Road bike for under £100?

[HLaB]

Clubs sometimes have good value youth bikes, as riders progress and upgrade sometimes the parents just want rid of the bikes (to make space for the new) and are happy to hand them down to another enthusiastic junior. On the off chance you could check out some clubs near you.

 

[chillyuk]

£200 will get you one of these. I bought one not expecting much but it has proved itself to be a very worth machine. It doesn't have STI shifters which may put some people of but I have found it to be a great bike.

They are yellow so must be good

 

[Angelfishsolo]

They are yellow so must be good

Well I did 151km on it yesterday and the only issue I had was one stiff link (easily fixed and caused by me forgetting to lube the chain and yes I like Yellow bikes, Yellow bikes are cool

 

[TobyM]

Yes, assuming you can find the second hand parts. It could be worth considering it as a longer term winter project. Buy a frame, then list all the bits you want, and begin getting them from wherever you can. Join Freecycle and put a wanted ad on for old bike parts. You could be amazed at what can be offered. Car boot sales are a good source where you may even find a complete bike. Saw a guy at a car boot a few weeks with a very decrepid Raleigh Pursuit asking £250. Very rare and very collectable he told me. He seemed quite offended for some reason when I laughed in his face.

You say build a bike for around £200. If you can stretch to that have a look at the bike of one of the members on here, Angelfishsolo. Looking on the web they seem to get reasonable reviews, and there is one with different gear shifters within that budget. I'm sure Angelfish would be pleased to tell you more.

The computer on my Raleigh is indeed a Halfords 6 function wireless. Don't forget there are two batteries, one in the main unit and one in the transmitter on the forks.

I think it's the battery in the transmitter which is causing problems, as the main unit still displays the time. I have only had it since Easter though, but it's done over 600 miles Also, the transmitter's taken quite a bashing off road, which probably hasn't helped.

Well I did 151km on it yesterday and the only issue I had was one stiff link (easily fixed and caused by me forgetting to lube the chain and yes I like Yellow bikes, Yellow bikes are cool

This bike looks interesting, how much does it weigh? And yellow is indeed cool

I was looking at the Carrera TDF which I can probably find second hand for £200, so could be comparable to the Viking.. I would like STI shifters but at my budget, I guess I can't be fussy!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I think it's the battery in the transmitter which is causing problems, as the main unit still displays the time. I have only had it since Easter though, but it's done over 600 miles Also, the transmitter's taken quite a bashing off road, which probably hasn't helped.




This bike looks interesting, how much does it weigh? And yellow is indeed cool

I was looking at the Carrera TDF which I can probably find second hand for £200, so could be comparable to the Viking.. I would like STI shifters but at my budget, I guess I can't be fussy!

It weights 11kg in 59 size. It does however ride lighter if that makes sense.

 

[smokeysmoo]

If your budget is stuck at £100 then as has been stated, second hand is the way to go, you really have no other viable options unless you want to buy a piece of pig iron that will maybe get you to the shops and back once or twice before it disintegrates in to a pile of knackered components.

 

[TobyM]

It weights 11kg in 59 size. It does however ride lighter if that makes sense.

That's pretty much the same as the Carrera TDF, maybe a bit lighter. I've found a TDF for sale which apparently is in 'mint condition' and has only been used 6-7 times and they want £120 for it, on a classifieds site. I think I might go for this, as I like the idea of STI shifters

If your budget is stuck at £100 then as has been stated, second hand is the way to go, you really have no other viable options unless you want to buy a piece of pig iron that will maybe get you to the shops and back once or twice before it disintegrates in to a pile of knackered components.

I've decided to perhaps raise my budget to £200, but would like to be able to do something for £100! As far as I can tell, to achieve a base level of quality, it works a bit like this:

• < £100 - A LOT of effort, second hand, and purchased part by part over a few months
• < £200 - (with the possible exception of the Viking, mentioned previously) a little effort to find a reasonable second hand bike
• < £300 - New, and of a similar quality to the second hand bikes
• > £300 - At about £400 quality starts to increase, up until £1000 - £1500 at which point you start paying very high prices for the little more than a few grams

At least, that's how it appears to me.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

That's pretty much the same as the Carrera TDF, maybe a bit lighter. I've found a TDF for sale which apparently is in 'mint condition' and has only been used 6-7 times and they want £120 for it, on a classifieds site. I think I might go for this, as I like the idea of STI shifters

Ask a few questions about the bike. Strange(ish) to find such a new bike for sale at that sort of cost me thinks.

 

[Globalti]

I went through the same process as you, increasingly bored with the MTB scene and on the lookout for a cheap road bike. I found one in as new condition at a LBS for £150, a steel Peugeot, which is still giving good service to a friend.

I just wish I had started road riding 22 years ago: I am so much fitter now than when I was just mountain biking.

 

[TobyM]

Ask a few questions about the bike. Strange(ish) to find such a new bike for sale at that sort of cost me thinks.

It is strange to see a new bike like thiis, and it does look to be high quality. I am slightly put off by the idea of no STI shifters, and am drawn to the idea of getting a second hand bike as you usually get more for your money.

I went through the same process as you, increasingly bored with the MTB scene and on the lookout for a cheap road bike. I found one in as new condition at a LBS for £150, a steel Peugeot, which is still giving good service to a friend.

I just wish I had started road riding 22 years ago: I am so much fitter now than when I was just mountain biking.

I agree, and what I regret more is the amount of money I've ended up throwing at my mountain bike over the past few years - new forks, chainset, wheels, tyres, brakes, seat and post.. I should have just saved it all and got a road bike ages ago!



I have seen a Specialized Allez, not sure what year but have asked the seller, for £150 - if it fits, that sounds like a good purchase to me, especially seeing as specialized bikes don't seem to lose their value as much as others!

 

[TobyM]

http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-adverts.showadvert/index-1034269522/81729567.html

This is in Hereford (I can get there on the train in half an hour), and looks to be quite good - it looks like it has a carbon fork as well, so for £150 I thought this looked pretty good! However, the frame size is 52cm and I'm just under 5'8" and possibly set to grow.. Would it be too small for me?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

http://www.preloved....2/81729567.html

This is in Hereford (I can get there on the train in half an hour), and looks to be quite good - it looks like it has a carbon fork as well, so for £150 I thought this looked pretty good! However, the frame size is 52cm and I'm just under 5'8" and possibly set to grow.. Would it be too small for me?

Yep too small

This is a rough guide.

 

[TobyM]

Yep too small

This is a rough guide.

Damn

I'm still interested in the Viking (having spent all day trawling classifieds), what is the gear shifter like on it?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Damn

I'm still interested in the Viking (having spent all day trawling classifieds), what is the gear shifter like on it?

They are rocker switches on the flats. The front is a friction shifter, the rear a basic SIS system. Not that hard to get used to using especily if you are used to any kind of thumb shifter. It has a 53 39 front and a 14 28 rear.

 

[TobyM]

They are rocker switches on the flats. The front is a friction shifter, the rear a basic SIS system. Not that hard to get used to using especily if you are used to any kind of thumb shifter. It has a 53 39 front and a 14 28 rear.

Cheers