http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Tag: bso - Recent Topics en Wed, 13 May 2026 02:05:14 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8515#post-85637 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:35:09 +0000 lionfish 85637@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Hello all!<br /> My office mate is buying a bike! She's not cycled for many years (she's mid-twenties, and maybe hasn't cycled since school), and just wants a bike to get to and from the office and to pootle about town (so journeys less than 2 miles).</p> <p>The bike station etc are out of bikes that she wants at the moment (they apparently had a bit of a run when the students came back).</p> <p>She's given me links to several. I've not bought a bike for a while, and am not really very knowledgeable about bikes! I said maybe a local bike shop might be a good place to buy a bike, but I guess she's put off by the price..?</p> <p>Obviously you get what you pay for, and any bike can look shiny in a photo on the internet...</p> <p>But anyway, here's the links she's given to me! And my first thoughts about them.</p> <p><a href="http://tinyurl.com/d3d8szz" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/d3d8szz</a> (she's not buying it from Amazon, but it is coming flat packed!).<br /> Thoughts: knee-jerk concern about flat-pack bike + cheap, with a chain-guard that looks like it might break quite quickly? Also I guess it might be quite heavy, but I guess she doesn't mind that too much. How reliable are such things, is this a bike-shaped-object?</p> <p>Next a 2nd hand bike. (let's assume 2nd-hand bikes on ebay aren't stolen) <a href="http://tinyurl.com/d6d4bz4" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/d6d4bz4</a><br /> I've no idea if those gears are a good idea, and I don't know what the price will do. Also I doubt I'd ride very far on that saddle (but I guess that doesn't matter). I'm a bit blank on this bike - it maybe seems ok..?</p> <p>Another ancient 2nd hand bike: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/bnzy844" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/bnzy844</a><br /> The brakes look a nightmare!!! ahh!</p> <p>A new ebay bike. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/d7e9bpm" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/d7e9bpm</a> Tiny picture, can't get any idea about the bike from it, or from this page. <a href="http://www.probikecycles.com/HeritageDetailpage.aspx?Bikeid=4" rel="nofollow">http://www.probikecycles.com/HeritageDetailpage.aspx?Bikeid=4</a><br /> (dumb question: but why's it tell me the metal is an 'alloy' - aren't almost all metals we use alloys?).</p> <p>Anyway, they're the ones she's looked at. So in summary, she wants an 'Amsterdam' style bike, for less than £200(!!!), she doesn't need to cycle too far (~2 miles max), and she's planning to hand over money this weekend!</p> <p>What shall I suggest?</p> <p>I'll send her a link to this thread I guess :)</p> <p>Thanks for the help!! </p>