2nd hand bike for commuting?

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triban 3 white is not a bad bike and for 300 quid is probably the best you can get when triban 3 red is out of stock.

but the main selling point of RED was carbon fork and sora groupo.. white on the other hand has microshift(which is in no way BAD just, well, Chinese) and steel fork.

personally I'd wait a couple of months, use that time to add an extra 100-150quid to your 300budget and buy a bike like merlin -; http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-r-road-bike-2013-60087.html

or red triban 3 if it ever comes back in stock and be done with.

starting to cycle during this weather is only going to put you off :) start when it is warmer, with more money and you'll be fine.

best advice I can give.

or

hit ebay... triban 3/5

or anything that vonhelmet mentioned on 2nd hand market is good.

as long as it has 2300 groupo and above - sora/tiagra/105(h..)/ultegra(he)/dura ace(hehe) and carbon fork with the rest of the bike remaining you should be ok.
 
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IC3 said:
Yep, it will be fun to see another argument one/two pages long. ;)
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Well.. We argued about that because we both wanted to give you what was in our opinion the best advice and not leave you with a less than optimal bike.

If you think that the arguing will be *less* on a forum with people even more opinionated about bikes you're in for a rude awakening. As an example, check out the graphics card forum here on OcUK.

Anyhow, you've been given a few more options by others now. The budget you have posted is a really awkward one (which obviously isn't your fault) - you're almost at the point where you can get something decent for your money. In some ways if your budget was lower it would be simpler as we would tell you that your choices are either a) utter cack from halfords that will fall apart in three minutes or b) something second-hand.
 
Have a look on Ebay for bikes <£300 and see what you can find. Or Gumtree.

I was in the same situation as you when I bought mine and I wasn't looking for a particular model, just a bike that wasn't a pile of crap. For model reference, mine is a Trek 1.2 which is pretty much bottom of the range of Trek bikes.

In fact, what size are you and where are you from? Might be able to persuade a mate to part with his barely used Trek, its a 54cm iirc.
 
daveski said:
Have a look on Ebay for bikes <£300 and see what you can find. Or Gumtree.

I was in the same situation as you when I bought mine and I wasn't looking for a particular model, just a bike that wasn't a pile of crap. For model reference, mine is a Trek 1.2 which is pretty much bottom of the range of Trek bikes.

In fact, what size are you and where are you from? Might be able to persuade a mate to part with his barely used Trek, its a 54cm iirc.
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I've searched ebay and gumtree before opening this thread, but that was useless as I didn't know what to look out for.
My height is 6ft (184cm), so probably I'll need at least 57 or 60 and my location is Hertfordshire. Anyway thanks for the offer :)

Vonhelmet said:
Ebay, search in cycling for "road", limit price to £300, limit distance to 25 miles of my postcode:

Good, but will finish at over £300.
Not as good, but more likely to finish under £300.
The bike I ride. Rubbish at stock, marginally less rubbish with a carbon fork and upgraded gears.
Yeah, pretty good. Never used, by the look of it, so that helps.
Best bang for buck.

What's your location? I could maybe find something half decent in your vicinity.
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That's kind of you, thanks! My height is 6ft (184cm) and location Hertfordshire
 
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Some possibilities... I'm useless on bike sizing, so you'd need to check if they were right for you...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scott-Afd...1208627159?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item20e0b0a7d7 - Looks a few years old, but the kit on it is good
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbea-bike-/121273094409?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c3c709109 - Very respectable brand name, but not sure how good the kit on here is
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-ocr-bike-/251461635076?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a8c480c04 - Very nice, though I'm concerned that the left shifter looks like it's bent
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-C...1339494278?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a38ad1786 - This is a lovely old bike, but it needs a saddle, and it's only got downtube shifters

There's a lot of older bikes around you, but not so many newer ones, sadly.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Some possibilities... I'm useless on bike sizing, so you'd need to check if they were right for you...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scott-Afd...1208627159?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item20e0b0a7d7 - Looks a few years old, but the kit on it is good
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbea-bike-/121273094409?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c3c709109 - Very respectable brand name, but not sure how good the kit on here is
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-ocr-bike-/251461635076?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a8c480c04 - Very nice, though I'm concerned that the left shifter looks like it's bent
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-C...1339494278?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a38ad1786 - This is a lovely old bike, but it needs a saddle, and it's only got downtube shifters

There's a lot of older bikes around you, but not so many newer ones, sadly.
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Thank you! :)
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The Scott and Giant are my favorites, the yellow is putting me off a bit. I'll email the sellers and try to see the bikes this weekend.
 
I've seen the sccott bike, but it had a massive crack on the clamp which keeps the saddle in place... I've started searching for bikes upto 350-370 59-61cm.
 
IC3 said:
All of you were right, about the road bike being better then mtb for commuting. :)

Edit

Is this better then the black triban 5? I'm gone buy a new bike, no point in saving 100 pounds... 450 is my limit! :)
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I'd probably go for the Merlin at that price but someone with better knowledge may weigh in with something different :)
 
FrenchTart said:
I'd probably go for the Merlin at that price but someone with better knowledge may weigh in with something different :)
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I'm probably blind, but does it actually say when the offer is ending? I'm also guessing, that they don't have stores around UK?

Originally my plan was to get a bike for 'healthier' commute, but I might actually get into cycling and do longer distances. I wouldn't mind loosing some weight (my weight is 12.5 stone, but I would like to loose 5kg :D)
 
both merlin and triban 5 are pretty much the same and by the looks of it the best bang for you buck you can get for 450ish.. I'd personally go with merlin if I wanted full groupo etc.. or triban 5 if I cared about the looks more.
 
grudas said:
both merlin and triban 5 are pretty much the same and by the looks of it the best bang for you buck you can get for 450ish.. I'd personally go with merlin if I wanted full groupo etc.. or triban 5 if I cared about the looks more.
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The merlin doesn't look too bad, but triban 5 (IMO) looks nicer. Anyway, I've 2 days to decide. Is there any warranty on the bike, or do I've to pay extra? :confused:
 
grudas said:
well if you want life time warranty go with triban :) you'll get it for the frame and forks if I'm not mistaken.. as long as they have your size in.
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Triban 5 does look nice, but if merlin is better then... hmm. Does merlin have any sort of warranty?
 
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IC3 said:
Triban 5 does look nice, but if merlin is better then... hmm. Does merlin have any sort of warranty?
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I'd have thought you would get at least a year warranty though that doesn't account for usual wear and tear.

If you're unsure between the two the deciding factor for me would be if Decathlon was close by so I could pop in with my bike for it to get a service (assuming you get a free one?) or if there are any issues with it.

edit: Cycling is great for shifting weight btw. I've slowly ramped up my miles each week and the weight is falling off nicely.
 
IC3 said:
All of you were right, about the road bike being better then mtb for commuting. :)
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Depends on the commute though.
Yesterday I used my road bike and decided to come home on the route I've been taking with my MTB and nearly rattled the road bike to death and nearly came to a full stop on grass & mud.
Road bike again today but I'll have to alter my commute.
 
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