Any cyclists on here who can give me a bit of advice?

I'm after getting a bike, mainly just to try and help me get a bit fitter and doing a bit of exercise, It's not going to be really used on road's much or for commuting but mostly just for a bit of trekking down the canal etc. I'm on a low budget of probably a max of £125. Maybe that's not much but I don't want to go forking out ridiculous amounts on something that I may end up not using to much and that may not suit my needs. There's that many different types and I don't even know where to start.

Been looking on ebay at used ones which are a bit cheaper and also seen some within my price range at Halfords, although from reading reviews it seems to be hit and miss as to whether they are good or fall to pieces after a weeks use.

any suggestions? Theres a "Coyote Delaware" bike near me on ebay going for 50 quid But I can't find anything about that brand of bike either.

Its ok as a budget and you'll get an ok bike, and Halfords are an ok supplier to use - I'm a big fan of not spending one penny more to achieve your goals but also a victim of then going back and spending much more than I intended to in the first place

I'd prefer to buy new rather than second hand simply because some bikes can get hammered especially if "younger people" have been using them on rough ground or riding up kerbs etc - I saw a great example of this when my mate got his bike out for one of our long distance rides a few years ago and found that his son had been using it, both wheels were buckled but better than that the gear cassette on the back wheel had torn loose from the hub and you could pedal the bike as hard as you liked but it wouldn't turn the back wheel one inch

Your budget is pretty low for buying new it has to be said but if you are using it for unmade paths, towpaths etc and not actually taking it down a mountainside then anything that Halfords have will do the job and not fall to pieces in a week, if it does then take it back, they are actually pretty good.

Tell them in Halfords what you are going to use it for and try and keep focused on their Hybrid bikes, you'll find a better seat position than a true mountain bike and won't knacker your back up quite so quickly, get as many gears as you can with as many teeth on the big front gear as possible and your on-road cycling will be much more comfortable - a big difference between the number of teeth on the largest of the front gears and the smallest of the front gears will give you lots of useable choice for both on and off road, flat and inclines - then learn how to use them properly and you won't throw the bike away after two rides wondering why you're so knackered.

Thats just a rough guide but I see so many cyclists commuting on decent quality bikes who are peddaling like windmills on flat roads and going nowhere fast just because they won't use the gears properly - think about how fast the peloton can ride in Le Tour with very slow lazy revs on the pedals - ok they are slipstreaming too but they have huge front gear wheels to help them achieve that - it makes a big difference.


For a bit more money have a look at what they currently have in their Carerra range, but most importantly, get them to set the bike up properly for you.

Thanks for the advice, Think I'll go and have a look in Halfords tomorrow. The Hybrids are the ones that have been catching my eye. I may be on the odd bumpy path but certainly nothing extreme.

With your budget in mind, stay clear of Halfrauds. Their own brand, lower price range bikes are heavy and you will feel no benefit. Their customer service isrelatively poor as the shop assistants are just that assistants not specialists. Find a good local independent bike store, tell them requirements/budget and they will point you in the right direction. Often a lot of these independent stores take part exchanges in from keen cyclists and services up the bikes and sell them on at reduced rate. Check out http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40058 for beginners section for tips on bikes, equipment, maintenance etc.

With your budget in mind, stay clear of Halfrauds. Their own brand, lower price range bikes are heavy and you will feel no benefit. Their customer service isrelatively poor as the shop assistants are just that assistants not specialists. Find a good local independent bike store, tell them requirements/budget and they will point you in the right direction. Often a lot of these independent stores take part exchanges in from keen cyclists and services up the bikes and sell them on at reduced rate. Check out http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40058 for beginners section for tips on bikes, equipment, maintenance etc.

Chaka wrote:With your budget in mind, stay clear of Halfrauds. Their own brand, lower price range bikes are heavy and you will feel no benefit. Their customer service isrelatively poor as the shop assistants are just that assistants not specialists. Find a good local independent bike store, tell them requirements/budget and they will point you in the right direction. Often a lot of these independent stores take part exchanges in from keen cyclists and services up the bikes and sell them on at reduced rate. Check out http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40058 for beginners section for tips on bikes, equipment, maintenance etc. Do what Chaka says and stay well clear of Halfords. I bought one from them a couple of years ago and had nothing but trouble with it. They couldn't even set it up properly. I ended up trading my bike in for another at the local bike shop. Go to the local bike shop and they will sort you out. EB Cycles in Pemberton are good.

