used bikes

msadi86

Hey everybody, I am very new to the cycling world, Well atleast the proper cycling world . I was curious to know whether there is a used bikes sale section on here? and if not does anyone know any?
I am looking to buy my first bike and as i am a student do not have much to spend. £500 to be precise. The bike is for commuting, Exercise.

I was debating whether i should but a brand new bike that might not have very good specs or buy a used one that will have some good stuff but will be second hand.

If anyone does know any new bikes that are really good starter bikes and that are less than 500 id be more than happy to have a look at them.

I am not too bothered by names. Infact on the contrary i am happy to buy a bike that is not very famous as i am sure it will include a much higher spec in order to match with the big name ones.

The local bike store(evans cycles) guy spoke to me about a pinnacle, fuji, and jamis venture (i think) that were sub 550.

other starter bikes that i have read of include the trek 1.2, the giant defy 3. Though as you can see i dont know much about the pros and cons of each and would appreciate any help.

Has anyone ever owned these bikes? what do they think? I was only able to sit on them. Not test ride them.

I am looking forward to hearing from anyone, and your advice is very much appreciated.
I do understand that questions about 'best bikes under certain budgets' are always asked and so if there is a post where a similar question has been discussed then i will gladly redirect myself.

thanks guys.

RonB

Welcome to the forum...

This one might help

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40049

I have no direct experience of the bikes you mention, but they are from major league manufacturers and others might be able to help. Best of luck, Ron

ollyridesfirst

Could do with knowing how tall you are, what sort of riding you'll be doing (road, offroad, both, etc)...

In your situation, i'd be inclined to keep an eye out for a decent 2nd hand bike. They crop up on here in the for sale section and you can also keep an eye on eBay etc. £500 should get you a decent 2nd hand starter bike - but remember, there's usually more to buy after the bike (helmet, lycra or similar, sometimes you'll need pedals and/or shoes/cleats etc.) so make sure you budget for that too...

alfablue

Pinnacle are Evan's own brand. Nothing wrong with that, but of course they are likely to recommend them. When I looked at them in the past they didn't appear to be particularly good value.

I am familiar with the Trek 1.2 (g/f has one), it is a great bike. It is available with double or triple chainrings (lower gears on a triple may suit a beginer). It has clearance for mudguards and has mounts for guards and a rack (many frames do not), my g/f even tours on it so it is very versatile. If you want to ride a bike all year in all weathers then the ability to have mudguards is worthwhile.

amaferanga

You could get a really, really good used bike for £500. A new bike for £500 is going to have a bottom of the range groupset, basic wheels and will be heavy.

alwaystoohot

msadi86 wrote:

I am looking to buy my first bike and as i am a student do not have much to spend. £500 to be precise.

Where pray tell, does a student get 500 smackers from? Call the bizzies someone.....

roypsb

I got a 1yr old Specialized Secteur Elite in immaculate condition on EBAY for £450. It is absolutely fantastic - the Shimano 105 groupset is a dream.

So there are good deals out there - I was looking for several months though before I found this one.

msadi86

Thank you so much to all of you for taking some time to reply to this post and therefore help me. Really appreciate it.

to alfablue.

it all makes sense. The first bike the guy took me to was the pinnacle. I was curious as i had never heard of it on the forums etc. He kept bringing me back to it, even after i mentioned to him i would like to see others in the range. Dissapointed by that, as i have heard great things about evans cycles. Maybe it was just him.
I went to the trek shop today and had a ride on the 1.2. Really liked it. But thats not saying much as i have not ridden anything else :P

To olly rides first.
I am 5'8. So will be looking at a 54-55cm frame range. Will be using it for exercise, commuting.etc.

Amaferanga - That is what i have now decided i will do. Go for as second hand one that wil have good stuff. Could you suggest any?

Thank you ron

Alwaystoo hot - my sister is helping fund some of it! woohoo!
thanks for the heads up in regards to the extra costs. Is the for sale section the same as the link ron has kindly posted?

unixnerd

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 3114&rs=gb
Cannondale CAAD8 for 499.99 brand new. That's a superb frame and Sora is one notch above the 2300 groupset a lot of cheaper bikes have.

Personally I'd look for one of these someone bought last year then didn't use when they went off cycling. You'd be surprised how many bikes end up like that, had a bargain myself.

msadi86

Hey unixnerd, Thanks alot for your Reply. In the process of checking out the link you sent. If you do come across some bargains please do let me know.

What i am worried about with second hand bikes is if someone is lying or does not reveal full detail of the bike. For example if the bike has crashed or if some parts are bent etc.

