Best bike for £150

A2Z

A2Z

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Hello,

I agreed to do a charity ride with a few friends in couple weeks from London to Brighton.. need a bike and figured I might as well buy one. I would also use it occasionally on weekends etc but not on a daily basis.

I have 0 knowledge on bikes... I have seen a few around that price point but have no idea if they are any good...or what to look for. I do know that I want it to be light!

Any recommendations? Want to get it by the weekend so I can at least train a little bit!

Thanks
 
Got a Decathlon near you? Get the Rockrider 340 for £160.

Expect people to pile in and advise you to get a road bike. Ignore them. For £150 you'd have to go second hand and you don't have time.
 
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Is that the off-road London to Brighton?

In which case certainly not a road bike :p

Looks like Von's suggestion would work well for that.
 
The Rockrider 340 isn't a bad shout, but for the same money I'd probably go for this. As long as one of those two is the right size for you (as in, you're around 5'8" or so to 6'1"). Cheap suspension won't really do anything if you're riding on roads or light gravel trails (eg. the national cycle network), and the larger wheels will roll better. Noticeably lighter too.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-parva-mens-hybrid-bike

Best of luck with your trip though! If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.
 
Got a Decathlon near you? Get the Rockrider 340 for £160.

Expect people to pile in and advise you to get a road bike. Ignore them. For £150 you'd have to go second hand and you don't have time.

Not exactly near me but they can deliver no?

Ok I had a google on hybrid vs road.. and seems road are more recommended.. and seem lighter..but also more expensive.. although seem to be decent ones for £200 or so. What's the main benefit of getting a hybrid instead?

Is that the off-road London to Brighton?

In which case certainly not a road bike :p

Looks like Von's suggestion would work well for that.

Yea pretty sure it is, I will double check the exact route.

The Rockrider 340 isn't a bad shout, but for the same money I'd probably go for this. As long as one of those two is the right size for you (as in, you're around 5'8" or so to 6'1"). Cheap suspension won't really do anything if you're riding on roads or light gravel trails (eg. the national cycle network), and the larger wheels will roll better. Noticeably lighter too.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-parva-mens-hybrid-bike

Best of luck with your trip though! If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.

Yea I am about 5'8". There's a Halfords 20 mins away so would be easy to pop in and have a look. Has great reviews too this one. Definitely want it to be light.

I saw this bike recommended on a post on HukD... http://www.muddyfox.com/muddyfox-tempo300-mens-933042?

Out of curiosity how would that rate? To get a better idea of what to look for in a bike :)

Thanks for the recommendations :)
 
Sold my Boardman Road Comp to a fella last week for £200. Doing something similar to you.

As you'll be using on occasion at weekends I'd look second hand personally :) Seeing as it's not going to be a 'throw away' purchase. You'll also get a better bike for relatively little effort.
 
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Not exactly near me but they can deliver no?

Ok I had a google on hybrid vs road.. and seems road are more recommended.. and seem lighter..but also more expensive.. although seem to be decent ones for £200 or so. What's the main benefit of getting a hybrid instead?



Yea pretty sure it is, I will double check the exact route.



Yea I am about 5'8". There's a Halfords 20 mins away so would be easy to pop in and have a look. Has great reviews too this one. Definitely want it to be light.

I saw this bike recommended on a post on HukD... http://www.muddyfox.com/muddyfox-tempo300-mens-933042?

Out of curiosity how would that rate? To get a better idea of what to look for in a bike :)

Thanks for the recommendations :)

Mainly handle bar preference at that price range, hybrid with flat bars or road bike with drop bars. Muddy fox are not great, they don even list the weight/component spec which is a concern...the carrera is a better choice.
 
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Also just to clarify - there are no decent road bikes at £200 outside a serious sale. £300 gets you bottom end decathlon or - if needs be - halfords and anything less is basically garbage.
 
Also just to clarify - there are no decent road bikes at £200 outside a serious sale. £300 gets you bottom end decathlon or - if needs be - halfords and anything less is basically garbage.

are these any good?

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-zelos-road-bike-2015
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-tdf-mens-ltd-road-bike

both just under £200

want a bike for to and from the gym in the mornings

don't know whether to go road or hybrid though

edit: sorry to hijack thread but also looking around the same ballpark figure
 
The Rockrider 340 isn't a bad shout, but for the same money I'd probably go for this. As long as one of those two is the right size for you (as in, you're around 5'8" or so to 6'1"). Cheap suspension won't really do anything if you're riding on roads or light gravel trails (eg. the national cycle network), and the larger wheels will roll better. Noticeably lighter too.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-parva-mens-hybrid-bike

Best of luck with your trip though! If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.

Was gonna get that bike but nearest store for collection is over 20 miles away in Dorking and no delivery.. so that's out of the equation :(

Will keep looking.
 
For that low budget at such short notice you're better calling into any local bike shops and seeing what trade ins they have. You'll get more for your money second hand, but you risk buying something which needs spending money on it. Buying from a LBS at least you know it should be 'road worthy'.

Without any training (you've left it a bit late really) you'll almost get more for your money if you were to hire a bike on the day (and spend more money on some quality shorts, chamois cream & painkillers). :o:p
 
To clarify, is this the ride you're doing?

https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides/london-to-brighton-off-road-bike-ride

Because if so, you might be better off with a mountain bike. The Rockrider is probably the best you're going to find, Muddyfox isn't exactly a well regarded manufacturer.

No it's this http://www.londonbrightoncycle.co.uk/

Hey guys, I have found

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/13-implicit-alpha-hybrid-bike-2015

Locally 2nd hand, apparently only a few weeks old, for £200.

Is it worth it? Need to know soon in case someone else buys it!

Thanks
 
If it fits and it's in good condition, perhaps. It's more of a road bike with flat bars, which means it'll be faster but less able to comfortably tackle some rougher terrain like gravel, but from that website it seems to be mostly on roads. If you're looking second hand it'd be worth considering a road bike in that case, but you don't have much time to get used to the position.
 
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