What type of bicycle to buy?

strutwatson · 6th January 2010, 02:32 AM

I want to buy a bike, most likely off eBay, but don't know what to look out for. Wanting it primarily to ride to and from work, about twenty minutes away, but hope to work up to longer rides.

Any advice you guys could offer regarding brand features to look for and reasonable price would be wonderful!!

VEAdas · 6th January 2010, 08:06 AM

Last summer I went to halfords and got a mountain bike for about £130. It was rubbish, kept on breaking and they were useless at fixing it. Eventually I took it back for a refund and went to a proper bike shop. I got a Trek 7100 for £350. It is a hybrid - half road bike half mountain bike. I found those types of bike are best for my uses. They have slightly larger tyres than a road bike and a bit more grip bit not as big and chunky as a mountain bike. Also has front suspension. Its good for roads, tracks and light off roading.

m_c · 6th January 2010, 12:04 PM

VEAds advise is good.

A hybrid would be more suitable for commuting than a mountainbike, and not everybody likes proper road bikes.

Ideally look to spend a couple hundred as a bare minimum to get something of reasonable quality new.
Secondhand bikes can be a bit of a minefield if you don't know what you're looking for, and can quite easily cost you more to get up to a reasonable condition, than if you had of bought something new.