I want to get a bike in an attempt to get fitter - a mountain bike or hybrid type thing probably.
Does anyone know of any good deals going on in post-Christmas sales, or have any other advice?
Looking to spend ~$500 (less if I can get something decent for that).
Thanks.
If your not to far from Welshpool just go down to the auction find 3 or four good ones then have a bid. I got a brand new diamond back for 120$
The link is here There is hundreds of bikes mate. Good luck !http://www.auctions.com.au/auctions/2013/01/30/wa-police-unclaimed-and-frofeited-property-auction.html#0
Got my wife a 29inch diamondback from BigW pre Xmas and it was only $300. Disc brakes, alloy everything. Best $300 bike I've ever seen. She loves it.
checked the spelling, J
If you buy anything at one of those police auctions, as soon as you get it take a serial number off it and go to a police staion and ask for it to be checked for lost or stolen!!!!!
Ive had gear stolen, and recovered by police, stored as evidence, and when I went to claim it , they explained that Id failed to collect it by a particular date and that it had been sent off to auction and sold.
Also look for engravings like names and drivers licence numbers, as the police are oten to overwhelmed with other work that they dont have time to check such info on articles recovered
I got a basic MB from Big W for $60. So what if it doesnt have all the suspension bits and pieces its only for slogging up the local roads and hills for fitness.
Saw a $12,000 bike at the local bike shop last week. You might be able to get it for $10K now.
That would be a pretty good saving.
If you really want to buy me a crissie prezzie one of these would do.
for around 15k
But i'd rather have better racing wheels on it for $6k
I think the $12K bike I saw is the same as the one above, the Pinarello. So its already $3K cheaper in Sydney than Perth. Why are they so expensive?
I struggle to understand why anyone would buy a cheap and nasty bike from a Kmart or BigW type store, you are really playing with yours or someone elses life. What happens when the cheap components, spokes, brake cables rust out in a couple of years, heandlebars, head stem, pedals, seatpost wheels etc start breaking and falling off? if you are still alive, is the department store going to fix it for you? Remember half the time they are assembled by a kid out the back not a proper bike mechanic.
You can still buy lower end bikes of a reputable brand from about $400
at least then the bike shop will service it for you.
Get the bike out of the box, assemble it and make sure it is OK. Then provide the very very basic maintenance required from there on in.
if you check what your getting at the big stores you can often pick up something really well made. look out for alloy components instead of steeland better tyres already fitted.
all my bikes are rebuilds from the tip , but often the basic starting point was a kmart huffy.
one day at the bike shop, they asked when i was going to buy a bike from them ,and said it would mean stopping buying components, which i buy a loy of
take your pick
Yep - definitely only want something to fang around bike paths, roads and maybe a few local trails through parks.
I don't want to shave milliseconds off my time, I don't care if it weighs a few hundred grams more than a more expensive one, and I have nothing against a kmart or bigW one. Oh - and I'll never wear lycra and clip-clop through coffee shops (not that I have anything against folk that are into that - each to their own).
In fact, about my only firm criteria is that it's not a recumbent bike. I ****en hate those things and the pricks that ride them (except for handicapped folk, who I make an exception for but still think with some imagination they could come up with a better form of transport/sport/exercise).
The ones at anaconda look like they might be a decent compromise between quality and price?
I've had bikes from K-Mart, BigW, eBay and cheap locals... ~$600 will get you something decent, but $1800 will get you a bike that feels great to ride.
Or you could build your own from parts... I used to be a Shimano fan, now I'm an Avid/SRAM fan... my X0 gear changes/brake so precisely they're a pleasure to use. Shimano stuff I was always tuning.
BTW: Cycling on the road is probably the most dangerous thing you can legally do in Australia. (Save the postie comments)
Can any of you explain what is the expected procedure when approaching by vehicle a
group of mamils* traveling at about 30kph? Are we expected to overtake , hang back and wait for an overtaking lane to appear or just pull over and wait until the peloton is out of sight to resume our journey.Seem like a hard buch to please.
(*MAMIL:Middle Aged Men In Lycra)
Depends on what the gang is doing. IMO A friendly toot lets people know you are there. Remember we don't usually have mirrors and even loud cars are surprisingly quiet from the front. I can't hear you due to wind noise at much above 30.
Go past leaving a good gap, specially if you are on a much repaired road. A bike gets bounced around a lot more than a car does.
Be a bit patient. A few hundred metres at 30 instead of 80 only adds a few seconds to your journey, less than missing one change of lights due to the cretin in a 4WD in front of you who is waiting to go straight ahead in the optional left turn lane[}:)]
