New Bike??

Peanutt

Hi,

I'm in the market for a new bike, while I like my old steed it's getting very long in the tooth and to be honest there's not much room in the cockpit which makes long rides a tad uncomfortable. It's my birthday coming up so will be looking to spend some cash on a new ride. Don't laugh, £200 -250 is probably about as much as I can manage, and about as much as I'll ever be able to manage.

So do I go for a super budget new bike or try and grab a bargain on ebay? ideally something with an ahead set and sti's would be a bonus, I'm not looking for a competitive carbon ultralite bike just something better than the 25 year old steel lugged framed, 1" head set, screw-on freewheel relic I have now.

Peanutt

of course, if there's anyone out there looking to get rid of a 6.9SSL for £200 I'm yer man.

Muffintop

Second hand bike defo. The cheapest road bike I've found is the upper end of £300. You can get something quite special on the second hand market. I've bought some really good bargins on Gumtree but you have to bide your time to eventually get what you want. Check the type of steel you have. My blokies Reynolds 531 is a damn site lighter than my Steel 501 frame and his bikes about 20 years older (it's round about the same weight as my new one whihc is only a year old. If you can get Reynolds 931 even better.

PostieJohn

The way cycling is going/has gone, ebay 'bargains' are becoming a thing of the past.
I'd say anything, eg a second hand entry level 2009 Spech, is still going to start around £250.

PostieJohn

Also, hang around all your LBS's and give them your details, and what you're after.

They will have people coming in wanting to part ex or off load.
I doubt the shop would touch it but they might hand your details on, and selling for cash without ebay hassle might help you out with the price.

alihisgreat

PostieJohn wrote:

The way cycling is going/has gone, ebay 'bargains' are becoming a thing of the past.
I'd say anything, eg a second hand entry level 2009 Spech, is still going to start around £250.

well that's because its specialized...

you just have to look at the less popular brands and be patient.

e.g. Fuji roubaix 1.0 with 105 2010 went for £350 (couldn't buy it because the seller wouldn't post so i spent far too much on a new bike!)

PostieJohn

How does a £350 bike, help a fella with £250 to spend.

You have a look on ebay now and find one of your less popular brands and we'll see how close to £200 it sells for.
I'm fairly confident we'll see the point I was making.
Ebay is no longer the place to grab a bargain because of the popularity of cycling.

indyp

I second the advice to check locally, I got my Allez that way. I would also check the classified on here, for example, there was a carerra for under £200 the weekend. For the price bracket you have they may few and far between but they do pop-up now and again.

masterfulmatt

I got a 2010 (bought new in Jan 2011) Trek 1.2 on Ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110794719892 just 3 weeks ago

for only £208 and came with a Cateye Bike computer, spare brand new inner tube, a decent saddle bag and Shimano pd-m520 pedals and cleats.

IMO the best time to buy something like a 2nd hand bike is between mid December and January's pay day as many folks have little to spare, also the weather and lack of daylight is in your favour, so bidding is generally lower than other times of the year.

I'm delighted with my buy and have now put 250 miles on my bike.

Make sure you know what size frame you need, I popped into a specialized dealer and Trek dealer to get my sizing right

Check locally, classified, gumtree, maybe post a wanted ad on gumtree, and trawl ebay etc

Goodluck

masterfulmatt

Oh and never bid on ebay till the last 10 seconds....it's much cheaper that way!

PostieJohn

Well done that's some top baying Matt.
I really don't think we'll see items like that too often.

alihisgreat

PostieJohn wrote:

How does a £350 bike, help a fella with £250 to spend.

You have a look on ebay now and find one of your less popular brands and we'll see how close to £200 it sells for.
I'm fairly confident we'll see the point I was making.
Ebay is no longer the place to grab a bargain because of the popularity of cycling.

i was just making the point that you get more spec for your money if you look at other brands...

davala95

EBAY is your best bet

- i got a great deal on a bianchi 2008 via nirone 105 alu/carbon, although around double your budget i made a huge saving

- previously i had been looking at ribble 7005. They retail at around £600 with standard sora groupset but have seen great deals within your budget on these. I also know that they are reliable!!

Hope this helps

Peanutt

thanx chaps,

I think I'll check both ebay and lbs, ideally looking for a bike thats going to last me a fair while. If I could get hold of a 1.5 or alpha that'd be great as i'd love a trek but keep my eyes peeled and see what offers are about.

Still keeping the old falcon banana for commutes tho.

PostieJohn

There you go.
I'm just having a look around ebay, (I wanted to check my opinions from earlier), and found this:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/specialized-r ... _500wt_949

It does seem pretty slim pickings, unless you fancy a Carrera, Apollo or Viking.

And this is my 'test' bike.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trek-1-5-Road ... _538wt_932

Peanutt

that 1.5 looks nice, yeah the vikings are ugly although i've got a viking mtb and it's light as anything and takes a lot of punishment, apollo is a no just on principal although the tdf02 wasn't too bad. was just looking at the coyote big sur, comes with sti's and I could always change out the forks for some carbon ones. was even considering the raleigh equipe

TrickyGB

PostieJohn wrote:

There you go.
I'm just having a look around ebay, (I wanted to check my opinions from earlier), and found this:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/specialized-r ... _500wt_949

It does seem pretty slim pickings, unless you fancy a Carrera, Apollo or Viking.

