Bought a Raleigh for £90

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Ehi
Posts: 50
Joined: 5 May 2020, 11:56am

cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Ehi »

hi guys
I organized a biking club here in Hull. However I have not yet bought a bike yet as the likes of halfords and argos etc do not have any in stock. Halfords said they are expecting new stock net week tuesday


A friend of mine got this from halfords and we assembled it together

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6071026 ... ens:1:45:1

Although the colour was black and blue and I was amazed at the quality of the bike and how lovely it was, see attachment, initially I was looking at purchasing this https://www.jdsports.co.uk/product/kona ... /15910017/ or something similar

My friends dont see the rational of an expensive bike, as

1. we all get 1 year warranty
2. None of us are professional riders
3. The argument of lighter bikes does not carry much weight, after all we are all trying to stay fit
4. In the Uk we only have about 4- 5 months max of riding weather
5. If buy a new bike every 2 years at such a low price, it is still cheaper than an expensive bike

I start to wonder others seasoned opinions on the matter. Kindly advice

many thanks
E
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1591203976453.JPEG
hamster
Posts: 4131
Joined: 2 Feb 2007, 12:42pm

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by hamster »

The Argos bike:
Forks have such little travel as to be useless
It has a freewheel, not a freehub - the rear axle is consequently weaker and likely to fail
Its horrible weight means that it will feel like riding a hippo.
Nasty tyres will feel like riding through porridge.
The brakes and gears will be tetchy and difficult to set up. Seals will be nonexistent on hubs etc, which will fail after a winter's riding.
Zero resale value.

The Kona will be nicer to ride, has durable components and has a resale value of maybe 40% of purchase price after two years.

Over to you. I guarantee that if you took both for a 20 minute test ride you would choose the Kona.
whoof
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Joined: 29 Apr 2014, 2:13pm

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by whoof »

Ehi wrote:hi guys

4. In the Uk we only have about 4- 5 months max of riding weather


I start to wonder others seasoned opinions on the matter. Kindly advice

many thanks
E

Welcome. I live in the UK and get twelve months of riding weather each year.
Which probably goes to show we are all different and may have different view points on a whioe range of subjects. With regards to bikes all of your points are perfectly valid however i don't know of anyone who lives a truly utilitarian life style. For instance they all drink tea or coffee or alcohol rather than just tap water which is cheaper and often far healthier than many alternatives. I certainly have a limit as to what i am prepared to spend on an item but depending on what it is that often isn't the lowest priced option.
tim-b
Posts: 2093
Joined: 10 Oct 2009, 8:20am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by tim-b »

