Bike Sale - Which one?!

Hello,

Came across the sportsdirect.com bike sale, they have some great deals at the moment.

I am looking for a hybrid hard tail bike that can be used for road/trail rides (may involve grass) that is generally versatile. I am a newbie when it comes to this and don't know what to look for. I am looking to spend about £200 tops, and I can see a few Raleigh ones that seem to fit the bill (I think?).

Here is the link to the sales page:
http://www.sportsdirect.com/special-offer?utm_source=sd-120213&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Monday

Will the Raleigh Turbo and Raleigh Arrow Bike fit the bill I am after? Or any other recommendations from that page?

Thank you all!

Personally I wouldn't buy any bike from Sports Direct, not even a Raleigh. Raleigh are no longer the brand it was, they are simply badged cheap bikes. You would do better at Cycle King and look at the Ammaco range which the have on special offers at present. http://www.cycleking.co.uk/1_3_3_Gents-Hybrid-Bikes_1_asc.html Though far from top of the range they are not bad for the price. Even better for £200 would be to be patient and look out for second hand items of a mainstream make. You will get far more bike for your bucks.

If there is a Decathlon near you go there instead. I would avoid SD for bikes.

Sorry to break this to you, but the deals on Sportsdirect.com aren't great. The bike reduced from £170 to £50 is probably worth about £50.

So if you want to buy a £200 bike, don't buy a £200 reduced to £125 bike, because it won't be worth £200.

Second piece of advice is not to buy a bike from sportsdirect.com, nor Argos. You will love the bike when it is first delivered, and will sing its praises on your first spin up and down the road. After a week something will have broken, something won't work properly, you'll realise that it is very heavy, doesn't do what you want it to, and it was a waste of money.

Try Decathlon, Halfords Carrera (NOT Apollo) or Edinburgh Bike Co-op. Or try second hand.

You may want to consider whether you really need the front suspension. On lower end bikes it tends to be heavy, ineffective and non-adjustable. The Carrera Subway is a fairly good bike for the money, and is suitable for light trail riding as well as road riding. You may also want to try second hand.

I echo the advice regarding Sports Direct bikes.

Thank you for the prompt advise!

Out of the Carrera and the Ammaco range recommended, which is the best value for money? Also, any advice as to which Ammaco from cycle king would fit my needs?

Having seen what they have on offer, I think the comments here about Cycle King's bikes are spot on.

There are also many threads here about the trials and tribulations of buying from Halfrauds, you should read some - paying a competent local bike shop to check their bike before riding it is good advice.

Can we have a sticky put in this section saying

SPORTSDIRECT BIKES - JUST SAY NO!

This is why cyclechat works so well. Lots of sound advice from people with experience and it's a no from me!!

Of the two Carrera win hands down even though I suggested Ammaco as a possibility. If you can afford a Carrera then go for it, also look at other suggestions such as Decathlon.

So either a Carrera (can pick up a new one for £200 online from Halfords), or a b'Twin bike from decathalon like this?:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/btwin-5-daily-id_8091293.html

I'll avoid cycle king and sports direct, as well as read into halfords.

Sports Direct do not sell bikes

only Bike Shaped Objects.

Check out the dunlop FS -all 17kg of it

http://www.sportsdirect.com/dunlop-special-edition-26-inch-939057


The Carrera wins hands down imho

that would put anyone off cycling

Hi
I bought my first bike from sports direct (Dunlop MTB) you have to fit a few parts yourself,peddles handlbars etc, looks great I thought.I took it for a quick spin and as soon as I changed gear on the twist grip all the plastic cable housing shattered.Cost me 25 quid to replace. The saddle stem was too short even though it's advatised for 32 inch leg the whole bike was a bit of a joke really.i would never ever by a bike without seeing it or test riding it first.Have said that i kept the BSO all summer and did nearly 800 miles on it(17kg bike got me fitter than I've been in a few years) without anything falling off or braking and it really got me back into cycling. Good luck with your search let us know what you get!!

It looks like the Carrera is the best bang for buck at this price range - does everyone agree? Otherwise, what better models should I look out for that I can pick up for around £200 second hand?

£50 today only, at that weight and price it must be
worth that in scrap!

Carrera looks OK.
If you find any of the following second hand, they will be OK:
Scott, Specialized, Felt, Cube, Trek, Giant, Bianchi, Orbea, Merida
Anything steel with Reynolds 501 or anything Reynolds should be OK.
Problem is, there are a large number of other bikes that can be added to this list too. Difficult to be definitive.

A chap at work turned up with that last week when it was at its other "bargain" price of £69.00

A skip was driving past it and threw itself at it

It really is that bad

The Carrera is pretty bomb proof for the money, I owned that one for a few years before selling on, I loved every minute of riding it. You just have to buy from Halfords (they don't have to touch it) and if you're competent in building it yourself then do so, or get a friend who knows about bikes put it together for you (it's not difficult) or your local bike shop will put it together for you for a minimal charge.

Halfords are pretty hit or miss in having a competent bike mechanic within their store staff.
Good luck with your choice

From tonight I am going to start my bike hunt now that I have this info. Will local bike shops stock Carreras and what type of bikes should I look for in local bike shops if they don't have Carreras? Or with a budget of £250 max would a Carerra from halfords be the best bet?