Velonutter

Unless I was very rich I would always buy secondhand in the first instance, I only buy new if I can't find what I want secondhand,

I would guess to be able to build a bike for about 40% of the new price, sometimes even better.

unixnerd

One thing I'd also say to a student is to think about how likely the bike is to be nicked. You certainly want to insure it unless it's a cheap one. I recently sourced an older Trek and refurbished it for my nephew for under 100 quid, it can be done.

blackhands

This one may be still for sale - dunno about the size - it may be ok as its a compact frame. I'm sure the seller won't rip you off.

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/ind ... opic=59978

jonny_trousers

I've always gone for second hand and have mostly done pretty well out of it. You just need to factor in the price of basic repairs and servicing that the bike might end up needing. If you buy through eBay then you can check the sellers feedback to get an idea of whether they are worth dealing with or not and you can also pay by Paypal, which will give you a certain degree of protection if the bike turns out not to be as described.

As for what to recommend, that's a tough one as we all have different needs and tastes. The best I can suggest is once you spot something you like the look of, do a little online research into how well the bike and its parts are respected. I think you are on the right track with the size of bike you need.

Good luck and do let us know what you end up with.

jonny_trousers

blackhands wrote:

This one may be still for sale - dunno about the size - it may be ok as its a compact frame. I'm sure the seller won't rip you off.

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/ind ... opic=59978

£450 for that!?! :shock:

nochekmate

Amaferanga is selling a Kuota Kharma for just a little more than your budget.

Great bike IMO for that money and in a different league to anything that you could buy new at that price point.

If I wasn't currently on holiday I'd have been interested in it myself.

msadi86

To everybody, i cannot thank you enough for all the information and help.
once i do buy a bike i definitely will let you know how i get on.

Are there any other suggestions as to good first time bikes? Everytime someone suggests a bike i try and see if i can get second hand version of that bike. Feel Free to throw in names of bikes that might be slightly more expensive if bought brand new but would then fit into my budget if bought second hand.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260822113046&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#shId

What do you guys think of the link ive mentioned above? is it worth it?

thanks nochekmate . Will definitely check that out.

Jonny trousers - will definitely let you know what i end up with. Do you think 450 is too much or too little?

Blackhands - i wanted to post a reply but it seems i have to be a member of that forum, so will work on that.

Thanks unixnerd- definitely looking to insure it.

Thanks alot everybody.

msadi86

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260822113046&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_830wt_1189

msadi86

thats the bike above. do let me know what you all think.

Thanks alot again!

msadi86

thats the bike above. do let me know what you all think.

Thanks alot again!

chadders81

Msadi - for a little more than £300 on eBay you will get a decent Ribble frame with carbon forks, mudguards (which you can take off for winter) and either Shimano Tiagra or 105.

I just just missed out on this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

nochekmate

But if your budget is 500 quid, you'll do well to beat the Kuota - better IMO to pay the extra over the Claude Butler or the Ribble - neither of which are in the same league as a road bike (although if you are looking for a commuter, the Kuota may not be the best for that in the winter - could fit some Crud guards on it mind when the roads are wet)
.
The guy has given an honest looking description of Kuota's condition and that of its components and as a regular user of the forum, Amaferanga would not wish to be passing on any pile of rubbish I'm sure

msadi86

I admittedly, even with years of experience buying on ebay and being cautious about cons, have been Conned!! As soon as i paid through paypal, didnt hear from the seller at all.

what gave it away was the fact that i saw pictures of the same bike(trek 1.7) listed on gum tree to someone else with a different name from a different place all be it still from wales.

Which listing is wrong and illegal, i do not know though i have
Posted the link on gum tree below.


[/url]http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/trek-17-compact-road-racer-bike/81478919[url]

I have claimed my full refund from ebay through the resolution centre.

oh and if anyone has an issue trying to get in touch with ebay,(it is impossible to find a number for them) regarding any purchase, let alone bikes, try this out

Go to contact us on top right hand of page

2. type in "register in the box"

3.and then click on the "how do i register option" on the following page

4. once you do that the next page will have options to CALL, CHAT and Phone them.

cheers
gutted. was looking forward to doing some riding this weekend!! [/url]

nicktheluddite

Auction has ended but....... I 'm not sure I'd pay that for that bike. No mention of frame size you have no idea if it fits you. The photo isn't very good but I'm not sure the shifters/levers are the Shimano 105 levers they claim to be.

When I bought my first road bike I went to my local bike shop. I might have got a better deal second-hand but I also might have been ripped off because I really didn't know very much. I didn't want to take the risk - and also knew if I had any problems I could go back to the shop.