Bike suggestions??

Gops

Gops

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Hi guys, just need a little help. Me and a few friend are going to buy a push bike to ride back and forth from uni! However, im trying to stop my friends from going to halfrauds because they seem a bit of a rip off.. Any push bike experts out there that can give me some good suggestions for around £200-£300? one of my mates is willing to pay up to £500! They want a pretty good bike..

Gops
 
Evans, Leisure Lakes, etc all pretty good bikes shops and will have plenty of last years models discounted.

The 200-500 pound range though is difficult to pick one out that is good. If it were me buying with that kind of money, i'd go the second hand route as you'll get a great bike for that sort of money as second hand bike don't hold their value.

For instance, this is a 3 year old bike that cost nearly £1000 new, £430 buy it now on the bay....

Kona Kula Mountain Bike - Hardly used, excellent con on eBay (end time 01-Nov-10 17:52:52 GMT)
 
for £500 i would stay away from full sus. your only end up with crap (unless you buy secondhand)

for what i class as a "good" bike, i wouldn't pay anyless then £800 for hardtail and £1200 for full sus

halfrods bike are rubbish, but thats IMO.
 
Thanks for the reply lads! Seems like im gonna have to get some second hand ones. Any makes i should be looking at or staying away from? Have no clue on what i should look for on a bike!
 
That bike I sent you a link to Gops, is a actually a pretty good bike (I had one!) i'd seriously consider it an option if i were in your shoes. Failing that, anything from a manufacturer you recognise the name of to be honest and perhaps aim for around no older than 3 years for a secondhand bike. GT, Kona, Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, where do I stop....

Enter the Ebay....
 
This might help too:

One important thing you need to look at when you are assessing a second hand mountain bike is to try and ascertain it’s wear and tear. Firstly, it is a good idea to ask the previous owner if possible a few questions. You should ask them questions like:

  • How often they rode it
  • Where they rode it
  • Whether they are the only owner
  • Whether it has had any frame repairs
  • Why they are selling it
  • How often they had it serviced and maintained.

You should also give all the bikes you are looking at a thorough check over! Look at all the key wear and tear areas to check how they look. Take it for a test ride. Some of the things you should look for are:

  • Are the chain rings and sprocket teeth sharp or still rounded? Sharp teeth on cassette and chainrings are a sign that they are worn out.
  • Are the wheels still straight?
  • Do the gears change quickly or are they sluggish?
  • Do the gears slip when you put a lot of pressure on the pedals? Test the most commonly used gears (usually the middle sprockets of the cassette) to assess this.
  • Look for cracks in the frame around the bottom bracket and head tube area. They are the parts of the bike with the highest stress levels. Cracks can be very small so check carefully. If the bike even has the smallest crack, steer well clear of it!
 
What do you intend to do with the bikes? I know you mention going to/from uni - which I assume will be on road or cycle tracks. If that's all you are going to do, then a hybrid bike makes more sense than an MTB. If you are never going to venture off road then it makes no sense to pay for suspension and nobbly tyres which is just going to make your bike heavier and increase the rolling resistance when you pedal. Then again, if you plan more road riding, a road bike would make more sense.

Other than that, I echo the advice from others - steer clear of halfords and keep an eye on eBay. Oh, and don't go for anything too flash as I assume bike theft at Uni is still as rife as it was when I was at Uni.
 
I have a crappy road bike for my daily commute to the train station, and keep my MTB for fun times at the weekends etc. The road bike is so much faster, lighter and is much less likely to be nicked than my MTB so I'm happy to leave it at the station.

If you wanna stick with a MTB though, I'd agree with most others. Try put your facebook status as "MTB wanted" loads of people have them clogging up the garage and will flog for cheap, you may be surprised and it's free to ask.
 
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