Buying a cheap spare bike.. advice?

[bornfree]

Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.

I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
Here is a picture:
http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG

Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?

I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

 

[Pete Biggs]

bornfree wrote:
> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> Here is a picture:
> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

That kind of bike should be OK for what you want.

It would give a smoother faster ride on roads and paths if you changed the
knobbly tyres (meant for soft mud) for slicker "road" tyres. Also an
adjustable handlebar stem would help make it fit each of your various-size
friends & visitors.

If you post the full eBay item link rather than just the picture then we may
get a better idea about the details and value of this particular bike.

You'll probably find something similar advertised in your local papers or
shop windows that would save you having to bid in advance. Of course it's
always good to examine a bike before buying, and also you can haggle on the
price.

~PB

 

[Roger Merriman]

bornfree <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> Here is a picture:
> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
looks like a apollo mtb?

> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
2 years ago with 18 gears will be fairly primitive.

> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

apollo bikes tend to be rather cruddy even when new it has to be said.
a shop in surbiton sells bikes like that for £35 give or take.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

 

[bornfree]

On 8 Apr, 12:24, "Pete Biggs"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> bornfree wrote:
> > Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> > so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> > before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> > everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> > I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> > hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> > Here is a picture:
> >http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
> > Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> > dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> > I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> > advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!
>
> That kind of bike should be OK for what you want.
>
> It would give a smoother faster ride on roads and paths if you changed the
> knobbly tyres (meant for soft mud) for slicker "road" tyres. Also an
> adjustable handlebar stem would help make it fit each of your various-size
> friends & visitors.
>
> If you post the full eBay item link rather than just the picture then we may
> get a better idea about the details and value of this particular bike.
>
> You'll probably find something similar advertised in your local papers or
> shop windows that would save you having to bid in advance. Of course it's
> always good to examine a bike before buying, and also you can haggle on the
> price.
>
> ~PB

I don't want to attract more buying competition to it which is why I
am leaving out the URL

But here is the exact discription:

"Adult bike, mens. Apolo Tremor. Although I bought it 2 years ago,but
I have only used it twice. The rest of the time it has been gathering
dust in the shed. It has 18 shimano gear.Rides well."

And the only other picture

http://i23.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/e7/a3/f2d3_3.JPG

As for the adjustable handlebar stem... don't think there's much I can
do about that.. it either has it or it doesn't.

Any estimates on the value of the bike greatly appreciated!

 

[Mark T]

bornfree writtificated

> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?

A six speed block at the back prolly means a freewheel instead of the
more modern and stronger freehub. Expect the odd broken axle if it's
going to be ridden hard off road or bump up and down kerbs a lot. The
gears will also be bottom of the range[1]. The rims look like they
may be single walled, so weaker and possibly (?)more likely to go out
of true(?). I'd be pleasantly surprised if the hubs had decent
sealings to prevent water getting in and washing out the grease.

That said, if it has only been ridden twice the drivetrain should be
okay (to fix worn components normally costs more than these bikes are
worth - they're normally so far gone that you need a new chain,
cassette and often chainset - £40 for that lot before labour). Might
need the gear cable tightening a tad to account for the cables bedding
in.

With light use in good weather it'll do what you want. £40 is
probably a fair price if it is in good nick. Though I'd be looking to
pay less it is prolly worth the extra £10-15 pounds on yer standard
used second hand bike just 'cos you won't have to fettle it too much
before it rides well.




[1] Strictly speaking, they'll not even be in the range, they're that
low.

 

[Pete Biggs]

bornfree wrote:

> I don't want to attract more buying competition to it which is why I
> am leaving out the URL

Understood, but it's unlikely that anyone reading this newsgoup would be
interested in it, especially after what Roger and Mark have revealed - that
it's rubbish.

Look around and you'll find better quite easily.

> As for the adjustable handlebar stem... don't think there's much I can
> do about that.. it either has it or it doesn't.

Of course there's something you can do about it. You buy a stem and fit it.
They can be quite cheap.

> Any estimates on the value of the bike greatly appreciated!

£5

~PB

 

[Peter Clinch]

Pete Biggs wrote:
> bornfree wrote:

>> Any estimates on the value of the bike greatly appreciated!
>
> £5

Given that time == money to some extent, and you don't have to go
looking any harder if you get this, I'd put it a bit higher than that...
but not much... And while, say, £20 may be four times Pete's estimate,
in absolute terms it's still not much. And that should include any
postage or cost to pick it up.

