Looking for bike,just casual ride to the local shops,maybe once a week or fortnight to take my 2 yo daughter out.I want a bike sub $300,the lighter the better,multi speed,reliable gear,prefer it has QR axle.
rebel sports has one for $200 down from $300,I think it ticks most of what I want for only $200,really wish it had QR axle,is there any better buy for $200?is QR retro fit doable?I consider myself pretty handy,what would the material cost be?
thanks in advance
http://www.rebelsport.com.au/Product/Nitro-Men-s-Traverse-Bi…
Is This Bike Any Good for $200?
L028 on 22/01/2017 - 00:06
Comments
QR retrofit is not that doable on the cheap, it requires new hubs, QR skewers and spokes. (a spoke set on the cheap is about $20, a hub set maybe $50-60 from Aliexpress, spoke keys are fairly cheap - but note variable quality/buyer beware). Unless you DIY, total cost ends up more than the bike itself.
A decent bike store might offer you an alternative wheel build on a given bike for reasonable price, but I'm not so sure about RebelSport.
I personally do not like quick release as it means it is that much easier for an opportunistic thief to steal the wheels. Whereas equipped thieves don't usually care about the wheels on a cheap bike. The key with cheap bikes is well, best to enjoy them as they are - the only modifications I would consider is a more comfortable saddle, more puncture resistant (Schwalbe Marathon Plus) tyres.
(Note: I carry around a set of tools including a spanner on my bike - quick tip: always carry a puncture repair kit with two tubes of glue, additional tip: use a D-Lock, cable locks provide no security as they can be cut in a second)
I wouldn't buy any bike like that. You should check around if your local Aldi has any left of the 29er MTB. It was a premium bike rebranded that usually sells for $600+ and has genuine good quality which you don't get in most bike bin a box from e.g. kmart, rebel sport etc. It was $349.
$200 bike? the answer is an obvious no
$200 for a bike to ride to the shop? go for it. Is it a great bike, No it isnt. Are there better bikes around, there are plenty. But for $200 and you only want to ride to the shops and back it will probably do the job OK.
The wheels on this bike would not be worth re=lacing the spokes and doing a wheel build. Unless you are a home wheelbuilder (in which case you wouldn't be asking the question) I would not worry too much about the wheels. These wheels are heavy, cheap and nasty but what do you expect for $200. Use them to bunnyhop gutters at your convenience and toss them when they are done. Any theif that would nick these wheels will have a hard time selling them, they are hardly Zipp 404's. The bike doesn't need crap suspension, indeed the suspension probably only adds weight. At this price though you are in the realms of KMart/Anaconda bikes so if you like this one go for it! Not sure why you want a through axle, stiffer setup for high speed cornering? Stiffer setup for getting power to the rubber when you drop the 'WATTBOMB'!! The mods you would do would cost more than the bike for no advantage. Get a decent lock and understand how to lockup your wheels as well.
To put this bike in perspective, the saddle on my road bike cost more than this entire bike!!
look on ebay for a decent second hand bike.
OR
if you're just riding to the shops with your 2 year old then I'd strong suggest a vintage style ladies bike. I'm serious. I had a kids seat on the back of my avanti mountain bike for 3 kids. it's a hassle and a pain and a balance issue swinging your leg over the bar- i.e. safety issue. when I lived in Japan I had a ladies shopping bike and it was awesome - internal 3 speed gears. totally solid bike for a 20 year old beater. the step through of a ladies bike makes it so much easier with a child on the back. you're not going to take the mountain bike over any sick jumps with a kids on the back.
reid sells them for ~$250
aldi recently sold them for$199 (my local had 4 in stock this afternoon reduced to ~$150) -
personally I'd go for the aldi ones as you can ride it for 60 days to try it out and if you're not happy then you can return it.
or go for a vintage one from ebay for ~$50 - nice and solid (as in quality).
$200 for a bike of course not
Thanks guys,I did't end up buying the bike.
I like QR for easier transport,I can just put it in the boot of my car instead of investing more on bike rack or holder,as I only use it maybe once a week.Will keep an eye on gumtree
Yup, don't worry about missing that one. If you are reasonably mechanically competent buying a second hand bike will get you much better value. Keep an eye out for bike shop branded bikes on gumtree etc. you should be able to pick up a pretty good bike for under $300. Don't buy a second hand huffy, cyclops, Dunlop or other Kmart bike.
If you find one you like have a look on the net to see where it sits in the model range for that brand. Don't be too swayed by Internet review of lower spec models, they are often written by bike snobs who don't seem to get it that for most riders an entry level bike is perfectly good for riding to the shops and with your kids.
Don't focus on light weight, in your budget the weight of a reasonable quality bike won't be much different to something worth three times as much although it will be less heavy than a Kmart bike. You'd be better off losing 1kg off yourself. I bought a mid 90s entry level road bike (steel frame) for $70 and spent about $100 on parts for it and have been riding it to work for a couple of years now. It is about 12kg, while a modern equivalent is probably 10kg and a high level bike is probably 8kg. For mountain bikes 12kg is reasonable and I spent about $3k getting mine to just over 10kg. A Kmart MTB is probably going to be around 15kg.
Rather than weight look for quality gearing and components.
Depends on how many mountains you have to cross to get to the shops but if you ride in flat counry I'd get a single speed bike like this. It's got quick release, pannier mounts and no silly el crapo suspension fork.
http://www.cellbikes.com.au/BEST_Beginner_Fixie_Bike_Under_5…
Single speed is great for maintenance, don't need much. But, if you are riding with a kid they can be hard work. Hard work if you are towing or carrying the kid becuase of the extra work, or hard work if you are riding slowly with the kid as it's harder to keep you pedalling speed up to where it is easy.
I have the kids version (not for me) of the Nitro Traverse. Seems well made and reasonably light for the price. Miles better than a K Mart/Big W steel framed bike. Have a look at Reid cycles, they won't have something this cheap, but they have better service if that's important to you.
Also check out gumtree. If you know what you are looking for you can sometimes score a bargain.
Hard to go past $200 though. Have fun on your new wheels.