2 Bikes and one for the nipper....

in message <[email hidden]>, ColinH

(') said:

Apologies if this has been covered before but I am after some
advise/pointers.
My work has given me a grant of £500 towards a new bike/s. I have to
spend it or give it them back!
I am looking for a bike for myself aswell as one of the trailer bikes
(I believe they are called) for my four year old daughter. Funds
permitting - the missus wants one aswell.....

Don't try to buy all three on this budget. Any two, but not all three.
Bikes costing £300 are _much_ better than ones costing £200, and bikes
costing less than about £150 are not worth having (except special sales
like last years models, which, seeing next years models come out in
September, will be available in three months' time).

Quoted message said:

What bike would I be best at looking?. If the missus doesn't have one
(taking into consideration a trailer bike will cost around £100) that
will leave me £400 for my bike or for the two of us.
I live in a village and have no nearby local bike shops - only
Halfords!....and internet access of course.
What would be a good model/s and where should I be looking, also
haggling isn't something I'm scared of doing.

Do you prefer straight bars or drops? In either case you probably want
700C wheels, and slick tyres (unless you plan to go seriously off road)
If the bike is being used for commuting, consider a hub gear system as
these take a lot less maintenance than derailleur systems.

Quoted message said:

I used to be into cycling 20 years ago and at the time had a Dawes -
dreadful thing and that cost £400 then.

Dawes are still doing reasonable bikes. So, at the low end of the market,
are Claud Butler. Apart from that the traditional British makes have
either gone altogether, or gone to the dogs. Giant do good bikes
straight from Taiwan, and since they (and one other taiwanese firm)
actually make the bikes for most of the other brands at the low to
middle end of the market they're worth a look. But tell us a bit more
about what you want and people will make suggestions.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn.
;; Jim Morrison

Hi,
Thanks for your quick and informative reply.
Nice start to a new group

I have decided that I will buy a bike for myself, and trailer?? bike
for the little one. I will purchase the missus a cheap one (£150) from
Halfords, as she will hardly ever use it (from my own pocket).
Minus the cost of the trailer (£100'ish) that will leave me £400, and
probably minus £50 for basic accessories. So £350 - £400 tops, is my
budget!
I would like a mountain bike style (although it doesnt have to be) and
will use it for a 3 mile commute each way to work, maybe to the shops
and at weekends 6 - 10 miles.
I would like a 'smart' looking bike and nothing 'old mannish'
I'm not bothered about 'this years latest model', just that it is good
for it's purpose and looks nice.
I'm sorry, I don't know what 700c wheels are or a 'hub system', but
will look on Google as soon as I finish.

Many Thanks for your help

Quoted message said:

Colin, Where are you based? I've got an Adams trailerbike surplus to
requirements, good nick, all parts apart from the silly flag, if you're
interested - I'm in E Nrthants near Peterborough.

in message <[email hidden]>,

ColinH (') said:

Hi,
Thanks for your quick and informative reply.
Nice start to a new group

I have decided that I will buy a bike for myself, and trailer?? bike
for the little one. I will purchase the missus a cheap one (£150) from
Halfords, as she will hardly ever use it (from my own pocket).
Minus the cost of the trailer (£100'ish) that will leave me £400, and
probably minus £50 for basic accessories. So £350 - £400 tops, is my
budget!
I would like a mountain bike style (although it doesnt have to be) and
will use it for a 3 mile commute each way to work, maybe to the shops
and at weekends 6 - 10 miles.

What do you mean by 'mountain bike style'? Mountain bikes are extremely
specialised machines and quite unsuitable for use on tarmac. I'm
assuming this is a bike for commuting on?

If what you want is a flat-barred hybrid, this is a hub geared bike which
will make a reliable low-maintenance commuter:
<URL:http://www.ridgebackbikes.co.uk/bikes/bike.asp?bikeID=117>
I haven't ridden one of these myself, but a friend has and commented on
it favourably. I believe Ridgeback also sell a version with a hub dynamo
as standard but I couldn't find it on their website.

Halfords do a similar bike for about £100 less - it's the only bike in
Halfords own brand range which has ever been recommended on this group,
but it is good value for money:
<URL:http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=18883&type=0&cat=144>

If you want something sportier (but inevitably higher maintenance) for
use on the road, then the urban hybrid to beat in terms of value for
money is Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's own-brand Revolution Courier Race,
but if you're not near one of their branches the Giant CRS range, or
Specialized Sirrus range are reasonable.
<URL:http://www.giant-bicycle.com/uk/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?year=2005&range=193>
<URL:http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?minisite=10082&spid=9354>

Of course if you really want to ride seriously off the beaten track then
you /do/ want a mountain bike, in which case the Claud Butler Cape Wrath
is very good value for money at your budget:
<URL:http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/2005/MTB/capewrath.html>
But be warned - it will be much more sluggish on tarmac than one of the
hybrids listed above.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Age equals angst multiplied by the speed of fright squared.
;; the Worlock

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, ColinH

(') said:

Apologies if this has been covered before but I am after some
advise/pointers.
My work has given me a grant of £500 towards a new bike/s. I have to
spend it or give it them back!
I am looking for a bike for myself aswell as one of the trailer bikes
(I believe they are called) for my four year old daughter. Funds
permitting - the missus wants one aswell.....

