No money, no bike, no idea...

mayfield_uk

Hi, i imagine this is the sort of thing you get asked all the time, had a look through previous questions but couldnt find anything to help me.

I've borrowed my dad's Giant Regents Park bike to ride around the country lanes where i live. Iv enjoyed riding it so much that ive quit my gym membership and now ride 4-5 times a week at around 15 miles at a time. Now he needs his bike back and i desperately need a bike to carry on the momentum, unfortunately ive got no money to buy one, the furthest i'll allow myself to spend is £250. I know that you get what you pay for, but im not fussy and know absolutely nothing about bikes. Im more than happy with the Giant bike, the brakes squeak, chain rattles, gears didnt engage the outer cog until i 'straightened it' with some mole grips and it hasnt had anyone look at it or set it up since it was bought 7 years ago.

Ive had a good look on ebay and nothing is really standing out to me, but to be honest i dont really know what the best bike for me is / what to look for.
I think a road bike might be a bit too 'serious' but i would like something that is fast and can handle the winding country roads without making me too nervous. Seeing as the bike will be used primarily for exercise touring bikes with their racks etc seem a bit unnecessary.

I will be really really grateful for your responses as im seriously confused with what to do next. Look forward to hearing from you

Simon

Anonymous

Hi mate!

Sounds like you are having good fun there.

Have a look through the classifieds here, post an ad in the Wanted section...

A hybrid type bike might be ideal for you, have a look here -

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/transeo-50-2009-hybrid-bike-ec016398

guilliano

Ridgeback Motion at £250?

mayfield_uk

Im astounded by how quickly you have replied, thanks alot. I googled the ridgeback motion and found this little description at the bottom:

What is a Hybrid Sports Bike?
These are hybrids for the fit! Theyre more for the quick run into work or for a fast hour ride on the weekend rather than purely casual leisure riding. Despite having lots of gears, the lighter components often make this bike a closer relative to the road bike than the mountain bike. A wide range of customising accessories are available to fit these models.

These 'hybrid sports bikes' sound perfect! Both bikes looks good, ive seen there is also the 08 ridgeback model for sale which is only £140, is there much difference going back a few years?
http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/sear ... 2&format=1

While randomly searching for a bike i found this:
http://www.thegreenbikecompany.co.uk/bi ... ductID=379
Is this gonna be more hastle than its worth, i havent even sat on a bike like this before - is it more likely to put me off cycling, or inspire me?

guilliano

The Claud Butler Criterium is a REALLY basic road bike. No heavier than the Ridgeback Motion, but having the shifters in the centre of the bars is a pain. The Motion is more versatile and a lot cheaper. If the one on sale for £140 is the right size then the spec is similar to the 2010 model and well worth it.

mayfield_uk

Hadnt noticed the limited size. Well im a fraction under 6ft 3 so that should be perfect.

Yeh the central gears looked a bit weird, but to be honest the whole bike looks weird to me so i didnt pay much attention.

prb007

Save, save, save,
barter, barter, barter
Interest free
spend more, get more,
buy cheap, buy twice.
Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling!

guilliano

The 23' should be OK at that height, personally for the kind of riding you describe I'd say go for it!

mayfield_uk

I totally appreciate what your saying about save save save, but unfortunately im saving big time for literally every other outgoing at the moment. This bike will just have to sit in my overdraft until a new job or lottery win clears it for me, hence my reason for wanting to spend as little as possible. Iv always had shit bikes so having never experienced a quality bike (other than this giant one for the past 3 weeks - and thats in no great shape) im blissfully unaware of the pleasures that a bigger budget could bring.

I'll just give the Euromillions a whirl and i could be back here asking for advice on a very different bike, but until then the ridgeback looks like a winner - shame its not the most exciting bike to look at tho, please no phrases about gifthorses or beggars

Anonymous

mayfield_uk wrote:

I totally appreciate what your saying about save save save, but unfortunately im saving big time for literally every other outgoing at the moment. This bike will just have to sit in my overdraft until a new job or lottery win clears it for me, hence my reason for wanting to spend as little as possible. Iv always had shoot bikes so having never experienced a quality bike (other than this giant one for the past 3 weeks - and thats in no great shape) im blissfully unaware of the pleasures that a bigger budget could bring.

I'll just give the Euromillions a whirl and i could be back here asking for advice on a very different bike, but until then the ridgeback looks like a winner - shame its not the most exciting bike to look at tho, please no phrases about gifthorses or beggars

If you were looking at spending a bit more then yes, you'll end up wishing you had spent even more.

However, from what you have said that Ridgeback, if it fits, would be absolutely perfect!

mayfield_uk

Is there much difference between these, as i have no idea what all the details mean:

Ridgeback Motion 2008 (as recommended)
http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/prod ... DRIDGEBACK

or

Ridgeback Velocity 2008
http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/prod ... DRIDGEBACK

guilliano

Velocity is a model above and is lighter with 24 gears. No real difference in gear range, but smoother shifting as it has a smaller jump between gears At £200 it's a worthy buy. Also comes with puncture protective kevlar tyres and quick release wheels.

mayfield_uk

The quick release wheels would be handy as i would be able to put it in my punto, and the little boy inside me likes the sound of more gears. The puncture protective tyres could be usefull. Well ill wait until the morning to make my decision.

Thanks alot of your help. If anyone has any other ideas would still be really grateful, cant thank you enough for your help so far

mayfield_uk

Oh and having checked the size guides on the internet 23" seeing as im just under 6ft 3 is pretty good, the velocity model has the option of a 25" frame, that be too big?

gabriel959

Go for it! Looks like a cracker deal for £200.

stigofthedump

Don't forget the bike to work scheme
http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/
Get the taxman to pay for 40% of your new bike

mayfield_uk

Seeing as i work for a very small grassroots charity run by a 60 year old lady, i think the possibility of this being set up anytime soon / at all is a slim possibility. And i dont like the idea of robbing from the tax man, im sure he'll be there for me when i need him right?

Wamas

Do you have a small local bike shop near you?
You could pop along there and see if they have any old bikes they could make up for you.
Also could try the local dump for a decent bike that your LBS could refurbish for you.
The dumps segregate waste, and all bikes are kept for scrap or donations to local enterprises, give the guys at a dump £10 for the bike, and donate something to a charity of your choice. Win-win situation and nobody loses out.

Re. Cycle to Work Scheme, you are not robbing the tax man, basically the more people who use their bikes, the less wear there is on the road and healthier people are, therefore less funding for road repairs and for the NHS. This is a genuine benefit, and no-one should feel guilty about using the scheme.

alfablue

mayfield_uk wrote:

Seeing as i work for a very small grassroots charity run by a 60 year old lady, i think the possibility of this being set up anytime soon / at all is a slim possibility. And i dont like the idea of robbing from the tax man, im sure he'll be there for me when i need him right?

It should be beneficial for this lady to set this up for you - no need to join cyclescheme or any other commercial scheme, she just needs to pay the bike shop for the bike you want, and arrange a salary sacrifice over 12 or 18 months (usually) to reclaim the money. She (the charity) makes 12% as the employer's NI payments are reduced, you save around 35-40% on the bike. As a rough estimate, a £400 bike could cost you £240, and over 12 months you pay £21 per month. The charity makes approx £48 from implementing this. You just have to sign a hire agreement (you can copy the forms from Wiggle or Evans).

drummondjhn

look for local police lost and stolen property auctions in your area always bikes for not alot of cash