I keep looking but can't find a bike!

jefflad

Hi,

First of all I should say in relation to the title I'm tight and only really looking to spend £250 for 2nd hand for new I'd consider another £100 at a push.

I keep my eyes on gumtree, the Bikeradar ads and fleabay but can't seem to find anything. I'm hoping for a couple to three year old second hand bike but as for new I'm currently considering a new one from Halfords, the carrera virtuoso as with some discount vouchers I can get it within budget but I'm unsure.

I'm in the North East and there appears to be a shortage of bikes, They are either too big, I'm looking for a frame size of 54cm, wanting too much or complete trash :roll:

So has anyone else been in this pickle and if so how long did it take them... Oh and to top it off the wife's car is playing up and will require work with the question now being how much and will it impact on my budget

Feeling quite deflated....

J

Grill

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html

You're welcome.

BelgianBeerGeek

TBH there's nothing wrong with the Carrera bikes from Halfords. My Missus has one, like you she wanted a bike on a budget, and she really likes it. Plus if it's new you get some back up if you need to return it, and they generally throw in a first service. Also, every time I'm in Halfords they seem to have a sale on, so keep looking with them.
Some of the second hand bikes you see are way overpriced rubbish. I'd only buy that way if I knew exactly what I wanted.

Pross

jefflad wrote:

Hi,

First of all I should say in relation to the title I'm tight and only really looking to spend £250 for 2nd hand for new I'd consider another £100 at a push.
I keep my eyes on gumtree, the Bikeradar ads and fleabay but can't seem to find anything. I'm hoping for a couple to three year old second hand bike but as for new I'm currently considering a new one from Halfords, the carrera virtuoso as with some discount vouchers I can get it within budget but I'm unsure.

I'm in the North East and there appears to be a shortage of bikes, They are either too big, I'm looking for a frame size of 54cm, wanting too much or complete trash :roll:

So has anyone else been in this pickle and if so how long did it take them... Oh and to top it off the wife's car is playing up and will require work with the question now being how much and will it impact on my budget

Feeling quite deflated....

J

There's your problem. There is basically nothing that can reasonably pass itself off as a road bike with a new price of £350 and decent second hand bikes hold their value well. It's just a case of keeping looking and hoping you get lucky, it might be easier in the winter when the nebies who enjoyed a few short rides in the sun realise that it's not for them after all.

rolf_f

Pross wrote:

There's your problem. There is basically nothing that can reasonably pass itself off as a road bike with a new price of £350 and decent second hand bikes hold their value well. It's just a case of keeping looking and hoping you get lucky, it might be easier in the winter when the nebies who enjoyed a few short rides in the sun realise that it's not for them after all.

Carrera TDF - 11.7kg isn't so light but I think it is a decent bike and only £299. Or the Virtuoso Race for £350 - not sure if it is much different to the TDF - weight is the same but I'm not going to do an exhaustive spec check.

These maybe no-ones dream bikes but it seems a bit elitist to say that they can't reasonably call themselves road bikes.

jefflad

Pross wrote:

jefflad wrote:

Hi,

First of all I should say in relation to the title I'm tight and only really looking to spend £250 for 2nd hand for new I'd consider another £100 at a push.
I keep my eyes on gumtree, the Bikeradar ads and fleabay but can't seem to find anything. I'm hoping for a couple to three year old second hand bike but as for new I'm currently considering a new one from Halfords, the carrera virtuoso as with some discount vouchers I can get it within budget but I'm unsure.

I'm in the North East and there appears to be a shortage of bikes, They are either too big, I'm looking for a frame size of 54cm, wanting too much or complete trash :roll:

So has anyone else been in this pickle and if so how long did it take them... Oh and to top it off the wife's car is playing up and will require work with the question now being how much and will it impact on my budget

Feeling quite deflated....

J

There's your problem. There is basically nothing that can reasonably pass itself off as a road bike with a new price of £350 and decent second hand bikes hold their value well. It's just a case of keeping looking and hoping you get lucky, it might be easier in the winter when the nebies who enjoyed a few short rides in the sun realise that it's not for them after all.

OK... how much should I be prepared to pay? I like your idea of waiting till the winter but am unsure if I can :oops:

jefflad

Grill wrote:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html

You're welcome.

Cheers Grill, Would like to sit on the bike too so looking at their website the nearest with stock is a 300 mile round trip...

BelgianBeerGeek

You might not need to wait that long. Most manufacturers bring out next years models around the end of summer, leaving retailers to get rid of the old stock. With the current excitement around cycling in general, I'd expect that to be any time from around now.

styxd

These maybe no-ones dream bikes but it seems a bit elitist to say that they can't reasonably call themselves road bikes.

Exactly, a £300 is fine. Although I'd get s 2nd hander rather than a new un though (more for your money)

My first road bike cost about £250, didnt really know much about road bikes then so I couldnt have cared less. I roade it loads and absolutely loved it. I sold it and bought a more expensive one (2nd hand again) after a year or so, this was much nicer to ride (due to the fact it didnt have downtube shifters) but it wasnt that much faster.

simon_masterson

For that money you could get a fantastic old steel racer. Some of the 'garage gems' that sell for pennies on eBay are fantastic bikes.