Chaka wrote:With your budget in mind, stay clear of Halfrauds. Their own brand, lower price range bikes are heavy and you will feel no benefit. Their customer service isrelatively poor as the shop assistants are just that assistants not specialists. Find a good local independent bike store, tell them requirements/budget and they will point you in the right direction. Often a lot of these independent stores take part exchanges in from keen cyclists and services up the bikes and sell them on at reduced rate. Check out http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40058 for beginners section for tips on bikes, equipment, maintenance etc. Do what Chaka says and stay well clear of Halfords. I bought one from them a couple of years ago and had nothing but trouble with it. They couldn't even set it up properly. I ended up trading my bike in for another at the local bike shop. Go to the local bike shop and they will sort you out. EB Cycles in Pemberton are good.

For what you want at that budget, get on gumtree and get a second hand one, bikes are a lot stronger than people give them credit for and finding a knackered one will be rare and probably easy to fix if it is. Go to a bike place first though and find the right size frame ie, the one that suits your size, there used to be a good bike shop your way (if you live in the wigan area) at Charnock Richard.
Iv you're not precious, you'll get a 2nd hand bike for £125 that brand new equivalent will be about 4-5 hundred.

Colour and size maybe not what you're looking for but something like this http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/kona- ... /107362325

Colour and size maybe not what you're looking for but something like this http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/kona- ... /107362325

Horatio Yed wrote:Colour and size maybe not what you're looking for but something like this http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/kona- ... /107362325 The first issue to address is what is the bike going to be used for, and the problem with shopping from Gumtree or eBay is that you get what you're given, which might not be exactly what you want. The bike in your link would be fine for riding off road (and I don't include canal side riding in "off road") but pretty much crap for a beginner who is taking it on road/path/canalside and who will then wonder why they can't get the same sort of speed up as everyone else and why it takes so much effort to go so slow. Gears and tyres are going to affect your road/path experience far, far more than anything else that is fixed to the bike, forget the whole specification thing as you aren't going to have a choice at the budget selected, but just get the best tyres (not mountain bike tyres) and the biggest range of gears that you can find, then get sized properly by the shop - nothing else matters. I agree with the other two that a specialist bike shop is always a great place to shop but again you come down to the budget, I love the Edinburgh Bike Co-ops but you won't find much in there for the price stated - thats why Halfords is still a good bet, many don't like them but you're not trying to pick their brains beyond the basics (and I've always found their assistants to have good experience of riding on all sorts of terrain, maybe I just got lucky). The only places I wouldn't recommend are the ones that spring up on industrial estates everywhere, take a short term rent on an empty warehouse and then fill it full of cheap imported bikes which will probably last a season if you're lucky, someone I know bought a bike a couple of years ago from one of those near York, we took him and it on our coast to coast ride, he was totally mystified why his new bike was still such hard work (it was a hybrid but with very small mountain bike gearing), it was heavy, it wasn't set up right for him, and he and it were shagged after 160 miles.

Horatio Yed wrote:Colour and size maybe not what you're looking for but something like this http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/kona- ... /107362325 The first issue to address is what is the bike going to be used for, and the problem with shopping from Gumtree or eBay is that you get what you're given, which might not be exactly what you want. The bike in your link would be fine for riding off road (and I don't include canal side riding in "off road") but pretty much crap for a beginner who is taking it on road/path/canalside and who will then wonder why they can't get the same sort of speed up as everyone else and why it takes so much effort to go so slow. Gears and tyres are going to affect your road/path experience far, far more than anything else that is fixed to the bike, forget the whole specification thing as you aren't going to have a choice at the budget selected, but just get the best tyres (not mountain bike tyres) and the biggest range of gears that you can find, then get sized properly by the shop - nothing else matters. I agree with the other two that a specialist bike shop is always a great place to shop but again you come down to the budget, I love the Edinburgh Bike Co-ops but you won't find much in there for the price stated - thats why Halfords is still a good bet, many don't like them but you're not trying to pick their brains beyond the basics (and I've always found their assistants to have good experience of riding on all sorts of terrain, maybe I just got lucky). The only places I wouldn't recommend are the ones that spring up on industrial estates everywhere, take a short term rent on an empty warehouse and then fill it full of cheap imported bikes which will probably last a season if you're lucky, someone I know bought a bike a couple of years ago from one of those near York, we took him and it on our coast to coast ride, he was totally mystified why his new bike was still such hard work (it was a hybrid but with very small mountain bike gearing), it was heavy, it wasn't set up right for him, and he and it were shagged after 160 miles.

If he wants to just get fitter, why go for a bike that uses less effort?

Because he'll enjoy it more and it won't be back on Gumtree the following week ?