Hi All. Going to try get the Aldi bike for myself at the weekend. I'm also looking to pick up something sub-$400 for my wife pretty much for leisurely family bike rides. Has anybody got any recommendations? I'd think it would be mainly on concrete but the potential for some light off-road also.
Ladies Bike Recommendation
alfawex on 31/03/2020 - 10:20
Comments
Agree, women are allowed to ride them as well
True, but it also depends on the use case. If the wife wants to wear a dress or skirt on one of their leisurely family bike rides e.g. on a bike path, then a ladies bike would probably be more suitable to ride in a dress/skirt.
Not sure why I didn't think of that, although it probably would be a lot better than needed for the amount of use she'll likely get form it
The other option is to buy something 2nd hand on Gumtree with no warranty or 60 day satisfaction guarantee.
Not saying you can't find a nice bike this way but you need to know what to look for so you don't get ripped off.
Good point. May get there early to queue!
@alfawex: Just make sure (as always) that your wife likes the look of the Aldi mountain bike.
Also check that the mountain bike is the correct size for her. From memory, the bike only comes in medium and large sizes.
I would buy 2. Worst case scenario you have more bike than you need, which is much more appealing than the alternative. Given the price, you can't really go wrong.
Bought a Giant Rove 4 Disc for my wife, last year the previous years model. It's a lovely bike. RRP is $599 so a bit higher than the Aldi but Giant is a very reputable brand and the biggest manufacturer in the world. For her it was the colour that was the most important rather than the running gear on the bike itself.
The Aldi bike has much better components than this Giant bike
Penny farthing
In case you can't get two Aldi bikes, I've heard good things about Reid bicycles.
Lots of affordable choices within your 400aud price range between vintage, road, hybrid, and mountain bikes.
If your wife want the ladies vintage step through style there are hundreds available second hand. Some like new. They are a popular ‘style’ choice, but not really suited to faster or long riding so are upgraded or purchased to get fit or ride with the family and it doesn’t happen so they end up sitting in the shed and then getting sold.
The thing a lot of people don't realise is that a bike is only as good as the components on it (drivetrain, wheels, derailers, brakes etc). The bike manufacturer (Giant, Polysgon, Reid) etc don't make those, they buy them and put them on the frame. They are usually made by Shimano + others.
So just because a bike has Giant sticker on it doesn't make it a great bike if it has low level componentsEspecially as there are basically only a few manufacturers of decent frames. The Aldi frame likely comes out of the same factory as Giant or Merida or Soecialised There probably a squillion factories that make the cheap Kmart bike’s, but this Aldi bike doesn’t fit that market.
The current Aldi bike is definitely a good option for that price, especially because it's brand new so you don't have to worry about misaligned gears, worn disc brakes and etc. In terms of second hand, Giant is popular and a reliable choice. I have a 2015 Rove 2 in small which I absolutely loved. If you're just going on trails, be mindful though that mountain bikes can be sluggish, even my Rove 2 which is more of a hybrid bike is a bit slow. I've almost switched completely to my road bike now which is a lot lighter and more effortless to ride.
Get 2 of the Polygon mountain bikes from Aldi.