And this is my 'test' bike.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trek-1-5-Road ... _538wt_932

Haha how strange, I went to school with the girl selling this bike. Might see if I can pick it up at a discount ;-)

Nice bike and if it goes for anywhere near 250 it would be a steal

Muffintop

PostieJohn wrote:

The way cycling is going/has gone, ebay 'bargains' are becoming a thing of the past.
I'd say anything, eg a second hand entry level 2009 Spech, is still going to start around £250.

+1. I was lucky to get my £30 tourer.

Muffintop

Also you might want to keep an eye on Gumtree as well. They'res no bidding on that.

PostieJohn

PostieJohn wrote:

And this is my 'test' bike.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trek-1-5-Road ... _538wt_932

I'm staggered that it sold for over £400.
You can get a new one for £575.
How much did the 2010 retail at? anyone know?

keef66

The very point you were trying to make!

I occasionally bid on things I'd like to have if I can get them cheaply enough, but I'm invariably outbid by people who clearly don't know the price of the brand new equivalent.

One day I'll get a surprise email from Ebay telling me I've won something I forgot I'd bid on.

Pross

The other thing that will make a difference in your success at picking up a cheap bike on ebay is the size you require. There are obviously more bikes available in the common sizes (probably 54 to 58cm) but more people bidding for them. If you are particularly tall you may get lucky and a bike goes on there that won't fit anyone else!

thegibdog

Keep an eye on ebay (local auctions that are collect only might end up being cheaper) and the classifieds here, bargains do come along every now and then. I picked myself up a Litespeed with a full 105 groupset off this very forum for £250 less than 2 years ago.

slowlanejane

Just about to complete my 3rd purchase of low price / 2nd hand bikes, one was for me and the other 2 for other people who asked me to look for them. I keep an eye on ebay & gumtree, but I find them both really irritating and generally a waste of time.

Ebay is populated by people - buyers & sellers - who have no idea about a bike's value. Asking far too much, bidding far too much. Beause a bike was bought a year ago at £550 does not mean its a bargain now at £400+, you can usually buy the same model brand new for £350 from Evans as they sell off last yrs stock, if youre lucky with size etc.

Guntree IMO is populated by bike theives asking far too little, cant give any info on the bike, selling quick. When you ask for the frame ref no - something I always do on 2ndhand bikes - you go into radio silence which is a sure sign to me they have something to be afraid of. I'm sure that only a tiny % of bike owners register their bikes with the police, but its def a deterrent to thieves selling their ill-gotten gains when you ask for it. I was looking for a road bike for my nephew a yr ago - a giant defy - and literally 5 such bikes were likely but lost in this exact way, all in a 6 week period from sellers on Gumtree.

I gave up on that one and bought him a Carerra 24/7 from Halfords, which was defo the right thing to do as we had a tight timescale and he's just a beginner and likely to grow etc. He's not fantastically althletic and a better bike would have been lost on him, although I have to say for the money its not a bad bike at all and one for you to consider if your 2ndhand shopping doesn't pan out. But you have to buy these from Halfords not a LBS.

Another low cost new option is the B'twin basic model - cant remember the details - from Decathlon. They get a good rating from forum users who have them, but again you'd buy from a big store not an LBS.

A few weeks after I bought nephew's bike, a really good option turned up on the classifieds on this forum, within budget. But never mind, he's happy with what he's got.

The other 2 bikes I have bought 2ndhand have both been from the classified section on this forum, which I cant rate highly enough. You're buying from people who know & like bikes. They're well looked after and priced realistically. Many BR sellers cant stand the cr@p of ebay / gumtree etc, and as long as you're reaasonable you can pick up a cracker at a decent price.

I've bought a Specialized Sirrus comp, 10 months old, £850 new, with additional full mudguards and commute-ready, for £300, and its been the best best thing. Instant sale, no fuss, collected a few days later.

I'm about to buy a Boardman , few yrs old, for £400, new at £999, they sell on ebay for quite a bit more, but again, serious bikey person to serious bikey person, no fuss, cash, collect, genuine.

My advice to you is, have an idea of what you'd like - a shortllist of 5 or 6 models, and know what kind of size you'd be looking for. Also know what price they are new, what the sale price is for last years model, and what you think is a good value you'd pay for the bike. Dont use ebay a a guide necessarily, as numpties pay more on there than they were new sometimes.

Have that info to hand a watch the classifieds here ( and ebay / gumtree etc) and be ready to bid straight away at the best price you'd be prepared to pay, and dont go up, unless you really think its worth it.

Often the bikes listed will be something you're not familiar with, and google / Bike Radar reviews are your friend here. Check out the geometry online, test a bike in store if you can find a local stockist, check the reviews. Decide if you want to go for it or not.

Bargains are out there to be had, especially on this forum's classifieds, but you have to check every day and keep your eyes open. and it might take a while for the right thing to come, and you might lose a few before you get there. But my bargain bikes have been fab-u-lous.

Good luck.

Peanutt

Thanks chaps,

I've narrowed it down to two options a Trek 1.1 or a 1.5 It'll have to be second hand but for a budget bike the 1.1 gets good reviews, Ideally I'd like the 2010 model but I reckon I'm going to have to go a bit older, or hold out longer and save more cash.

outcastjack

My best friend got one of the raleigh airlite bikes for about £200 posted, from Rutland Cycles. She loves it and it looks quite nice.

Peanutt

yeah I was looking at the 100 but the downtube shifters put me off, nice looking bike tho