Bikes available from LIDL or ALDI

sirspamalot

Hi folks,

I believe that either LIDL or ALDI sell bikes (mountain bikes?) for about €150.

I am in the market for a cheap bike and am wondering if anyone has purchased one from LIDL/ALDI or can they recommend a bike shop/store that would sell me one for around €150 - Dublin area please.

I plan to use the bike for communting, shopping and generally "gettin' around"
(e.g no off-roading or leaping over tall buildings)

Spamalot

rubadub

If your limit is really 150 then the only choice IMO is second hand. 400 is the min I would spend on a new bike. you get what you pay for. A cheapo bike is a false economy.

chris85

sirspamalot wrote: »

Hi folks,

I believe that either LIDL or ALDI sell bikes (mountain bikes?) for about €150.

I am in the market for a cheap bike and am wondering if anyone has purchased one from LIDL/ALDI or can they recommend a bike shop/store that would sell me one for around €150 - Dublin area please.

I plan to use the bike for communting, shopping and generally "gettin' around"
(e.g no off-roading or leaping over tall buildings)

Spamalot

The bikes in places like this will come flat packed in a box and will require you do put on wheels, connect brakes, connect handlebars, generally get the thing running.

The average person will do all this but does not have the bicycle knowledge to do it correctly and thus it is a safety issue. I worked for 6 years in bike shop and had many people come in to get the bike assembled properly after they attempted it.

I would second rubadub's opinion that you should get a second-hand bike.

roadmanmad

I agree with the above.

The Lidl/Aldi weights are huge. It is fine for the 10 minutes a year people pay lip service to cycling and then leave in the shed. If you are commuting a reasonable commute type bike at beginner level will start above 200€.

Shop around your local shop and always suggest that you buy from your local. It is the most convenient.

Harpz

Bear in mind that the users of this forum would best be described as enthusiasts, most of whom have bikes costing in the high hundreds or more. They look on the very cheapest bikes with a certain amount of distain.
If your bike is only to pop down to the shops every other day then a cheap and nasty bike would be fine. If you are commuting then i would suggest looking at the bus fare or petrol savings and total them up for the lifetime of the bike say min 18 months and spend that minimum.
As with all things you get what you pay for, however id say the aldi bike is equivalent to whatever your local bike shop has at the bottom of the range but cheaper.

On the subject of buying from a local bike shop it is true that it has many benefits, properly assembled, and usually will throw in a 6 week service to retighten all the cables which stretch out with first use. however you can pay to have your bike serviced/ assembled so its really a simple arithmetic sum of savings getting it in aldi versus cost of services. I think it would be naive to think you would get brillant aftersales service from your local shop when you have a really cheap bike.

rubadub

If you are commuting then i would suggest looking at the bus fare or petrol savings and total them up for the lifetime of the bike say min 18 months and spend that minimum.

Yep, he did mention commuting. I do about 60-70mile a week, a cheap bike would not last pissing time.

If you want new and on budget I would check CRC, they have Dawes who are a decent brand. It is low end components but should be better than aldi. Some have a good bit of money off.


these are better suited to commuting
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=508&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC


these are mountain bikes, slower than the ones above but can take the brutal roads we have better. I have recently switched back to my MTB to commute, for safety reasons, and a more enjoyable ride, and I want to burn more calories.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=163&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC

blorg

A halfway decent bike will last years; 18 months would be a very short time period. There will of course be periodic maintenance costs but nothing like you would spend on a car.

A "decent" bike new costs from around €350 in a bike shop. You can pick up decent second-hand from €100-150 if you are lucky. Look for a hybrid, something like a Dawes Discovery series or a Trek FX (the latter will be more expensive however.) Avoid cheap mountain bikes and especially anything with suspension.

kona

as above, cheap bikes are rubbish.
if you use it for work ask yourself this.

1.do you want to be sitting at the side of the road late for work because your bike has broken.

2. do you have the patience to book the bike into a shop every few weeks getting the same things fixed, and paying €50 a vist???


and finally aldi and lidl sell below par soup and above par muffins, not to forget carrots and potatoes..........do you think these shops would know a good bike if it bit it in the ass, and your warranty is your money back , waste of time IMO:D

roadmanmad

Harpz wrote: »

Bear in mind that the users of this forum would best be described as enthusiasts, most of whom have bikes costing in the high hundreds or more. They look on the very cheapest bikes with a certain amount of distain..

I am not here to look down on other cyclist or road users. There are a number of us on the forum who want to share and support. If we are critical, then there is a strong possibility we have a point to make.

kona

roadmanmad wrote: »

I am not here to look down on other cyclist or road users. There are a number of us on the forum who want to share and support. If we are critical, then there is a strong possibility we have a point to make.

he has a point tho.
there is no point in lying and saying everything is great, when a bike is a piece of crap.
if he asks for a opinion, where is the point in lying.

Frog Brother

I agree with Harpz on this one, as this thread attracs entusiasts, however do take bying a bike seriously; Bikes are not toys and they will be ridden on roads with traffic and pedestrians in differnet weathers. A good sturdy bike shouldn't cost the earth but do go with the brand name bike, even from an LBS, it will be more reliable, you don't want this thing to break down on the way to work and put you under the wheels of a bus, and an LBS (local Bike Shop) will be happy to service a bike bought from them and help you extend the life of the bike.

In all honesty buy one of these
http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/roadster-classic.html

it set you back at least €650 but your grandchildern will be teaching their kids to cycle on it long after you are dead

plus you'll look like an Oxford Don; dunno if that is a good thing or a bad thing

ohh... they are nice...http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/guvnor.html
now I want that one bad... anyone want to buy a second hand fixie?

