cheap bike to start off?

[scook94]

I've posted one of those "which bike for a newbie" posts before and had been given the advice of a tourer, which is fine and I can understand why. But after the recent discussion between Andy in Sig and Bonj, I realise that forking out anything from £500-£1000 on a tourer (I have the budget) may not be a wise move and that there perhaps isn't an ideal bike for a newbie who doesn't really know yet, how or what kind of terrain it will be used on.

I'm therefore thinking of getting a cheap (~£100 second hand) hybrid until a) I find I'm actually "getting out there" on it, and know for sure I want a tourer over a straight road bike or vice versa.

To that end I'm looking at a second hand one of these (in almost new condition) which I can maybe get for not much more than £100.

So, do we think this is a wise course of action? Or is this bike a heap of junk and not worth the money?

TIA (again), Steven.

 

[RedBike]

Spending just £100 does make a lot of sense and you'll often be able to find 'cheap' bikes being sold that have more or less never been used. People often buy these types of bike as gifts or to try out cycling. They go out once or twice then the bike sits gathering dust in the shed for the next two or three years.

Then there's the other side of the coin. These cheaper bikes are often poorly maintained and you can easily spend another £100 putting faults right and the quality of some original parts can be frightningly bad

I would recommend you take the gamble on a quality second-hand touring bike. If you buy wisely and maintain it well theres every chance you'll get your money back when you come to sell it.

 

[noadapter]

You can get yourself a cheap used bike on Gumtree site , but just be careful when buying as some are stolen then sold on this site

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Get a Van Nic 'Blaze' in a 56, when you get bored and decide cycling's not for you let me know, and I'll be happy to take it off your hands for £100

 

[sloe]

Just get a mount better than what you've got in the most cost-effective way short of unneighbourliness. And then tomorrow's tommorow.

 

[soulful dog]

Can't advise on the Pinnacle bike you've linked to, but as a newbie myself, I heartily agree with the idea of buying a second hand bike of reasonable quality and seeing how you get on with it before taking the plunge and spending a significant amount on a bike.

Of course not everyone does that and that's why there are some decent second hand bikes to be had for a reasonable price....

 

[Steve Austin]

I bought a Giant roadbike off a bloke for £100 a few years back and rode it for about four years then sold it for £100.
If you think the Pinnacle will keep its value then its worth trying

 

[jimboalee]

This is where I'm lucky again.

This part of East Birmingham is a hotbed of secondhanders. I can buy a bike for £25 -£40, smarten it up and e-bay it. Nice little earner.

OK, so that was two years ago. This year, with petrol prices recently, secondhander prices have soared. Now it is not viable to make money out of an evening hobby.

 

[scook94]

To be honest I wouldn't be concerned about the re-sale value. If I couldn't find a home for it myself there's a community project near me that recycles bikes and sells them on, I'm sure they'd be happy to take it...

 

[PatrickPending]

To be honest I wouldn't be concerned about the re-sale value. If I couldn't find a home for it myself there's a community project near me that recycles bikes and sells them on, I'm sure they'd be happy to take it...

well maybe buy a second hand bike from them.....

 

[scook94]

I've already tried them, mostly kids and mountain bikes. Not really what I'm looking for...