Cheap Bike for Lon Las Cymru

[shrewedpunter]

Hello everyone, i'm approaching 29 years old and I've recently had a huge adventurous urge to get out there and do some cycling. Maybe it's my mid-life crisis?
I've not done much biking since i was little. I was in the Army for 7 years and we regularly went to Bavaria for Adventure Training which included mountain biking.

Since i live in North Wales, i guess 'Lon Las Cymru' is the logical first big thing for me to challenge myself to do, after of course some training and little trips here and there near where i live.

I'm stuck on choosing a bike, i want it to be pretty cheap but able to do what i want.
No doubt i'll be investing big money in something good int he next couple of years, but for now i'm just seeing if this hobby "is me".

I'm guesing that a hybrid would suit me well? Blending speed and ease on the road and flat tracks with the ability to handle dirt tracks and maybe the odd field if i wanna take a shortcut

I'm town between finding a "bargain" on eBay, or spending £99 on a Apollo mens bike at Halfords that's probably bottom of the barrel in terms of quality.

I'll need a rack at the back to hold my stuff, i'm more of a lightweight camping kind of guy with cards and cash in case i fancy a room

Any suggestions?

Merry Xmas

[Cunobelin]

There are some good bikes out there at reasonable costs

Several years ago I was touring the route between Glasgow and Carlisle (Lochs and Glens South) on a £1k + bike when I had a small problem!




Did my sums and with rail fares and cancellation fees for hotels etc it would cost me about £150 so decided to use that and buy a cheap bike to continue the tour

So I bought a Ridgeback Speed from Irvine Cycles similar to this




Continued the journey and enjoyed it tremendously

The bike was heavier and lacked some of the nuances and subtleties of the more expensive bike, but it was quite adequate for the demands of touring


I think the main thing here is to buy something that you are comfortable with and a hybrid will keep up with most demands

[cyclop]

Firstly,forget cheap and new,heavy,nasty,rubbish.Go on ebay,look for older,retro,well maintained,mountain bike.I have a "holiday bike",a cannondale F900sl,with semi slick tyres which is ok on road and ok offroad,not ideal for either but,nevertheless ideal as an allrounder.Must be 15yrs old,has road type forks,albeit with some suspension(fatty headshoks)which take some sting off the trails.Disc brakes a must,low maintenance,8 or 9 spd triple giving loads of options and cheap replacement cassettes etc.I reckon 250 quid will get you something decent,try and take an experienced friend with you---good luck.

[cyclop]

Sorry, just read your post more closely,discs would be a problem if you wanted rear rack

[Cunobelin]

Sorry, just read your post more closely,discs would be a problem if you wanted rear rack

.... or buy any of the disc compatible racks

[Brian73]

Loads of cheap hybrids out there

Trek 7 series, Specialized Globe and Sirrus are popular. Giant's Escape models are also good, Halfords' Carrera Subway is good if you want 26 inch wheels and used ones can be had for £100.

Most of the above come lightly used except if they've been doing the daily commute (avoid these if possible).

Good V brakes are better than cheap disc brakes, something else to bear in mind.

[colin54]

I bought this as a winter towpath/ shopping bike a couple of years ago , it was ten years old.

I replaced the chain and brake pads on it and fitted a rack; total cost about a

£100 . Nice low gears ,wideish tyres (35mm).Cost new nowadays (Ridgeback Velocity £400). I've popped one spoke in that time (non eyeletted rims not the best), Specialised

,Giant etc all do similar models.Seem to be plenty of the more recent ones on ebay .

[shrewedpunter]

Firstly,forget cheap and new,heavy,nasty,rubbish.Go on ebay,look for older,retro,well maintained,mountain bike.I have a "holiday bike",a cannondale F900sl,with semi slick tyres which is ok on road and ok offroad,not ideal for either but,nevertheless ideal as an allrounder.Must be 15yrs old,has road type forks,albeit with some suspension(fatty headshoks)which take some sting off the trails.Disc brakes a must,low maintenance,8 or 9 spd triple giving loads of options and cheap replacement cassettes etc.I reckon 250 quid will get you something decent,try and take an experienced friend with you---good luck.

Thanks for suggestions everyone. I like the look of cannondale F900sl... can't find any on ebay atm though.,

[shrewedpunter]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/ ... fb59a0346b

been offered this for £100..

what do you guys think?

[Malaconotus]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t34.0-12/10847021_10205652884981372_1770741137_n.jpg?oh=565bc6674c51bd4a7feeff2675a8d398&oe=549ECC7E&__gda__=1419718995_031384f5f4aba484462d50fb59a0346b

been offered this for £100..

what do you guys think?

You don't want a full suspension bike for what you've described. Not suitable for touring with any kind of load.

[Spinners]

Evans have some good discounts on touring bikes at the moment

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/b ... ;sort=asc;

[Vorpal]

The only way to get a bike that you will want to ride that far for £100 is to buy used, and (probably) do some work on it. If you don't feel up to that kind of thing, you need to plan to spend a bit more. It is possible to tour on almost anything, but it's better to let the bike carry the luggage, and that's harder to do with a full suspension bike, as you can't put racks on it.

Here is another recent thread about inexpensive options for touring...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=92893

And a bit older one...
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=66715

[shrewedpunter]

How about this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-Boys-Bik ... 23477c68c1

£10 I could spend the rest of the money on new wheels tyres gear parts and brakes

[Vorpal]

I don't know the Stealth Falcon; I suspect that the frame will be heavy, but if you don't mind doing the work, mountain bike frames can be built up into decent tourers. That one looks like it has mountings for a rack & mudguards. If the wheels are okay, you will need to, at a minimum
-buy consumables (cables, brake pads, etc.)
-dismantle, check and regrease the headset & bottom bracket bearings
-check, clean and lubricate gears and chain
-buy mudguards and a rack
-replace the tyres & inner tubes
By the time I finish a project like that, I've often spent more than I would have to buy a working bike in the first place, but it is possible to do it less expensively than buying new.

However, if you don't have experience with such things, like most DIY, it's possible to learn as you go, but will probably involve some learning experiences that cost you some money.

[Richard Fairhurst]

£100 . Nice low gears ,wideish tyres (35mm).Cost new nowadays (Ridgeback Velocity £400).

I'd second that. I bought a Ridgeback Velocity about 10 years ago (at a similar age to the OP, I guess!) and bedded it in by cycling Lon Las Cymru on it. It was an ideal bike for the route - robust enough to cope with the railway tracks and unmade roads, light enough to be efficient on the roads, and with a helpful granny gear for the climbs. (Except that one out of Aberllefenni...)

A quick look on eBay suggests that you can find a similar hybrid for around £130 or so. As ever, better to buy a used bike of a decent make rather than a brand new Argos special.

Enjoy - it's a great route!