Cycling again after 30 years-advice welcome.

[Jeeb]

I will be cycling mostly on the roads, through parks and occasionally down canal tow paths. So after much research I've settled on a Flat-bar road bike as my first choice and a Hybrid fully rigid as my second choice.
I'm about 6ft 2 but with a long body so guessing I need about a frame for a 6ft man which is 58cm or 22.8 inches.

As a newbie I will only consider a 2nd hand bike to determine whether it's just a fad or something I will enjoy for many years, in which case I can then up spec and buy new perhaps a year or so down the line.

I know what I don't want lol I don't want a top of the range bike. I don't want complicated gearing systems which can go wrong. I don't want suspension, racing handle bars and skinny saddles. I'm looking for durability and comfort.

I'm aware of having any potential bike checked on Bikeregister and I'd obviously prefer to buy from a shop but with my limited budget of £150 max I've reconciled myself that I will probably only be able to afford to buy from ebay, gumtree or private sellers.

I have a few questions that I'm hoping experienced cyclists will be able to help me with :-

1. Which make/brand do people recommend bearing in mind the style and size of bike I want or is that much of a muchness?

2. Whats people's views on pedals? ie Are straps best....I understand now you can buy shoes which clip onto your pedal......Does it really matter when for the majority of the time I will be just going out on rides of 3-6 miles with my girlfriend and my neices. So not exactly the Tour de France!!

3. Where is the best place to find good quality 2nd hand bikes for around £100 near the West Midlands or specifically Solihull? Preferably online but I would consider retail outlets that sell 2nd hand bikes. I've looked @ Ebay, Gumtree but what I'm looking for is thin on the ground.

And if any of you have any other bits of relevant advice I'm all ears.

Thanking you in advance,

John.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello John and welcome to the forum.

I think you've already identified your preferred type for #1. Halfords Carrera Subway gets good press on here and are about £250 new so might fit your budget used.

Flat pedals is what most hybrid bikes come with so they will be fine for occasional rides.

Can't help you with #3 but buying a used bike at that price point can be a bit fraught unless you know what to look for and can check it over fully. @biggs682 is about an hour away from you but I don't know what he has currently that might be suitable. People often buy bikes on a whim and discard them after a little while, this is what to aim for. I'm sure others will chip in with suggestions.

I'm a little shorter than you so I would say a 58cm or a 60cm would be fine, which is what I go for.

Good luck.

 

[Venod]

Uping your budget to £250 would get you into cheap new or bit better second hand, I have just bought a second hand for £150 but its only single speed.

Thee are several Facebook groups for bike sales both nationwide and local, that's how I got mine,

 

[biggs682]

Thanks @Cycleops

Hi @Jeeb at this moment in time the only flat barred bike i have is a nice 70's Peugoet that is awaiting its turn in the to do pile

If you wanted to consider dropped bars i have this Harry Hall and it could easily be fitted with a flat set of bars if so required . At the moment its on 23mm tyres but i would say 28mm tyres should fit ok .

Price wise it wont be far away from your budget , let me know if you want any more info or help

 

[raleighnut]

Couple of hundred should land you a decent Ridgeback, an older steel frame one if you're lucky.

 

[NorthernDave]

+1 for a Carrera Subway as a good way to get back in to cycling, without breaking the bank while you decide.

Your budget would mean second hand, but if you can squeeze a little more, they occasionally get reduced to near £200.

I'd strongly suggest that you avoid any of the cheaper Halfords offering under the Apollo brand - personal experience that they're not very good.

 

[snorri]

I don't want complicated gearing systems which can go wrong.

Hub gear systems require less in the way of day to day maintenance but this might limit your options on the second-hand market where the majority of bikes will have derailleur systems.

 

[ColinJ]

Singlespeed bikes are perfect for low cost and simplicity of operation, and are ideal for towpaths and parks. There is one your size on eBay at the moment currently going for £70 with 12 hours left to go, but it is collection from Twickenham only. That's the kind of thing that I would go for.

(I built myself a singlespeed bike last winter and have ridden over 1,000 miles on it since then. Singlespeed bikes are fun to ride as long as you avoid steep hills.)

THIS BIKE might be of interest? (Not flat bars but you can ignore the drops if you don't want to use them.)

