New Hybrid - New vs. Used
CSwindells
Posts: 2
Hello all - I'm new to the forum and this is my first post.
I want to start commuting again in London after a period riding (read:battling) with the Barclay Bikes.
For me it's a 25 minute ride into central London and living in the East I also wanted some comfort in riding along the various canals near me - therefore my thinking was: get a hybrid.
My budget is low, £200-£400, so I've spent the last week looking for a bargain and find myself torn between two options. I'd really appreciate your thoughts:
1) Buy New. Using various discount codes I can get the Boardman Hybrid Comp bike for approximately £400.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534
Looks like good parts but there's the usual comments about Halfords, their ability to build a bike and general customer service to take into account. Also there's the SRAM vs. Shimano factor.
2) Buy used. Gumtree and, to a lesser extent, eBay have old top-end bikes (£600-£900) selling for between £300-£400, for example the Sirrus Elite 2011. But being a relative newbie in the field of cycling I can't trust myself to spot any obvious faults and check if it's been well maintained or serviced.
http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... useliteint
Does the benefit of trying instore, getting warranties and returns, etc. beat an older ride going cheaper second hand? If doing the second option is there obvious things I should look out for? If doing the first should I take my bike for a checkover elsewhere to assess build quality? We've all heard the Halfords horror stories.
Hope someone might be able to offer some advice. Thanks!
I want to start commuting again in London after a period riding (read:battling) with the Barclay Bikes.
For me it's a 25 minute ride into central London and living in the East I also wanted some comfort in riding along the various canals near me - therefore my thinking was: get a hybrid.
My budget is low, £200-£400, so I've spent the last week looking for a bargain and find myself torn between two options. I'd really appreciate your thoughts:
1) Buy New. Using various discount codes I can get the Boardman Hybrid Comp bike for approximately £400.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534
Looks like good parts but there's the usual comments about Halfords, their ability to build a bike and general customer service to take into account. Also there's the SRAM vs. Shimano factor.
2) Buy used. Gumtree and, to a lesser extent, eBay have old top-end bikes (£600-£900) selling for between £300-£400, for example the Sirrus Elite 2011. But being a relative newbie in the field of cycling I can't trust myself to spot any obvious faults and check if it's been well maintained or serviced.
http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... useliteint
Does the benefit of trying instore, getting warranties and returns, etc. beat an older ride going cheaper second hand? If doing the second option is there obvious things I should look out for? If doing the first should I take my bike for a checkover elsewhere to assess build quality? We've all heard the Halfords horror stories.
Hope someone might be able to offer some advice. Thanks!
0
Comments
-
I bought a secondhand hybrid a couple of years ago, looked like a bargain but very quickly I realised that the following was worn and needed changing:
brake pads, brake and gear cables, chain, cassette, freewheel, pedals, tyres, tubes and the wheels
Also had to buy tools in order to do the required work on the bike. So all in all it would have been cheaper and easier to buy the same bike new. Unless you know what you're looking for then get new.
If you go to Halfords make sure the bike has been well assembled. If it were me this would mean driving it home, taking it to bits and putting it back together. If you're not confident doing this and would like to ride it home then at least make sure all the allen key bolts on the bike are tight and that the spokes are all in tension and the wheels round. Oh, and that the brakes aren't loose and work well and the wheel QR skewers are done up tight and the tyres pumped up. Put some oil on the chain too.
One last bit of advice - get a road bike. :P0 -
Decathlon Fit 5?0
-
I pointed out a cheap 2nd hand Revolution Courier to a friend. Ended up costing him a fair wedge as he quickly needed new bottom bracket, cassette, chain & chainwheels (possibly pedals too) and he needed to pay someone to do it for him as he had neither tools, time nor expertise. I felt pretty guilty about it, even though it really was a case of caveat emptor. I didn't get the opportunity to help him fix the basics, unfortunately.
I'd like to think I'd be able to spot worn stuff on a 2nd hand bike but I'd have no idea how to check for crash damage etc. I think I'll stick with buying new and then keep costs down by fixing stuff I'm damn sure I know how to fix (chain, cassette, BB etc). Complicated stuff will be done by someone fully competent though.________________________
So it goes ...0
