Which Bike?

dceire

I'm looking for a racer/road bike but don't know the first thing about them. I'll be using it for my 20km round trip to work and generally pottering around. I saw this on Amazon which looks decent for €300 delivered:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vittesse-Sprint-21-speed-Alloy-Racing/dp/B003DZ15CQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1328561303&sr=1-1

I also like several bikes on Dublinbikeman.com; but, as I said before, I can't really tell one from the other.

http://www.dublinbikeman.com/MensBikes.htm#20inch

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

SomeFool

This is on adverts, you'd probably get it for two hundred and is better value than anything you've linked imo. what size would you need do you know? Any good second hand bike for 300 will be a better purchase than the amazon one.

dceire

I like the look of that alright, I really don't want to be going far beyond the €200 mark though. I'm 5ft 8" so, according to Dublinbikeman, I'm after a 21"-22" (53-55 cm) bike

PS: That Carrera has a 23" frame, too big for me?

dceire

Are any of the bikes on here at least half decent? I really don't have a lot of money to spend and want something to get me in and out of work. I'm looking at the 52-55cm frames.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

easygoing39

looking at them bike's reminds me of 1983!!! Heavy,crude and lacking in finesse,you get what you pay for.

SomeFool

Have you been keeping an eye on adverts?. Keep an eye out and something should come along.

VanhireBoys

easygoing39 wrote: »

looking at them bike's reminds me of 1983!!! Heavy,crude and lacking in finesse,you get what you pay for.

Ahem 1983 was not that long ago....! I am doing up this '83 979 Duralinox as a resto project and there is nothing heavy crude or lacking in finesse about this bike.. Its a 60cm BTW


OP keep an eye out and you will get sommit nice to turn up.....!

dceire

VanhireBoys wrote: »

Ahem 1983 was not that long ago....! I am doing up this '83 979 Duralinox as a resto project and there is nothing heavy crude or lacking in finesse about this bike.. Its a 60cm BTW

OP keep an eye out and you will get sommit nice to turn up.....!

Hey, that's a really nice bike. I really like the retro look of a lot of those old racers. What's Peugot like as a bicycle brand? My dad has one of their mountain bikes for years now and it seems pretty solid.

I've been keeping an eye on adverts and the like but, as I said in the OP, I'm pretty clueless as to what constitutes a decent bike. :rolleyes:

SomeFool

dceire wrote: »

I've been keeping an eye on adverts and the like but, as I said in the OP, I'm pretty clueless as to what constitutes a decent bike. :rolleyes:

Keep looking, post here and you'll get an opinion from someone advising if it's a rip off or not. This might make a good commuter bike for you or are you heart set on a retro bike?

easygoing39

While I agree your '83 Peugeot looks class,I still think the bikes linked to by dceire fall into my statement.I'd rather go for something newer on donedeal etc that the owner justs want rid off for smaller money.

dceire

SomeFool wrote: »

Keep looking, post here and you'll get an opinion from someone advising if it's a rip off or not. This might make a good commuter bike for you or are you heart set on a retro bike?

No, I just really like the look of the retro bikes; that's not to say that they're exactly what I'm looking for. That bike looks nice alright, although, I have a slight preference for a race style bike. My commute is 10k, each way, on a main road; if this makes any odds.

Are the Garda auctions any use? Anyone know how often they are on?

Darkglasses

I have heard on this forum that they aren't great, most of the good bikes get snapped up before the auction and you get left with poorly maintained/broken cheap bikes. I've been tempted to get a bike from the Dublinbikeman for months now. I've never actually contacted him, but I think you can rent a bike off him? So maybe you could try one for a week or so to see if you like it? Thats what I'm trying to convince myself to do anyway. Specially one of his KTMs...

SomeFool

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/giant-defy-size-m/1338868

Might be ideal.

dceire

SomeFool wrote: »

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/giant-defy-size-m/1338868

Might be ideal.

Sorry, saw that one late. I might have been stretching the budget a little but it looked like a good bike.

I'm prepared to get slated for posting this but any opinions on the following?

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/bicycles/2728836?cid=2728836&

dceire

Just saw this on adverts, worth a punt?

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/raleigh-record-sprint-racer-excellent-condition/1348935

LukeDaly

dceire wrote: »

Sorry, saw that one late. I might have been stretching the budget a little but it looked like a good bike.

I'm prepared to get slated for posting this but any opinions on the following?

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/bicycles/2728836?cid=2728836&

I also saw this bike and was thinking of getting one. Delivered to the house for 250 seems like a great deal,Anyone have any knowledge of it?
Only thing I'd be worried about is stem shifters

happytramp

dceire wrote: »

Just saw this on adverts, worth a punt?

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/raleigh-record-sprint-racer-excellent-condition/1348935

Yeah, I reckon that looks decent. 501 tubing is pretty good and at that price is FAR better than what Dublinbikeman is offering. Seems in reasonable condition but you need to find out what size it is.

dceire

happytramp wrote: »

Yeah, I reckon that looks decent. 501 tubing is pretty good and at that price is FAR better than what Dublinbikeman is offering. Seems in reasonable condition but you need to find out what size it is.

It's a 53 cms 21".

I'm 5ft 8", the ad says

Suit from 5ft to about 5ft 9

sy

53cm will be good size for you if you are 5' 8"

dceire

I've had a bid on it semi-accepted. Supposed to look at it tomorrow.

Is there anything I should be looking out for when inspecting it?

happytramp

To be honest the more I look at it the more I like it. That said it's hard to tell if it's got problems from those photo's.

1. Take your time, don't get to panicked or nervous while looking at it. Check each and every tube to make sure there are no major dents or bends (basically you're trying to determine if it's been in a crash) Don't worry about scratches and minor nicks. If everything looks straight and true move on.

2. Check for signs of major rust. This may indicate structural problems with the frame. If you've got concerns about rust check that the seatpost can be moved (maybe bring a set of allen keys to check this)

3. Check the wheels run straight and true. Minor wobbles are okay but watch out for major buckles.

4. Check everything shifts correctly, take it for a test ride and try out the gears and brakes.

If it passes your set of checks i'd say it's well worth your 125 quid.

dceire

I ended up getting this today. €125 and I'm delighted with it so far. I was flying around town on it all day.

Cheers for all the advice guys.

SomeFool

Nice buy, well done, enjoy it.

happytramp

Yep, fair play. Give it a bit of a wash and maybe a bit of autosol metal polish to bring out the shinyness of the components! Lovely.