Best winter bike for max £200?

christiandransfield
christiandransfield Posts: 127
edited October 2014 in Road buying advice
Hey everyone,

I wondered if I could get your advice on what the best bike/s to get for winter riding with a max £200 budget. I've decided to sell my Cube Agree GTC and buy a cheap bike to ride through the winter instead, due to having become tired of regular probs with it. I've looked at Carrera bikes etc, but apparently they have a very harsh ride? I don't mind of they're new or 2nd hand.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Comments

  • Brailsford Bad
    Brailsford Bad Posts: 85
    So you've got a decent bike and you want to sell it for a cr@p bike.

    Err........

    I'll have some of what you're smoking.
  • christiandransfield
    christiandransfield Posts: 127
    That's right, yes. I'm getting as much as I can for the Cube now, with the aim of getting a new summer bike next spring, but need a winter training bike in the meantime for, ideally, max £200. Another reason for selling the Cube is due to the appalling push-fit BBs that they have.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    Winter clothing will probably cost you £200.....if you really want to ride through winter
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    christiandransfield wrote:
    That's right, yes. I'm getting as much as I can for the Cube now, with the aim of getting a new summer bike next spring, but need a winter training bike in the meantime for, ideally, max £200. Another reason for selling the Cube is due to the appalling push-fit BBs that they have.

    Ebay.
  • christiandransfield
    christiandransfield Posts: 127
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    Winter clothing will probably cost you £200.....if you really want to ride through winter

    I already have winter clothing, so no probs there. I just live in Cornwall (wet climate), and don't want to trash the Cube like I did last year. It's a great bike, but not the right one to be taking on regular wet rides, I have found.


    When you mentioned BB options, I take it you meant the conversion packs you can install into the socket?


    As I'm thinking of getting a better racing bike in the spring anyway, I just assumed that buying a cheap winter bike, and selling the Cube for a higher price now than next spring, would be a good idea.

    Any cheap winter bikes that are known for being reliable etc?
  • frisbee
    frisbee Posts: 691
    A new £200 bike is going to be terrible, truly terrible.

    You might find a bargain on ebay etc. but you'll probably have to replace the whole drive train.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    An £800 winter trainer will also be good for summer.
    Kinesis, Ribble, Tifosi etc all make good ones.
  • christiandransfield
    christiandransfield Posts: 127
    If I'm honest, I don't have that kind of budget at the moment, unfortunately.
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    But if you sell your cube you will have that kind of a budget?

    I am confused. You have a decent bike, but you don't want to trash it over winter, so you are going to sell it (and therefore take a big hit on money). You are then going to buy a really cheap bike that you will use over winter (if it survives the winter). And then what? Do you plan to use the money you got from selling your cube to buy a new summer bike? Even though you've taken the hit by selling the cube?

    MichaelW makes a solid point, there are plenty of bikes out there that can take full mudguards etc., but are plenty good enough for better weather.

    Winter is harsh on bikes, but anything with, preferably full mudguards, will help keep the crap off the drivetrain. Wash the bike down when you get home, keep an eye on chain wear etc. and there's no reason why a bike shouldn't be ridden all winter.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • birdie23
    birdie23 Posts: 457
    Sorry but I really don't understand what you are doing to your bike if it can't survive the winter. I have a Cube Agree GTC and it has survived 7500 all-weather miles over the last two years without any issues with the BB. It sits outside in all weathers during the day while at work too.

    I'm also not great at cleaning it, the best it often gets is a dry down with a towel when I'm home.

    As others have said anything under £200 will be awful, no matter what you think of your Cube it's a chariot compared to what your looking at now.
    2012 Cube Agree GTC
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Not a great time of year to sell a bike I wouldn't have thought.
    Guessing someone might buy it as a winter trainer though lol

    Just keep the Cube for winter, keep your £200 (instead of throwing it in the bin) and sell the bike next year prior to buying a new one.

    You will have more enjoyable riding through the winter, £200 that you did not waste towards new bike, the extra you may get by selling the cube at a better time of year, and it will be easier to maintain the Cube through winter than the monstrosity you will get for £200.

    What do you hope to get for the Cube?
    An even better option would be to keep the cube and fund the new bike without selling it.
    Then you will have a bike to use for next winter too.
  • vs4b
    vs4b Posts: 257
    Get a turbo trainer and stay indoors in winter!
  • timothyw
    timothyw Posts: 2,482
    Actually answering the question, presumably one of the B'Twin Triban's will do you (although I expect you'll have to up the budget slightly).

    You could get a halford's carrera something or other, but they are rather less well regarded, and stories of dodgy/useless halfords mechanics are numerous if you actually get problems with it (which you probably will, riding it through the winter).

    Better idea all round might be to get a single speed road bike - less to go wrong. Should be plenty around second hand. Fuji Track seems fairly reasonable at evans, although again out of budget.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    No, no, and thrice no :lol:
  • borisface
    borisface Posts: 273
    Keep the cube - get some mudguards, then just replace the chain and cassette, brake blocks and tyres in the spring. That's where your £200 should go.

    Alternatively, you could pick up something like a charge plug 2nd hand for £200 and give fixed a go over winter.
  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    You can pick up boardman alu's for around that sort of money.. They are pretty good. Don't get why you want to sell your bike now at the end of the season when prices are low.
    Guide to cheap bike lights Turbo Trainer Vids Play list
    Stretching & Workout Vids
  • letap73
    letap73 Posts: 1,608
    Some rather interesting answers here. In answer to your question op there are a number of potential solutions:

    1. Buy a second hand road bike - lots of bikes in good condition available on ebay - I suspect you will find Trek 1.1, 1200. 1400, CAAD 5 etc for that sort of money which with regular maintenance will see you through a number of winters.

    2. Buy a second hand mountain/hybrid bike - if you want to ride in winter and you don't really care what you ride I suspect there is a good choice of mountain/hybrids available in good condition.

    Some examples:
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cannondale-R4 ... 20ed752a9c
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Airli ... 1e93943058
  • turbo1191
    turbo1191 Posts: 501
    Not trying to hijack the thread, but im selling a pinnacle dolomite 3 for £300 posted if that's of any use? Full sora groupset, will take wide tyres, guards, and panniers if need be. used for a bout 100 miles. :wink:

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