2nd hand branded bike or 1st hand non branded?

brianthebard

Ok I'm in the market for a cheap bike for college and whatnot, and have pretty much made up my mind but still a bit confused so would like some input if anyone would like to help. I looked at two bikes today, a second hand raleigh mountain bike for 150 (it was a rental over the summer, some rust on bits of it, sand in tire tread, so no service given I think) and a first hand mountain bike for 160 (170 w/mudguards). I don't remember the brand name but wasn't anything I'd recognise. I don't have the spec of either but at that price I think they were both pretty much the same. As I see it the only thing separating them is that the raleigh is used whereas I imagine the new one would get a guarantee. They are both basically the same height, weight, value, etc, but does the raleigh brand name make any significant difference these days or should I just go with the one which hasn't been used for the sake of that newness?
Your thoughts please.

Lumen

brianthebard wrote: »

Ok I'm in the market for a cheap bike for college and whatnot...a second hand raleigh mountain bike for 150...and a first hand mountain bike for 160 (170 w/mudguards)...Your thoughts please.

At the risk of stating the obvious, don't buy a mountain bike for cycling on the road. Particularly a cheap one.

brianthebard

Oh...I didn't think it would make any difference, and the woman in one of the shops didn't seem to either. Well that kind of changes things. Can I ask why exactly?

cyclopath2001

Raleigh is not the craftsman brand it was 40 years ago.

In many cases, in the low-to-mid market, brands are a bit misleading and the same frame could appear under many badges.

For utility cycling, more important is the quality of the components and the availability of after-sales service if you're not going to maintain the bike itself.

There's a lot of potential for neglect in a second-hand bike and if you don't know how to check the bearings, brakes, transmission and gear-change, you're probably better off buying new from a dealer who will deal with after-sales problems promptly. Guarantees are not important as your statutory rights would cover you for any defects.

Best advice would be to buy a simple town bike/roadster with mudguards, 700x25 or 700x28 normal-thread tyres, a rear reflector and good, removable lights. A rack for your bag is a good idea.

Avoid mountain bikes with big knobbly tyres and shocks. They absorb a lot of energy.

Keep it cheap as you probably have a high risk of damage or theft at college.

Blowfish

Lumen wrote: »

At the risk of stating the obvious, don't buy a mountain bike for cycling on the road. Particularly a cheap one.

Usually I'd agree with you, but not in this case. Bike facilities in colleges are usually pretty insecure. They are generally poorly monitored/lit and campuses can quite often be targetted by thieves as easy pickings. The racks will also be exposed to the elements, which isn't good for any bike, expensive or cheap. A cheap runabout in these circumstances isn't such a bad idea, as long as you take good care of the mechanical bits.

I had this BSO, which lasted me through 4 years of college (8k trip) and a couple of years working (12k trip) and it only really started falling apart in recent months when I started taking it on longer trips of up to 100k (the funny looks I used to get from roadies as I was heading over Sally Gap made the pain/uncomfortableness well worth it).

DirkVoodoo

Make sure you spend some money on a decent lock. And a decent lock being a good quality U lock. Steer clear of cable locks or heavy chains.

I disagree about the bike being the temptation for thieves, rather it is opportunity. A determined thief with the right tools will get any bike he wants, unless you have parked it in a busy area with lots of attentive people (this place does not exist).

I locked a Giant SCR and a Felt Dispatch in UCD for a combined 2 year stretch and aside from one idiot locking my bike to theirs, never had a problem (touch wood).

2 locks are ideal, if you are willing to spend the money and don't mind the weight (one U lock and one quality cable lock).

Kryptonite New York 3000
Abus Granite

And a cable lock to supplement it:
Kryptonite KryptoFlex

Don't forget a set of lights either, essential for winter commuting:

Smart Front and Rear LED set

Lumen

Blowfish wrote: »

Usually I'd agree with you, but not in this case. Bike facilities in colleges are usually pretty insecure. They are generally poorly monitored/lit and campuses can quite often be targetted by thieves as easy pickings. The racks will also be exposed to the elements, which isn't good for any bike, expensive or cheap. A cheap runabout in these circumstances isn't such a bad idea, as long as you take good care of the mechanical bits.

Indeed, there is a lot to be said for a crappy looking bike. I don't know what the availability of crappy looking but mechanically sound racer/hybrid bikes is like, but that'd surely be less likely to get nicked than a MTB.

thebouldwhacker

I was in houston station last week and got a good laugh at a crappy looking bike, saddle torn, bits of rust on the frame, bar tape falling off, dodgy looking wheels etc but shiny 105 gearing and brakes with perfect tyres... a diamond in the rough

Capt'n Midnight

if it's a short journey the mountain bike will be fine , since you are looking at ountain bikes I reckon you prefer them to "racers". Are you sure it isn't a hybrid - which would be ideal , shaped like a mountain bike but with narrower road tyres instead of chunky off road ones.

I'd tend to say the ex-rental. Find out how much it was new to see if they are giving you a good discount on the new price, and get someone who knows about bikes to give it a once over to make sure the wheels etc are pmo. Does it have carrier / lights that the other one doesn't.

brianthebard

Thanks for the replies everyone, I know there's dozens of these threads every week here. There were no hybrids at that price Capt'n so I didn't look at any, although I did think maybe the bigger wheels would be better in winter, but obviously you all seem to do ok without them.
The rental doesn't have anything extra on the other one, except rust.

Tbh there is a third option which is to keep the bike a friend left me when he went to australia. I felt going for a new bike where I knew everything worked would be better and cheaper but perhaps i should just put some new tyres and tubes on this and clean the gears and go from there.
(sorry if that ruins all your advice giving! )

Dazzzz

I am looking for a lightweight bike for a 8 year old - any suggestions on brands/styles? He has a steel frame bike, but it is to heavy.

LastGasp

Dazzzz wrote: »

I am looking for a lightweight bike for a 8 year old - any suggestions on brands/styles? He has a steel frame bike, but it is to heavy.

Have a look at these. Someone posted it a little while ago. The info arrived just too late for me -I had just bought my 7 year old a steel one. They look nice. http://www.islabikes.co.uk/