Which bike for around £300

BassHead

BassHead

BassHead

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First of all just LOL at this forum, it has literally everything! Every time i i think about a new hobby there is almost always a section on overclockers for it.

I would like to start bike riding, haven't rode a bike in over 20years since i was a teen, It will be mostly for canal tow paths and basic off road dirt tracks through parks nature reserves etc, Some road use eventually but not confident of being in traffic at the moment.

I'm totally clueless what kind of bike i should get, Do i get something new from halfords or do i go used?
 
If you are riding canals and off road trails i would look at getting a hard tail. You wont get much for your budget new so second hand might be the place to start.
 
Beerbaron said:
If you are riding canals and off road trails i would look at getting a hard tail. You wont get much for your budget new so second hand might be the place to start.
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Been looking on ebay and FB marketplace for something used in budget, not seeing much at the moment other than bikes out of budget or just loads of Carrera halfords range for not a great deal less than new prices.

UTmaniac said:
Carrera Subway 2 for £350 from Halfords, hydraulic brakes, decent components and a very solid frame.
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How would that compare to the Carrera Vengeance? Its about the same price but the vengeance has front suspension? quite a few people are saying to avoid halfords also lol.
 
BassHead said:
Been looking on ebay and FB marketplace for something used in budget, not seeing much at the moment other than bikes out of budget or just loads of Carrera halfords range for not a great deal less than new prices.



How would that compare to the Carrera Vengeance? Its about the same price but the vengeance has front suspension? quite a few people are saying to avoid halfords also lol.
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I bought a Carrera Vengeance a few years ago when it was on offer, from Halfords for £200.

Bike has been excellent, only thing I changed was to swap the Kenda knobblies for some Schwalbe Land Cruiser Plus three and better inner tubes.

I'd definitely recommend front suspension for the riding you plan, very similar to what I ride.

Plus the tyre change I did makes for faster and quieter road use.

The Halfords people and service have been fine for me.
 
Nothing wrong with Halfords.

I rode a Carrera Subway for over a year down canal paths and wondered why 3 proper bike shops all suggested a £1000 road bike when I told them what my commute was.
Halfords were the only one who suggested I needed an MTB for my commute.

My last two Trek bikes were bargains off Gumtree.
Find out what they cost new and then go and look at the bike.
 
Thank's for the replies

I am going to up my budget to £400 will keep a look out on the used market if i don't see anything local i'll probably take a punt on one of the halfords ones,
 
£300 second hand, preferably fully rigid/no suspension. Use the extra £100 for rubber changes if required, pedals and seat.

26" wheel bikes are very cheap now and will be a good starting point. 27.5"+ / 650b+ is standard now. Tyres will generally be cheaper for 26" also.
 
I just picked up a (I think) 4 year old GT Traffic 1.0 hybrid bike for £210 barely used, just serviced and new cassette and chain still got plenty of life left in the tyres and I had only been looking online for 2 days. You can definitely pick up some good deals second hand.
 
Kelt said:
I bought a Carrera Vengeance a few years ago when it was on offer, from Halfords for £200.

Bike has been excellent, only thing I changed was to swap the Kenda knobblies for some Schwalbe Land Cruiser Plus three and better inner tubes.

I'd definitely recommend front suspension for the riding you plan, very similar to what I ride.

Plus the tyre change I did makes for faster and quieter road use.

The Halfords people and service have been fine for me.
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I was looking at this earlier today as I recently started doing a weekend bike ride with a mate. He has a bike costing around £800 with Tekra stuff on it. I don't wnat to spend that much and teh Vengeance looked good and was priced great on Halfords too so figured I'd go for that. Our rides involve some terrain/hills etc and mostly coastal roads, beach scenic etc. It's nice to have grippy tyres for the terrain hills etc but I would change teh chunky tyres for something a little more comfy and speedy for the road?

Are the mechanical brakes vs hybraulics an issue?

My mate mentioned the Shimano groupset isn't very high end so may break but if yours have been going for years then I can't see how they can break with my kind of usage?

