Which bike for a beginner?

tetracycline

I am getting a new road bike using the teachers cycle to work scheme. I commute the short distance of 7km to college each day. I've decided to buy a bike off gallagher cycles online store because they seem cheap, they're on the teachers cycle to work website, and they deliver.
Which road bike would you recommend from their site that is under 400 euro? I cannot post a link because I am a new user, but a quick google should find you their site.


Thanks in advance for any information.

smacl

€400 is very low for a new road bike, you could be better off going second hand or adding a few extra bucks. Had a look at the cheap road bikes on the Gallaghers site and personally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. I reckon if you put a wanted add on the adverts part of this site you'd do way better.

Undercover Elephant

I agree with smacl. A bike has around 1000 parts. It's not possible to source them all, put them together properly and make a profit at €400, including VAT, without cutting some corners. Cheap bikes are usually awful to ride after a short time, and then you don't. €400 is a lot of money for something that isn't used.

Spend a bit more and if you find you don't take to it, it will probably hold its value better than the cheap one anyway.

onthefringe

tetracycline wrote: »

I am getting a new road bike using the teachers cycle to work scheme. I commute the short distance of 7km to college each day. I've decided to buy a bike off gallagher cycles online store because they seem cheap, they're on the teachers cycle to work website, and they deliver.
Which road bike would you recommend from their site that is under 400 euro? I cannot post a link because I am a new user, but a quick google should find you their site.


Thanks in advance for any information.

no disrespect to what gallaghers sell...im sure theres a market for €350/€400 bikes...but youve come here for advice

the advice you will roundly receive is dont buy a €400 new bike and expect it to be good..

spend a bit more on new...or the same on a decent , well speced second hand bike.

enjoy your cycling.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'd go to your local bike shop and ask them for advice. As a teacher your entitled to a bike through the cycle to work scheme operated under Irish tax system for civil servants and state employees. A bike costing €1000 will in effect only cost you €480 spread out over 12 months which works out less than €10 a week.

Gallaghers aren't a proper bike shop, they don't keep those bikes in stock and he doesn't have a physical shop you could visit in the event of problems. He operates from a truck container at the rear of his parents home. You order the bike from his website and its dispatched from some warehouse elsewhere. The bikes are cheap, very heavy and very crude. I could nearly guarantee that if you were to buy one of those Castello bikes it would end up rusting in a shed as they're not pleasant to cycle. I have had the displeasure of trying them out. The blue ones are made from heavy grade pig iron and weigh about 25kg -no joking whereas the green ones are made from less heavy iron and weigh slightly less. The gears on them are mounted on the bars and absolutely horrible to use. They really are a terrible bike.

tetracycline

Thanks for the replies. How much would a good second hand bike cost, and what brands and specs should I be looking for?

Also, I've been using a Carrera Karkinos for the last 2 weeks and I really liked it, but I know nothing really when it comes to bikes. What are your opinions on Carrrera, as I was also looking at the Carrera TDF which seems to have decent enough reviews online.

smacl

tetracycline wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. How much would a good second hand bike cost, and what brands and specs should I be looking for?

Also, I've been using a Carrera Karkinos for the last 2 weeks and I really liked it, but I know nothing really when it comes to bikes. What are your opinions on Carrrera, as I was also looking at the Carrera TDF which seems to have decent enough reviews online.

Carrera TDF is a good bike for the money, though I've read mixed reports about how well Halfords staff assemble them. I got my first road bike on the adverts section here about four years ago for €300 and it has been my main bike up until about a month ago. There's a raleigh here at €130 which seems like good value if its your size, but I think you'd still be better putting your own wanted add in and see what comes up. For €400 you ought to get a decent second hand entry level bike from a reputable manufacturer such as Giant, Cube, Trek, Ridley, Planet X, etc... which is 3-4 years old but in good nick. Also worth asking the local bike shops if they've anything available 2nd hand in your budget.

Qualitymark

I don't think secondhand bicycles are accepted under the Cycle to Work Scheme.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/cycle_to_work_scheme.html

Get a good light strong bike. Modern aluminium alloy bicycles are much lighter than the old steel frames, and a joy to cycle. Don't get something so expensive that you have a lifetime of paranoia worrying that it'll be stolen. If you're female, maybe look at the "women-specific design" bicycles. Do get a very good lock, and lock it properly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgHubY5Vw3Y

and maybe register it with the gardaí

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=984

You can get a bicycle and safety gear every five years on the Cycle to Work scheme, so take full advantage of it now - it'll be 2020 before your chance comes around again.

Oh, and I'm at one with the other posters who suggest getting your bike in a real bike shop. This also means you can bring it back for fixing and tuning up as necessary.