Needs some advice on Buying a Bike

[griffin303]

I am very new to the cycle world and have not had a bike for many years, but i am really interested in buying a cycle which i can use to go back and too from work as well as been able to do some half decent cycle rides/trails at the weekends. I do have a budget around the £300-£400 mark and have visted a couple of cycle shops around Plymouth including Halfords.

 

[Over The Hill]

I am very new to the cycle world and have not had a bike for many years, but i am really interested in buying a cycle which i can use to go back and too from work as well as been able to do some half decent cycle rides/trails at the weekends. I do have a budget around the £300-£400 mark and have visted a couple of cycle shops around Plymouth including Halfords.

Hang on a while if you can. If you are very new then what you think you want now and what you will want in a few months may be very different.

There are loads of cheap and cheerful hybrid bikes on the second hand market for about £30 that will get you out there and riding (Most will be good for a 40 mile ride). When you out-grow it see what you want, be it commuter, off road, road etc. Many people think they will want off road and get an bike for it but never go off tarmac when they settle in to road use.

From there your budget gets a fairly good new bike but a cracking good second hand one. Most cyclist ultimately go for a quality bike and this is far better than trying to upgrade a not so good one.

Second hand bikes seem to be a fairly safe bet (really not much you can hide on a bike) and good value. My road bike was £700+ new but I got it for £130 at about five years old. Not many cyclists will put in enough use to worry about a bike being worn out. No point in going for very old bikes (say over 8 years) as newer ones are around cheap and bikes have developed well in recent years.

Budget for extras like good lights, mudguards and carriers if you are commuting. Then you have the gear for wet, cold or warm weather!

 

[andyfromotley]

i say this so often people must think i work for em (i dont). But at that price i think edinburgh cycle co-op take a lot of beating.

 

[gaz]

eek halfords in plymouth, the metro one on the highstreet is bad, but the one by PC world is worse. unfortunatly there is little choice for bike shops in plymouth, dispite the large student crowd.

There is a fiarly new (under a year old) cycle shop under the money centre in the town center. It's called cogs, and deffinatly worth a look, i'm not sure if they cater for your price range, or for your needs. but deffinatly worth a look.