ShutUpLegs

Simon Masterson wrote:

For that money you could get a fantastic old steel racer. Some of the 'garage gems' that sell for pennies on eBay are fantastic bikes.

Agree with this, some decent rides for £150 ish.

styxd

You could do, but honestly, downtube shifters are shite compared to some proper STI shifters.

simon_masterson

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

For that money you could get a fantastic old steel racer. Some of the 'garage gems' that sell for pennies on eBay are fantastic bikes.

Agree with this, some decent rides for £150 ish.

Exactly. And they'll still likely be going for decades to come if treated properly, which is more than can be said for a Halfords cheapie.

And downtube shifters are fine, particularly for a beginner. Enough beginner cyclists these days don't know they're born as it is.

I'm glad I started off on a 5 speed freewheel with downtube friction shifting and rat traps with clips and straps. This is the stuff on which today's road cycling was built, and until relatively recently was still the norm. It also makes it all the more laughable when people inevitably moan that their 21 gears ain't enough.

styxd

And downtube shifters are fine, particularly for a beginner. Enough beginner cyclists these days don't know they're born as it is.

I agree.

Make sure you get one with 53/42 chainrings and summat like a 21/13 cassette. You'll definitely know you've been born.

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

You could do, but honestly, downtube shifters are shite compared to some proper STI shifters.

Actually they are not. The only place I tend to really miss the STI shifters when I'm riding one of my old bikes is when I find myself on a steep climb in the wrong gear. With downtube shifters, changing while standing out of the pedals involves sitting quickly and hoping you still have the speed left to change! That can be stressful.....

However, in all other circumstances, the downtube shifters are either slightly better or slightly worse than STIs. There isn't much in it - particularly if they aren't indexed. You can put the bike into whatever gear you want instantly, there are no indexing issues, the gears are a doddle to set up and in the highly unlikely event that part of the mech breaks, a tenner should fix it.

It' a shame that dt shifters are so un-appreciated.

styxd

The only place I tend to really miss the STI shifters when I'm riding one of my old bikes is when I find myself on a steep climb in the wrong gear

Perhaps thats why I hated them. Wrynose pass, downtube shifters, double chainset - hard work.

Pross

Simon Masterson wrote:

For that money you could get a fantastic old steel racer. Some of the 'garage gems' that sell for pennies on eBay are fantastic bikes.

I'm seeing less and less of these. There are too many people looking for 'retro projects' these days. Also, I'm not saying there's no chance of a decent bike for under £350 new and the Carreras listed above are probably the best bets but the choice is severely limited. I certainly wouldn't rule out something with downtube shifters either, I have them on my 20 year old steel framed bike that I use for winter training / commutting and they are far easier to maintain plus cheap to replace. They also teach you to change gear properly, an art lost on many who have gone straight to STI.

Anonymous

It IS hard, I'll give you that. I reckon you will be looking towards the top of your 350 range, but look out for lesser known brands. Spesh, Giant, Trek etc will all hold their value really well.

My bike is hardly well known, but came with Ultegra (ok, the 9sp older one), great wheels and absolutely immaculate condition, and from Nottingham (is that the North? it is to me).

I'd run an ebay advanced search for all road bikes, 54cm, within 150 miles of where you are, ensuring that you also always click 'not specified' and also only use the search box to filter OUT what you don't want. (eg -kids -mountain -child -mtb) etc.

Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=- ... PrRngCbx=1

simon_masterson

Pross wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

For that money you could get a fantastic old steel racer. Some of the 'garage gems' that sell for pennies on eBay are fantastic bikes.

I'm seeing less and less of these. There are too many people looking for 'retro projects' these days. Also, I'm not saying there's no chance of a decent bike for under £350 new and the Carreras listed above are probably the best bets but the choice is severely limited. I certainly wouldn't rule out something with downtube shifters either, I have them on my 20 year old steel framed bike that I use for winter training / commutting and they are far easier to maintain plus cheap to replace. They also teach you to change gear properly, an art lost on many who have gone straight to STI.

Is it on the increase? I mainly see people my age (almost 23) zipping around on budget alloy racers from Halfords unless they're trendies riding fixed with no brakes, but you could be right.

Personally my favourite bike is my dad's Ernie Clements Falcon, which he bought when he was my age; I needed to borrow it and he didn't want it back as he hasn't ridden it in years for reason of his back problems and mediocre brakes, and prefers his modern hybrid. It's fixed up nicely. I'm thinking about picking up a 531C frame at some point though...

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

The only place I tend to really miss the STI shifters when I'm riding one of my old bikes is when I find myself on a steep climb in the wrong gear

Perhaps thats why I hated them. Wrynose pass, downtube shifters, double chainset - hard work.

Ahh, but that's really the fault of the double (and narrower range on the block) rather than the dt shifters (which would be fine with a compact). On something like Wrynose, you really ought to know that the gear you want is the small one on the front and the big one on the back! The pain is ones like the descent of Coverdale (after Park Rash) where you go round a corner in a big gear and suddenly find yourself at the bottom of a small cliff with your speed plumeting.

On the other hand, in a flat county, who needs 20 speeds anyway and who needs STI shifters?