Hi all. I'm looking for a new (used) bike to commute on. Needs to be able to handle 20 mile round trip roughly daily, including some hills. I'm 5ft 7, and would love a bike with more than 7/8 gears, with ideally rack and mudguards. I've been keeping an eye at bike station/other Edinburgh used shops, but if anyone on forum has anything for sale at £250 or less, or has spotted something which may suit on gtree/eBay, do let me know. Also very open to a used/nearly new ebike as another idea (of course, this will be more than 250...). Thanks for your help, James.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff
Wanted: commuter bike
(39 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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I spent months looking at bikes in bike station a few years ago with out success.
Bike station is good for parts. Its good for using their tools and work bench its, its good for getting help at fixing your bike, its good for getting advice of what sort of bike to get.
I found better prices on gum tree but had to wait ages for something to come up. Soul cycles also sell used bikes but did not have many in when I went and east side bikes. Edinburgh cycle co op used to sell good priced commuter bikes branded revolution and you could have got a good commuter with rack and mud guards for £250 but they have stopped the good value bikes.
I would guess gum tree to get a good condition used revolution bike that’s what I did.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Here's a Revolution Country Traveller at Eastside for £250.
Would make a nice commuter, and you could do a spot of touring too.
http://eastsidebikes.com/second-hand-bikes/revolution-country-traveller
Posted 5 years ago # -
Your best bet might be asking around if anyone you know is thinking of upgrading. I sold a former C2W scheme bike which would have met your requirements (except maybe been a wee bit big) to a pal for £150 or so - I just wanted it out of the way, it didn’t owe me anything.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Does it have to be used? Evans' Pinnacle Lithium at 255 (with the current discount that ends on 30th) is brand new and so has a fresh drivetrain, and only weighs 10 or 11 kg. Lots of people commuting on those. It's a fiver over budget, but still, worth adding to the list maybe.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The Pinnacle Lithium is a real contender. My sister in law and a pal both have one and it seems to be a very capable machine at a very keen price.
A hundred miles a week year-round will mean that you will be spending quite a bit of money on maintenance if you buy in that price range.
Amongst the many advantages of buying from the Bike Station is that the bikes are guaranteed for six months. You won't get any of that on Gumtree, even though there are some incredible and genuine bargains on there.
If I were you I'd go for one of the many Ridgeback Velocity or Meteor bikes that come through the Bike Station. They are bomb-proof and frequently in the smaller size you'll need.
Posted 5 years ago # -
James
Another option you might like to consider is building one of the many inexpensive, and checked, frames from The Bike Station. You could do this during the fix your own sessions on a Wednesday 16:00 - 20:00 or Saturday 12:00 - 17:00. There is currently an abundance of good used parts too.
Good luck.
Cheers
ColinPosted 5 years ago # -
The Ridgebacks that IWRATS mentions are indeed great, I've had one for 8 years, and while it's mostly a winter bike now, it still gets occasional year-round use for hauling stuff and children about. Works great, 8/9 speed drivetrains have nice cheap and relatively durable parts, and has all the mounts and bosses you're likely to want on a commuter.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I got a 2014 lithium 1 from Evans in 2014 my first bike in 29 years. I found the ride quality awful and found it very unstable. The lithium is a mountain bike frame with road wheels but I found the frame too stiff for the thinner tyres it has.
I found my wrists got sore after riding for an hour. The handle bars are also excessively wide. The paint quality was good and the alex rims strong but for the £325 quid though after a bad choice.
The lithium also had no rack, no mud guards and top gear far too low.
The following year I bought a used 5 month old revolution country explorer on gum tree from a scientist moving abroad. I found it like night and day in terms of comfort and stability. For a 10 mile a day commute would tend to guess a lithium a bad choice, it was for me.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Halfords at Straiton (I was there to buy 5W fork oil*) have a decent looking 24 speed city bike for £100. That's £100.
*Four coil?
Posted 5 years ago # -
“decent” “looking”
??
Posted 5 years ago # -
No, seriously. It would last a year. 18-speed, not 24. My eyes bounced off its ugly dependability.
Reduced to a mere ten ten-spots.
Posted 5 years ago # -
You can't argue with a full grown rigid bike for that price if you are just wanting to go short distances in the city.
It does have a curious vibe to it. Almost like it's one of those cheaper kids bikes where their knees appear to pass through the handlebars on each stroke.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I feel bad for it. It has an eager to please air about it.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The website pop-up informs me that '38 people are looking at this' and now I feel bad for the other 37.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Great for £100 though don't expect long-lasting quality.
Apollo, 'nuff said. Tourney derailler, no quick release if you get a p*nct*re, loose bearing BB, flexy handlebar, single wall rims, 6 speed freewheel. The one detailed review is pretty honest. If you do more than 100 miles on it, you are quids in compared to other methodes of transport.