A €100 Lidl bike Vs €150 at chainreaction; chainreaction everytime

sirspamalot

rubadub wrote: »

Yep, he did mention commuting. I do about 60-70mile a week, a cheap bike would not last pissing time.

If you want new and on budget I would check CRC, they have Dawes who are a decent brand. It is low end components but should be better than aldi. Some have a good bit of money off.


these are better suited to commuting
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=508&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC


these are mountain bikes, slower than the ones above but can take the brutal roads we have better. I have recently switched back to my MTB to commute, for safety reasons, and a more enjoyable ride, and I want to burn more calories.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=163&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC

Thanks to all of you for the replies, it was very enlightening.

The Dawes bike for €115 from Chain Reaction sounds like a real bargain. I will contact them.

As you may have guessed, I am not the bike enthusiast that some of you are and considering the wreck I have been cycling (on and off) for the last 8 years, I reckon it is high time to trade up. The current bike is a ladies Mountain bike with an extra tall/high saddle. It was made in Canada and weighs more than the east-link bridge. It does have a back carrier which is useful for shopping. The cartridge/chain is slipping and some other items might be in need of repair (the brakes!) so I think it is FreeCycle time for that bike.

Does anyone have any opinions on Little Sport in Fairview? They are an LBS for my brother in-law but he has never purchased anything from them.

Ta,

Spamalot

Stark

Friend of mine has had a Dawes Discovery bike for a few years, he'd be commuting 7 miles a day + general use. Cost him €300 so good value.

I once had a hundred-something euro bike that I used for commuting 3-4km to work along a flat road with no traffic lights and the bike was barely up to that. It was a complete chore to cycle. Even spending an extra 100 gets you a bike that's somewhat pleasurable to ride. Life's too short for anything less.

Raam

sirspamalot wrote: »

Does anyone have any opinions on Little Sport in Fairview? They are an LBS for my brother in-law but he has never purchased anything from them.

I've gone there twice to get my chain replaced, both times they didn't put it on properly. I'm very capable of screwing it up myself, I don't really like paying someone good money to put it on wrong That said, it's close to my work so I usually bring my bikes there for service.

kona

Raam wrote: »

I've gone there twice to get my chain replaced, both times they didn't put it on properly. I'm very capable of screwing it up myself, I don't really like paying someone good money to put it on wrong That said, it's close to my work so I usually bring my bikes there for service.

ye that bike shop is fairly poor, same with the one in artane, I wonder if he actually looks at a C.V or a mechanics work before he hires them.
Ine of the polish lads in work used to work there...............he has nothing good to say about the place.:o
some of the stuff ive seen him bodge on bikes is funny, he must only stock 26" tubes as h seems to put these in everything, its a fair feat to get one in a 20" wheel,lol:D
although my favourite was.
"do you stock downhill bikes????"
Little sport owner " yep, just over here"
"thats a BMX"
LSO " ye but you can go downhill on it"
"ill think about it cheers"
full of crappy 2nd hand stock and, below average skanger aimed treks
i was offered €100 for a raleigh i found!! easyest €100

oh ye and former employees have told me he buys stolen bikes(i take this with a pinch of salt)

but then again maybe i just get them on a bad day(s):D

gar_29

halfords have some bikes at the moment too, all in the 120-180 region. they have front suspension, disc brakes, but are prett basic apart from that.

i got one a month ago, as i've recently moved on from running to a bit of cycling, and it's doing pretty well. the only complaint i have is that's it's heavy as hell!!!

rubadub

sirspamalot wrote: »

The Dawes bike for €115 from Chain Reaction sounds like a real bargain. I will contact them.

It is a better choice than the aldi ones, but still not great. You will have to assemble it yourself, or pay a shop to do it. However CRC is a great site, the discounts shown are real, and they are quoting the UK RRP which is lower than the Irish RRP.

I would still advise going for something a bit better though.

all in the 120-180 region. they have front suspension, disc brakes

I would avoid them "confirmation bikes" as a guy told me once, all just for show. There is no way you are getting decent suspension and disc brakes for 120. Separately they should cost more than that! You would be better off with normal brakes and no suspension,

gar_29

rubadub wrote: »

It is a better choice than the aldi ones, but still not great. You will have to assemble it yourself, or pay a shop to do it.

they said either i took it that day and assembled it myself, or came back in a few days and they'd have it assembled it for me, free. guess which option i took!!!!!

rubadub wrote: »

I would avoid them "confirmation bikes" as a guy told me once, all just for show. There is no way you are getting decent suspension and disc brakes for 120. Separately they should cost more than that! You would be better off with normal brakes and no suspension,

fair enough, i know nothing at all about bikes; that said, for so cheap, it's a good starting point.

Stark

You'll find that the suspension will tire you out in no time once you start cycling on it. A sizeable portion of your pedalling energy will be going into making you hop up and down rather than propelling you forward. The weight of the cheap frame and the big mountain bike style tyres will also be a huge drag.

gar_29

Stark wrote: »

You'll find that the suspension will tire you out in no time once you start cycling on it. A sizeable portion of your pedalling energy will be going into making you hop up and down rather than propelling you forward. The weight of the cheap frame and the big mountain bike style tyres will also be a huge drag.

yep, that's true. but i only use mine for keep fit, so the weight is grand, using more energy is the goal! not really suitable for what the OP wants though.