Mass produced cheap bikes

Arg! I know someone who'd love the fort!

Im selling my camera on ebay tonight, if I get a decent amount and the guy will deliver then its mine.

But youve got decent odds in your favour.

Fort gone ... 5 minutes ago!

Yours?

Ahh i will stay clear then, i checked out the fuji track's, they look sweet and are about 290 delivered. i may go for one of those.

phew, another soul saved...

...that was a bit close...

I have been saved from the evil of the ebay!

From the evil of Unipack to be exact.
Ebay isnt evil, the people who use it are.

Fuji Track... for the money new... Nothing's going give you the kicks (unless your heavy and a shitty Bowery is maybe better).

I picked a 54cm Fort track bike, not this one, for it's wheels and chainset, I was going to stick the frame back on eBay, but am happy to offer it anyone here that was interested. If there is anyone interested I'll post some pictures. :)

cunt fucking poo!

Not me. I didnt realise it was an auction and about to end, just sold my camera to some irish 4 feedback member who likely to be a con artist - I come back to hit BIN and its gone!

Well well, sorry everybody for dibs'ing it and making you miss out.

Polybikeuser, would be very much interested in your frame. - PM'd

I have a straight forward commute. With additional rides, I'm probably doing between 70 and 80 miles a week.
After using different mountain bikes for years, eight months ago, I was told it would cost £150 to repair my bike, so I decided to buy a single speed/fixed gear. The idea being that there's less to go wrong. Low maintenance - less expense.
I bought an SE Lager for £435. It's a lovely bike, and a very smooth ride.
However, after six months, the Thick Slick tyres lost all puncture resistance. I was getting a puncture a week!
I replaced the tyres with Marathon Plus for £60.
I've just taken the bike back to the shop I bought it from, to have some repairs carried out, and have been quoted £130!
I realise that I'd save a fortune if I learned how to carry out these repairs myself but that's just not going to happen.
I'm starting to think that I'd be better off buying a cheap bike, riding it into the ground, until it gives up the ghost, and then buying a another cheap one.
I see Muddy Fox Mountain bikes advertised for £150, or those Chinese Single Speed/Fixed Gear bikes go for under £200. How bad can they be? lol.
It may seem like I'm being petty but I'm a single parent on a tight financial budget.
Moan, moan, moan...

Most councils offer subsidised bike maintenance courses.

Eg

http://www.cycletraining.co.uk/index.php?pg=164#.T6KAIlK9ERY

How bad can they be? lol.

Extremely bad.

It may seem like I'm being petty but I'm a single parent on a tight financial budget.
Moan, moan, moan...

If it end up going to £130* to repair your bike again, perhaps looking after it would ensure it won't add up tremendously.

i.e. checking the chain wear to ensure that it's not worn out to the point of replacing both the cog and chainring, making sure to clean your rims once in a while and to check the brake block to ensure there's plenty of life.

If you really don't want to look after your bike, spend another £400 and get a dutch bike so you won't have to.

*LBS likely to be cheaper, such as Balfe's Bikes whom have a single speed service that's significantly cheaper than a normal service due to not requiring gear tunes, £45 instead of £60.

£150 to repair my bike

what's wrong with it?

From the sound of it, drivetrain overhaul, replacing brake blocks, possibly cable & housing replacing and the labour charge on top.

Buy cassette and chain, buy freewheel removal tool and chainwhip, chaintool. Read Park Tools. DIY.

^This. Teach a man to fish and all that. It's very, very easy.

blah blah been quoted £130! blah blah..

Spend £40-50 on a decent all in one bike maintenance kit. Use Youtube and the forum for everything else. Really that simple.

Also, buying cheaper and cheaper is real false economy - the extra repairing/replacing and risk to yourself through lack of quality just isn't worth it. Anything sub £300 and you'll probably regret it....

Thanks James.
I wasn't aware of this.
Much appreciated.
Gary

It really is, we have some bike in our shop that was £150 brand new, after 6 months of heavy usage, we have to quote £230 to replaced the worn out part (including wheels that was badly out of true and cracked at the stem due to poor wheelbuilding).

Hi Edscoble,
I'm not being argumentative, I appreciate your input.
I really do look after my bike.
I clean and dry it, as soon as I'm home, if it gets wet.
I brush the chain and regularly oil.
My bike is in a LBS.

Hilly Ben,
The labour charge is around £45.
I need a new chain, rear cassette and BB adjustment/re-greasing.

Sound about right.

I brush the chain and regularly oil.

Be wary that there is such thing as too much oil, it'll collect the dirt and grim and accelerate the wear and tear.

http://www.madegood.org/ is a good place to start.

Cheers Edscoble,
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about my LBS.
I've taken it there because I know they do good work at a fair price.
I'm just peeed off at having to spend £190 on a bike that's only eight months old.
The bike has been serviced twice in that time, and eighty miles a week isn't excessive.
I'm just concerned that I'll have to pay the same amount in another eight months.
Thanks for the link. I'm logging off of here to have a good read of Made Good.
Thanks again.
And thanks everybody else
Gary

Sorry I was not dissing your LBS, I was saying that the price appear to be normal for a London bicycle shop, especially after 8 months of commuting.

It's still a lots cheaper than the train fare, congestion charge, or even buses.

The Marathon Plus tyres you bought will definitely last a lots longer than the standard tyres that come with your bicycle, there's a reason why it's popular with round-the-world touring cyclists.

Checking chain wear every 3-4 months also help to ensure that you can replace the chain before it wear out the cassette/chainring.