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New entry level road bikes ca 300 quid - BSO's or no?

  • 06-05-2014 9:33pm
    #1
    fat bloke
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,971 ✭✭✭


    A donedeal search throws up a whole panoply of new road bikes between 250 and 350 quid. Various makes with various specs - Viking, Castello, MuddyFox, Claude Butler, Carrera, Probike, Dawes etc etc.

    My question is simple. -Are they bottom of the barrel BSO's fit for the skip, or are they genuinely the no nonsense, low budget entry level road bike their sellers purport them to be? Would be great if some people on here had actually tried them and could give some feedback.

    It's easy to be dismissive and just tell folks to wallet-up and pay the requisite 1000 euro but in fairness, it's not within everyone's finances to do so. If these bikes are ok, then great, but if they're pig iron triangles of sh1t, then they're nothing but a waste of 300 euro.

    The reason I'm asking is that a brother in law of mine is looking for a Ring of Kerry mobile for that kind of money and I'm genuinely interested in the answer. I saw Halfords selling a Carrera bike for 295 quid weekend - aluminium frame and steel forks (reduced from 750 quid - me ar$e it was) and I actually went to Halfords just to take a look, presuming that it'd be an awful yoke, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was actually a nice looking bike, looked well put together, was heavy as lead of course but for 295 quid it looked to be very nice entry starter bike.
    Similarly, a couple of years back in the States I rented a Jamis, super basic road bike, 16 speed or something, Al/steel combo. It was no rocket ship but I did 3 or 4 days eminently pleasant flat training and sight seeing on it. A perfectly Cromulent machine :).

    So, anyone any experience of the above? Are they worth a punt or are they to be steered clear of?


Comments

  • #2
    rollingscone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,479 ✭✭✭rollingscone


    Some of the Halfords Carrera bikes will serve in that role. Heavy but not poorly constructed.

    Better yet, the B'twin Tribans from Decathlon.

    Many of the other budget options are designed to look like road bikes not perform like them.

    Plus brand name entry level road bikes can be bought new for around €500 online.


  • #3
    lennymc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,460 ✭✭✭lennymc


    carrera tdf is a damn fine bike for the money. Think its about 350 at the moment with an extra 10 or 15% discount if you have an axa card. I did several thousand km on one of them. I'd nearly buy another one as a commuter.


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