I need a little help finding the right bike for my budget

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Echo

New Member
Location
London, England
Hello everyone. I have a tough budget to work with here and I'm hoping that some of you may be able to point me in the right direction.

I'm in the UK. London specifically and I need a new bike.

I have roughly £300 - £350 to work with, but I would love to, if possible. Purchase a budget turbo trainer that is worth having, just so that I can get some usage out of the bike on those rainy days and sit the thing in my home gym and get more use out of it.

I've done a little searching and it looks like a hybrid is what I might be looking for. I'd be doing a lot of traveling through the city but likely going through some light dirt trails here and there. Single speed is something I am happy with and would actually prefer. I'm also aware that this budget is fairly low for this sort of thing, but I hope that someone can give me some advice.

I did find a bike that looked decent, it was running for £199 or £299 at the time. Of course a lot of the "elite cyclists" would likely have a fit if I said I considered getting it but I do expect to upgrade within a year to a year and a half anyway, I just need something relatively soon within my budget. I can't seem to find a link to that bike I mentioned, it was simple, seemed like a great deal for the price range but not a top brand or something, all I can remember is that it had some kind of space invader enemy type image on the front of it.

In any case, I hope that someone here can help me out. I'm looking to get back into biking around and get back into shape. I was housebound for a little while after some medical stuff and haven't really been as active as I should have been since.

If you guys and gals know of a good bike within the price range and a decent low cost turbo trainer that brings it out of my range, please let me know all the same. I might just be able to work something out or wait a month.


- Echo.
 
OP
OP
E

Echo

New Member
Location
London, England
Oh, I forgot to mention that I am fairly short at about 5ft 7"


- Echo
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Why do you need a turbo in the summer? Just get a bit wet :smile:

Something like this? Plus £50 for a second hand turbo?
https://www.evanscycles.com/charge-plug-0-2016-road-bike-EV240642

Or the Ribble prime road bike, OK for parks, towpaths etc?

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-prime/?currency=GBP&gclid=CMDq5OmO8M0CFZadGwodBOEL-g

Or second hand? I just got a Whyte portobello off eBay for £235 for example. £700 for current model. Just use common sense buying as there are lots of stolen bikes out there
 
OP
OP
E

Echo

New Member
Location
London, England
Why do you need a turbo in the summer? Just get a bit wet :smile:
Planning ahead never hurts, also summer doesn't last forever ;)

Something like this? Plus £50 for a second hand turbo?
https://www.evanscycles.com/charge-plug-0-2016-road-bike-EV240642

Or the Ribble prime road bike, OK for parks, towpaths etc?

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-prime/?currency=GBP&gclid=CMDq5OmO8M0CFZadGwodBOEL-g

Or second hand? I just got a Whyte portobello off eBay for £235 for example. £700 for current model. Just use common sense buying as there are lots of stolen bikes out there
To use common sense you'd need to know about or understand what you're looking for, I genuinely don't which is why I am here... :sad: I can search, I've found loads of different bikes within my price range, the issue is that there are so many choices, I don't know why one is better than the next or why it may not be and I don't know why a particular brand would be something to look out for over the next. I'd just like to get some 'advice' to figure out what might be the better purchase for my funds. So buying a pre-owned bike is something I am happy to consider, but I still struggle with the same issue of 'what' bike, 'why' ect. Maybe I am overthinking things(?) but I am going to be stuck with it for a while and I'd like to get something worth while if I can.


- Echo
 

rugby bloke

Veteran
Location
Northamptonshire
I think you are over thinking to be honest. You don't have a spend fortune to get a decent bike so don't be put off by a low budget. I was in a similar situation last year, I needed to buy a road bike for the RideLondon, but didn't have any spare cash. Finished up with a £600 Carerra, which I picked up for £300. Not a fancy bike at all but it does everything I need it to do.

I do agree that there is a baffling array of choices though. Have a wander around a couple of local bike shops and try out a few to see which one feels right.
 
Rather than a turbo trainer, you should consider some mudguards and waterproof boots/socks/booties and ride in the rain like everyone else. Even in winter there are only a handful of days when it is too icy to ride and for those days, we have spiked ice tyres!
Pick a bike with clearance for winter tyres (35-38mm wide) and mudguard and with front and rear threaded eyelets for bolt-on, full-length 'guards such as SKS chromoplastic.
If you are going for an hybrid, avoid suspension forks.

Regarding your budget, £350 will buy you a decent usable bike but you will also need some accessories:
Mudguard, lock, lock, lights, rear luggage rack(?), 3rd party insurance (from club membership), helmet, gloves, waterproof and windproof tops, repair kit.
Strongly recommend some premium tyres for p*ncture resistance, Schwalbe Marathon are std, Marathon Plus are super heavy duty.
Singlespeeds may be hip and trendy but they are really a bike for experts. For everyday use, geared transmission is more useful.
Will your bike use save money on other travel needs? If so how much per year and over a 5-year bike life.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Planning ahead never hurts, also summer doesn't last forever ;)


To use common sense you'd need to know about or understand what you're looking for, I genuinely don't which is why I am here... :sad: I can search, I've found loads of different bikes within my price range, the issue is that there are so many choices, I don't know why one is better than the next or why it may not be and I don't know why a particular brand would be something to look out for over the next. I'd just like to get some 'advice' to figure out what might be the better purchase for my funds. So buying a pre-owned bike is something I am happy to consider, but I still struggle with the same issue of 'what' bike, 'why' ect. Maybe I am overthinking things(?) but I am going to be stuck with it for a while and I'd like to get something worth while if I can.


- Echo
I meant for buying anything second hand. Don't hand over cash in a pub carpark, ask for a receipt, ask lots of questions about the bike. Judge whether the seller seems genuine. Check the serial number against stolen bike registries etc

Decathlon a good shout with a few stores around London. You can ride around the store. Evans offer on road test rides but many bikes out of budget

How tall are you to get an idea of the size you may require
 
I meant for buying anything second hand. Don't hand over cash in a pub carpark, ask for a receipt, ask lots of questions about the bike. Judge whether the seller seems genuine. Check the serial number against stolen bike registries etc

Decathlon a good shout with a few stores around London. You can ride around the store. Evans offer on road test rides but many bikes out of budget

How tall are you to get an idea of the size you may require

see 2nd post above..
 

Darren Gregory

Rides a Pinnacle Arkose 3 and a Trek Emonda SL6
See if you have a local bike charity. I returned to cycling a few years ago by getting a bike from a local charity that recylces old bikes and sells them to the public. I would imagein that London must have places doing this and have a wider choice of bikes than here in Guildford, Surrey.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
See if you have a local bike charity. I returned to cycling a few years ago by getting a bike from a local charity that recylces old bikes and sells them to the public. I would imagein that London must have places doing this and have a wider choice of bikes than here in Guildford, Surrey.
There's a place in elephant and castle but not cheap from what I know. There's a place in Wimbledon village too, again not cheap I'm sure given the location

I'd look at eBay and gumtree bearing in mind probably at least 50% of bikes are stolen!
 

Felix79

Well-Known Member
Location
Oxford, England
I bought my 56cm 2011/12 Cannondale CAAD8 for £350 on eBay
IMG_0171_zps59igpq0a.jpg


There were plenty of other CAAD8's for sale and usually in the smaller frame sizes that would suit a shorter rider, such as yourself. The frame quality was really good and you can upgrade the rest of the items on the bike when you have the time and money to do so. I was stunned that you could snap up a Cannondale bike for such little money and the quality of the frame was not subpar like other brands in this price point.
 
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