Impossible to get a bike!

[Worriedmum999]

So! I’ve been trying to get a bike for weeks now for myself and DH. We had always planned to get some this summer as the children have just learnt to ride but now with Covid it’s proving Impossible as we can’t go to the shops to find one (shielding).

We’ve tried all our local (and further afield) independents. Earliest they can get them is late August. We have tried every morning on the Halfords website and everything is always gone. We’ve been able to get a few £800 bikes but our budget is more £150 ones. We also need them delivered built really. Although I guess I could get someone out to build them outside.

Can anyone suggest anywhere else we could try?

Honestly for bikes £150 isn’t a lot at all. I think decathalon ones start at £250? Which is pretty cheap.
Have you tried Facebook marketplace? Or gumtree? Second hand might be your best bet.
Alternatively try these guys: ecosmobike.com/

The bikes are cheap so they are heavy but I have one which I love and wouldn’t be without

Argos?? Won't be put together though

New £150 bikes will be shit, though used ones from your local bike co-op would be fine for that price.

Decathlon release new bikes at 11pm and you could try there.

There are people doing up bikes on Ebay but it would depend where you are, it won't be worse than a new £150 bike though.

Oh dear. I didn’t realise the £150 bikes were rubbish. I thought they’d be fine for us going for an hour’s tootle at the weekend. I have steered away from eBay due to not knowing what on Earth I’m looking for and because we are shielding. It’s a minefield. I’m even more confused now.

My cheapo bike from decathlon is still fine after 10 years of having it

Have a look on Halfords? I agree though my eldest got a decent one from Halfords for around 300. He actually bought a 150 one about 2 months ago.... the whee has bent. It’s rubbish.
Deffo worth the expense.

I am getting rid of mans bike
Free if u pm me and are local to me
It’s old but works
Bit like me

I agree. You get what you pay for.

Try second hand. Most large towns or cities have second hand charity bike shops. Google a few, theres 2 within 20 miles of me. They’re often community led and have refurbished bikes. For reasonable prices but they’re all redone & ready to go.

www.cyclistsfc.org.uk/

I bought one from Halfords this morning. They do have new stock each day but I’ve been looking for a while and the one I wanted (£325) was finally back in stock.

Independent bike shops and bike repair shops near you might have good quality second bikes, often refurbished/serviced and with a short guarantee.

Look for a good local community bike shop that refurbishes bikes, they often have a contract with the council to clear unwanted bikes from the local tip, refurb then and sell them on.

Or ask locally on FB

I bought my bike from Halfords 7 years ago for £180 and it's still working perfectly well.

Check Facebook marketplace, there's usually quite a few for sale on my local one.

I disagree with the “get what you pay for” sentiments a little bit:

My son has a carrerra bike, it cost a fair bit, and it has been nothing but problems, and has cost me a lot of money to fix over the past 18 months that he has had the bike.

I bought my bike from Halfords 7 years ago for £180 and it's still working perfectly well.

They've gone up in cost over the last 7 years. Especially recently, bike shops making money hand over fist.

Not near Dorset are you? I've got one kicking round my shed that I'd love to get rid of, just keep forgetting about it, modern and hardly used, I'd give it away as I would prefer the space. Nothing wrong with it but I bought an eBike and so use that one

We’re in the midlands. I’m also quite fat Not sure if that means I should get a more expensive, sturdy bike

I'd get a £150, second hand half decent bike over a brand new, Halfords job which will be heavy to ride and awful going uphill

I disagree with the “get what you pay for” sentiments a little bit:

My son has a carrerra bike, it cost a fair bit, and it has been nothing but problems, and has cost me a lot of money to fix over the past 18 months that he has had the bike.

Generally bikes do cost more to repair the more they cost, so a £1000 bike will cost more to service than a £500 bike (because the spare parts are fancier), but a £150 bike frequently won't be serviceable at all - for example on a cheaper bike you might find that the rear gears wear out the hub as well, and then because it's not at all economic to replace a hub, you'll find a rear wheel is £60, the gears £30, the chain, £20, and then they'll probably fit new cables, labour, etc., and you've spent £150.

Carrera bikes are fine but Halfords often don't maintain them well, and charge lots of unnecessary money for repair. It's worth finding a local repair man who will charge much less.

A lot of the time it's just incompetent minimum wage mechanics - on cheaper bikes you can get a new chain for £10, brake pads for £4, gear cables for £4, etc., and the actual cost of maintenance is very low, but when you go through a bike shop that knows how to run up the bill, that will easily turn into £20, £10, £10, plus labour, etc.

And bikes do need a fair bit of minor maintenance, i.e. cleaning the chain, adjusting cables a bit, which is really quite minor, but if you pay someone to do it then it will tend to cost a lot if they know how to charge....

Where in the country are you OP, I have a bike I’d sell

@Worriedmum999

We’re in the midlands. I’m also quite fat Not sure if that means I should get a more expensive, sturdy bike

Wouldn’t worry about that, I’m very fat (literally, not one of those annoying MN people that say they’re fat when in fact they are at a weight I’m aiming for and claim a size 14 is massive) and all bikes are pretty hefty and I’ve never had a problem with any.

Midlands is probably a bit far to collect my bike and ride it home though......

spend the £150 on a bike on eBay.

If you'll consider second hand, try a carboot sale if they are back up and running near you. There's always bikes at car boots and often for peanuts (vs the new price)

Marketplace on facebook is also a good shout. I bought and sold my last bike on there.

much better to get a decent used one (my frame is 30 years old - new doesn't mean good/better when it comes to bikes) than spend 150 on a new one. It will buy your nothing more than a crap bike which you won't want to ride.