Don't try to buy all three on this budget. Any two, but not all three.
Bikes costing £300 are _much_ better than ones costing £200,

On the other hand cycling with one's family on a couple of £200 bike
can be more fun than cycling on one's own on a £300 bike.
(I'm reasonably happy with my £200 hybrid, but I've spent money on it
since buying it and it was a previous year's model being sold reduced.)

(And for short journeys in a small flat city with lots of bike theft,
a £100 bike can be better than nothing, if you can't find anything
suitable second hand. Some £100 bikes are worse than others.)

"iakobski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Colin, Where are you based? I've got an Adams trailerbike surplus to
requirements, good nick, all parts apart from the silly flag, if you're
interested - I'm in E Nrthants near Peterborough.

"iakobski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Colin, Where are you based? I've got an Adams trailerbike surplus to
requirements, good nick, all parts apart from the silly flag, if you're
interested - I'm in E Nrthants near Peterborough.

Hi
I think it may be a little too far. I'm in Shropshire. But depending on how
much you are asking for it, I may be able to collect it.
Thanks for everyones helpful replies. It's nice to be in a group where
people don't sarcastically refer you to Google or FAQ's or comment on
grammer. So thanks!
I went to Halford tonight and have got a bike for the missus - £149.99
hybrid, she's over the moon so she will keep me happy tonight 😉
I think I am leaning towards a hybrid bike after looking at Halford range,
but do like the look of the disc brakes/ruggidness (sp?) on the mountain
bikes- very 'Gucci' I know, but are they worth the extra few pounds?. I dont
really like Halfords prices as they quoted £139 for a single speed trailer
bike when you can get them for £89 online with gears. Mind you I can't
'feel' them for quality.
A friend at work has a 'Giant' racer bike, seems good quality and I like
their styling...I think the amin thing is to be able to try them and feel if
they are 'for you'.....something I suppose you can't do online without a
knowledgable friend.
Does anyone know if there is a good place in Shropshire for bikes or
somewhere online with recommendations?

Again many thanks for all that replied....

Regards

in message <[email hidden]>, ColinH

(') said:

"iakobski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Colin, Where are you based? I've got an Adams trailerbike surplus to
requirements, good nick, all parts apart from the silly flag, if
you're interested - I'm in E Nrthants near Peterborough.

I think it may be a little too far. I'm in Shropshire. But depending on
how much you are asking for it, I may be able to collect it.
Thanks for everyones helpful replies. It's nice to be in a group where
people don't sarcastically refer you to Google or FAQ's or comment on
grammer. So thanks!
I went to Halford tonight and have got a bike for the missus - £149.99
hybrid, she's over the moon so she will keep me happy tonight 😉
I think I am leaning towards a hybrid bike after looking at Halford
range, but do like the look of the disc brakes/ruggidness (sp?) on the
mountain bikes- very 'Gucci' I know, but are they worth the extra few
pounds?.

This is a very frequently asked question, and the answer is complicated.
Basically, no. Even the best disk brakes are heavier and no more
powerful than V brakes. The very best ones are more sensitive, and do
work in extremely vile muddy conditions, but they cost more than £100
per brake, and are not seen on bikes costing much less than £1,000. The
ones you can get on cheap bikes are at best no better than V brakes and
at worst considerably worse.

Likewise, 'ruggedness' - particularly knobbly tyres - will actually slow
you up and give you a more uncomfortable ride on the road. So will
suspension. And every ounce of extra weight on the bike is an ounce you
have to lug up every hill. So, unless you have a real need for them and
are prepared to spend real money, leave these things alone. A bike which
looks butch but is a pig to ride is very quickly going to put you off
cycling.

Quoted message said:

A friend at work has a 'Giant' racer bike, seems good quality and I
like their styling...I think the amin thing is to be able to try them
and feel if they are 'for you'.....something I suppose you can't do
online without a knowledgable friend.

Giant are OK. In fact, most of the bikes you see in the shops with other
brand names are actually made by Giant. They are far and away the
world's largest bike manufacturer.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; 'I think we should trust our president in every decision
;; that he makes and we should just support that'
;; Britney Spears of George W Bush, CNN 04:09:03