I am about to buy a bike again after a number of years. I would plan to use it to get a little exersise and would be cycling on roads and off road cycle paths etc. so nothing too demanding max 10-15 miles a week.
I have looked in my local bike shop and seen a Raleigh Mountain bike (Max Aero). This is a basic Mountain bike with ridged forks and a Chromeoly ?? frame. Parts all look reasonable quality (Shimano gears, EZ rapid fire shifters, Pro Max Brakes) and although it is obviously an old model it apparently had a UK RRP of 190 pounds. It is on offer for 90 pounds in a sale.
Is this a good buy for a novice like me to start with? I've tried it for size etc. and it feels ok. In all honesty I can't afford to spend a great deal and all of the other bikes in this price range were makes I had never heard of.
I am about to buy a bike again after a number of years. I would plan to use it to get a little exersise and would be cycling on roads and off road cycle paths etc. so nothing too demanding max 10-15 miles a week.
I have looked in my local bike shop and seen a Raleigh Mountain bike (Max Aero). This is a basic Mountain bike with ridged forks and a Chromeoly ?? frame. Parts all look reasonable quality (Shimano gears, EZ rapid fire shifters, Pro Max Brakes) and although it is obviously an old model it apparently had a UK RRP of 190 pounds. It is on offer for 90 pounds in a sale.
Is this a good buy for a novice like me to start with? I've tried it for size etc. and it feels ok. In all honesty I can't afford to spend a great deal and all of the other bikes in this price range were makes I had never heard of.
I bought a £200 Raleigh, when £200 was what £300 is today. It was certainly good fun but weighed nearly 40lb and everything quickly corroded, proved to be unsealed against mud or just fell apart.
You need to spend more than that for anything that's going to be used off-road or in bad weather on- road. If your budget doesn't stretch to a new bike, try the classifieds in Cycling Plus etc for a s/h bike. Bikes depreciate almost vertically, so there are bargains to be had.
