First Bike

[Cycleops]

@Racing roadkill I doubt the OP knows the intricacies of fixed wheel terminology but the Halfords bike in your link has a fixed (non freewheel) gear wheel, which is the point I was trying to get across.

 

[vickster]

If in London, make sure you have some budget for a decent D lock (assume £30+)

The Decathlon bike looks much better than the Halfords one

 

[Racing roadkill]

@Racing roadkill I doubt the OP knows the intricacies of fixed wheel terminology but the Halfords bike in your link has a fixed (non freewheel) gear wheel, which is the point I was trying to get across.

Read the spec list of that bike. The one from Halfords I linked to has a flip flop hub ( 16t FREEWHEEL AND FIXED SPROCKET).

 

[Spiderweb]

If you can get to a decathlon and medium is ok
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/original-300-hybrid-bike-white-id_8245553.html
is a good buy and not too much more

As MartinQ said. The decathlon bike will be lighter and more suited to what you want to use it for. Still a budget bike but a vast improvement on the Halfords piece of pig iron!

 

[Anna Scott]

Hi! I'm also going to be a cyclist But don't even know what to start with. As I'm a girl I'd like to buy not heavy bike, and as it's my first bike I'd preffer not to pay much for it. I want to go around on it and sometimes want to go to forest, just to admire the nature and play sports at the same time. Can you, please, recommend me something?

 

[MarkF]

You could go to Decathlon and pay an extra £20 for one of these. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/original-300-hybrid-bike-white-id_8245553.html

These are used in hire shops all over Spain and are tough as old boots.

 

[Fab Foodie]

You could go to Decathlon and pay an extra £20 for one of these. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/original-300-hybrid-bike-white-id_8245553.html

These are used in hire shops all over Spain and are tough as old boots.

Agreed, bargain!

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

I think it would have its uses .
Like if you ride it towards Evans front door during the night and smash right through it first time of asking
Joking aside,it would not last you and it's very heavy so I wouldn't bother .
As someone suggested earlier,just be patient and something far more better in the second hand market will turn up

 

[jefmcg]

+1 to decathlon.

A friend of mine is getting on very well with this after a couple of years http://www.decathlon.co.uk/elops-100-classic-style-bike-black-id_8305485.html

 

[Reynard]

There's a *huge* Decathlon at Surrey Quays - easy to get there via the Overground, then just a short walk through the shopping centre.

 

[cyberknight]

Another vote for decathlon , i was looking at this if you want a mtb style bike .
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-300-ladies-mountain-bike-id_8284494.html

 

[marknotgeorge]

Decathlon's spot on for inexpensive bikes. I've got my girl's Christmas bikes there if I hadn't found some ex-display bargains.

 

[MarkF]

I think it would have its uses .
Like if you ride it towards Evans front door during the night and smash right through it first time of asking
Joking aside,it would not last you and it's very heavy so I wouldn't bother .
As someone suggested earlier,just be patient and something far more better in the second hand market will turn up

Weight is not a huge consideration for a new rider and IMO it is not a heavy bike at 15kg, my current daily ride, a Dawes 501, weighs the same, and about the same as the 201 that I got started on years ago. I consider my road bike a light bike.

Decathlon's spot on for inexpensive bikes. I've got my girl's Christmas bikes there if I hadn't found some ex-display bargains.

Yep, if I was starting out now then that's where I'd go. £129.99 for that bike and I'd happily do a long tour on it. I've hired loads of them in Spain for day rides and they are an unbelievable bargain!

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

Weight is not a huge consideration for a new rider and IMO it is not a heavy bike at 15kg, my current daily ride, a Dawes 501, weighs the same, and about the same as the 201 that I got started on years ago. I consider my road bike a light bike.



Yep, if I was starting out now then that's where I'd go. £129.99 for that bike and I'd happily do a long tour on it. I've hired loads of them in Spain for day rides and they are an unbelievable bargain!

Ok,I'll put it another way.
It's a piece of crap and about the ugliest bike I have saw.
Starting from the bottom isn't the best way IMO,and I see no reason why even a beginner can't have a quality bike from the off.If I had started biking with something like that all those years ago,It would have put me off for life.
If the OP doesn't take to cycling,then at least she has something that will have half a chance of getting her money back.
As opposed to selling that one for 50 quid on gumtree(if you're lucky )
Not wanting to put the cat amongst the pigeons or wanting an argument here,and I have said this before.
I wouldn't touch a Retail park bike,and especially Not Decathlon efforts.I did have a look one day and their btwins frame quality is questionable.
That's putting it nicely

 

[MarkF]

Ok,I'll put it another way.
It's a piece of crap and about the ugliest bike I have saw.
Starting from the bottom isn't the best way IMO,and I see no reason why even a beginner can't have a quality bike from the off.If I had started biking with something like that all those years ago,It would have put me off for life.
If the OP doesn't take to cycling,then at least she has something that will have half a chance of getting her money back.
As opposed to selling that one for 50 quid on gumtree(if you're lucky )
Not wanting to put the cat amongst the pigeons or wanting an argument here,and I have said this before.
I wouldn't touch a Retail park bike,and especially Not Decathlon efforts.I did have a look one day and their btwins frame quality is questionable.
That's putting it nicely

I've real life experience of them, I've hired the very same bike umpteen times as they are ubiquitous in Spanish rental companies. I flew into Barcelona and did an 8 day tour of Catalonia on one, hired at 8 euros per day. No issues and not bad for a "piece of crap", for me (knowing them) there was no point in flying out one of my own bikes for such a short tour.

Do I like the look of them? No, they are pig ugly. Do I want to own one? No. But IMO they are the perfect bike for a beginner and at £129.99 it's great value, hire companies don't stock up bikes that cannot take abuse. Residuals? If, as you say, you get £50 back on Gumtree then you'd have had many miles of "getting started" for a measly £79.99, thus, it's residual value is better than your "quality" bike.

The Halford bike is a cheap bike, but one highly specced with cheap components, the B'twin is cheap yet sturdy & simple bicycle, completely different things.