This one: https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...2020---black---xs-s-m-l-xl-frames-340910.html
 
mrk said:
I was looking at this earlier today as I recently started doing a weekend bike ride with a mate. He has a bike costing around £800 with Tekra stuff on it. I don't wnat to spend that much and teh Vengeance looked good and was priced great on Halfords too so figured I'd go for that. Our rides involve some terrain/hills etc and mostly coastal roads, beach scenic etc. It's nice to have grippy tyres for the terrain hills etc but I would change teh chunky tyres for something a little more comfy and speedy for the road?

Are the mechanical brakes vs hybraulics an issue?

My mate mentioned the Shimano groupset isn't very high end so may break but if yours have been going for years then I can't see how they can break with my kind of usage?

This one: https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...2020---black---xs-s-m-l-xl-frames-340910.html
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The bike has been great for me, highly recommended for the price point.

The gears have been faultless, crisp, precise shifting which belies their level.
I do notice they've dropped the spec to 2x8, mine are 3x8.
That being said, apart from when I rode the bike home from the shop (being totally unfit), I've barely used the granny gear ring!

I've never ridden with hydraulic brakes so can't comment on them.
All I can tell you is that the mechanical disk brakes on this bike have been flawless, stopping me no problem, and I'm not as light as I used to be.
And you'll never have a problem with losing brake fluid! (I've seen that mentioned here)

The tyres I upgraded to have been brilliant, far more suited to my riding, and they still have plenty of grip for off road use.
 
Brilliant thanks! I will keep this in the basket for a short while whilst I weigh up various options!

By the sounds of it, this bike will be perfect for me.
 
Shipping cost I didn't realise was so high so have decided not to get that. Having read countless reviews and watched various videos I have decided to go for the Boardman 8.6 (2021). The specs and quality are a step above what I was looking at before and the lifespan should be greater as a result. This will be for the long run :cool:

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...n-bike-2021---grey---s-m-l-frames-365918.html
I am going to get it in store as I get 10% discount, so £585.

edit*
turns out the grey was out of stock, website had not updated :(

Looks like I'm getting the Marin Bobcat Trail 3 instead at £525.
 
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mrk said:
Shipping cost I didn't realise was so high so have decided not to get that. Having read countless reviews and watched various videos I have decided to go for the Boardman 8.6 (2021). The specs and quality are a step above what I was looking at before and the lifespan should be greater as a result. This will be for the long run :cool:

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...n-bike-2021---grey---s-m-l-frames-365918.html
I am going to get it in store as I get 10% discount, so £585.

edit*
turns out the grey was out of stock, website had not updated :(

Looks like I'm getting the Marin Bobcat Trail 3 instead at £525.
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I wouldn't be buying that over the Vengeance.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...bike---16in-18in-20in-22in-frames-445828.html

This is a far better buy.

I know it's down to availability, but that Marin looks pretty poor for £525, just look at the specs compared to the Voodoo Banttu which is cheaper!
 
Kelt said:
I wouldn't be buying that over the Vengeance.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...bike---16in-18in-20in-22in-frames-445828.html

This is a far better buy.

I know it's down to availability, but that Marin looks pretty poor for £525, just look at the specs compared to the Voodoo Banttu which is cheaper!
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I did see this one but opted against it because I didn't like the frame design, cable clutter along the frame vs integrated routing and a cleaner/nicer looking frame too on the Marin which was one of my desirables. Specs seem similar in many bits though? Forks, same derailleur, gearing. Voodoo has better pedals out the box (alloy vs nylon), different model brakes with 20mm bigger rotors otherwise.

I do fully intend on upgrading some bits in time as my skills grow. Forks, derailleur, and going with a 1 by setup and getting as big a cassette at the back that I can budget for.
 
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That bobcat is one sexy bike I was going to buy it but couldn't find any in stock, if your willing to £525 have a look at the Vitus Nucleus its £550 they just have released the 2021 range.
 
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