Bicycle Tutor

Hi all,

I'm a newbie when it comes to bikes so I'm after a bit of advice on what to look for in a bike. I'm looking to buy a new bike in the £200 GBP (ish); range, but the chose is frankly mind numbing. I will be using the bike every day, mainly to get to work and back home so it will have to be fairly rugged (and as light as possible, within my budget, to help cope with the very hilly terrain around the area that I live).

I was thinking either a mountain bike or a hybrid bike. I was told by a friend that disk breaks are not really that good and can be expensive to replace, he advised me to stick to normal V-type brakes?

I don't want a full suspension bike as I already got one and don't like it. Any advise that anyone can give me on this matter will be gratefully received.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

G'day

Really how long is a piece of string? Honestly this sort of question is probably best asked in a UK forum where the members are familiar with your market.

That said, I guess you budget is at the low end of the market so I would suggest visiting two or three local bikes shops to see what they sell in the price range and then ride the bikes. The one that sings to you is the one to buy.

At your price point features like disk brakes and suspension is going to be low quality and heavy. Not worth the pounds in my view. Look for better bikes with less "features" for the same dollars. You are more likely to get better value for money.

For example v-brakes would be fine at this price point.

Regards
Andrew

Personally I would steer clear of a "mountain" bike if you are not going truly off-road. A "hybrid" would be a much better option or better still a proper "touring" bike. A mountain bikes tyres are big and cause a lot of drag, so are harder to pedal. Cheaper MTBs with suspension are also extremely heavy.

In the £200 range you will get a decent bike but it will be heavy compared with more expensive ones.
Again, personally, I would also have a look at the second hand market as there are some very good value machines to be had.

Another option is "last years" model. Some retailers sell them of at a good discount so shop around.
Cheaper bikes obviously use cheap materials and components which means weight and a short life span.
Get a bike that is nice to ride and then it will get used more often.

A big thank you to Aushiker and cyclerUK for the info, I'll definitely look at a "touring" bike.

This proves the point that I really need to do some homework to get the best for what little money that I've got saved.

I will let everyone know what bike I get in the end, hopefully you won't laugh to much when I do Again thanks for the info, any more advice is more than welcome.

Hi just an up date for anyone thats interested. I've just bought a DAWES MOUNTAIN BIKE XC 1.8, cost me £250 new. Feedback / opinions welcome.

Regards Paul.