which bike?

[bokkie]

Hi all. Just looking to get a bike for weekend rides on family friendly tracks with my 5 year old. I'm not going to be doing any serious mountain biking on it so I am just looking for a cheap, yet decent bike. I have been told that the Decathlon are best value for money which led me too this

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-five-white-92622763/

and this

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-5-2-2010-141402418/

I've also been told that Carrera are decent which led me too this

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_518233_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

I can't see the weight of the Decathlon 5.2 or the Carrera Vulcan but saw the vulcan listed as 15 kg on a review website. It also has front suspension, would this be advantageous?

Any input on which I should go for would be greatly appreciated. Any other similarly priced(no more than £200) recommendations are also welcome.
Thanks a stack for any help

 

[smokeysmoo]

For you budget I'd buy a used bike to be brutally honest. You'll get much a far better bike for your money as nothing depreciates quite like a bike.

If you see one on fleabay or similar but your not very knowledgable just post a link to it on here and I've no doubt people will give you their honest opinions.

That said, your right that Decathlon bikes and the Carrera range at Halfrauds get good reviews, (but that's not to suggest that every model is good 'in). Many on here have them, but I don't know exactly what models they have - they'll be along to tell you in good time.

I don't think you need the bulk of an MTB for what you want to do, I'd look at a Hybrid personally.

In my exeperience you truly get what you pay for with a new bike.

Good luck with what ever you decide

 

[corshamjim]

If you're only cycling around with your 5 year old son, you don't need 24 gears or front suspension.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/muddyfox-phatsta-city-bike-933042

Seriously, the more stuff there is on a bike, the more there is to go wrong, and my attitude is I'd rather be riding than fixing mechanical problems.

 

[bokkie]

Thanks for the reply smokeysmoo. Hybrid, hmmmmmmm, are they okay for riding around on forest tracks, etc? Never really gave them much thought. Is there any suggestions in that price bracket, should I stick with Decathlon or carrera? I'm not really that knowlegable about bikes so would try stay away from ebay if I could. I really prefer going into a store and trying them out first.
Thanks for response

 

[Cyclist33]

Lol, sportsdirect are shysters, they advetise everything as £1million RRP, available for £10. They get in the offcuts of the quality products and sell them "cheap" so people think they're getting a bargain.

No way was that bike ever worth £399, I bet it's as heavy as a half decent MTB with full gears and front forks.

I went to a sportsdirect once and the bike they had on display, the handlebars were back to front (yet cabled up etc) and the forks the wrong way round.

Avoid as much as Argos or Costco!

If you want a good, new, simply-arranged bike, you still have to pay a bit.

IMHO
Stu

 

[smokeysmoo]

Thanks for the reply smokeysmoo. Hybrid, hmmmmmmm, are they okay for riding around on forest tracks, etc? Never really gave them much thought. Is there any suggestions in that price bracket, should I stick with Decathlon or carrera? I'm not really that knowlegable about bikes so would try stay away from ebay if I could. I really prefer going into a store and trying them out first.
Thanks for response

Hybrids will take wider tyres than a road bike, not as big as a mountain bike, but plenty big enough for canal paths and tracks.

I've got no suggestions as my experience lies in road bikes, but both the Carrera range and the Decathlon bikes always seem to get decent reviews from lots of peeps on here, but like I said before, I don't know what models they have. I'd be reluctant to recommend any bike around the £200 mark, but if you could push to £300 then you should be getting something considerably better, with much better componentry, but for not really that much more.

The other problem is that Halfords don't do test rides, (don't know about Decathlon). Yes you can go and try them in store, but you can't ride them. If you can hang on there should be bargains to be had as next years bike models generally start to come through from about September, so shops tend to sell off current stock to make some space.

Just had quick mooch on Evans Cycles website, and this seems quite a good OFFER

However, if your budget is stuck tight at £200 then I would personally only ever recommend buying used