Buying a bike - any hints?

dogmatix

My old bike got lifted while I was away on hols (despite being secure and in a car park!) and I am now looking to buy a replacement. Would be looking for a mountain bike/hybrid, max of €300 and a decent bike shop to buy it from. The bike will only ever be used to get in and out of work.

Any recommendations on bikes or brands and a decent place to buy it from? My last bike was from Cycleways and I found them to be a good shop but as far as I can remember you would be hard pressed to get a bike for less then €500. Apologies if this is the wrong forum.

TravelJunkie

Do you want to buy mine - just what you require, been used about twice. still no dirt on the wheels!

mkdon05

I have a "Dawes discovery 201" hybrid, for commuting in and out from work. Cost me 369euro 4 years ago and has served me very well so i would keep an eye out for one if i was you.
I have clocked up over 14000 kms and only had to buy one new wheel, and change the crank shaft once. All in all a saving of roughly 2300euro in the last 4 years on poxy dublin buses

blorg

I too have used a Dawes Discovery 201 as my about town bike for the last few years, have found it very satisfactory, smooth shifting, and reliable, so another vote for one of those if you can get one. Got mine from Buy & Sell. Only issue is the saddle which absorbs water like no tomorrow ready to transfer it directly onto your bottom; you can often see these bikes some way off from the plastic bag tied around the saddle. This issue may have been addressed in a more recent model and saddles are in any case easily replacable/

DavyD_83

TravelJunkie wrote:

Do you want to buy mine - just what you require, been used about twice. still no dirt on the wheels!

What kind of bike is it? and how much you asking?

dogmatix

Sorry about resurrecting this old thread but i'm looking to buy a bike again.

Once again I'm interested in getting a new bike for commuting purposes and i'm espicially interested in getting a model with either a fixed gear or single speed system. I've always hated derailleur gears because they never seem to work properly on every single bike i've ever owned and they hang down from the rear wheel just asking to be knocked about. Fixed gear or single speed seems to be a very low maintenance option with little evidence of external bits to get banged about and I like that. I have appalling DIY skills and anything I touch be it bike maintenance, putting up bookshelves, drilling holes etc usually ends up as a disaster.

I'm not worried about the lack of gears - my current banger has derailleur gears and as usual they don't work. I'm currently permantly stuck on gear 2/6 so a single gear could not be any worse and maybe better as all the energy is going to the chain and pedals and not the cogs and wheels of the gearing system.

I know a fixed gear system would be even more low maintenance then a single speed system but I believe you can't coast down a hill on a fixed gear but you can on a single speed. And I like coasting down hills!

I'm looking at the following models with some interest:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=33684
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=08GlobeCentrum
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34073

The Globe centrum range looks like the most interesting for me as it appears more compact and lighter then the standard Globe. The bike will be 95% used for commuting, so it needs to be a bit tough too. However I would consider any other similar brands. I would be looking to buy sometime in the Autumn (if my finances are still sound!)

So some questions:
1. What are peoples opinions on fixed gear vr's single speed.
2. Are the above models worth considering?
3. Is it better to go north of the border, buy online or go buy local? I checked an online place in Belfast and they are selling a centrum for 450 as against the same one for 700 in cycleways. That may or may not inculde shipping of course.

bobtjustice

I really like the look of this bike

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=86135 ( the centrum you posted.)

Might be a bit of thief magnet, but I think its lovely looking.

I've only every been on a fixie once and I found the lack of gears a bit of a pain, particularly when I needed a bit of speed, lots of guys on here swear by em! For a short commute definately worth I look i reckon, you might feel it a bit more if you wanted to go out for a spin on the weekends or whatever.

3 bikes you posted all look pretty good, I'd be inclined to go with the centrum though.!

As far as buying goes, if your happy you know the size your after go with the online option,
Evans
Wiggle
Chainreaction

penexpers

dogmatix wrote: »

So some questions:
1. What are peoples opinions on fixed gear vr's single speed.

All the Globes you picked out are not single speeds, they have internal gear hubs. In theory these should be easier to maintain than "normal" gears but the Globes seem to go with low-end components across the range, so who knows.

TinyExplosions

There's a guy on here selling some fixies/single speeds, that may be worth a punt

flickerx, over to you for the hard sell

blorg

If you are having that many problems with your gears my diagnosis would be that you had pretty cheap bikes, badly set up, or you just don't know how to look after a bike at all (cleaning and oiling are key here.)

Even the low-end Shimano stuff works pretty reliably- I have Tourney on a hybrid for years now and it works fine.

There are benefits to single-speed but I wouldn't go for one because of your gear experience, you can get very reliable derailleur gears.

CapL

I am looking to get rid of a mountain bike at the momemt. Was only used for about 3 months 10 minute journey each day. Very good condition.

Gents 26" front suspension moutain bike.Targa Pro Viking.
Would sell for between €90-n €110.

Below a picture of the exact model.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

dogmatix wrote: »

Once again I'm interested in getting a new bike for commuting purposes and i'm espicially interested in getting a model with either a fixed gear or single speed system...

Have a look at the specialized Langster.

It comes stock with a flip flop rear, which means you can flip the rear wheel and have either a fixed or a singlespeed, depending on your mood

dogmatix

blorg wrote: »

If you are having that many problems with your gears my diagnosis would be that you had pretty cheap bikes, badly set up, or you just don't know how to look after a bike at all (cleaning and oiling are key here.)

Even the low-end Shimano stuff works pretty reliably- I have Tourney on a hybrid for years now and it works fine.

There are benefits to single-speed but I wouldn't go for one because of your gear experience, you can get very reliable derailleur gears.

True to a certain extent - but the bike I got robbed of last year was a specialized hardrock which cost me well over 600 euros (new) at the time and it had the very same issues with the gearing as all of the cheapo bikes i've ever owned. For me 600+ euros represented a lot of money so I would not consider it a cheapo.

It certainly wasn't a cleaning issue - I always kept my bikes well oiled, lubricated and cleaned. it might have been a set up issue - I nearly had a bad accident on the leopardstown roundabout many years ago after the handlebars came loose on my second bike. I've never been back to hollingsworth cycles since!

dogmatix

penexpers wrote: »

All the Globes you picked out are not single speeds, they have internal gear hubs. In theory these should be easier to maintain than "normal" gears but the Globes seem to go with low-end components across the range, so who knows.

Are you sure? The specs for the models in question mention single speed gears. I would consider an internal 7 speed hub gear.

Will look up that Specialized langster mentioned - could be interesting.

CapL: your bike looks canny and all, but at this point im defo interested in single/fixed gear - or maybe and internal hub gear.

Fixies4Life

My fixie is a very rare re painted purple carlton frame with green deep v velocity wheels flip flop hub[hubs are origin8]frame size is a54 to 56cm heres sum pics:)http://www.adverts.ie/264656/bikes/fixed-gear-bike-for-sale/