My daughter has a similar Challenge model from Argos £110 but it includes steel mudguards. She has only used it once so just as well I got it for £70. I did 5 miles on it and it did the job but I probably could have got a second-hand Ridgeback on Gumtree which would have been better.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8803601Posted 5 years ago # -
I went to look at the Apollo transfer in 2014 before I bought my pinnacle lithium, even the person in the shop advised may want something more durable than the appalling.
I would think the only plus point other than the price is a lack of quick release on the wheel, if carry a pump and tube or kit then a tool for undoing wheel seems a small extra. I went back to bolt on back wheel of bike and prefer it that way. Would guess main beneficiary of quick release is theft or a vandal.
Posted 5 years ago # -
a decent looking 24 speed city bike for £100
With respect to Halfords, an adult bike that costs £100 is not designed for riding. It is designed solely to be purchased and to leave the shop floor.
When I worked as a bike mechanic, we referred to Apollos as "Apallings", with brakes made of cheese and hub bearings that were actually those silver cake decorations.
Edit: And Apollo wasn't even the worst brand name we encountered. That was reserved for certain of Coventry Eagle's offerings.
Posted 5 years ago # -
To be fair, the six speed freewheel and Tourney derailleur will most likely be very durable, much more so than any setup of 9 speeds or above. Simple physics really: six speed cogs, chains etc. are made of thicker steel and will wear out more slowly from the forces of friction applied by grit, dust, mud etc. coating them. Also due to quill stem, it is relatively simple to adjust the height of the handlebars.
As for the rest of that Halfords bike: the saddle looks like it will be uncomfortable after a few rides. There are no mudguards or rack, but they could be added cheaply. I can't vouch for the quality of the bearings, but bolt on solid axles are perfectly usable as long as you fit robust tyres (Marathon Plus or just plain Marathon for example). In principle loose bearing BB also no problem, and can be easily serviced by any decent mechanic. The brakes look basic but no reason why they won't work just fine.
Essentially this bike has basic components compared to current "quality" bikes, but if looked after there is no reason why it should be unreliable. If I were to ride it I'd be looking to upgrade contact points such as saddle, maybe some ergonomic bar grips. Also getting some better, puncture-resistant tyres. Can't quite tell if the brake levers are plastic but if so, I'd upgrade those to decent alloy ones. If you shopped around online or in Bike Station you could upgrade with used or end of line components for maybe £70 in total, most of that would go on tyres and levers (ordinary Marathon cheaper than Plus and nearly as tough). Then for £200 you'd have a much better bike, plus a spare set of new tyres which could be kept as spares or sold on. If you skipped upgrading the tyres until the current ones wear out, you could save about £35.
One advantage of such a bike would be it is very unlikely to get stolen!
Posted 5 years ago # -
"38 people are looking at this"
I thought we had more active members than that.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I reckon it would last 47 weeks of 8 mile a day commuting. I've worked on Apollos and they are mechanically brutal but £100 for a year's transport? Tough to beat.
It's essentially a disposable item of course. Nobody's going to love one of these things.
Posted 5 years ago # -
While we're on the Halfords tip, this Carrera is a notably better bike than the Apollo Transfer. Only £200.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The £100 bike seems to be £130 now (with 52 people looking).
Should last an extra three or four months at that price.Posted 5 years ago # -
Mate of mine had a Carrera Kraken as his first commuter bike when it looked a lot like that one. It did just fine for three years and was a gateway to some subsequent fine machinery.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The website pop-up informs me that '38 people are looking at this'
Classic game-theory / gambling addiction technique.
Reel you in. Make you think you're going to lose out if you don't buy now.
The online equivalent of high-pressure sales staff...
Posted 5 years ago # -
@IWRATS, yeah the upgrade in frame, brakes, shifters, saddle and grips is worth the extra alone. Slightly better/lighter drivetrain too.
Might get one of these (or something similar) for my son if/when his current second hand MTB hybrid is no longer fit for purpose...
EDIT - Blimey, for an extra £40 you can get 8 speed drivetrain and disc brakes.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-subway-1-mens-hybrid-bike-s-m-l-framesPosted 5 years ago # -
I like the idea that Halfords customers can be persuaded they might not get their hands on an Apollo Transfer.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Crowriver, the joy of incremental pricing. After all for just another £60 you can then get The crossfire 2... and so it goes on until you have a friend for life, or as least as long as a lifetime warranty will be honoured.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@acsimpson, I'm not sold on the Crossfire 2 TBH. A bit too much extra just for shock forks... :)
Posted 5 years ago # -
Trouble with Shimano Tourney is the plastic bushing. That will wear out after 2-3 years.
The Carrera linked has Tourney derail too, and also a freewheel instead of a cassette, a disaster if you break it a few miles into a trip.
You cannot avoid these 2 drawbacks in a <£300 new budget commuter. Here is the nearest Viking with similar issues.
Oh, and thieves are not that picky or knowledgeable, last year our intern had his new £200 Viking stolen from chained to his stairwell.Posted 5 years ago #
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