If I have a friend visiting that wants to borrow a bike they use my
folder while I use either the tourer or the freighter. Everyone has a
bike to ride and I don't have something that's basically dead space in
between loans. The folder has no particular security problems as it can
be folded up and carried inside places if locking it is not thought
sufficient.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Gizmo.]

"bornfree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> Here is a picture:
> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

If all you want is an occasional bike, then maybe http://www.freecycle.org/
is worth a looksie ?

 

[Colin Reed]

"Roger Merriman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1if2vgg.1erndp6zskonyN%[email protected]...
> bornfree <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
>> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
>> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
>> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>>
>> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
>> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
>> Here is a picture:
>> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>>
> looks like a apollo mtb?
>
>> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
>> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>>
> 2 years ago with 18 gears will be fairly primitive.
>
>> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
>> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!
>
> apollo bikes tend to be rather cruddy even when new it has to be said.
> a shop in surbiton sells bikes like that for £35 give or take.
>
> roger
> --
> www.rogermerriman.com

I had an Apollo Tremor that lasted fairly regular road use and the
occasional off-road bash around the Lakes. It's heavy and fairly primitive
but I got a good 8 years riding out of it with no major problems. The gears
are not great, and the chain could jump off more than you'd like if shifting
quickly. Overall it's quite heavy too, but for the price it's been an ok
bike for me.

Colin

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <f8c62871-19ab-41fd-afa2-df12326158a2@
1g2000prg.googlegroups.com>, bornfree
[email protected] says...
> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> Here is a picture:
> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!
>
Pile of junk, I wouldn't pay the starting price, but if all you want is
a very basic bike for occasional use then I suppose it might be OK.
Just don't expect it to work very well or last very long. These bikes
typically get used a few times then consigned to the shed because
they're just not nice to ride.

 

[bornfree]

On 8 Apr, 13:26, "Gizmo." <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> If all you want is an occasional bike, then maybehttp://www.freecycle.org/
> is worth a looksie ?

Thanks I will take a look.

What do you guys think of this bike:

http://i32.tinypic.com/24pxfz6.png (Details in the pic)

Seller wants £29

 

[Tom]

"bornfree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>
> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

That'll be
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Halford-adult...ryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

then.

BSO, not worth the starting price. (not worth 10% of the starting price
actually)

For less than twice what this POS is going for, I bought a 27 year old
Mercian Strada Speciale as a spare last year. I spent less than £20 fixing
it up and it's my favourite bike now (which is saying something as I also
have a Mercian Audax)

What I'm saying is, an old (very) good bike should always be a better
bike than a new POS (assuming no major faults) BSO's are built with major
faults and no amount of money spent on them will ever make them will ever
make them feel as good to ride as a good old bike.

Keep looking.

Tom

 

[bornfree]

On 8 Apr, 16:44, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "bornfree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> > dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> > I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> > advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!
>
> That'll behttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Halford-adult-bike_W0QQitemZ330226204590QQihZ01...
>
> then.
>
> BSO, not worth the starting price. (not worth 10% of the starting price
> actually)
>
> For less than twice what this POS is going for, I bought a 27 year old
> Mercian Strada Speciale as a spare last year. I spent less than £20 fixing
> it up and it's my favourite bike now (which is saying something as I also
> have a Mercian Audax)
>
> What I'm saying is, an old (very) good bike should always be a better
> bike than a new POS (assuming no major faults) BSO's are built with major
> faults and no amount of money spent on them will ever make them will ever
> make them feel as good to ride as a good old bike.
>
> Keep looking.


I am. Looky:

http://i32.tinypic.com/24pxfz6.png

£29 asking price

?

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <1if2vgg.1erndp6zskonyN%[email protected]>, Roger Merriman wrote:
>bornfree <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
>> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
>> Here is a picture:
>> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
[...]
>apollo bikes tend to be rather cruddy even when new it has to be said.
>a shop in surbiton sells bikes like that for £35 give or take.

A shop would probably fix that back brake before selling it though.
But it's probably just that way because of incompetence not a buckled
rear rim.

 

[Tom]

"bornfree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ced1e10c-80be-4288-8bc9-af5817f4a4d4@c19g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On 8 Apr, 16:44, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Keep looking.


>I am. Looky:

>http://i32.tinypic.com/24pxfz6.png

>£29 asking price

>?

Yes, it's another BSO.

Where it says "RRP £85" Think about how much bike you would get with a
retail price of £85 after you have removed the retailers profit, the
manufactures profit, the shipping costs from China or wherever it was built
and the price of the tyres.

