What bike to buy?

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  meowmeowmeow on 23/05/2014 - 15:35

  +3

  Check out gumtree. I got a trek bike worth $750ish with helmet, lights etc for $300, barely used. A lot of people will sell bikes that they bought with good intentions but didn't end up riding much. Mine's a hybrid, so it's in between a road bike and mountain bike. I like it.

  • 

    k on 23/05/2014 - 15:38

    Probably is I don't know anything about bikes haha.

    • 

      meowmeowmeow on 23/05/2014 - 15:41

      I didn't know anything about bikes either. If you're worried, maybe go to the bike store and ask them what would suit you, and note down what size etc you liked, and then look on gumtree if you want to save some money. It's almost tour de france time though, the bike shops normally have a sale around then to take advantage of the hype.

      Also ask your friends what kind of bike they have and ask if you can try it out for a day or more.

      • 

        k on 23/05/2014 - 15:44

        Problem is*

        Thanks for your input. I'll try to make it to Reid next week and have a look around.

    • 

      battler on 23/05/2014 - 16:24

      on 2nd handies, check for perfectly round wheels/tyres
      lift up bike and spin wheels, look from both top and side, look for wobble and distortion.

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  Gdsamp on 23/05/2014 - 18:15

  Few options you have here:
  1) Buy Second Hand - Gumtree etc.
  Somewhat inexpensive ie. you can get a newer bike for less cost; but beware of scams, crazy people and stolen property.

  2) Buy New From Bike Shop
  Best of the options from a quality standpoint, you're getting a new bike and no doubt at least one free service from the bike shop. Downsides: more expensive - not seen a bike >$300 at my local bike shop.

  3) Buy Direct from Online
  You mentioned you had heard about Reid Cycles. Don't have any friends with any experience, but I'd reckon they'd be ok. Cell Bikes has a few decent looking bikes such as the MTX-2D but that's $400 on special so a bit out of your price range. Also lacks a bit of after purchase support.

  Other tips:
  You sound like you're in the market for a mountain style bike, and so many will be fitted with suspension forks. AVOID any suspension that has the word Zoom on it. In this price suspension will be very basic and will be similar to a pogo stick. Probably ok considering you're starting out, but avoid Zoom.
  Make sure what ever you buy, that it is of good quality. You may be put off riding by a bike that tires you quickly or leaves you stranded.

  Bikes to look at:
  Branded Giant, Trek, GT, Specialized, Avanti a few more.

• 

  Peace Maker on 23/05/2014 - 19:22

  +1

  I bought a used mountain bike and then got a pair of slicks for road riding. I just change the tyres for the rare times I go off road/trails with friends. A pretty good compromise I think.

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  wicklow on 23/05/2014 - 21:31

  There's also:
  http://www.bikeexchange.com.au

  Cyclists tend to get really into their kit, and there's a reasonable turn over in second hand bikes as ppl upgrade.

  I'm a big fan of a 29er (mountain bike with 29" wheels) for the type of riding you described. Mine had remote lock out on the front suspension which helps when swapping between dirt and track.

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  tebbybabes on 23/05/2014 - 22:35

  You may also want to try garage sales, but that tends be mostly on the lower end of the spectrum… also you can never know IF they will have a bike for sale. Feels like too much work if hunting for just one specific item.

  I totally agree with the advice given. You can get lucky. When you know MORE about bikes, keep at the bargain hunting, you'll be able to recognize nuggets in the dirt.

  Another bit of advice, if you're handy, bicycles are pretty simple machines. It's not rocket science, you'd be surprised at what you can do with some common sense, a bicycle repair book and the internet. I once bought a vintage 60's ladies bike for $10 at a garage sale. I did a full restore on it, cleaned, and polished it. Looks smashing now and EVERYTHING on it, except for the tyres and the basket is ORIGINAL. It's a pretty sight and the wifey loves it.

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  k on 23/05/2014 - 22:54

  Thanks everyone for their advice.

  I have decided that it's best to go the secondhand route. There is a bike repair thing at uni every week so I'll ask them for some help.

  What should I be looking out for when I'm purchasing a secondhand bike? Any tips?

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  msmhw on 24/05/2014 - 00:51

  I am too thinking to buy a bike, I was thinking between secondhand or k-mart bikes. anybody knows anything about kmart bikes? are they good for at least a year?

  edit: also I want to ask do anyone knows about motorised bicycle? any experience? found them in gumtree around $400 which look good but I havent use one before. appreciate any help

  • 

    tebbybabes on 24/05/2014 - 12:58

    +1

    I know everyone says the Kmart/BigW/Target/ALDI bikes are rubbish and truthfully, they are - if you compare them to bikes that cost 5-10x their price. Maintained well and PROPERLY assembled (cannot stress this enough)they are more than capable of getting from point A to point B. (commuting purposes, I wouldn't recommend taking them trail or mountain biking at all) Case in point, I have one, its my beater bike - the one that rides the train and its not flash at all. Its done over 3000k on it now and is 6 years old. Only thing changed were the brake pads and tyres cause they wore out and the saddle because I ripped it, but that was my fault.

    Unfortunately, not all is peachy - its not as fun to ride as my other rides (of course they cost 10x more), it weighs quite a bit more, although the dept store bikes are aluminium now as well, so that would be a little bit lighter. But it gets the job done and I still use it all the time.

    To put things in perspective, millions of people use bicycles. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of them are basic bikes with even less features that the dept. store bikes. They work just fine.