Hi
1) A more expensive bike will often have a longer warranty, some have a lifetime frame warranty for example B'Twin (Decathlon), Trek, Specialized
2) I'm certainly not :)
3) I could lose more weight at no cost, but a lighter bike might be a nicer experience. Better components are often nicer to use
4) Not in my bit. I won't start a ride in the rain and generally try to avoid it, but otherwise layer up and get out there, Jan-Dec
5) Buy well and it'll last way more than two years, have a look in Decathlon at the Triban range for example
Regards
tim-b
~~~~¯\(ツ)/¯~~~~
RobinS
Posts: 214
Joined: 9 Apr 2015, 10:01am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by RobinS »

Even if the warranty is the same the length of time the bikes will actually last is vastly different. I have today been out on my MTB - a decent quality bike, but now about 18 years old, still in perfect working order, and nice to ride. When my youngest daughter was 10 in 1997 we bought her a decent GT mtb, it is now being happily ridden by her second daughter.

A decent quality (£500ish nowadays?) bike should be reasonably well made, with decent functional components that work well, and will continue to work well for some considerable time.
A £160 bike is manufactured as cheaply as possible, the components when new may or may not function to an adequate level while new, but will almost certainly not last very long, and may well need moderately expert attention to get them to work properly.
Bonefishblues
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Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Bonefishblues »

The cheaper bike will be functional until you dispose of it and buy another one. The more expensive bike will be a nicer ride and you're going to be able to sell it after 2 years. For the price, if you only want a relatively few casual bimbles with friends in the club you've formed, go for the Halfords bike.

If you get enthusiastic you'll be able to chop it in with limited loss and get a better bike, anyway.
Ehi
Posts: 50
Joined: 5 May 2020, 11:56am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Ehi »

Thanks a lot guys - there has been a lot of sensible worthy while advice given on here

Ironically my friend who bought the bike is a jnr doctor who drives a brand new c- class merc, but he said no bike has a badge so is would rather go cheap.

I had spoken to halfords who said new stock are coming in on tuesday next week, so will wait and see or else go for the one I posted earlier
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Trigger
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Joined: 6 Aug 2010, 11:54am
Location: Derby/Notts

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Trigger »

Like a lot of Doctors then, sounds like he doesn't know much.
whoof
Posts: 2519
Joined: 29 Apr 2014, 2:13pm

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by whoof »

Ehi wrote:Thanks a lot guys - there has been a lot of sensible worthy while advice given on here

Ironically my friend who bought the bike is a jnr doctor who drives a brand new c- class merc, but he said no bike has a badge so is would rather go cheap.

I had spoken to halfords who said new stock are coming in on tuesday next week, so will wait and see or else go for the one I posted earlier


Bikes do have badges on the front just like cars.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/bike-head-badge/bn_7024884190

The one thing I won't spend much on is a car. My current one would have been less than seven grand new, it was nine years old when i bought it and I've had it another eight years.
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

Ehi wrote:
but he said no bike has a badge



60A71754-1088-49C0-8F0C-A9085C3FD491.jpeg
PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by PH »

Ehi wrote:4. In the Uk we only have about 4- 5 months max of riding weather
E

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Like many others on this forum I ride nearly every day. 342 of them last year, but I've not been so lazy this year.
I had a cheap bike for years, it was so awful it didn't get ridden, my first reasonable hybrid was a real eye opener, i had no idea cycling was so easy, let alone that it could be fun. When the Argos bike needs some servicing in a few months (If it gets used) you'll find out the cost of keeping it working will likely be more than it cost. I don't know where the tipping point will be, but sometime soon the Kona will have proved itself better value.
jgurney
Posts: 1212
Joined: 10 May 2009, 8:34am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by jgurney »

Ehi wrote:My friends dont see the rational of an expensive bike, as

1. we all get 1 year warranty

No, better quality bikes often have longer ones.

2. None of us are professional riders

Wrong comparison. Professional athletic riders would be on £5000 bikes, not £500 ones.
3. The argument of lighter bikes does not carry much weight, after all we are all trying to stay fit

You are right that there may be little point paying extra for super-light machines, but a £99 bike is likely to be super-heavy rather than a normal weight.
4. In the Uk we only have about 4- 5 months max of riding weather

Lots of people here ride 12 months of the year, even if not every day.
E.g. in summer I might ride to work almost every day, and in winter after checking the weather forecasts ride on 2 or 3 days/week.

5. If buy a new bike every 2 years at such a low price, it is still cheaper than an expensive bike

Not an environmentally friendly stance! And remember Terry Pratchett's 'Boots theory of inequality' - A poor man buys $2 boots which soon leak, and are worn out in a year. A rich man buys $10 boots, which don't leak and last six years. After six years, the rich man has paid less and has had dry feet the whole time.
Peter F
Posts: 143
Joined: 25 May 2020, 8:16am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Peter F »

Avoid really cheap sub £200 bikes. A few years back I bought a Carrera Subway 2 hybrid for £280 from Halfords and it was absolutely fine. At 14kg is certainly never felt heavy and had decent shimano components. It's worth paying a bit extra in my opinion and spending around £300. If you get the bug you may well then want a better bike, I did.

Bikes most certainly do have badges, in fact cying has become an incredibly image conscious pastime sadly with an awful lot of badge snobbery. It is every bit as bad as the work car park in that respect :lol:
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Trigger
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Joined: 6 Aug 2010, 11:54am
Location: Derby/Notts

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Trigger »

Peter F wrote:Avoid really cheap sub £200 bikes. A few years back I bought a Carrera Subway 2 hybrid for £280 from Halfords and it was absolutely fine. At 14kg is certainly never felt heavy and had decent shimano components. It's worth paying a bit extra in my opinion and spending around £300. If you get the bug you may well then want a better bike, I did.

Bikes most certainly do have badges, in fact cying has become an incredibly image conscious pastime sadly with an awful lot of badge snobbery. It is every bit as bad as the work car park in that respect :lol:


The Subway was a great bike and a bit of an outlier, is there a bike that offers similar value and reasonable parts currently?
Ehi
Posts: 50
Joined: 5 May 2020, 11:56am

Re: cheap budget bikes vs £500 + bikes

Post by Ehi »

jgurney wrote:
Ehi wrote:My friends dont see the rational of an expensive bike, as



2. None of us are professional riders

Wrong comparison. Professional athletic riders would be on £5000 bikes, not £500 ones.







lol :D


jgurney wrote:
Not an environmentally friendly stance! And remember Terry Pratchett's 'Boots theory of inequality' - A poor man buys $2 boots which soon leak, and are worn out in a year. A rich man buys $10 boots, which don't leak and last six years. After six years, the rich man has paid less and has had dry feet the whole time.



Yes you are right, so is most of the advise given on here. I always buy clarks for my daughter when she goes to school, which is quite pricey and the same principle as well as others mentioned here reflect the same thing


Peter F wrote:Avoid really cheap sub £200 bikes. A few years back I bought a Carrera Subway 2 hybrid for £280 from Halfords


I am confused about your comment, as this site says the Carrera subway 2 is one of the best bikes in the UK ???

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tes ... ide-206065
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