Bike recommendations please

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete

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Joined
8 Jan 2007
Posts
1,992
Location
Barcelona
Hi guys,

I am seriously out of touch with bikes, having been using a stationary one for the last 4 years and a BMX before that. My kids have now got proficient enough that I cannot run fast enough to keep up with them so I want to buy a bike and figured with Black Friday maybe there are some deals around, but you guys would know best!

My requirements:
500 euros max (super high chance it's going to get stolen :( )
Ideally not flashy (see above!)
Aluminium frame
Suitable for getting into back of SUV
Going to be used on rough but not crazy trails, so no dedicated road bikes
Stored outdoors under a lean to
Suitable for 184cm height

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
At that budget I think Used is the best bet. I personally prefer the flexibility of a gravel/cyclocross bike. Can be decently efficient on the road and can handle trails, dirt tracks, gravel with ease. I have a Canyon CX bike that can take 40mm tyres and it's fine for everything I do. I admit I do have a spare set of wheels with road tyres so it can double as my winter bike.

Specialized Diverge

I think something like this would be a decent start point.
I guess it depends on what you want to do. If its mostly for following kids around on trails and you want to grow into some more technical offroad then something with suspension would be a better bet.

Voodoo Bizango

New one is c£750 but everything I have read about them suggests they are the best value 29er MTB out there.
 
Seconded for second hand. Bikes are expensive now and £500 gets you the cheapest gravel bike from Halfords. Could maybe buy a new hybrid for a bit less than £500 at Halfords and put puncture resistant tyres on them. Last time I was in one it seemed like they were now coming with puncture resistant Continental tyres on them as standard.
 
Thanks for the responses, had a look around for the suggestions but maybe they are UK only? Nothing around here listed second hand :(
Completely agree with second hand, after all it's going to get used and get more wear. I just don't know anything about bikes, quite happy to go and tyre kick much more expensive cars before handing over cash. Guess it's more the fear of getting ripped off, would you recommend second hand bikes from shops?
 
Concrete said:
Thanks for the responses, had a look around for the suggestions but maybe they are UK only? Nothing around here listed second hand :(
Completely agree with second hand, after all it's going to get used and get more wear. I just don't know anything about bikes, quite happy to go and tyre kick much more expensive cars before handing over cash. Guess it's more the fear of getting ripped off, would you recommend second hand bikes from shops?
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Yeah, i had a similar requirements last year and people don't realise the used market here is nothing like the UK. I've been looking at an indoor turbo trainer which is €500 brand new, and people on Facebook/Wallapop are selling for €450!

This should do you nicely

Bicicleta de Montaña Scott Aspect 950 29'' a solo 499€ en El Corte Inglés | Chollometro

www.chollometro.com www.chollometro.com

Or this a little cheaper
 
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Another option would be this. Might not handle rough stuff as comfortably as the suspension bikes above, but be nicer for any lighter gravel/road sections. I'd probably favour a gravel bike, the issue being a MTB tends to be a bit cheaper and more available, so you get a bit more choice/value.



It's easy to quickly get scope creep with bikes and convince yourself that cheap bikes are rubbish, but for most people something like this would be fine. There's obviously situations where they've cut costs and i'd definitely prefer disc brakes but the model up with those comes in at €550

There are also some Gravel based Facebook groups which always have people selling bikes. Might be worth joining and keeping an eye out. The only issue is it's hard to judge value and know if you're buying a lemon if you're unsure.
 
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Update:

So I thought I would treat myself and ended up buying a new bike from a specialist shop. Took it out for the second ride this morning and the pedal fell off, no biggy I can just screw it back in right? The thread inside the arm is completely destroyed, just a pile of metal shavings and almost nothing for the pedal to grip to. Its made by a company called Shimano, I think the first three letters could be repurposed to describe my opinion of their product.. Where do I stand on this? Should the shop replace it free of charge? No idea how I will get it there as it is currently unrideable, quite ****** off :(
 
Concrete said:
Update:

So I thought I would treat myself and ended up buying a new bike from a specialist shop. Took it out for the second ride this morning and the pedal fell off, no biggy I can just screw it back in right? The thread inside the arm is completely destroyed, just a pile of metal shavings and almost nothing for the pedal to grip to. Its made by a company called Shimano, I think the first three letters could be repurposed to describe my opinion of their product.. Where do I stand on this? Should the shop replace it free of charge? No idea how I will get it there as it is currently unrideable, quite ****** off :(
Click to expand...

You need to take it back to the shop and complain. I have zero idea what insanely daft Laws they thought up in Spain but surely they will need to replace the entire bike due to manufacturing defect.
 
I looked up the part online and its available for 30-40 euros at various places, I'm happy with the rest of the bike but obviously don't think I should have to pay to replace the part after a single drive along a seafront...
 
No I agree. Can it not fit in a car to take back to the shop?

Shimano did had a crank issue but I thought that was on the higher end models.

What bike did you end up with?
 
I don't want to come across as racist, but in my experience nothing ever goes right first time in Spain, this is the case with my car registration, it's low CO2 but they forgot to add the LEZ clearance to it's paperwork, as a result I can't drive it in cities during the hours the bike shop is open.

Been 6 months and countless hours and still haven't found any government agency willing or able to fix the issue.. this happens frequently so you kind of learn to accept incompetence.

It's nothing special, it's called a Merida Big Nine 15 which I got for a couple of hundred off as it's an older model.
 
Ah cool. I bought a Big Nine for my dad with the intention of making it electric but then sold it as agreed a step through style was better.

Yeah. Nothing ever goes well. My Jeep has been in the garage since February!
 
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