The bike brand new probably cost £30 to build. £10 for the frame and
forks, £10 for the groupset, £10 for the wheels. It looks like a bike but
for £30 that's all you get, something that looks like a bike, a bike shaped
object.

Really, I'm just trying to save you heartache. Buy a good old bike,
something which when new cost a good bit of money. It might be old and
faded, you might have to spend a few quid on cables and tyres, maybe even a
new bottom bracket but for less than that £85 you can be riding a really
good bike.

If you just want cheap here's a Peugeot for 99p, probably worth every penny
of it too.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Old-Peugeot-B...ryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Tom

 

[Doki]

"bornfree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
>
> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> Here is a picture:
> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
>
> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
>
> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!

Buy a cheap road bike out of the Ad-Mag / Loot / Local equivalent free ads
paper. They tend to fetch less there than on Ebay, IMO. Anything will alloy
rims will suit fine for your purposes, though it may be a bit of stretch for
people to cope with downtube shifters. I spent a tenner on mine and swapped
the front wheel for a freeby one off here.

The cheap mountain bikes you're looking at are really very poor - a friend
bought one and it was heavy and the rear wheel soon gave out. If you want
something more MTB than pure road, then there are some very cheap new Dawes
hybrids on ebay that look ok.

 

[Pete Biggs]

bornfree wrote:

> http://i32.tinypic.com/24pxfz6.png
>
> £29 asking price

I agree with what Tom's saying. Look for a bike that's a bit older but cost
a lot more originally.

~PB

 

[Doki]

bornfree wrote:
> On 8 Apr, 13:26, "Gizmo." <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> If all you want is an occasional bike, then
>> maybehttp://www.freecycle.org/ is worth a looksie ?
>
> Thanks I will take a look.
>
> What do you guys think of this bike:
>
> http://i32.tinypic.com/24pxfz6.png (Details in the pic)
>
> Seller wants £29

Looks like another rubbish bike. Bikes of this ilk are £59 brand spanking at
Decathlon, with a guarantee and the rest of it. I'd look for something made
by a half decent make, as even their cheapest output should be OK. Say
Specialized, Dawes, Ridgeback (not great but make a lot of alright quality
utility type bikes), Trek etc. If it's a make you've never heard of, it's
going to be one of two sets of bike - a) rare high quality bike that you
can't afford or b) a bike that you can afford that's rubbish.

 

[Mark T]

Doki writtificated

> Buy a cheap road bike <snippity> though it may be a
> bit of stretch for people to cope with downtube shifters.

And non-drop users may not get on with the bars. I'd stick with flat bar
bikes if it's for other peeps to use.

 

[Roger Merriman]

Colin Reed <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Roger Merriman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1if2vgg.1erndp6zskonyN%[email protected]...
> > bornfree <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Ok.. I am looking for a cheap spare bike to give to visitors/friends
> >> so they can ride with me. I have dismissed the Trek.. I posted about
> >> before, as I don't think it's what I need. Thanks very much to
> >> everyone who responded, it taught me a lot.
> >>
> >> I am considering this bike, for its low price and mucky looks which I
> >> hope will deter thieves (with the aid of a couple of D-locks).
> >> Here is a picture:
> >> http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/e7/a3/effe_3.JPG
> >>
> > looks like a apollo mtb?
> >
> >> Seller says it has been ridden twice, and has since been collecting
> >> dust. Was bought 2 years ago. 18 gears. That's all. Looks ok?
> >>
> > 2 years ago with 18 gears will be fairly primitive.
> >
> >> I might view it before buying, might just bid on it and pay in
> >> advance. How much do you think it's worth? Thanks!
> >
> > apollo bikes tend to be rather cruddy even when new it has to be said.
> > a shop in surbiton sells bikes like that for £35 give or take.
> >
> > roger
> > --
> > www.rogermerriman.com
>
> I had an Apollo Tremor that lasted fairly regular road use and the
> occasional off-road bash around the Lakes. It's heavy and fairly primitive
> but I got a good 8 years riding out of it with no major problems. The gears
> are not great, and the chain could jump off more than you'd like if shifting
> quickly. Overall it's quite heavy too, but for the price it's been an ok
> bike for me.
>
sure, i have and still use a big heavy hybrid for around town up to
about 10 miles, copes fine with road, park, etc. it's a seriouly robust
bike, considering the punishment i give it.

> Colin

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com