh Courier Disc which, I think, is £250. How do these compare to the others mentioned?

Thanks.

 

[crumpetman]

If it is a third bike and just for pootling about with the family then how about this:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/vitamin-117071608/

 

[Paulq]

If it is a third bike and just for pootling about with the family then how about this:

http://www.decathlon...amin-117071608/

It is in the main but I heard that the Vitamin is a bit spinny so I'd prefer something with gears really.

 

[Chris S]

You can usually get something decent of ebay for about £40.

 

[crumpetman]

It is in the main but I heard that the Vitamin is a bit spinny so I'd prefer something with gears really.

How fast do your kids and missus ride? My girlfriend has a 3 speed sturmey archer on her bike and "3" is about the same as my single speed. She normally uses "2" and "1" for hills so no problem for me to keep the same speed as her. My son is only four and has a 14 inch wheeled bike so I can pretty much just pedal a couple of times then free wheel for 5 minutes to stay with him.

What are you other two bikes? Would you still need them with a third bike or could you sell one and combine uses and get a better bike for weekend use?

 

[swee'pea99]

Can you ride/have you ever ridden a racer? I ask because hybrids like the Subway tend to go for good money second hand whereas you can get a very good older bike for a lot less money on ebay - but that tends to mean a racer. A reasonably well looked after good old bike is likely to be a lot less trouble and expense than a 'budget' new bike too.

Here are a few recent examples of the kind of thing you might consider :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleigh-Record-Racing-Bike-/280551952687?pt=UK_Bikes_GL

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peugeot-tube-special-carbolite-103-racing-bike-/110574200563?pt=UK_Bikes_GL

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleigh-12-speed-Mercury-made-uk-/190431591658?pt=UK_Bikes_GL

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/raleigh-racing-bike-/270622599661?pt=UK_Bikes_GL

Also, if it's an issue (and sadly it often is) these sorts of bike are way less likely to attract the attention of scrotes & low-lifes.

 

[Paulq]

How fast do your kids and missus ride? My girlfriend has a 3 speed sturmey archer on her bike and "3" is about the same as my single speed. She normally uses "2" and "1" for hills so no problem for me to keep the same speed as her. My son is only four and has a 14 inch wheeled bike so I can pretty much just pedal a couple of times then free wheel for 5 minutes to stay with him.

What are you other two bikes? Would you still need them with a third bike or could you sell one and combine uses and get a better bike for weekend use?

I would definitely still need my other two as one is my commuter and the other my road bike (yet to be bought on C2W). I went into Halfords tonight and looked at the Subway and it seems decent enough but still a bit much for what you get I feel. As a comparator I looked at the Kona Dew which looks like a much much better bike for the same price and could arguably double up as a commuter if ever I needed it. There's also a Kona Smoke I looked at.

At the other end of the scale I saw a 'Trax' in Halfords for £110 - like someone else said it looked as it was just begging to fall to bits. The Reebok bikes are currently 1/2 price too.

Reebok - http://tinyurl.com/28uw38f

Trax - http://tinyurl.com/2veckj4

Am still musing. I guess I am a badge snob on the sly