 

[bonzobanana]

Check out your local auction houses sometimes they have bikes for sale from house clearances. You can often bid online nowadays.

I've bought a few bikes that way. Some pretty decent bikes go for silly low money but often need a thorough service because they have been sat in some shed for years. I bought a halfords extreme jump bike. This thing;

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/x-rated-mesh-dirt-jump-bike-2015-26

For £3 plus 20% auction fees. Yes the chain is rusty and it was never a high value bike in the first place but it has its charms. It was the year before version but pretty much identical except for the paint job. It's like a giant bmx bike with a rear axle that seems to have been taken from a small motorbike.

Sometimes you get a bike with decent components but not by a mainstream brand and it just doesn't fetch the higher money. I saw a really nice cassette based GT mountain bike go for about £40. It looked high end although about 9 years old. I think I put in an opportunist bid of about £15. New chain, brake pads, gear and brake cables can be probably bought for less than a tenner if you shop wisely. If you need new tyres and inner tubes you can get a pair of tyres on ebay for about £15 delivered and inner tubes are £1 each at poundland.

 

[BrumJim]

I'd recommend Sprocket Cycles in Digbeth or Birmingham Bike Foundry in Stirchley for second hand bikes. Just got my wife a bike from Sprockets.

Also try Scotts Cycles, Hall Green (recommended by a friend) and Cyclists for Cancer in Stratford Upon Avon, although I have no recommendations for this.

Sprockets seems to confirm that the majority of second hand bikes are hybrids, which should be good for you.

Flat pedals is a good choice until you know you want to do longer distances and more riding. For longer distances, I am talking about 50 miles or more. Surprisingly achievable for an average person like me. Straps can be somewhat tricky and take a bit of getting used to. Clipless is even trickier, and you need to buy the shoes as well as the pedals.

 

[Alan O]

Just a couple of thoughts from me...

There are lots of very good vintage steel road bikes on eBay for silly low prices these days - and Reynolds 531 tubing is still very good. The bike I'm using for most of my cycle path/canal towpath riding is one I built from a Raleigh 531ST frame that I got for £45.

I'm very impressed by modern flat pedals, especially the ones with little pegs that stop your foot slipping around (I'm thinking DMR and similar). I was pleasantly surprised to have my old belief that I pulled upwards on the upstroke and so needed clips and straps (or today, those 'clipless' things) shattered - I simply don't, and I love the DMR pedals that came on the MTB I bought last year (GT Avalanche hardtail, £110 on eBay with local cash on collection, excellent condition, also good on cycle paths, trails and towpaths).

 

[jbw57]

You had mentioned shoes, peddles and such, if your considering spending on that also at the time of the bike purchase I would hold off on those items and put the additional funds towards a better or possibly a new bike, 2018 models are out and many good deals to be had on remaining 2017 models.......when funds permit focus on the accessories part.

 

[Wakey]

Completely agree with Alan O. It sounds to me that you already know what you want so just go for it. I spent many years riding an old Raleigh 531ST bike and would happily do it again.

Sometimes cycling is about going bigger better and faster and for others it's about cycling and stopping for a while at wherever takes your fancy (sounds like what you're planning). You don't need to spend much to do that...and you certainly don't need clipless...

 

[bonzobanana]

I'd get the Carrera Parva or the Carrera Subway from Halfords, they will be new so hopefully wont need any messing about with. Plus you will have a free first service.I personally wouldnt be getting a secondhand really cheap bike when your not experienced enough to know whether its any goor or not and because you may struggle with fixing it,when if its needed.
Paying for a bike to be fixed can be quite expensive.

I've not checked the current spec but the Parva used to be freewheel based and the Subway cassette based. As the OP stated 6'2" height and maybe hasn't cycled for a while and put on a few pounds plus did say he wanted a durable bike I would lean more towards the Subway. I'm not saying freewheels are terrible but on a freewheel bike it can be easy for a heavy rider to slightly bend the rear axle and knock the gearing out of whack and of course its just higher maintenance with water getting more easily into the rear hub etc. A cassette based drivetrain is worth having, its stronger, works better and is lower maintenance and depending on cassette quality often lasts longer too with regard wear. For the small difference in price between the bikes its worth the extra especially as there will be other component upgrades elsewhere too.

 

[Cycleops]

And no word back or activity from the OP since his post. Maybe another drive by poster?