Hi all. Looking for advice on used bikes. Wanting to buy a used bike to be able to ride out with my daughter regularly. Don't have much of a clue on what to look for. What sort of features should I be looking for in a bike in the range of about £100? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
7 Comments
sorted byfor me it is the weight of the bike that is important. you want the lightest bike possible for the money. and when you ride the bike, test the gear changes are smooth as that is where old bikes can fail and the chain drops when you change gear.
Make sure there aren't any cracks in the frame and other structural elements of the bike.
The fact that you're asking us rather than your daughter suggests you're just after something to ride alongside a child rather than a keen sports cyclist so in terms of bike style you want practicality rather than performance.
So make sure it's got all the bits that the racers/mountain bikers sometimes leave off for speed - mudguards, kickstand, bike rack - make sure it's a comfortable riding position rather than a forward leaning aerodynamic one. Internal gears inside the rear wheel hub are lower maintenance than a derailleur, but rarer.
Smoother tyres are ideal, the kobbly ones are for off-roading on loose surfaces like mud and are a bit more effort to ride on firmer surfaces. Tyres are fairly cheap to replace if you use it a lot though, so that's not a deal breaker.
Avoid suspension - adds complexity, more maintenance, weight and going down tow paths and light places wide tyres will be fine - also I would suggest looking higher that 7 speed on rear as is then guaranteed to be a cassette rather than a freewheel
you should find pinnacles, carrera around your price in the usual places (ebay, gumtree, facebook marketplace)
as 10 sec search if you were around manchester shows this on ebay which looks about right to me carrera subway hybrid suit 5ft6 to 5ft 10 | eBay albeit I do not know you height (check charts on bikes to give an idea on what size you want from that manufacturer) or location but just to give an idea.